When the European Union expanded eastward in 2004, Ireland opened its doors to workers entering from former communist states to help maintain record economic growth. Now, immigrants are heading for the exit.

The number of people leaving Ireland next year will outstrip those moving to the country for the first time in 14 years, according to Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin. The biggest exodus will be among the 170,000 workers who arrived the past four years from Poland and other east European states. Read the rest of this entry »

As you have heard me say in the past, PR is extremely cost effective. In a lot of cases the cost is zero, but PR is not limited to just sending out press releases.

Your visibility will increase with powerful publicity. Publicizing your business, you or your services will help increase the value of each to you and your whole target audience.

The idea is that publicity will bring the news of your company to the world, online or off, computer or no computer. The basic weapons that can be used to do this are a press kit, a company background piece, press releases, story ideas, and articles or columns about your firm, as mentioned in the article section above. As you can see there are many vehicles to distribute through the media, even though the most important of all is the press release.

A press kit can include the background piece, press releases, photos, story ideas, reprints of previous articles about your business, a list of customer references and anything else that the news media might find newsy or just be a simple fact sheet on you and your company. If you provide the media with news that will appeal to their readers, you will gain instant credibility and have a very valuable promotional relationship. This can be very powerful from a marketing point of view.

There are also a host of online magazines that might want to post your story, article or information. (This is related to both press releases and the article campaign mentioned above.)

A publicity campaign should begin with a master plan. The more newsworthy you make your company, the more coverage you’ll get. And publicity will earn credibility that advertising just can’t buy. Your goals should be uniqueness, timeliness and top-of-the-mind awareness. With publicity and visibility, your company profile raises and your client and prospect level rise as well. Market For Profits will put this together and manage it on a consistent basis for you.

One successful story about your company can result in free publicity is advertising worth hundreds and thousands of dollars.

Part of managing the total marketing campaign and especially the Public Relations portion is supplying the media with a unique story that will grasp their reader and viewer audiences. Press Releases also have a dramatic impact on customers and your targeted prospects.

PR is one of the most cost effective parts of marketing that an organization can undertake. The cost is in the development of an organized campaign and the writing and distribution of press releases. There is usually no cost associated with printed pieces or placement into publications. Because of this it is considered to be very cost effective. There is definitely a knack to writing a “newsworthy” press release even though sometimes the goal is awareness and promotion. Editors do not like promotion so crafting a press release to appeal to an editor is key. Now there is no guarantee that any press release will ever be published but with a consistent professional newsworthy approach with reputable editors of reputable publications, probability is good that some press will be gained and awareness will increase. Press releases are also great vehicles for communicating with clients and prospects. Putting them on a website is a very effective means of promotion to your captive markets. It also further substantiates your place in the marketing and your credibility in your field.

LIVERMORE, Calif. ─ The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District is gearing up for the sixth annual Livermore Scottish Games and Celtic Celebration, coming up in spring 2009. This time around, the District is partnering with event producer Renaissance Productions to design, market and bring to life the 2009 Scottish Games.

Patrons to the event will see an array of new offerings and excitement as LARPD and Renaissance Productions plan to extend the levels of entertainment diversity and interactive experiences to the show. Family-friendly events and Scottish activities will highlight next year’s event. Attendees will enjoy bagpipe bands, Celtic rock bands, drumming, fiddling, highland dancing, Olympic-style competitions and kids’ games. There will be genealogy and clan tents and plenty of Scottish merchandise and food.

A new “Calling of the Clans” ceremony will introduce and honor all the Scottish clans in attendance for the weekend. Historically, the Calling of the Clans was a gathering of clans in preparation for battle, unifying all the clans as one.

In a nod to their original incarnation centuries ago, modern Scottish Highland Games will revolve around athletic and sports competitions. Heavy athletic events such as the caber toss, weight toss and impressive displays of strength and skill will draw in visitors, who will be able to try their hand in the competitions. Numerous historical re-enactment groups offering a glimpse into the past will educate patrons on the history of the times.

LARPD selected Renaissance Productions for the team’s knowledge of event production and marketing experience. Renaissance Productions runs successful events throughout the West Coast and consults on events of all genres around the country.

“We’re very excited to be a part of the upcoming Livermore Scottish Games and Celtic Celebration,” said Marti Miernik, Vice President and Co-Producer of Renaissance Productions. “We are thrilled to partner with the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District and are focused on engaging the local community to help grow this phenomenal event. We are looking forward to crafting this celebration of Scottish heritage for the people of Livermore and the Bay Area.”

“With the great response we’ve received from the attending public over the last few years, we’re excited to work with Renaissance Productions to help expand our offerings and outreach,” said Katrina Hole, Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator for LARPD. “Their established track record of successful events and growth is directly in line with our hopes for establishing this event as one that will be on the area calendar for years to come.”

The Sixth Annual Livermore Scottish Games and Celtic Celebration will be held on May 16 and 17, 2009, at Robertson Park, 3200 Robertson Park Road, Livermore. For more information, please visit www.larpd.dst.ca.us or www.livermoregames.com

A new study by evolutionary psychologists found that a group of college women preferred brainy men over jocks—for both one-night stands and long-term relationships.

This was unexpected - a man’s intelligence improved his chances of being appealing for a brief hook-up? Women prefer brains over brawn? Guess we’re not so much into the cavemen scene as it was once thought.

Although, it was surely a “bittersweet” moment for the University of California-Davis scientists when they noticed that men who are both smart and handsome did the best of all. Are you kidding me? It’s hard to believe that it took a bunch of people with PhDs to figure this one out!!!