As companies put final touches on 2010 marketing communications budgets, the big question is, where are those shrinking marketing budgets being directed next year?

I read an article in The Wall Street Journal titled Pepsi Benches Its Drinks. The article says that Pepsi, ending a 23-year streak, won’t advertise in Super Bowl XLIV. It also explains that in 2010 Pepsi will spend 60% more on online ads, rely on PR to market its brand, and will direct $20 million of its ad dollars to grants for its new Pepsi Refresh Project, a program that will support community projects proposed and selected by consumers.

This reinforces my opinion that traditional advertising might not always be the best way to reach a target audience. More and more companies are turning to social media, PR and online advertising to spread the word about their brands.

It’s time for B2C and B2B companies alike to reevaluate marketing strategies. Companies need to do research, find out where their audience is getting their information and reach them there. Make sure the money you spend on marketing is reaching your audience.

What do you think? Do you think 2010 will bring more social media, PR and online advertising to the forefront of marketing budgets?

In my last post I offered a few resources on where to turn when designer’s block occurs. This time, I want to offer a few on where to turn when you can’t shut your brain off and those creative juices are overflowing.

Have you ever been strolling through the mall and there, in one of the store windows, you see the perfect color for the logo you have been working on? How about sitting in a doctor’s office and great ideas for a new project keep popping into your brain? Your solution can be in your purse (or pocket) my fellow iPhone and iTouch friends!

There are a handful of iPhone (and iTouch) apps that every designer must have. For example, CliqCliq and ColorExpert are perfect apps for capturing and calculating that awesome logo color you saw in the store window. iBlueSky is a handy app that will map your brainstorm path and allow you to e-mail it to another person while waiting in the doctor’s office.

If these two caught your attention, Webdesigner Depot has posted a list of “13 iPhone Apps for Graphic Designers” that is worth exploring.

I am always on the prowl for new resources. Do you have a particular app, tool or method you would like to recommend? Please share!

B2B marketers and B2C marketers alike can certainly learn a thing or two from this list of 2009’s Top 10 PR Blunders (thanks to Fineman PR in San Francisco for sharing). I recall quite a few of these mishaps from the past year and even blogged about one of them. These blunders serve as good reminders of some PR basics. Here’s a quick look at my takeaways from others’ mistakes:

1. If you say it, be prepared to see it in a headline
2. Social media has changed the game for crisis communications; prepare and respond accordingly
3. Everyday moms can access reporters more easily than ever before and they are a motivated group
4. If you set out to create buzz, be prepared to receive it and deliver on it

Ultimately, these blunders show that you can’t “spin” your way out of everything (by the way, as a PR pro I hate the word spin more than anything). Sometimes it’s just better for individuals and companies to take a big bite of humble pie.

What PR blunders do you remember from 2009? Do you hate the word spin too?

Photo courtesy: www.flickr.com/photos/andraspfaff/

As Christmas is quickly approaching, you always tend to hear the phrase “It is better to give than to receive.” This cannot be more true for the Canyon family. This year, instead of doing the typical white elephant gift exchange, we decided to give back to the community. Each Canyonite bought a gift to donate to Toys For Tots. Did you know approximately 13 million American children live in poverty today?

Beyond giving back to the community, Canyon also likes to help Valley charities throughout the year. For a few years, we have been helping St. Joseph the Worker, an organization that assists homeless, low-income and other disadvantaged individuals with their efforts to become self-sufficient through permanent, full-time employment, with its marketing and communications efforts. Rather than just giving a homeless person money, St. Joseph the Worker helps them find a job and gets them off the streets by teaching them life skills.

If your office is looking to do something different this holiday season, just remember that it is truly better to give than receive.

So the question is…what are you doing this holiday season to give back?