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Where Communicators Connect
THE
•
February/March 09
GALLEY
March Event:
“How to Stay Marketable in a Down Economy”
IABC/Detroit and PRSA Detroit are
presenting a joint lunch event on March
11 with Kelly Services. Jenny Schade,
president of JRS Consulting, Inc. in Chicago,
will speak about tips and tricks to keep
job seekers marketable, even in a tough
economy. Details on the event are below.
Event information
Date:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Time: 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Place: Kelly Services,
999 W. Big Beaver in Troy.
Cost:
$15 for members
$25 for non-members
Topic:
“How to Stay Marketable in a
Down Economy”
Speaker: Jenny Schade, President, JRS
Consulting, Inc., Chicago.
This event will be held at Kelly Services
corporate headquarters at West Big Beaver
and Crooks roads, just off I-75. Free parking
is available on site.
Prior to starting JRS Consulting more than
15 years ago, Schade holds a master’s
degree in counseling psychology from
Northwestern University and ran her own
private career counseling practice. She has
also served as director of recruitment for two
Continued on page 2
Enter Your Best Work for IABC/Detroit Renaissance Awards
IABC/Detroit invites communications
professionals to submit their work to the
association’s 2009 Renaissance Awards
program.
Industry peers will recognize best practices
in communication management, marketing,
public relations, writing, and graphic design.
The program is open to all professionals in
Southeast Michigan, Northwest Ohio and
Southwest Ontario. You do not need to be
an IABC member to submit entries.
Visit the IABC/Detroit chapter Web site at
www.iabcdetroit.com. For Renaissance
Awards entry guidelines, click on “Awards.”
Deadlines and entry fees:
Early bird deadline - 5 p.m., March 10, 2009
Entry fees - $75 for members, $95 for
non-members
Final deadline - 5 p.m., March 18, 2009
Entry fees - $85 for members and $105 for
non-members
Winners will be notified in mid-May and
recognized at our awards ceremony in June.
Entries should be sent to: 2009 IABC/Detroit
Renaissance Awards, 301 W. 4th Street,
Suite 300, Royal Oak, MI 48067.
If you have any questions, please contact
Claudia Saliba at marketrepclaudia@
wowway.com or (248) 797-2611 or Nancy
Sarpolis at [email protected] or
(313) 665-1750.
Important Member
Dues Information.
See Page 2
April Event
IABC/Detroit Proudly Presents
Ann Wylie on “Writing that
Sells”
Speaker: Ann Wylie, President of Wylie
Communications
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Place: University of Michigan-Dearborn,
Fairlane Center, North Building,
19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn,
Michigan 48126
Cost: IABC/Detroit $145 for members
$175 for non-members
Topic: Internationally renowned
communications expert Ann Wylie
brings her lively and informative
writing workshop to Dearborn for a
one-day seminar on April 22, 2009
packed with tips, techniques and
humor.
Each day, your readers face 3,000
attempts to grab their attention.
That’s more than a million messages
a year. Are your communications
getting through to this tired, busy and
distracted audience?
Whether you are a senior level
communications practitioner or
relatively new to the field, this
workshop is for you.
YOU’LL LEARN HOW TO:
Think Like A Reader. What’s the
secret to writing copy that gets read?
Understanding how the reader
decides what to read and what to
toss.
Make Your Copy More Creative. Steal
techniques from fiction writers to
make your nonfiction writing more
dramatic and compelling.
Cut Through the Clutter. Master a
seven-step system for making every
piece you write easier to read and
understand.
Rev Up Readership. Draw people into
your copy, make your copy more
accessible—even reach “readers”
who won’t read.
To register, via PayPal, go to
www.iabcdetroit.com. You do not
need to have a PayPal account to
use PayPal. Any questions
Continued on page 3
www.iabcdetroit.com
March Event Up continued from first page
years at Golin/Harris International in Chicago and has been in
a supervisor role at Edelman Public Relations in Chicago.
To register, via PayPal, go to www.iabcdetroit.com – you do
not need to have a PayPal account to use PayPal.
Any questions contact Nancy Skidmore at
[email protected] or 248-546-5490
Photo by Fred Ferris of
Fred Ferris Associates
IABC/Detroit Dues News
I have good news and bad news about
IABC membership dues.
• Members can pay their dues over four monthly
installments (there is a $20 fee).
First the good news: The first worldwide
IABC member month will be conducted
in March 2009. A member month allows
new and rejoining members to waive their
application fee – up to $40 in potential
savings.
• Special reduced rates are available for retired members.
• Student members get all the benefits of professional
membership at reduced cost.
• Recently graduated students can apply for a transitional
membership.
• Corporate packages can yield an overall savings of
between 5 and 10 percent.
Now the bad news: Effective January 1, 2009 IABC
membership dues have increased. For IABC/Detroit, that
amounts to an extra $11 per member.
Members who are experiencing financial difficulties due to a
job loss or other event may qualify for a hardship extension.
For more information about hardship extensions, send an
e-mail to [email protected].
We have reached a tipping point where cash-strapped
companies and individuals must weigh the costs and
benefits of joining our organization. Michigan is facing
double-digit unemployment and organizations are scaling
back to cut costs. Nationally, Wall Street has experienced
its worst year since The Great Depression.
For more information about all membership options, visit
http://www.iabc.com/about/membership/.
If you want to Be Heard® about this important issue,
or have additional questions, please contact Lee Anne
Snedeker, Senior Vice President, Membership and Market
Analysis at [email protected].
Membership in IABC/Detroit brings with it a wealth of
benefits. Chief among these benefits is the ability to network
with the best communications professionals in Southeast
Michigan. Members create lifelong alliances that will
enhance their careers.
Jim Rink
President, IABC/Detroit
IABC/Detroit is offering options to help make membership
more affordable:
IABC/Detroit Chapter Sets Course for Future
5-Year Strategic Plan to Add Value, Improve Efficiency
IABC/Detroit’s board of directors and past presidents recently
approved a five-year plan designed to add value to the
membership experience and strengthen the chapter over
the long-term. The strategic plan will be the primary tool that
directs the activities of the association in the future.
“A solid strategy is especially important now as the country—
and Michigan in particular—face economic uncertainty,” said
IABC/Detroit Past President Deb Salem, who spearheaded the
strategic planning process. “We need to have the programs
and resources available to support our members as they
navigate the communication challenges ahead.”
2 • iabcdetroit.com
The plan focuses on three key components:
Increasing membership value by offering more relevant,
varied professional development opportunities and other
member benefits.
Improving operating efficiencies to increase the return on
members’ dues investment.
Ensuring the chapter’s long-term financial stability.
Salem said that the plan is based on member input from
the 2008 membership survey as well as interviews with past
Continued on page 3
Where Communicators Connect • February/March 09
IABC/Detroit Chapter Sets Course for Future
presidents and current board members. Some of the next
steps include updating chapter bylaws, stronger differentiation
between member and non-member pricing, and diversifying
income sources.
“Now that the board and past presidents have approved the
framework, we are beginning to work on implementation,”
said Salem. “It’s an exciting time to be part of the Detroit
chapter.”
To review the full strategic plan, visit the IABC/Detroit website
at www.iabcdetroit.com.
April Event continued from page 1
contact Nancy
Skidmore at [email protected]
or 248-546-5490.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
Ann Wylie, president of Wylie Communications, is an
internationally
Wylie was a corporate communicator for Hallmark Cards
Inc., served as editor of a regional executive magazine and
as a PR professional in a boutique public relations firm
before starting her own company, Wylie Communications.
renowned communications expert who has authored more
than a dozen learning tools that help people improve their
communication skills.
Her work has earned 40 communication awards, including
a WIC Clarion and two IABC Gold Quills—the Pulitzer Prizes
of business communications. She has been designated an
“IABC Recommended Speaker” for her top ratings at IABC
International Conferences.
My IABC Story: A Multitude of Returns
By Allan Nahajewski – Past President IABC/Detroit
They say people learn through stories. Here is mine: I retired
in December from Chrysler after nearly 20 years. When I
think of the moments that shaped my career, IABC pops
quickly to mind.
becoming clear to me that investing time in the chapter was
a smart move. I got involved with the board for a few years.
My long-ago boardmates continue to be valued resources and
true friends.
My Chrysler career was born at an IABC luncheon in 1988.
I’ve long forgotten the speaker, the subject or the place, but I
do remember meeting a Chrysler communicator and writing a
note on a business card to pass along to a former colleague.
“A voice from the past says hello,” I wrote. Months later, I
received a call back, which included an invitation to interview
to be the editor of Chrysler Times. I got the job. It was a
perfect fit.
Throughout my Chrysler career, I encouraged my team
members to enter their best work in the Renaissance
Awards as a way to get objective feedback and to receive
well-deserved recognition. And whenever I needed a fresh
perspective on a current challenge, I turned to an IABC
colleague for help. Bonds built through IABC were long
lasting.
Weeks after joining Chrysler, the company was entering one
of its occasional rough periods. Finding cost savings was a
top priority, and fortunately, I was in a position to help. A year
earlier, while working at Blue Cross, I began to learn about
the then-new phenomenon called desktop publishing from
Jackie McClure, a current IABC/Detroit board member and a
true pioneer in the field. To learn even more, I visited another
current board member Nancy Sarpolis, who graciously
allowed me to observe how she was desktop-publishing
the AAA employee newspaper. I got a great deal on a used
Macintosh and lots of good advice through another long-time
IABC friend, Gerry Turgeon. Within weeks, I was able to apply
my learnings for the benefit of Chrysler and my career.
I was still relatively new to IABC back then, but it was
3 • iabcdetroit.com
Now I’m entering a new phase of my life and career. I’m
retired, but not really. It’s more of a reinvention phase. D&A
Creative Group LLC is open for business. The “D” is Donna,
my wonderful and talented wife. I’m the “A.” We’re ready to
take on communication projects, and it’s reassuring to know
that I have many IABC friends – too many to name here –
who have been quick to offer everything from moral support
to exceptional advice.
So if you’re thinking about what you can do in 2009 to
advance your career and enrich your life, my advice is to
jump into IABC. It’s a stepping stone to future rewards.
Contact a board member. Carve out time to get involved. It’s
an investment with a long-term return.
Allan Nahajewski served as President of IABC/Detroit in 199192. He was the chapter’s Communicator of the Year in 1995.
Where Communicators Connect • February/March 09
IABC/Detroit Member Profile - Joe Lieblang
Comprised of more than 250
communications professionals,
IABC/Detroit’s membership
represents a wide array of individual
backgrounds, interests and goals.
This issue’s Member Profile looks
at Joe Lieblang, an IABC/Detroit
member for more than 20 years.
TG: Tell us about your work
experience related to communications, marketing, and what
you’re doing today.
Joe: I’m currently a corporate editor for Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Michigan. I’ve also been involved with brand
research, communications strategy and planning, and various
styles of writing. Plus, I taught writing at the college and
university levels and freelanced a bit.
TG: How long have you been in communications?
Joe: About 28 years. I started as a mere youth of 5. So that
makes me …. Well, you figure it out—I’m a writer not a
mathematician.
TG: What prompted you to enter the field of communications?
Joe: Since I was in grade school, I always had a desire to be a
writer, to play with words and ideas. I used to literally read the
dictionary for fun. How weird is that?
TG: Why did you join IABC?
Joe: I like the fact that it takes in various communications
disciplines, the learning and networking opportunities. I’ve
also developed some long-lasting friendships through IABC.
TG: Can you provide some examples of any achievements that
took place as a result of being an IABC member?
Joe: Overall, I’d say the people I’ve met, Robert Herta especially,
have helped me take a look at how I can do my job better, how
to be a better leader and how to be a better person.
TG: Why should communicators join IABC?
Joe: IABC offers quite a bit of opportunity to grow
professionally and personally.
You get exposed to the big picture of communications
—by that, I mean all the different skills, talents, trends,
technologies and such that make up the profession.
Following Your Teacher’s Example Can Get You in Big Trouble
In Business Communications By Cindy Orlandi, ABC, APR – Past President IABC/Detroit
©
You are looking for a photo or artwork to illustrate
the point you want to make in your project
or proposal. And, naturally you needed it
yesterday. So you go on the Internet, search
Google images, and quickly find the perfect
picture. You meet your deadline. Another
slam dunk just like in college, you are a top
scorer in your professional career.
Not so fast. Sure maybe you’re a business
communicator, but you’ll want to think more like
an attorney before using someone else’s images. You just
broke a copyright law. Here are three reasons you should be
concerned:
You risk embarrassment or ruining a relationship if you or a
client receives a letter from a lawyer asking to “cease and
desist” all use of a photo or other copyrighted material that
you provided without obtaining the proper license.
Lawsuits are expensive. Lawyers come with the firm’s
checkbook in hand as copyright cases are tried in civil court
where there is no “presumption of innocence” or
“burden of proof.”
Copyright does not require intent to infringe.
You can be liable even if you weren’t directly
aware that the use was an infringement,
For example, if a firm hires a Web designer
who does not properly license images, the
company that owns the Web site is also liable.
The trade association Picture Archive Council of
America (PACA) helps to protect the rights of photographers
and has information about copyright and the “fair use”
doctrine at its www.stockindustry.org Web site. PACA notes
that the Copyright Act provides for individual liability as well as
corporate liability. Infringement under copyright law applies to:
Actual person who “copies” the work represents Direct
Infringement.
“Downstream” infringers comprise Contributory Infringement.
Any company that acquires, publishes and/or distributes a
Continued on page 5
4 • iabcdetroit.com
Where Communicators Connect • February/March 09
Following Your teacher’s Example Continued from page 4
“product” that includes an infringing work is liable.
Vicarious Infringement covers those who should have
supervised or been aware of the copyright violation.
Fair Use is no excuse in commercial enterprises.
Unfortunately, students can learn some bad habits as they
see their professors use copyrighted materials. Educators are
protected by fair use; businesses are not.
Finding a photo on the Web is no excuse. In fact, such public
exposure actually enhances the opportunity for damages,
according to Laura Ricci, who I heard speak at a Society of
Marketing Professionals (SMPS) Michigan workshop. The
owner of 1Ricci LLC discussed cases where businesses have
incurred huge fines and employees have gone to prison
for ethics violations, as well as case law that makes it more
important than ever to take care with project photography,
trademark and copyright issues.
Both trademarks and copyrights can involve symbols, images
or phrases. Trademarks must be registered, but copyrights do
not require any registration before infringement. Walt Disney’s
“Mickey Mouse” law has extended copyright protection to
120 years.
Before starting her own consulting firm, Ricci was marketing
manager for an engineering firm. She says her studies at
Drake Law School came in handy there when her firm was
audited and her department targeted as easy pickings for
trademark violations.
Earlier in her career, she was the real estate editor for
the Sacramento Union in California when a photographer
accused her newspaper of running a copyrighted photo
that had been sent in with a news release from a public
relations firm. Ricci learned that such a lawsuit could mean
her newspaper would have to pay the photographer the total
revenue from sales of that Sunday’s newspaper, even though
the photo in question appeared on page 12.
“The law has big teeth to deter this type of ethics violation,”
Ricci adds. “The intention of copyright law is to protect
innovation, preserve benefits of creative and support
economic growth.”
A lawsuit for copyright infringement of one photo used in a
proposal could mean your company would have to pay the
photographer damages equal to the entire revenues expected
from the project being bid. What’s more, your
company could have to pay these damages even
if you didn’t even win the job! That’s because
5 • iabcdetroit.com
the law assesses damages based on
revenue opportunity and not profits.
®
In a recent court case, a jury awarded
a photographer $1.3 million for copyright
infringement when a company removed the
metadata tag and used some of his photos online
after their license expired.
Here are Ricci’s recommendations to avoid civil penalties and
stay out of jail:
• Always ask about logo and other trademark protocols - take
care to respect and not insult clients and subconsultants
• Pay photographers and graphic designers to do “work for
hire” or get permission and get license to use the photos.
• Make it standard operating procedure that employees
sign an agreement that the firm has use of their work and
permission to use their work/photos indefinitely.
• Add language in contracts to have clients provide a
license to photograph and use images of their projects.
Recent court judgments involving trademarks prevent
photographing some landmarks and businesses, such as
Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Take special care working with clients receiving federal
funds (health care, education, states, etc.) that may fall
under the Federal Acquisition Regulations and Defense
Federal Acquisition Regulations. Ethical violations receive
additional scrutiny.
• Ricci says that she’s watched competitors drop out when
their principals were indicted for criminal marketing
violations of federal law. There’s a lesson learned at Boeing
where an employee approached a federal procurement
officer with a job offer before retirement. This resulted in
job and pension losses and prison time.
• “People who play fast and footloose with their ethics get
caught sooner or later,” notes Ricci.
• Additional information on copyright is available at www.
copyright.gov.
• Since 2005, Cindy Orlandi, ABC, APR, a past president of
IABC/Detroit, has focused on developing winning proposals
and business development presentations for Wade Trim, a
Michigan headquartered engineering services firm that has
grown to 22 offices in eight states.
www.wadetrim.com.
Where Communicators Connect • February/March 09
IABC/DETROIT NEWS
Awards
ASG Renaissance, a Dearborn, Mich.-based public relations
and marketing communications firm, has been named one
of Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies
to Work For by the Michigan Business and Professional
Association. This is the seventh time ASG Renaissance has
received the honor since the award’s inception in 2001.
P2R Associates, a Livonia, Mich.-based strategic public
relations and brand communications firm, announced it
received eight prestigious MarCom Awards sponsored by the
Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
The awards were presented recognizing outstanding creative
achievement by marketing and communication professionals
from over 5,000 entries from throughout the U.S. and several
foreign countries.
Thanks to You – Our Sponsors
CHAPTER SPONSORS:
2009 RENAISSANCE AWARD SPONSORS:
IN-KIND SPONSORS:
6 • iabcdetroit.com
Where Communicators Connect • February/March 09
2008-2009 IABC/DETROIT Board Members
2008-2009 Officers
Members interested in
volunteering with IABC/Detroit
are encouraged to contact any
board member.
President
Jim Rink
AAA Michigan
(313) 336-1513
[email protected]
President Elect
Nancy Sarpolis
General Motors
(313) 665-1750
[email protected]
Treasurer/Chief
Financial Officer
Gary Spondike
Skidmore
(248) 591-2600
gspondike@skidmorestudio.
com
Brand Manager
Jackie McClure
JCI Design
(313) 561-6280
[email protected]
Past President
Debra Salem
ASG Renaissance
(313) 565-4700 ext 103
[email protected]
Executive Secretary
Nancy Skidmore
(248) 546-5490
[email protected]
2008-2009
Board of Directors
Academic and Community
Relations
Elin Nozewski, APR
Airfoil Public Relations
(248) 304-1412
[email protected]
7 • iabcdetroit.com
Beth Walker
[email protected]
E-Job Bank
Chuck Yeager
Health Alliance Plan
(313) 319-7042
[email protected]
The Galley
Allen Arnold
Airfoil Public Relations
(248) 304-1423
[email protected]
IABCDetroit.com
Mona Wehbe
Rave Computer
(313) 702-1982
[email protected]
Janie Brill
Towers Perrin
(248) 208-1119
[email protected]
Public Relations
Deborah Reinheimer
Deborah L. Reinheimer
Public Relations & Marketing
Communications
(248) 227-3667
[email protected]
Renaissance Awards
Coordinator
Claudia Saliba
(248) 797-2611
marketrepclaudia@wowway.
com
Design and Art
Direction:
JCI Design
25070 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, MI 48124
If you are interested in placing
an ad in
The Galley, please call:
Michelle Reska at
JCI Design, (313) 561-6280,
[email protected]
If you have information to
include in The Galley,
send it to Allen Arnold at
(248) 304-1423,
[email protected]
Judging
Deborah Wilson
Cofinity
(248) 936-9172
[email protected]
Jamie Racklyeft
Borders Employee
Communication
(734) 477-1622
[email protected]
Membership and Recruiting
Laura Heidrich
ArvinMeritor
(313) 551-2844
[email protected]
Chuck Yeager
Health Alliance Plan
(313) 319-7042
[email protected]
Program Development
Karen Cashin
Health Alliance Plan
(313) 664-8464
[email protected]
Where Communicators Connect • February/March 09