Document 250829

Newsletter for AMP-RI
Spring 2012
www.amp-ri.com
Why Join AMP-RI? I’m Glad You Asked!
THIS ISSUE
Protect the
Crown Jewels!
—Page 3—
Links Worth
the Click
—Page 5—
For Some,
English is a
Second Language
—Page 5—
Can Blogs Help
Business?
—Page 5—
Louise R. Cote
Co-President, AMP-RI
My interest in the group now known as Advertising, Marketing & Public
Relations of Rhode Island (AMP-RI) is a long story. Suffice it to say that I was a member
of the Women’s Advertising Club of Rhode Island (WACRI), and missed the group of
women – and men – with whom I could commiserate, network, and share ideas.
AMP-RI started when a group of former WACRI members said to each other, “Gee,
wasn’t that a great group?” and, “We need to find another group like that!” Instead of
searching around, they took the bull by the horns and, in 2009, invented it! Our first
president, Joyce Pucino, was the driving force behind our foundation. With advisors Scotti
DiDonato, Eileen Fitzgerald, and Ruth Winograd – all long-time WACRI members – Joyce
steered us into existence.
So what’s the big deal? Even though the economy is on the rise (or so “they” say!) we’re
all trying to make it today. I’ve learned that it’s easier to get through the tough times
surrounded by friends. That’s one benefit of being a member of AMP-RI. Here are a few more.
„„ When you join AMP-RI, you automatically get a listing on our Member Page at
amp-ri.com. You can post a picture; a short bio; your email and web site links; and
links to your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages. See mine at http://amp-ri.com/
member_ampri_louise-cote.html
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AMP-RI is a professional advertising, marketing and public relations organization that
can help connect you with resources in your field, sharpen your career skills and allow you
to share your creative talents. Everyone involved is a volunteer who takes time out of their
busy schedule to help create invitations, choose program venues, assist with registration
and publicity, and more. We need YOU. Volunteer with us today!
Margaret Batting speaks at the Dress for Success event at 1149 in Seekonk.
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„„ Networking opportunities will soon fill your email
box. We have monthly networking meetings with
a Spotlight Presentation, featuring an AMP-RI
member or someone within our industry with a
message we may need to hear. Past presentations
have included Tom Monahan on Getting Attention
in the New Media Blizzard; film director Michael
Corrente on Beyond the Creative Splice; and Rhode
Island Monthly publisher John Palumbo on why
Magazines are Not Synonymous with Paper. „„ We also offer our members networking and
presentation opportunities in conjunction with
other organizations. The Creative Communications
Club of Providence (CCCP) shares news about
their events with us, and vice-versa, and we share
an Annual Holiday Party in December. We send
our notices to over 200 “movers and shakers” in
the creative community, not to mention how many
members forward them to their contact lists, and
so on, and so on.
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Page 2
Haven’t made a meeting lately?
Here’s what
you’ve missed:
AMP-RI members braved
>>
a late-winter storm to hear about
StyleWeek Providence and enjoyed
the presentation by Colleen
Wamback at NYLO.
„„ We share our notices with Uncle Jay’s Network, to
be included in his weekly mailings. That’s a lot of
people getting our message, which increases the
number of contacts you can make.
„„ Having a problem in the office? Trying to think of
the right word for that headline? Need to know the
newest color trend? You’ll meet fellow creatives off
whom you can bounce ideas.
„„ Looking for a job? Need more freelance work? Send
us your resume and we’ll forward it to our email
network. Come to a meeting and you may meet
others who can connect you with someone looking
for help.
„„ Before and after each presentation there is plenty
of time to network, renew old friendships and
contacts, and develop new ones. We encourage you
to bring business cards and mingle while enjoying
tasty food offerings (we often tell the chefs “make
it nice” – and they always do!). Many of our venues
are restaurants or have restaurants, so think about
staying for dinner.
„„ Finally, joining AMP-RI gets you the member rate
on all presentation events and networking meetings. DO consider joining AMP-RI, and if you’re a current
member, renew your membership. There are many
benefits, and I hope to see you at our next event!
On March 28 at CAV, Christine Foisy
>>
presented on the House of Hope boutique and
the organization’s mission to provide skills and
business training to women in transition.
How you present
>>
yourself is still important
in today’s workplace, as
we heard from Margaret
Batting, President of
Eleve Image Consulting
and a Board Member of
Dress for Success, RI.
Managing Your Reputation in a Crisis
>>
was the topic as Dave Layman presented at
1149 in East Greenwich on May 23.
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C
Protect the
Crown Jewels!
By Tyler T. Ray
R
A trademark is often the single most
By Tyler T. Ray, Esq. Duffy & Sweeney, LTD.
important asset in a company but one that is often
TM
overlooked. Let’s look at some high-profile brands
such as Coca-Cola®, McDonald’s®, Samuel Adams®,
or Nike®, for example. What do you see here? I see
sugar water, burgers, beer, and shoes. That’s right, generic
products that are widely available from thousands of competing merchants. How did these
companies become so successful? These marketing machines have achieved substantial
commercial success not just through traditional advertising, marketing, or public relations
channels, but also through careful creation, protection, and enforcement of their crown
jewels – trademarks.
In my practice, I have found that even among talented advertising or marketing
specialists, CEOs or entrepreneurs, fundamental misconceptions about trademarks
exist when developing ad campaigns. It is my hope that we can clear up some common
misunderstandings so that the “crown jewels” of your company or client continue to drive
sales!
“The mark is available – we searched the USPTO online database!”
Not so fast. Although the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) online
database is a wonderful tool for clearance searches, it is by no means comprehensive,
nor should it be relied upon to protect against infringement analysis. The USPTO only
supports federal registrations or applications. As you may recall, trademark rights stem
from use, not just from registration. Thus, the USPTO database should be a starting point.
A clearance search should also review state trademark registries, industry publications,
the Internet (Google, Bing), domain names, and other sources. In other words, a true
availability search is likely far broader and more extensive than anything a company or
advertising agency can do in-house.
“We’ve registered the domain name, so we own the trademark.”
Wrong! The mantra “no trade, no trademark” aptly applies here. The trademark has to
be in use in order for your client or company to have acquired or own any rights to the
trademark. This means that every .com, .us, or .net registration is not worth the paper
it is written on without any use. Even still, in use domain names may not function as a
trademark if the mark does not identify the intended goods or services. Remember, a
trademark is a source identifier.
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“The best mark is descriptive – it conveys the nature of the product or service!”
TM
The battle between trademark lawyer and marketing teams usually begins here. Marketing
folks are often inclined to descriptively name products to easily capture consumer intent
and convert that into point-of-sale purchases. Be wary of this trap, because not all marks
are created equal! There are four categories to determine whether, and the extent to which,
a mark will be entitled to protection against competitors: (1) fanciful, coined, or arbitrary;
(2) suggestive; (3) descriptive; and (4) generic (and unprotectable).
Fanciful marks are the strongest marks, usually a mark devised by the owner purely to
identify and distinguish a product or service, like Xerox® for copiers, or arbitrary and
completely random, like Apple® for computers. Suggestive marks are when marketers
attempt to provide a link to the product through the name, such as Coppertone® for
suntan lotion or Whirlpool® for washing machines. Descriptive marks are very low on
protection. By definition, if it immediately, without conjecture, describes a function or
feature, like Raisin Bran® cereal or Bed Bath & Beyond®, it is descriptive. This law is
logical, as marks that are merely descriptive are needed by competitors in the marketplace
to describe their products or services, and the law frowns on taking terms out of commerce
that competitors need to compete effectively. To summarize, the strongest trademarks, i.e.
the marks afforded the most protection under the law, are fanciful, coined or arbitrary, so
remember that the next time you battle with your trademark lawyer!
“D-I-Y trademark disasters!”
I’ve seen it. The trademark federal application process is full of traps that can lead to
disastrous results for a company seeking to save a few bucks. Commonly, trademark
owners who file their own applications select the wrong classes of goods or services
or describe their goods and services in ways that, while appearing reasonable to the
layperson, in fact provide inadequate or inappropriate protection. Seek or recommend
professional assistance!
“I can’t use the ™ symbol until my mark is registered!”
Contrary to popular opinion, your business can use the ™ symbol whenever it wishes to
claim a trademark. You do not need to file any paperwork or receive permission to use the
™ symbol (but make sure you have performed a clearance search!). Use of the ™ symbol
can put the world at-large on notice that the business considers a mark its trademark. This
is part of your obligation to enforce your mark. However, the ® symbol may ONLY be used
AFTER the USPTO grants a federal registration certificate.
Of course, not all of our clients or companies are behemoths like Coca-Cola or Nike.
Most of us operate on a smaller scale and in segmented sectors of industry. The goal,
regardless of size, is just the same: protect the crown jewels – trademarks. In a world
in which consumers are increasingly in control of media and branding, this is just as
important for advertising, marketing, and public relations professionals as creating the
right ad campaign.
Tyler T. Ray is an associate at the law firm of Duffy & Sweeney, LTD in Providence, RI.
He may be reached at [email protected] or 401-455-0700.
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Institute of Official Cheer. You can spend many
lunch hours on this one, so pace yourself. The
Bleat (Lilek’s blog) has been going since the mid90s. www.lileks.com
„„ Need a good laugh – (don’t choke on your Lean
Cuisine!) http://thisadvertisinglife.tumblr.com/
Links Worth the Click
By Anne Berg
Information overload is upon us; hundreds of
links, articles, must-reads sent to our in-boxes and posted
on our Facebook pages. We have to pick and choose
what we can read in the time (and brain cells) available
daily. The following is a list of sites and blogs that are
definitely worth a few minutes – at lunch time, during
a sanity break, or when you’re checking around to see
what’s new out there. Some are eye-opening, inspiring,
informative…and others will give you a good laugh.
Newsworthy:
„„ Fast Company magazine is the single most inspiring
business publication out there, and hasn’t lost its
edge since launching nearly 20 years ago. More
reader-friendly than WIRED, and the e-newsletters
are worth signing up for – especially the designfocused newsletter (www.fastcodesign.com).
www.fastcompany.com
„„ Seth Godin is a modern era sage – insightful,
knowledgeable. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
„„ A compendium of what’s making news, what’s
useful, what you may need to know in marketing,
media, and elsewhere – this must be how the term
mash-up came to be: www.mashable.com
„„ If your business involves mobile, here’s the link to
click: www.mobilemarketer.com
„„ Want a quick hit of what’s happening? You can
tailor it to your interests. www.linkedin.com/today
For the Creative Community:
„„ Informative and fun…connect with the larger
creative community. www.designtaxi.com
„„ This one will inspire: www.thisiscolossal.com/
Best lunch hour reading:
„„ Explore the far corners of this site – especially the
I’m sure you all have your favorites – please send them
to me and we’ll include in a future article.
[email protected]
For Some, English is a
Second Language
By Louise Cote
For some wild reason, people in different
areas of the world decided to create their own language,
their own alphabet, and their own syntax. Fast forward
to the third millennium – we’re still looking for ways
to talk to each other in ways everyone understands.
Converting one language to another needs to be done
by people – not machines – who are fluent in both the
original language and the intended language.
Many people use the terms “translate” and “interpret”
interchangeably, but there is a difference. Translating is
what is done with the printed word, like a brochure or
a web site. Interpreting is done with the spoken word,
such as at the United Nations or in a court proceeding;
dictionary.com gives the antonym explain. Transliterate is
what is done to written languages that do not share an
alphabet. English and French share the alphabet, but
both need to be transliterated to Greek or Japanese;
dictionary.com gives the related word transcribe.
Can Blogs Help Business?
By Nora Hall
My vote would be, “Yes, blogs do help business.”
Seven months ago only my family and very closest
friends knew I was writing a book titled Survive Your
Husband’s Retirement. The book looks at changes in a
relationship—and the errant behavior that comes along
with it—when a husband retires. But, so what if no one
knows about it.
As the wife of a retired husband I know this is an
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important topic for wives who are working through the
retirement adjustment period. However, it seemed to
be one of those taboo topics that no one would talk
about. Funny how it’s OK for celebrities to reveal the
intricacies of their current sex lives, but not for normal
wives to discuss dismay over their husband’s retirement.
Those who did so felt like a traitor to their long time
partner—or were embarrassed that they couldn’t
manage this new life stage.
Some dread the threat of their husband’s retirement,
but most happily married couples look
forward to enjoying one another’s
company as they explore new areas,
events, and activities. Still, when that
time together is strictly 24/7, the
relationship can become suffocating.
It’s human nature to feel better when
we know we’re not alone in a situation,
so I began blogging to help wives find
comfort in their situation. Witnessing
the growth of conversation around
what one friend referred to as a “sticky”
life stage has been fun, enlightening,
and also helpful for my business goals.
In addition to opening the
conversation, my blog has opened
doors for me to give workshops
and has people eager for my book
(currently with a publisher for
consideration). If I had not started
this blog, no one beyond my “inner circle” would know
about the book or the workshops, and I would have
spent a year merely ruminating on this thing called
retirement marriage.
“BUT”—you say, “I’m a graphic designer or a
marketer—not a writer.” A blog is still possible. Writing
in a blog is more informal than in a book, a magazine,
or even publicity materials. The only rules seem to be:
don’t sell – offer help instead, and never badmouth
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another.
If you know your industry well, which I presume you
do or you wouldn’t be with AMP-RI, you can offer tips
on how others can benefit from your field of interest.
You can also quote others and discuss their comments.
Running contests in a blog or highlighting events and
topics that are relevant to your clients is another tool
that brings people to your site. The important concept
is that you provide a helpful forum for people to come
to know you as reliable and trustworthy, and someone
to do business with.
“The important
concept is that you
provide a helpful
forum for people
to come to know
you as reliable and
trustworthy, and
someone to do
business with.”
Special Offer for AMP-RI
Members in good standing
The first three AMP-RI members
who email Nora will get a free
30-minute blog brainstorming
session. Be one of the first three
AMP-RI members to respond
by sending an email to Nora at
norahall@verizon and you will win a
brainstorm session.
About Nora Hall
Nora was a member of AMP-RI
when she worked full-time as a
freelance business writer, creating
website, blog and brochure copy
for small businesses. When her
husband retired, she moved
her focus to writing about her
experience—and those of the many other women she
interviewed—in “surviving” a husband’s retirement.
Today she spends most of her time blogging and
planning workshops on this subject, but is still delighted
to help selected clients create copy for their web sites,
brochures, and blogs. To see her blog, go to
www.surviveyourhusbandsretirement.com. To
brainstorm about ideas for your blog or web site call
Nora at (401) 767-6451.
AMPCIRCUIT STAFF
Managing Editor Anne Berg / Proofreader Sheila Flanagan / Layout & Designs, Illustrations Rob Kenney
Contributors Tyler T. Ray, Louise Cote, Anne Berg, Nora Hall
COMMENTS?
If you have any comments about AMPCircuit or would like to contribute an article for a future issue, please contact
Anne Berg: [email protected]