Category: Ackermann PR

Titanic Museum Attractions and Jewelry Television® “Titanic Jewelry Collection” Sells Out in One Hour

Posted by Natalie Childress – January 27, 2012

Knoxville, Tenn. - Jewelry Television® (JTV), the largest broadcast shopping network focused exclusively on the sale of fine jewelry and gemstones, and Titanic Museum Attractions, unveiled the new “Titanic Jewelry Collection” last week, selling out the entire collection in less than one hour.

The collection was designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage in April 1912. The network plans to bring the collection back throughout the year with multiple promotions during the month of April. The proprietary Titanic Jewelry Collection will also be for sale at JTV.com, with prices ranging from $20 to $200.

Titanic Museum Attractions, which operate in both Pigeon Forge, Tenn. and Branson, Mo., are the only Titanic Museums recognized by the Titanic Historical Society and are owned and operated by Mary Kellogg-Joslyn and John Joslyn.  John Joslyn led the 1987 expedition to the RMS Titanic which brought the world its first glimpse of the luxury liner in her final resting place two and a half miles beneath the surface of the North Atlantic.  Joslyn, a documentary filmmaker, produced seven popular documentaries – many of them still airing on national television regularly – about the world’s most famous luxury liner and organized many expeditions to the ship.

“The public’s reception to the Titanic Jewelry Collection reflects the fascination and reverence for this piece of history,” said Pat Bryant, chief marketing officer for JTV.  “Our purpose in bringing this collection to the public is to honor and celebrate the fashionable and heroic women onboard the Titanic, several of whom were international style icons.”

“John Joslyn’s expedition to the Titanic’s resting place at the bottom of the ocean afforded us the opportunity to collaborate on a historically accurate jewelry collection,” said Dan Chase, vice president of merchandising.  “Women everywhere will now be able to adorn themselves with a piece of history.”

The Titanic Jewelry Collection captures the elegance and opulence of the period with intricately designed pieces in the Art Nouveau and Edwardian styles typical of that era. Collections were inspired by famous women traveling on the RMS Titanic’s maiden voyage.

Dorothy Gibson’s American Beauty Collection was inspired by the 22-year-old movie star.  Gibson began her Broadway career as a singer and dancer before being discovered. The epitome of “American Beauty,” the signature piece in this collection is an exquisite gold tone, red and white crystal rose pin/brooch that captures her grace and elegance.

Edith Rosembaum’s collection features a gorgeous chandelier necklace inspired by the Victorian era.  Rosenbaum was a spicy character who loved couture fashion. A journalist who often traveled to Europe to report on the latest fashions, she was returning home from France when she boarded the Titanic.

“Lucy” Lady Duff Gordon’s Couture Cameo Collection features gem-encrusted cameo necklaces, earrings, and brooches.  “Lucy” Lady Duff Gordon was an international style icon and renowned couture designer.  She opened an upscale boutique in London called “Maison Lucile” and was known for her dramatic use of color and sheer fabrics.

Lucile Carter’s Noble Heart Collection features a blue resin “Heart of the Ocean” pendant surrounded by white crystals.  Carter was from one of the most prominent families in Philadelphia and was accustomed to a life of privilege.  When she boarded the Titanic she was on her way home from Europe with her husband, two children, maid, husband’s “manservant,” two dogs, and a brand new convertible she had purchased in France.

Eleanor Widener’s Social Butterfly Collection features a silver tone, marcasite crystal flower pin/brooch.  Widener and her husband were among the wealthiest families aboard the Titanic – second only to Madeleine and John Jacob Astor.

Madeleine Astor’s Edwardian Princess Collection features a glamorous necklace with round, baguette, square and emerald cut crystals.  Madeleine Talmage Force Astor was only 18 when she boarded the Titanic on her journey home from Egypt, where she honeymooned with John Jacob Astor IV – one of the wealthiest men in America.  Mr. Astor was more than twice her age and treated his young bride like a princess.

Hosted by Titanic Museum Attractions’ First Class Maid Jaynee, the Jewelry Television broadcast combines a spotlight on the amazing jewelry collection with the true stories of the amazing women on board the RMS Titanic.

“JTV is proud to partner with Titanic Museum Attraction to bring our loyal customers the jewelry collection of a lifetime,” said Randy Sadler, vice president of marketing for JTV.

Anyone with access to a computer has access to Jewelry Television 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit the Airing Now page to view all the items in a show, new and featured items, view the turntables, or even watch the live broadcast. The Channel Finder will tell viewers where they can watch Jewelry Television in their area.

Shopping online with Jewelry Television is easy, fast and convenient and offers many different payment options. Take advantage of BillMeLater®, PayPal, or apply for the JTV Preferred Account private label credit card. Jewelry Television also accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, as well as debit cards backed by those companies.  Viewers can also visit www.TitanicAttraction.com for more information.

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Ackermann PR generates media for client new product launch

Posted by Shane Rhyne – December 15, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – When the investment firm BPV Family of Funds needed to generate media interest in a pair of new mutual funds to be managed in Knoxville, they turned to the expertise of Ackermann PR.

Some samples of the coverage related to the announcement include:

As Ackermann PR enters its 30th year of providing full-service public relations, marketing and communications services, we continue to enjoy the opportunity to put our clients in the spotlight.

No Summer Vacation for Social Media

Posted by Amelia Daniels – June 13, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – Summer vacation is usually a time to relax, unwind and maybe even unplug from those digital devices that have become extra appendages to many.  But social media is increasingly becoming intertwined with family vacations.

Whether you find yourself mobile uploading photos of your adventures to Facebook or “checking-in” at various stops along your drive down I-75, you may have an excuse the next time your spouse politely asks you to put down your iPhone and join in the family fun.  Social media tools can actually enhance your vacation, but finding a balance is key.

Ackermann’s Digital Strategies Manager, Shane Rhyne says, “Living Social and Groupon, for example, can save your family money when you take advantage of special offers on restaurants, shopping and lodging.”  The social media community on FourSquare offers valuable tips about tourist attractions.  “We’re seeing that with the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge,” says Rick Laney, Ackermann PR Vice-President.  More than 300 people checked-in to the attraction in the first year since the grand opening.

One vacationer, Bri-Anne S. enjoyed her experience at the Titanic Museum Attraction and was particularly impressed with the iceburg exhibit that allows visitors to feel the temperature on that fateful night.  Bri-Anne S. checked-in to the museum on FourSquare and offered this tip, “Make sure you don’t go in flipflops and shorts!  It’s cold in there anyway, but when you get to the 30 something degree room and then stick your hand in the 28 degree water, it’s really cold!”  Dollywood and Wilderness at the Smokies are also popular “check-in” destinations on FourSquare.

Popular travel websites like TripAdvisor.com are now teaming up with Facebook to further connect users to their friends.  “Soliciting travel advice from friends in your online networks can be extremely helpful,” says Rhyne.  Even government agencies are using social networks to provide information on road conditions and detours via Twitter.

Rhyne warns that the “always on, always connected” mentality may contradict with your family’s vacation.  “Finding the balance between the two, especially when you’re on vacation, will make for a happier experience,” says Rhyne.  “Or at least that’s what my wife Ruth tells me between my Twitpic uploads of our beach trip.”

For a full recap of Shane’s social media tips to use for your summer vacation, visit the Ackermann Experience.

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Media Contact
Rick Laney
rlaney@ackermannpr.com
(865) 584-0550

Majority of East Tennessee CEOs Are Engaged in Social Media

Posted by Amelia Daniels – June 6, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn.  – How social is your company?  The answer may be found within your CEO’s level of activity with social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  

In a recent survey of more than 300 business leaders in East Tennessee, Ackermann PR found that the scales are tipping toward social media with a majority of CEOs – 61% –using social media for personal use.  Contrast that statistic with numerous sets of data from 2010 that show less than half of CEOs were using social media to engage with the public and other stakeholders. 

“We suspected that businesses in East Tennessee were moving beyond the experimental stage with social media,” said Cathy Ackermann, President and CEO of Ackermann PR.  “And while that’s what the results show, many CEOs are still trying to figure out how it fits in with their overall marketing and communications mix.”

Some of the survey’s key findings include:

  • 46% of respondents are using social media primarily for branding and awareness
  • Facebook is the most popular, with 54% of respondents using Facebook
  • 39% of respondents say these social media activities have had minimal impact on their businesses so far while 27% said impact has been small but noticeable 
  • 40% indicated they are not sure about how to track or measure their social media activities

Ackermann says one of the most significant hurdles that businesses are encountering is employee training and participation.  “The survey showed some concern on the part of CEOs regarding the allocation of resources to social media activities.”

These same issues were raised at the recent Social Slam event, held in Knoxville in April.  Ackermann’s Digital Strategies Manager, Shane Rhyne who participated in Social Slam says, “Upper level participation was a common theme of Social Slam presentations. The businesses reaping the best rewards from social media were also those businesses where the CEO and other senior level leadership had taken an active role in participating in social media.”

The companies whose CEOs are engaged in social media are often more likely to be using social media for business purposes.  “We can help CEOs find the right balance for their company, whether they’re personally involved with social media or not.  Because there is one thing we know – using social media strategically can greatly enhance a company’s bottom line,” says Ackermann.

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Media Contact
Shane Rhyne
(865) 584-0550
srhyne@ackermannpr.com

Council of PR Firms Features Ackermann PR

Posted by Amelia Daniels – May 31, 2011

Knoxville, Tenn. – The Council of PR Firms is highlighting some of industry’s best work in the field of public relations, and Ackermann PR’s launch of The Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge is featured.

The Council of PR Firms is comprised of more than 100 of America’s leading public relations firms.  They represent the premier global, mid-size, regional and specialty agencies across every discipline and practice area.  Ackermann PR has been a member of the council since 2001.

Ackermann PR’s case study, now featured on the Council’s website, profiles the firm’s work on behalf of The Titanic Museum Attraction.  Ackermann PR managed all aspects of public relations for the grand opening and launch.  “We were tasked with creating a message consistent with the museum’s philosophy of honoring and respecting those who were on board the Titanic by keeping their stories alive, while building buzz, excitement and enthusiasm to ultimately drive visitors to the attraction,” says Rick Laney, Ackermann PR Vice-President. 

The grand opening of the Titanic Museum Attraction was attended by 20,000 people. Local print and television coverage stretched from Asheville, NC to Baton Rouge, LA and included all major Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina cities. Nationally, the grand opening was covered in USA Today, ABC News, Live with Regis and Kelly, and the Travel Channel.

In the year since the grand opening, television crews from all over the Southeast have visited the museum, along with national network morning shows, Channel Four (a national television network in the U.K.), Southern Living Magazine, National Geographic Television, Travel + Leisure Magazine, and two additional visits from the
Travel Channel.

For more of Ackermann PR’s case studies, visit the firm’s website, www.ackermannpr.com. 

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Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

The Smoky Mountain Region is quickly becoming a spring break hot spot

Posted by Rick Laney – March 17, 2011

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — There are two reasons the Smoky Mountains Region is becoming a favorite spring break destination for visitors from all over the country:

  • In the past three years, new attractions and resorts — like Wilderness at the Smokies and Titanic Museum Attraction — have opened and now offer visitors amazing things to do year-round regardless of the weather.
  • The Smoky Mountain Region covers two states and countless small communities around the national park.  Now that we are marketing the “Region” as a destination (as opposed to marketing each of the small communities and towns as individual entities) people get to see all of the offerings rather than just what each small town has to offer.

The Smoky Mountain Region is also a wildly successful destination because it is within a one-day drive for most of the U.S. population east of the Mississippi River.  And, as the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville continues to get new low fare carriers serving new markets, more and more travelers are flying to East Tennessee for their vacations.

Watch and read the CBS News report about the Smoky Mountain Region and its appeal to spring breakers by clicking the photo below.

WVLT (CBS) television shows why the Smoky Mountain Region is a new spring break "hot spot"

Media Contact
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com

Ackermann PR’s Rick Laney draws national attention to Smokies as a hot spring break destination

Posted by Shane Rhyne – March 7, 2011

The Great Smoky Mountains Region

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Because of its expertise in travel and tourism in the Great Smoky Mountain Region, Ackermann PR continues to be the primary source for major national media outlets wanting more information about the nation’s most visited national park and the communities that surround it in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Last week, Ackermann PR Vice President Rick Laney turned up across the country talking about why the Great Smoky Mountain Region is quickly becoming a major spring break destination.  His comments about the appeal of the Smoky Mountain Region appeared in major media outlets including ABC News, CBS News, Chicago Tribune, Washington Examiner, Huffington Post, Charlotte Observer, Atlanta Journal Constitution and MSNBC.

“Our approach is completely different,” Laney said.  “While small, individual communities around the Smokies have touted what they have to offer for decades, no one has successfully marketed the region as a whole.  The funny thing is that tourists who come here don’t even recognize the little individual towns – they only recognize the Great Smoky Mountains.

“When you travel to somewhere like the Smokies for a vacation, you make it a point to see all there is to see, and the Smokies cover countless little communities in two separate states.  Our visitors hike in the Smokies, visit attractions in Gatlinburg, Hendersonville, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Asheville, Cherokee and Bryson City.  They go back and forth between North Carolina and Tennessee to take in the entire region.

“It only makes sense that the premier attractions and resorts are now marketing that way.”

For more information about Ackermann PR and its unique approach to travel and tourism marketing, call (865) 584-0550.

Media Contact
Shane Rhyne
(865) 584-0550
srhyne@ackermannpr.com

Ackermann PR Joins Social Slam 2011 Sponsorship Team

Posted by Shane Rhyne – February 23, 2011

Social Slam 2011, Knoxville, TN, April 13. A conference for digital media in business.Knoxville, Tenn. – Ackermann PR is proud to announce it has joined the sponsorship team for Social Slam 2011, a national digital media business conference to be hosted in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 13, 2011.

The event promises to bring together some of the brightest minds in social media in North America to teach business leaders how to get serious about digital media marketing.

“We support Social Slam 2011 because of the experience represented by the event’s speakers and panelists,” said Cathy Ackermann, CEO and owner of Ackermann PR. “This is not a conference about hypothetical business practices. The participants will be discussing their actual work in the field and sharing their experiences in creating measurable and effective digital media business opportunities.”

The event, organized by Social Media Club Knoxville, is bringing a collection of some of the nation’s best-known experts in digital and mobile marketing to the Knoxville Convention Center for a one-day business-oriented conference.

“This event is a valuable opportunity for Knoxville-area business leaders,” said Shane Rhyne, Digital Business Strategies Manager for Ackermann PR. “The speakers and panelists represent a who’s who of experts in our industry. Having them all together for a single conference is gaining a lot of attention. Business leaders from across the nation are making travel plans to attend this event.”

The event will feature nationally-acclaimed keynote speakers, including:Guest speakers and panelists for Social Slam. Jay Baer, Christina "CK" Kerley, Trey Pennington, Brian Winter, Eric T. Epperson, Amy Howell, Billy Mitchell, Deborah Weinstein, Jeremy Victor, Mark Schaefer, Ryan T. Sauers, Glen Gilmore, Anne Deeter Gallaher

Additional panel discussions will feature nationally-recognized authorities on:

  • Social media’s reinvention of public relations
  • Building a business case for social media
  • Critical digital media mega-trends
  • Social media and business-to-business (B2B) marketing

Seating is limited for the event. Tickets are available from the event website at www.SocSlam.com for $49 through February 28. In March, the price will increase to $59, and in April, any remaining available tickets will cost $69.

For additional information about the event, the speakers and panelists, registration and materials, visit the Social Slam website at www.SocSlam.com.

About Social Media Club Knoxville

Social Media Club Knoxville is a networking organization for Knoxvillians currently using social media personally and professionally, and those seeking to learn. SMC Knoxville is a chapter of the international SMC headquartered in San Francisco, California. SMC is a non-profit organization designed to promote media literacy, support sharing among practitioners, encourage adoption of industry standards, and promote ethical practices through discussion and actions. For more information about SMC, visit www.socialmediaclub.org

Ackermann’s Rick Laney talks travel and tourism changes in the Smoky Mountain Region with WBIR (NBC) television

Posted by Rick Laney – January 19, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ackermann PR ’s Rick Laney sat down to talk with WBIR (NBC) television about dramatic changes taking place in the tourism industry in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  In recent years, Ackermann identified some significant shifts taking place in the local travel and tourism industries and conducted a private study of visitors during 2007 and 2008 (with updated data for 2009 and 2010).

Two key figures came to light through the study:  The Smoky Mountain Region is drawing a huge number of first-time visitors every year (as high as 41 percent in some areas) and traditional tourism cycles that tied closely to the school year had disappeared and the Smoky Mountain Region is now a year-round destination.

Click on the image below to watch the entire report from WBIR television.

Click to watch complete WBIR segment

Cityview Magazine’s new issue features Titanic Museum, Wilderness at the Smokies and McGhee Tyson Airport

Posted by Rick Laney – January 11, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The new issue of Cityview Magazine (Jan./Feb. 2011) is packed with great information.  The “Knoxville’s Top Entrepreneurs” story features 9-year old Luke Copas, who wrote a book about the Titanic last year that was published with some help from Titanic Museum Attraction owner Mary Kellogg-Joslyn (Luke’s on the cover!).  You can read Luke’s entire story here.

While people love to complain about the high cost of air travel, there are plenty of affordable destinations available from Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport.  One of them is sunny Miami – and Cityview editor Colleen Oakley highlights some of Miami’s best restaurants, clubs, museums and places to stay in the current issue.

Ever wonder what’s coming next to Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville?  Check out the fascinating “5 Minutes With …” story about Pat and Pete Helland, owners of Wilderness resort, to find out.  You’ll not only find out what they plan next for their wildly successful waterparks, but the background about these amazing brothers (referenced in the story as “The Wright Brothers of the resort scene”).

Cityview Magazine is available at stores and bookstores throughout Tennessee as well as online at www.CityviewMag.com.  Don’t miss this month’s issue!

Media Contact:
Rick Laney
(865) 584-0550
rlaney@ackermannpr.com