Will last weekend have a lasting impact on Milwaukee?

By: Scott Stein, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

Milwaukee Skyline Source: http://www.Flickr.com/photos/dragonflyajt/206867595 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a lifelong Wisconsin resident who has spent the vast majority of my life in eastern Wisconsin, I do keep an eye on what’s happening in the state’s largest city, Milwaukee. Many more of us were drawn in by the events of last weekend, after a Milwaukee police officer shot and killed an armed man in the Sherman Park area.

Your view of what happened probably depends a great deal on what your news source was. Some national news outlets would have you believe all of Milwaukee was burning, when, in fact, the “riot” was generally confined to about a two block area of the city. I’d venture to guess that there were some people in Milwaukee who didn’t pay attention to the news and didn’t even know what was happening.

While a number of U.S. cities rocked by similar incidents have continued to experience problems, things seemed to quiet down in Milwaukee after just a couple of nights as community members came together to clean up and work toward peace and quiet. 

Part of the discussion now is, “How will this impact Milwaukee going forward? Will people shy away from the city’s many entertainment and cultural offerings? Is this a black eye that will haunt the home of the Brewers, Bucks and Summerfest?”

As a PR person and the father of a Milwaukee resident, I’ve pondered that question this week. Even as I’ve heard some suburban Milwaukee residents on the radio saying they’ll stay away from the city, I believe the impact will be minimal and short term.

I look a short distance to the south, where our other child lives. Nearly every weekend there are reports of the growing number of murders in Chicago. Yet, I would not hesitate to go to the Windy City for a weekend visit and spend time at Navy Pier, one of the museums or a concert.

Now, more than ever, Milwaukee needs to let people know about the good things going on and remind people that the events of last weekend involved just a couple hundred people in a metro area that has more than 1.5 million residents.

Those two nights should not outshine the positives of the many ethnic festivals and other events and activities Milwaukee has to offer. Of course, a few more wins for the Brewers and Bucks would help bring more people to town, too. 

What do you think? Will you steer clear of Milwaukee? Will the “riot” have a lasting impact?  

Will last weekend have a lasting impact on Milwaukee?

By: Scott Stein, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

As a lifelong Wisconsin resident who has spent the vast majority of my life in eastern Wisconsin, I do keep an eye on what’s happening in the state’s largest city, Milwaukee. Many more of us were drawn in by the events of last weekend, after a Milwaukee police officer shot and killed an armed man in the Sherman Park area.

Your view of what happened probably depends a great deal on what your news source was. Some national news outlets would have you believe all of Milwaukee was burning, when, in fact, the “riot” was generally confined to about a two block area of the city. I’d venture to guess that there were some people in Milwaukee who didn’t pay attention to the news and didn’t even know what was happening.

While a number of U.S. cities rocked by similar incidents have continued to experience problems, things seemed to quiet down in Milwaukee after just a couple of nights as community members came together to clean up and work toward peace and quiet. 

Part of the discussion now is, “How will this impact Milwaukee going forward? Will people shy away from the city’s many entertainment and cultural offerings? Is this a black eye that will haunt the home of the Brewers, Bucks and Summerfest?”

As a PR person and the father of a Milwaukee resident, I’ve pondered that question this week. Even as I’ve heard some suburban Milwaukee residents on the radio saying they’ll stay away from the city, I believe the impact will be minimal and short term.

I look a short distance to the south, where our other child lives. Nearly every weekend there are reports of the growing number of murders in Chicago. Yet, I would not hesitate to go to the Windy City for a weekend visit and spend time at Navy Pier, one of the museums or a concert.

Now, more than ever, Milwaukee needs to let people know about the good things going on and remind people that the events of last weekend involved just a couple hundred people in a metro area that has more than 1.5 million residents.

Those two nights should not outshine the positives of the many ethnic festivals and other events and activities Milwaukee has to offer. Of course, a few more wins for the Brewers and Bucks would help bring more people to town, too. 

What do you think? Will you steer clear of Milwaukee? Will the “riot” have a lasting impact?  

Olympic PR team also going for the gold

By: Cole Buergi, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Few events get as much media attention as the Olympics and for good reason. The best athletes in the world come together every four years to compete for gold, while the world watches in amazement. The Olympics is also a time for the host country to showcase its rich culture and amenities in hopes of attracting tourist dollars long after the games are completed.

Unfortunately for Brazil, host country to the XXXI Olympiad, many PR issues arose months prior to the lighting of the Olympic torch. They included concerns about athletes and spectators contracting the Zika virus and then returning to their home countries as carriers, potentially spreading the virus globally. Additional concerns revolved around whether the Olympic buildings would be ready in time and, of course, there’s the ever present water quality issue. Anyone watching the diving event Tuesday couldn’t help but see the pool was green, a color more commonly associated with a pond you would catch frogs in than one you would expect to see Olympians competing in. 

It’s definitely been trying times for the PR team assigned with positioning all aspects of Rio, Brazil’s host city, in a positive light, all the while tackling some very serious issues that even caused some athletes to take a pass on competing in the games.

Although Olympic news leading up the games often highlighted the negatives, now that games are in full swing, there has definitely been a shift in focus by the media. Gone are many of the negative stories, replaced instead with truly interesting stories of the men and women competing. That’s what really draws me to watch the games. Not only do you get to see the top athletes compete, but you get to learn more about their life stories and the roads they traveled to get to where they are today.

As the games near the end of the first week of competition, what’s your thoughts on the coverage? Has the Olympics PR team performed well in handling the negatives and spotlighting all the positives? 

I definitely feel they have and have enjoyed watching the competition. What do you think? Has the Olympic PR team earned a gold medal for their efforts? What would you do differently?

Why graphic design matters in social media

By: Noelle Cutler, Account Assistant, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

Social Media Graphic Example

Have you ever scrolled through a business’s social media page and found nothing but one wordy status after another? Did any of those statuses actually make you want to stop scrolling and start reading? If you’ve noticed businesses like this on social media (or maybe you are that business on social media), you’re missing the big picture. Actually, you’re missing any sort of visual element, picture or graphic. Graphics can be especially useful on social media.

Graphic design helps to make complex issues, well, not complex. Sometimes the best way to write something clearly is to not write at all. Let’s say for example, your company wants to release part of their end of the year report. The report contains a lot of information, and it’s pretty dry information at that. An infographic can be your best friend when you’re trying to explain complicated percentages or when you’re just trying to stop people from falling asleep while reading. It can make any information simple and interesting. 

What if you’re promoting an event on social media? This is a perfect opportunity to create a graphic that features a picture or two with the key message you want people to know about your event. You can write as many statuses as you want, but nine times out of ten, photos and videos will produce a much higher engagement rate. More engagement usually equals more action (like people coming to your event), not to mention it means more people will see your post. 

It’s hard to differentiate the importance of one piece of information over another when you’re writing a status on social media. You can’t even bold the text; your only option is to use ALL CAPS WHICH IS PROBABLY A LITTLE ANNOYING. But a visual does a much better job placing emphasis on what you’ve chosen as the most important info. Secondary information, like contest rules for example, can be placed at the bottom of a visual in a smaller font. Meanwhile, your most important contest information can be right in the center, maybe in a larger font or different colored font. It’s easier for readers to catch onto the main point, and the person making the graphic has way more control over making that main point obvious.  

In a cyber world full of people and businesses talking, graphic design can set your social media material above the noise so people notice it, understand it and share it.