DNA works with ReWa to annually produce an informative and cost-effective communications piece, distributed through area newspapers and magazines throughout ReWa’ service area. This report was also awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association for Excellence in Popular Annual Financial Report.

Also recognized by the AMCP with an Honorable Mention was DNA’s public relations success on the public service event Project Rx: A River Remedy. This event, coordinated semi-annually by DNA for ReWa, provides the Upstate with a free and safe method to safely dispose of unwanted medication with local law enforcement.

The Hermes Creative Awards are an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. Hermes Creative Awards recognizes the outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals.

DNA Creative Communications

DNA is the leading communications partner for nonprofit and government organizations that enhance the quality of life in their communities. We focus our efforts on the education, human service, and sustainability sectors by offering a variety of targeted strategies including: brand positioning; online, media and crisis communications; community outreach programs; and special events.

On an annual basis, DNA offers our Live Here Give Here program and Shine the Light on Your Nonprofit educational series.  DNA is the proud recipient of the Greenville Chamber’s 2005 Small Business of the Year Award and the Community Foundation of Greenville’s 2011 Creative Spirit Award. For more information, please call 864-235-0959 ext 2 or visit www.dnacc.com.

Created in 2008 (with a half-price offer for pizzas sold on the first floor of its building in Chicago being its first deal), it’s fair to say that Groupon has come a long way. Just at the end of 2011, over 170 million Groupons were sold to more than 33 million active customers, on behalf of more than 250,000 merchants in 48 countries around the world (Forbes).

How do they do it?

Groupon helps people have fun in the city they live in (and save money while doing it) by using the tremendous power of collective buying. In short, Groupon promises local businesses a minimum number of customers in exchange for an unbeatable deal—once a minimum number of deals are purchased (the tipping point), the deal is available to all!

A Short Preface

Groupon wasn’t always Groupon. In fact, it grew out of a fundraising website called The Point that was created as a revolutionary way for individuals to combine their influence and “make things happen.” Because when it comes down to it, in the nonprofit world and beyond, often you can’t make change happen alone—you need the power of many.

On-line giving campaigns run through The Point leveraged the influence of group giving; all campaigns have a “tipping point” at which so many people pledge to give money or take action—and when the tipping point is met, success is ensured. In 2008, “The Point” evolved into Groupon operating under this same model, but refocused its purpose on consumer driven deals.

Groupon Grassroots

As Groupon experienced mega success by harnessing the idea of collective consumer power with fun, unbeatable daily deals, the team decided to take it a step further—and go back to their roots at the same time. In 2010, Groupon Grassroots came alive as a “new way to discover local causes, rally together, and lend a helping hand.”

Through it, a number of community projects are showcased for Groupon followers to unite with, depending on the city in which they live, or the cause that’s near and dear to their heart. All Grassroots campaigns focus on keeping money in local communities—thereby allowing charities with specific community projects, to mobilize support. Per the classic ‘Groupon’ theory, collective action powers every campaign that is featured. To date, 746 campaigns have raised $3,413,075 from 118,377 supporters nationwide. Active campaigns running today include:

-          Hygiene Care Kits to Survivors of Natural Disasters

-          Send High School Students on a “College Day”

-          Extracurricular Activities for Foster Youth

-          Fund Guest Stays for Families at Ronald McDonald House

…And the list goes on and on. Interested? Learn more, here: grassroots.groupon.com

To us, Groupon really is the REAL deal.

The firm also received for the second year the 2012 Mercury Award for Public Service for its work on Project Rx: A River Remedy, as well as received the 2012 Silver Wing Award of Merit for the design and development of Renewable Water Resources’ Annual Report to the Community. Accepting these awards for their team’s work was DNA Account Manager Emily Kosa and Account Coordinator Meg Ried, presented by current SCPRSA President Alice Grey Harrison.

SCPRSA’s Mercury Awards recognize public relations programs and campaigns, while the Silver Wing Awards recognize outstanding tactics used in those campaigns. Public relations practitioners across the state are eligible to enter the awards competition, which was judged this year by the PRSA chapter in Roanoke, Virginia.

DNA Creative Communications

DNA is the leading communications partner for nonprofit and government organizations that enhance the quality of life in their communities. We focus our efforts on the education, human service, and sustainability sectors by offering a variety of targeted strategies including: brand positioning; online, media and crisis communications; community outreach programs; and special events.

On an annual basis, DNA offers our Live Here Give Here program and Shine the Light on Your Nonprofit educational series.  DNA is the proud recipient of the Greenville Chamber’s 2005 Small Business of the Year Award and the Community Foundation of Greenville’s 2011 Creative Spirit Award. For more information, please call 864-235-0959 ext 2 or visit www.dnacc.com.

As a 41-foot custom bus equipped as a state-of-the-art mobile science classroom, the Gene Machine travels to high schools across the state to provide students first-hand exposure to the vast technologies used in the medical genetics arena as well as to introduce the career opportunities available within the genetics field. On Friday, as part of DNA Creative Communications’ “DNA Day” celebration at Zen, guests will have an opportunity to tour the Gene Machine and learn more about the modules and experiments students can perform while on board.

The Gene Machine

“We can think of no better way to celebrate DNA Day than with a visit by the Gene Machine and the Greenwood Genetic Center,” said Debbie Nelson, Principal of DNA Creative Communications. “On DNA Day and every day, we are thankful for the positive impact they continue to make in advancing the field of medical genetics and education.”

DNA Creative Communications celebrates the April 20^th day with its shared moniker, and also uses the occasion to commemorate those who are at the core of their mission and their community: the wonderful nonprofit organizations of the Upstate.

As another aspect of the celebration, DNA plans to announce its 2012 “Shine the Light on Your Nonprofit” Seminar Series schedule and topics. Formatted as a series of educational workshops to support nonprofits, the series was developed by DNA in 2010 to help nonprofits learn tips and tools necessary to propel their communications efforts forward. Past topics have included branding, public relations, social media and more; to date, the series has drawn attendance from over 170 nonprofits across the Upstate. Each has been extended an invitation to “DNA Day.”

DNA Creative Communications

DNA is the leading communications partner for nonprofit and government organizations that enhance the quality of life in their communities. We focus our efforts on the education, human service, and sustainability sectors by offering a variety of targeted strategies including: brand positioning; online, media and crisis communications; community outreach programs; and special events.

On an annual basis, DNA offers our Live Here Give Here program and Shine the Light on Your Nonprofit educational series.  DNA is the proud recipient of the Greenville Chamber’s 2005 Small Business of the Year Award and the Community Foundation of Greenville’s 2011 Creative Spirit Award. For more information, please call 864-235-0959 ext 2 or visit www.dnacc.com.  

###

As Twitter turns six, we take a look at some key stats that have made the Twitter story such an engrossing one.

1. Over 60 billion tweets were sent out in all of 2011.

2. The record for maximum tweets per second as of date is 12233, set during Superbowl 2012.

3. Twitter is the 9th most popular site in the world. (Source: Alexa)

4. Twitter started with a 5 member team in 2006, it now has 835 employees.

5. It took 3 years, 2 months and 1 day to hit the first billion tweets. It now takes less than a week to clock that many.

6. Lady Gaga (@LadyGaga) has over 21 million followers on Twitter, making her the most “followed” user. Barack Obama (@BarackObama) is by far the most popular politician on Twitter (8th overall), with over 13 million followers. YouTube (@YouTube) is the most popular brand on Twitter with 10 million followers, ahead of Twitter itself which is at 8 million.

7. The most popular Indian on Twitter as of date is none other than Amitabh Bachchan (@srbachchan) with over 2.3 million followers.

8. The most prolific user on Twitter is @Yougakudan_00, a 21-year Japanese boy who enjoys “anime/ manga, gaming and programming”, who has over 36 million tweets to his credit! That beats the next user by the small matter of 30 million tweets! (Source: Twitter Counter)

9. The most retweeted tweet of all times is this particular tweet by @Wendys:

The tweet raised $50,000 for the cause, so it’s safe to assume it got 100,000 retweets! (Source: Twitter)

10. Twitter is now available in 28 different languages around the world with Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew and Urdu being the latest languages added.

Join us as we wish Twitter a happy 6th birthday and share the love on all your social media sites!

With a mission and ministry to provide nutritious meals, services and fellowship to the frail and homebound citizens of Spartanburg County, Mobile Meals currently serves nearly 2,000 residents with approximately 150 volunteers each weekday. The organization’s goal is to provide nourishment for the mind, body and soul through its delivery of love, compassion and hope to those in need. The LHGH pro-bono program DNA offers will afford Mobile Meals of Spartanburg the opportunity to begin and cultivate a brand development strategy while enhancing its public relations presence and marketing materials throughout 2012.

As a local initiative now starting its third year, DNA created LHGH to develop a strategic partnership with one Upstate nonprofit agency for an entire year—enhancing their ability to implement and maintain sustainable communications strategies. During this time, DNA conducts a communications audit, develops a comprehensive plan and recommended branding, marketing and/or public relations tools, and assists in the plan’s execution. Moreover, DNA serves as a mentor throughout the year to the organization’s staff to ensure the campaign’s long-term sustainability.

 “We are thrilled to begin our partnership with Mobile Meals of Spartanburg to further advance their reach and impact within the Upstate community,” noted Debbie Nelson, Principal of DNA. “LHGH is an extension of DNA’s spirit—it is a way of sharing our resources and expertise with a new nonprofit each year whose cause and mission is key to our community’s success.”

LHGH is a complement to DNA’s other nonprofit program: it’s “Shine the Light on Your Nonprofit” seminar series. The educational series is open to nonprofits and their boards to learn targeted skills crucial to their public relations strategies. Past series topics have included branding, crisis communications, special event planning and more. DNA will be announcing the 2012 curriculum later this month.

DNA Creative Communications

DNA specializes in advertising, branding, e-communications, public relations and special events services. Areas of expertise include government agencies, educational and financial institutions, medical practices, homebuilders, and nonprofits. An active Greenville community member, DNA is the proud recipient of the Greenville Chamber’s 2005 Small Business of the Year Award. For more information, please call 864-235-0959 or visit www.dnacc.com.

###

During my job shadowing experience at DNA Creative Communications, my main focus was on exploring different fields such as marketing, public relations, advertising and communications. I hoped to gain an understanding of the difference between each of these fields in order to gain knowledge that will help me pursue a major later. I accompanied Account Manager Emily Kosa in her office and asked her questions to further my understanding of the job. She helped me write a blog post for the Freshwater Freddie blog, a website devoted to helping kids learn more about helping the environment. Later I attended a presentation about Twitter given by other DNA employees. After that Emily helped me to write my first press release and this blog post, which was about my shadowing experience. These activities and events have opened my eyes to what it is like to have an occupation in the marketing and public relations field.

Landmesser comes to DNA for agency perspective having previously job-shadowed internally at the Hubbell Lighting Corporation. She is currently taking classes at Mauldin that should help her to prepare for a marketing major such as writing and Yearbook Staff.

DNA Creative Communications

DNA is a full-service communications firm specializing in advertising, branding, e‐communications, public relations and special event planning. The DNA team develops and executes strategies for clients in various arenas, including education, housing, healthcare, recreation and the environment. DNA offers an annual LIVE HERE GIVE HERE program – a pro bono initiative that allows DNA to select and partner with a local nonprofit to develop a sustainable communications strategy. DNA is the proud recipient of the Greenville Chamber’s 2005 Small Business of the Year Award. For more information, please call 864‐235‐0959 or visit www.dnacc.com.

###

1. Connect with contests.

Brands can create contests on Pinterest similar to Facebook or Twitter.  For example, fashion companies could ask users to post photos of the best outfits they put together from pictures on Pinterest.  Implementing these types of creative contests can help connect your audience and build buzz about your brand.

2. Get the 411 on a new product or idea.

Pinterest’s ability to comment on pins makes it an ideal platform to launch a new product and read any feedback. Not only can brand managers monitor how many repins a photo gets, they can also review what types of comments and thoughts the product/picture/idea creates.  Users may even make suggestions that the company can then consider for future products. 

3. Share your brand’s story and personality through your ‘pins.’

Although Pinterest is a primarily visual site, companies that don’t necessarily have product lines to show off can still utilize the site to communicate a brand’s personality.  For instance, a nonprofit could post photos of any fundraising or community events showing their community outreach.  Each pin also allows for a link to the original story, directing the user to the organization’s website. This is a great, interactive and unique way to share your story!

 4. Use ‘pins’ to connect visually with your audience.

Companies can use Pinterest to visually organize areas of focus for the public to view.  This also allows for other businesses to view similar work and share effective strategies across this network, making Pinterest a good B2B community. 

 5. Feature your supporters!

Brands can create pins and boards that feature customers’ product interpretations, and then showcase them to the rest of the Pinterest community.  For example, a clothing company could highlight a shopper’s outfit ensemble purchases through the retailer.  This allows the shopper to feel special (almost celebrity-like!) and creates content that keeps users constantly involved. 

Pinterest has huge potential for brands to interact with their audiences and to visually entice potential customers or supporters.  Using the visual platform, companies can create quite a buzz around products and services.  Some brands that have successfully harnessed the power of Pinterest include Whole Foods, Better Homes & Gardens, Today Show, and Travel Channel—check them out and see how your brand can benefit from their strategies!