Taking Aim by the Numbers

by Karen Kacir

Ten years ago this month, Curley & Pynn launched Taking Aim.  Here’s a quick look at our blog by the numbers:

 

Top 10 Posts from 10 Years of Blogging

by Karen Kacir

On this day 10 years ago, Curley & Pynn published its first post on this blog.

Since 2008, our industry has seen dramatic changes in the way audiences are consuming and responding to media.  Meanwhile, we’ve maintained focus on helping corporate, government and nonprofit clients communicate with all who have an interest in their success.  And we’ve kept up with the times by constantly reminding ourselves of the tried and true advice from legendary archer Howard Hill, which also inspired the name of this blog.

Thank you for tuning in to Taking Aim since the beginning and sticking with us through the years.  We sincerely appreciate the time you’ve spent indulging our urge to share tips, musings, opinions and the occasional complaint, and hope our writing has been worth reading.

In honor of Taking Aim’s 10^th birthday, here’s a roundup of the blog’s 10 most-viewed posts:

1. YouTube vs. Vimeo – The Faceoff:  In 2011, we explored the differences between two of the top streaming services.
2. Hate to Pester? Try Humorous Reminders:  A team member detailed how using wit can inspire client respect.
3. Deathly Journalism:  An oversight at the obituaries desk led to a glowing feature on a convicted murderer.
4. Censorship is a Good Thing:  How fatherhood informed one team member’s views on self-censorship.
5. Target Me, Please:  Roger received a mysterious letter and gleaned some insight into targeted communications.
6. Cracker Jack: It’s All About the Prize:  When Cracker Jack modernized its prize, Heather stepped up to bat.
7. The CNN School of Journalism:  Dan issued a word of caution on CNN’s citizen journalism program, iReporter.
8. Jennifer Aniston’s Sex Tape for Smartwater:  In 2011, Smartwater and Jennifer Anniston set out to make a viral video.  They succeeded.
9. The End of the Internet:  Roger commented on a Wall Street Journal article predicting that the internet would run out of IP addresses.
10. Black Wednesday:  Heather observed the rise of #altwiki following the Wikipedia blackout of 2012.

The Making of a Holiday Message

by Dan Ward

Each year, Curley & Pynn attempts (and usually succeeds) to develop a holiday card that ties back either to the practice of public relations or, more frequently, to issues that have made news in the past year.

We mailed a “hanging chad” card after the 2000 election, made fun of news polls that missed so badly in 2016, and lampooned the ACA rollout by launching our own FrostyCare Marketplace.

This year, we set out to find something from 2017 that we could turn into a positive, and hopefully funny, holiday message.  And we failed.  We pored through headline after headline, and became increasingly depressed.  Political fights, natural disasters and dozens of harassment claims do not lend themselves to fun, festive jokes.

And then it came to us.  What we all need after a year of depressing headlines is what we all turn to (some of us secretly) to lift our spirits … pictures of kittens and puppies!

And so we present the C&P 2017 holiday card, featuring headshots of our own four-legged friends and family.  We hope it brings you a little “Paws-itivity” for the year ahead.  And we also hope you can pay it forward with a little pawsitivity of your own.  Share photos of your own furry, fuzzy family members with the tags #CandP #Pawsitivity.  We can all use some positive news and images this holiday season. Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our thanks to Jim Hobart and Macbeth Studios for a fun, tail-wagging photo shoot!