We are entering our fifth year of working with Seaport Village, a favorite seaside destination for San Diego locals and visitors, and Bailey Gardiner is lucky to manage all of Seaport’s marketing efforts – public relations, advertising, special events and social media.

In preparation for a presentation to the tenants of Seaport, we wanted to compile a highlight reel of all the great work that went on throughout 2009. It’s a fun way to bring to life the advertisements, collateral pieces, events, public relations hits, social media, and onsite signage the Bailey Gardiner teams created. And it’s definitely more entertaining than me standing at the front of the room rattling them all off! So we gathered all the necessary pieces and enlisted Rich, our fantastic copywriter and jack of many trades, to put together our video (some of you may recall his great work on the BG Holiday Video and outtakes). Our client and the tenants enjoyed it and we hope you do to.

Who owns social media? Jon addressed this question just a few weeks ago, and it is a topic that continues to come up. My question back is, does it really matter who “owns” it? What we should be asking and establishing is who is going to be accountable for social media.

I attended the PRSA International Conference in San Diego a few weeks ago and sat in on a session titled PR (R)evolution where Brian Solis commented on this exact question. He said that no one owns social media, it’s in the hands of consumers so therefore we all play a role.

OK, nothing too earth shattering there. But what rang very true for me was what Brian brought up next. That while no one department or type of agency owns social media, someone has to be accountable for it. There it was, the word people don’t use enough – accountability. If there is a crisis, issue, or question who will the C-suite, sales team, customer service, and marketing team turn to? They’ll turn to public relations. They’ll turn to the team who manages and monitors the brand’s messaging and communications strategy.

As an integrated agency, I know and believe that great ideas and creative implementation can come from anyone in any department. However, what is critical to a successful social media presence and its programs is that someone is accountable. Someone or a team needs to be tracking what is being said, have a plan for when issues arise, and have control of the correct key messages for the brand or company. Which is why public relations agencies, public relations practitioners and public relations departments have to stand up and be accountable.

Today is a bittersweet day for BG. Today Jamie Ortiz, our PR Account Supervisor, leaves us to take on the position of Director of Marketing and Communications at San Diego Coastkeeper. I like to think BG was Jamie’s dream job for the past five years and SD Coast Keepers is her current and future dream job. She is following her passion and they are lucky to have her.

Jamie has been a tremendous asset to the company, our clients and our employees. Her presence and wit will be missed at BG, but we aren’t saying good-bye to her. Between Twitter, Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, email, text and good ol fashion in-person communication, we’re sure to stay in constant contact with her.

So to toast Jamie, I thought I’d share some pictures through the years. And what better place than the BG blog she helped build.

Bailey Gardiner is looking for a summer public relations intern to support the Del Mar Racetrack account – one of San Diego’s longest running entertainment establishments (not to mention one of the most fun!).

We’re looking for:

• A college junior or senior working on a communications, journalism or English major. Recent college grads are good too.
• Ability to work at least 30-40 hours/week
• Outstanding communications skills (verbal and written)
• Thrive in a fast-paced, energetic, highly creative setting
• Previous PR/media experience is highly preferred
• An enthusiasm for social media – beyond your facebook account – we’re looking for someone who gets it from a marketing perspective and really, really loves it.
• Someone who can blow our creative minds with enthusiasm, ambition and previous PR skills.
• Start ASAP

Here’s what you’ll get hands-on experience doing:

• Direct media pitching with a focus on local and regional outlets
• Writing media releases and alerts
• Blog and social media correspondence
• Brainstorming
• Research
• Creating and updating media lists
• General account support

And working for us isn’t so bad either. While we can’t compensate you with pay, the experience is invaluable. We’ll take the time to teach, support, provide you with responsibility and have some fun.

If you fit the bill, please send your resume, cover letter and references to lizzie@baileygardiner.com or call (619) 295-8232.

Readers of Bailey Gardiner’s Don’t Drink the Koolaid blog are invited to attend a special in-store event at the San Diego Tiffany & Co. store on June 9th. The celebratory evening will be filled with indulgences. Please RSVP to attend.

Sometimes waiting for a PR placement can be like watching grass grow. You tend to it, check on it, try new things, but you don’t see the immediate results you crave. But then one day, as if out of nowhere, the placement (or growth) finally happens. At times it only takes a few months, and other times it takes years. Which is why the PR process is a long-term investment and something that doesn’t just happen over night.

To illustrate my point, here are a few examples on just how long a great hit can take.

For Beauty Encounter the team worked with a freelance writer last spring on a story about discontinued beauty products. Since Beauty Encounter offers one of the deepest selections online, this was a great angle for us to take with the writer. The article just came out in ShopSmart Magazine and the editor went on CBS The Early Show to talk about the story and mentioned Beauty Encounter.

In January 2008 the Vet-Stem team at BG started pitching a reporter at the Orange County Register. The team followed up numerous times, and the reporter finally responded she was interested. After many more months of trying to fit in the story and checking in with the reporter every month for almost a year, the story on stem cell therapy placed. It was mentioned on the front page, top of the fold and then ran front page of the Life section with a jump to another half page. Full color photos, links to Vet-Stem’s website and the vet involved. SO worth the wait.

Another Vet-Stem example is with a recent placement in the Chicago Tribune. The team started pitching in January 2008, then repitched many more times. Finally a pitch in February 2009 got a response. The story took another month before it ran, but after a year of constant monitoring and pitching the story finally resonated with the reporter. The story was picked up as a syndicated story and eventually ran in more than 30 newspapers across the country.

So if you work with an agency, or are an agency, be patient and stick with it. Because when the placements finally happen they are well worth the wait!

Some things are just funny. And they manage to be passed around by email to thousands and/or millions of people. But sometimes you’re left wondering: who’s behind this anyways?

This is the blessing, and curse, of viral marketing. Your message, application, widget, video or website has made the cyber space rounds, but no one knows who’s behind it. If this is the case, have you succeeded?

In light of the holiday season, the hilarious and successful Elf Yourself is making the rounds again. And it’s been evident people are still a bit confused on who’s behind it by the numerous tweets (there we go referencing twitter again – are you on yet???) in the past few days about people linking to Elf Yourself and posing the question. The answer is Office Max. And due to the success of the promotional viral video site, perhaps OfficeMax should have brought it to life in its stores for some PR or incorporated dancing elves into its ads. Really tie it together so the millions of people who have and will forward their Elf’d selves know they are able to do so courtesy of OfficeMax.

And since I couldn’t resist, a little something for your viewing pleasure: Carrie the dancing Elf

As you’ve read here before, we are thrilled to be handling the PR for Setai San Diego, the new 184-room premier luxury hotel located in downtown San Diego’s financial district, which opens next month (Dec. 2008). As Setai San Diego nears completion, the hundreds of design, art and custom-made features are being installed and really bringing the property to life. It is definitely unlike anything San Diego has ever seen and we think it will blow people away.

More pictures to come, but this gives you an idea of a standard room.

Setai San Diego has also just announced its dining and bar partner is Suite & Tender Bar, Lounge and Restaurant.  It will feature the cuisine of James Beard Award-winning Chef Christopher Lee, and will be a softer, more sophisticated take on the typical steakhouse. Suite & Tender is based on a gastro-tourism concept where diners have the chance to create an experience that is completely their own and will focus on choices, not rules. In addition to table-side cocktail service, it will offer a wine selection that gets this Napa Valley native very excited: guests will be able to sample various wines from a distinguished American-focused wine list, and create their own flights, deciding between a sip, a taste or a bottomless glass. Take a guess at which option I’ll be choosing from when dining or hanging in the Lounge…

We’re hiring (again)! This time for a PR intern. We promise you’ll learn a lot and be given tons of responsibility, if you promise to be proactive and a go-getter. Here are some of the qualifications we’re seeking:

Junior/senior in college or recent graduate; love of the internet and social networking; ability to work at least 20 hours per week; stellar communication skills (verbal and written); works best in a fast-paced, energetic, highly creative setting; previous PR/media experience highly preferred (agency or in-house).

Post a comment here or email Lizzie@baileygardiner.com if you think you’re a fit.

And just like that, Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates’ ad is off the air. It’s raising the question: planned or unplanned? Many are saying the ad was pulled after being broadly criticized, while the Microsoft camp claims this was the plan all along. Planned or not, take a look at “phase two” of the ad campaign that started airing today: