Tag: HGTV

Ackermann PR records 45 percent revenue gain for first six months of 2010

Posted by Rick Laney – August 18, 2010

Knoxville, Tenn. – Ackermann PR, Knoxville’s only Top 100-ranked public relations and marketing agency, today announced that for the first six months ending June 30, 2010, the firm generated 20 new account relationships and a 45 percent increase in revenues, 2010 versus 2009.  The agency’s digital business strategies division contributed significantly to both increases.

“While we are extremely pleased and grateful for the increased business activity, these increases are most significant because they reflect what we see as the beginning of restored confidence and a return to economic health in the marketplace,” said Cathy Ackermann, Ackermann PR Founder and CEO.

“This resurgence doesn’t seem to be focused on any one sector, but rather across several industries.  We are even seeing some resumption of activity in extremely depressed sectors such as real estate development.  Two additional phenomena of the economic downturn is the number of new entrepreneurial start-ups we have seen and the requests we have received from non-profit organizations who are looking for strategic support to shore-up much needed fund raising efforts.”

Among the new clients are Pilot Corporation, Anderson Media Corporation, CityView at Riverwalk, HGTV, Tennessee Cancer Specialists, Wellness Centers of America and the Hearing and Speech Foundation.  The large number of new accounts contributed 24 percent of the agency’s year-to-date revenue growth.

Ackermann PR is a full-service, integrated firm providing strategic public relations, comprehensive marketing capabilities and digital consulting services.  The company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serves clients across the United States.  It is the only East Tennessee PR firm listed on PR Week magazine’s list of the nation’s Top 100 firms.

###

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

HGTV signs popular mom blogger for on-air and online content development

Posted by Shane Rhyne – January 22, 2010

Heather Armsotrong ("Dooce")

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — HGTV has signed Heather Armstrong of dooce.com, recognized as America’s most popular “mommyblogger,” to an exclusive programming development deal in which she will work with HGTV’s online and on-air production teams to create innovative convergence programming for the network.

“We are thrilled to have Heather join the HGTV family,” said HGTV president, Jim Samples. “Not only is she one of the world’s best known bloggers and parenting writers, with a unique and hilarious voice, she’s also a talented designer and photographer. She’s clearly a great fit for us and our audience.”

Armstrong will play a starring role in HGTV’s social media-driven audience engagement initiatives, while continuing to blog at dooce.com.

“I am thrilled to be partnering with HGTV in the upcoming year and have been a huge fan of the network for many years,” said Armstrong.  “In fact, I spent the first three months of my second child’s life watching every episode of Curb Appeal and Designed to Sell, and now if called upon I could stage a house within an inch of its life. I’ve been looking to grow my business beyond its online presence, and having been approached by other media brands before I can confidently say that there is no better partner than HGTV to help me take this step.”
The network plans to unveil the details of Heather Armstrong’s HGTV platform in spring of 2010. Viewers and online users can get more information on HGTV.com/Heather, Facebook/HGTV.com, and via Twitter at @HGTVOfficial.

“There are numerous opportunities by which Heather’s many talents will come to life, and we’ve been collaborating with her on a menu of them,” said Samples. “We think that both her audience and ours will be excited by what we have in store.”

# # #

About HGTV

HGTV, America’s leader in home and lifestyle programming, is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and is one of cable’s top-rated networks.  HGTV’s website, HGTV.com, is the nation’s leading online home-and-garden destination, which attracts an average of more than 4 million unique visitors per month. For more information, visit www.HGTV.com.

About Heather Armstrong

Heather B. Armstrong of dooce.com is widely acknowledged to be the most popular “mommyblogger” in the world. She has more than 1.6 million followers on Twitter, and was recently named by Forbes Magazine as one of the 30 most influential women in media, along with Diane Sawyer, Kelly Ripa and Oprah Winfrey. She has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and she’s appeared as a guest on Oprah, The Bonnie Hunt Show and CNN. Armstrong is the author of the 2009 New York Times bestselling book, It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita. Armstrong lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, Jon Armstrong, their two young daughters, and two dogs, Chuck and Coco.

Contact:
Audrey Adlam, HGTV
212-549-8599 / adlam@hgtv.com

Ackermann PR closes 2009 with impressive roster of new client acquisitions

Posted by Shane Rhyne – December 30, 2009

ackermann aKnoxville, TN (December 30, 2009) – Ackermann PR, one of the nation’s premier boutique marketing and public relations firms, has bucked industry trends with what company CEO and President Cathy Ackermann describes as a “banner quarter.”

New client acquisitions for Ackermann include Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), AC Entertainment, HGTV, Cellular Sales, EDP Biotech Corporation, Titanic Pigeon Forge, Baseball LLC, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Moving Picture Books (Rivr Media), Pimento’s Café & Market, Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee, Welty Building Company, and several other non-profit foundations and professional services providers.

In addition to these new partnerships, Ackermann has recently expanded its existing relationships with clients such as Ruby Tuesday, Berkshire Hathaway-owned Clayton Homes, CMSS, Wilderness at the Smokies and Radio Systems to include enhanced media relations and strategic digital consulting.

“While we’ve certainly been impacted by the challenging economy, we’re pleased to be finishing up 2009 with what has been a truly exceptional quarter for us,” said Cathy Ackermann. “We’ve added clients in every area of our operations, and we are especially happy with the growth of our digital and social media division, which has really taken off for us this year. We’ve made several great new hires in recent months, and we are enthusiastic about the potential for an even stronger 2010.”

Ackermann PR is a full-service, integrated firm providing strategic public relations, comprehensive marketing capabilities and digital consulting services. The company is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serves clients across the United States.

# # #

Media Contact
Cathy Ackermann or Katie Granju
(865) 584-0550