Tag: Ackermann PR

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.

East Tennessee gets second chance to see ‘Jenny & Ashley’ after Wilderness concert tickets disappear in 15 minutes

Posted by Rick Laney – July 7, 2011

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – With people camped out in the parking lot at Smokies Stadium for nearly 12 hours, passes to the Jenny & Ashley concert and video shoot at Wilderness at the Smokies resort were grabbed up in just 15 minutes this morning. Fortunately, those who want to see the rising music and television stars perform will get a second chance when they rock Smokies Stadium on Wednesday evening, July 20, 2011.

Jenny & Ashley

Jenny & Ashley will perform during the Smokies’ home game against the Carolina Mud Cats. The sisters will also meet with fans and sign autographs before and after the game. Tickets to the Tennessee Smokies game are available at www.smokiesbaseball.com or at the team’s ticket office. Don’t miss this last opportunity to see Jenny & Ashley perform in East Tennessee.

Jenny (15) and Ashley (14) Cooke are originally from Wisconsin, but moved to Pleasanton, Calif. when they were in elementary school. The sisters discovered their talents early while performing in a number of theatre productions and quickly made the move to acting and modeling. Jenny appeared as a model and cover girl for Kohl’s television and print advertising and also started acting. Ashley quickly caught the bug too, and modeled for both Levi’s and Kohl’s in television and print advertising. They followed their dreams to Los Angeles, where Jenny and Ashley picked up television work with both Disney and Nickelodeon.

Quickly realizing their love and passion for music, the girls switched gears and headed to Nashville. Jenny & Ashley caught the eye of some very important players in Nashville and soon found themselves in-studio recording their first EP. The EP, “Songs About You,” has songs the girls wrote as well as great songs from famous Nashville writers. Darran Smith, Tim McGraw’s co-producer and lead guitarist, produced the entire product and Tim’s band, The Dance Hall Doctors, tracked every instrument you hear on the EP. “Songs About You,” available now on iTunes, is an upbeat pop/country album which includes the song “Indescribable,” co-written by Ashley, that is receiving national radio airplay.

Following in the footsteps of Disney superstars Miley Cyrus (“Hannah Montana”), Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers, Jenny and Ashley Cooke are skyrocketing to stardom. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see them perform up-close and live.

Rick Laney, vice president of Knoxville-based Ackermann PR, is serving as a production consultant for the concert/video shoot. Laney has worked with National Geographic Television, MTV Productions, Travel Channel and other national and international television networks.

All additional details for the Jenny & Ashley appearance will be updated online at www.ackermannwire.com and at www.wildernessatthesmokies.com .

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

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 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

The first-ever K2 Wilderness at the Smokies Volleyball Tournament draws more than 6,000 people to Sevierville

Posted by Rick Laney – February 1, 2011

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — Local, regional and national sporting events are flocking to the new Wilderness at the Smokies resort in Sevierville, Tenn.  Within a one-day drive for 75 percent of the Eastern U.S. population, Wilderness at the Smokies resort provides a perfect year-round location for sporting events large and small and is quickly becoming a favorite of sporting event organizers.

WBIR-TV (NBC) conducts an interview during the K2 Volleyball Tournament.

Last weekend, Knoxville-based K2 Volleyball hosted its first-annual “K2 Wilderness at the Smokies Volleyball Tournament.  More than 1,400 elite athletes and more than 6,000 guests, fans and spectators turned out for the competition that featured the best volleyball teams from all over the Eastern U.S. 

(Click on the image to the right to watch the complete WBIR-TV story.)

Part of Wilderness’ draw for sporting competitions is that the resort has so much to offer athletes when they aren’t actively competing.  With three waterparks (including a five-acre indoor waterpark), a championship golf course, arcades, six on-property restaurants and countless other amenities, athletes and their guests stay entertained without having to travel outside the resort.  For those who do venture off-property, the hundreds of local attractions in the Smoky Mountain Region offer plenty of choices.

“My daughters are competing in the K2 Wilderness at the Smokies Volleyball Tournament,” said Scott Hames, a parent and coach.  “Right now, they are down at the indoor waterpark – and they are somewhat disappointed that they’re going to have to come up here to compete in a few hours.  They could play at the waterpark all day.”

The Mountain Press has complete coverage of the K2 Wilderness at the Smokies Voleyball Tournament; read the entire story here.

Wilderness at the Smokies has hosted major national youth sporting events including gymnastics competitions, cheerleading competitions, basketball, karate, volleyball, BMX Biking and power tumbling.  TAnother recent major sporting event at Wilderness at the Smokies was the Smoky Mountain Gymnastics Vacation Classic which took place over a four-day period.  There were nearly 7,000 attendees at the Smoky Mountain Gymnastics Vacation Classic.

“Wilderness at the Smokies resort is extremely focused on meeting the needs of sporting event planners and coordinators,” said Steve Cruz, Director of Sales and Marketing for Wilderness at the Smokies.  “We have invested in state-of-the-art athletic flooring for the 200,000 square-foot event center adjacent to our resort, and we can comfortably host very large volleyball, basketball, gymnastics and tennis events along with many other indoor sports.”

“Because we have hosted a variety of different athletic events, we know what is important to event planners and coordinators.  Our primary goal is to make their job as easy as possible and to enhance the overall experience of their guests.  There simply aren’t many venues that allow athletes and spectators to watch a competition and then play in a five-acre indoor waterpark ten minutes later without ever leaving the property.  Wilderness at the Smokies is quickly being recognized as the Southeast’s premier year-round athletic venue.”

To assist with the setup for sporting events, Wilderness at the Smokies has its own sports court flooring and can provide up to 20 volleyball courts and nets or, if the sport is basketball, five sets of basketball hoops.

Attached to the 200,000 square-foot Sevierville Event Center, Wilderness at the Smokies offers nearly 1,000 mountain modern guest rooms and multi-room suites in addition to condominiums and a Wyndham Vacation Resort on the Wilderness property.

The K2 Wilderness at the Smokies Volleyball Tournament

Wilderness resort works regularly with large youth groups (church groups, athletic groups, youth conferences and conventions).  With restaurants, gift shops, convenience stores, game rooms, mini-golf, lounges, a deli, two outdoor waterparks and a five-acre indoor waterpark, it isn’t necessary to leave the 700-acre resort. Coaches, athletes and spectators can even get to/from the event center without ever going outside – making Wilderness at the Smokies one of the Southeast’s only year-round destinations for sporting events.

(Click on the image to the left to see more television coverage of the K2 Tournament from WATE-TV and WVLT-TV.)

While staying at Wilderness at the Smokies resort, guests can swim, surf and splash in the waves in 84-degree weather all year because of the five-acre indoor waterpark.  Also, Wilderness at the Smokies has countless meeting rooms where teams and athletes can meet with coaches to prepare, go over strategy and review results before, during and after competitions.

When sports groups of any type are staying at Wilderness at the Smokies, the resort will arrange anything the group organizers request – including transportation to and from other locations for athletics, shopping or to take in the local attractions.  Wilderness at the Smokies also partners with many of the local attractions like the new Titanic Museum Attraction, the Ripley’s Aquarium, Dixie Stampede, WonderWorks, Tanger Outlet Mall and other popular destinations to provide value pricing for athletes and their guests.

Wilderness at the Smokies packages rooms and meeting space as well as services (transportation, A/V equipment, etc.) to create a cost-effective overall approach for sporting event planners and organizers.  Because Wilderness at the Smokies is so large and has so many events, organizers benefit from the volume of work Wilderness does with local suppliers and subcontractors that support large conferences, conventions and athletic events.  Since guests at Wilderness at the Smokies never have to leave the resort, and transportation around the property is completely free for its guests, they can park their cars at Wilderness (free of charge) and not get in them again until it’s time to leave.  Everything a guest could want in terms of family fun and R&R is available on the property.

Wilderness at the Smokies, located minutes from Interstate 40 and situated in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is establishing a new standard for athletic competitions, conferences, conventions and meetings in East Tennessee.  With two six restaurants, two 18-hole golf courses, two outdoor waterparks, an indoor waterpark with a wave pool and surf rider, hot tubs, and countless waterslides and attractions, Wilderness at the Smokies has something for all age groups.  For more information about Wilderness at the Smokies, visit www.WildernessAtTheSmokies.com.

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

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