Santa Monica has a rich and colorful history, and we are proud to be part of it!

“Images of America SANTA MONICA 1950-2010” — by Louise B. Gabriel, the president
and founder of the Santa Monica History Museum — chronicles the city’s post-World War II
era as both a resort community and as a bustling, vibrant city.

The book features more than 200 photographs of the dynamic people, businesses, events,
attractions, and celebrities that have shaped Santa Monica into the world-renowned city of today.

And among them is The Phelps Group’s The Wall, where our work in progress is posted for feedback and improvement by all associates.

Team Leader Monica Peixoto poses with the new Panasonic Toughpad™.

On Nov. 7, Panasonic Solutions Company launched the much-anticipated Android™-powered
Panasonic Toughpad™ family, the fearless new business tablets that go where no tablets
have gone before.

More than 400 people — customers, press and Panasonic employees from USA, Canada,
Latin American and Japan — attended the launch event at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas,
Texas. Members of The Phelps Group were there, as well, enjoying the festivities that
included an open invitation to score a goal against Kevin Hartman, goalkeeper of professional
soccer team FC Dallas, with U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Captain Abby Wambach providing
guidance and coaching to attendees.

Combining data and device security, seamless connectivity, enterprise-minded technology,
and a long legacy of rugged and reliable computing, the new 10” Toughpad A1 and (coming
soon) 7” Toughpad B1 tablets are the perfect melding of mind and muscle.

And, to coincide with the product kick-off, The Phelps Group helped Panasonic with
the U.S., Portuguese, Spanish and Reseller online launch!

October marked Breast Cancer awareness month and Panera Bread’s Pink Ribbon Bagel program. The Panera Bread PR team at The Phelps Group kicked off media relations around the 10th anniversary of Panera Bread’s Pink Ribbon Bagel program and developed “The Power of 10 Day,” where 100 percent of proceeds from Pink Ribbon Bagels sold on Oct. 10 were donated to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and its search for a cure.

All month, 10 cents from each bagel sold went back to the Foundation. The PR team garnered broadcast coverage across Southern California, from KTLA-TV, LA’s CW-affiliate to KTTV-TV’s Good Day L.A. and KMIR-TV, the NBC-affiliate in Palm Springs, in addition to print and online coverage. The team worked with KTLA’s Weekend Morning News to do a “survivor salute” where cancer survivors that sent in their photos received a gift card from Panera Bread. Nearly 50 percent more funds were raised in support of breast cancer research than last year.

KTTV-TV Good Day L.A. - Oct. 10, 2011, "Panera Bread's Power of 10 Day"

KTLA Weekend Morning News - Oct. 9, 2011, " Survivor Salute: Panera Bread"

KTLA Weekend Morning News - Oct. 8, 2011," Panera Bread's Pink Ribbon Bagels"

Each year, Halloween means two things at The Phelps Group – a lot of tempting treats
and plenty of shenanigans!

We started our traditional boo-fest with a nearly gourmet potluck lunch, after which
everyone showcased their creative talents with innovative, inspiring and sometimes
frightful ensembles in the hope of winning the much-coveted prize for Best Costume.
We had a lot of great contenders, and picking the best one was difficult.

This year’s winners were The Firemen, with their debut of the “2012 Firemen of
The Phelps Group” pin-up calendar. We’re not sure where one can pick up one of
these gems, but we’ll be sure to let you know. Coming in second were The Blues
Brothers and Sister Mary-Margaret-Catherine from the Sisters of the Flying Ruler.

Afterward, the entire brood swooped down Wilshire Boulevard in our traditional
Halloween parade. Did we stop traffic? You bet!

Check out all our Halloween pictures on our Facebook page! www.facebook.com/thephelpsgroup.

Today, The Phelps Group hosted a blood drive to benefit pediatric and adult cancer patients at City of Hope Cancer Center. We called on our associates, as well as members of the community, to give the gift of life — and the response was phenomenal! More than 50 people made an appointment, while many others “walked in” to donate — and we are thrilled that we exceeded our goal of 35 useable units of blood!

City of Hope patients rely on more than 25,000 units of blood and platelets each year for survival. There is no substitute or synthetic form of human blood; therefore, donations are vital to the men, women and children in City of Hope’s care. Every one of those units comes from caring people – family, friends and other generous individuals who want to make a difference. We thank all who came out to offer their support!

Left to right, from top:The City of Hope Bloodmobile,The Phelps Group associates Art Director Alon Burgin and Team Coordinator Courtney Carr, Production Manager Desiree Gates and Team Manager Anique Oudshoorn, PR Specialist Roxana Janka and Team Leader Lauren Kahner.

Associates of The Phelps Group recently attended the unveiling of the California Coastal Commission’s new Whale Tail^® Specialty License Plate at the Santa Monica Pier. The California Coastal Commission is currently promoting Stewards of the Coast, a campaign to support the revamped plate, which will culminate at the 27^th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day Saturday, Sept.17, 2011.

As part of The Phelps Group’s 30^th anniversary and the agency’s commitment to the environment and our community, we have been working with the commission to develop creative marketing materials -- posters, T-shirts, trash and recycling bags, outdoor advertising, emails and online banners -- to promote this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day, statewide, and achieve the goal of 100,000 event volunteers.

For more information and to purchase the new Whale Tail license plate, visit http://www.ecoplates.com.

To learn more about the 2011 Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 17, please visit http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd2.html.

For the fifth year in a row, The Phelps Group has been recognized by The Los Angeles Business Journal as one of L.A.’s “Best Places to Work”! The firm ranked 12th among all mid-sized companies – 25 to 249 local workers – in Los Angeles. The announcement was made during The Los Angeles Business Journal’s annual awards luncheon, held at the JW Marriott on Aug. 9.

The poll, conducted by ModernThink, an independent research company, surveyed nearly 10,000 employees from hundreds of companies with headquarters or satellite offices in Los Angeles.  Key criteria in determining the top winners were culture of the organization, communication between employees, and growth opportunities available to workers.

The Phelps Group offers a range of progressive workplace benefits, including reimbursement for education classes and programs, ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), telecommuting, pet-friendly work environment, green workplace program, full-feedback environment, competitive pay and health benefits, weekly educational seminars, and hosted lunch twice a week.

In a significant move to enhance the agency's digital capabilities, we recently announced the addition of four digital specialists.

(L to R) Deniz Kahriman, online media, and Dan Tsui, SEO/web analytics, both hold master’s degrees in engineering from USC. Farhan Mohammad has a bachelor’s in engineering and offers a wealth of knowledge regarding large-scale digital project management, while Nicholas Kuebler brings his broad .NET and other developer languages to the agency.

While many agencies of similar size outsource higher-level programming and online media management, we added these associates to our existing staff of digital specialists to help meet increasing demand for digital work. “These new associates strengthen our abilities to execute the strategies we recommend. And, as usual, they’re being integrated into our client-facing teams,” said Joe Phelps, the agency’s CEO.

The Phelps Group is turning 30 years old! And, to kick off the celebration, we recently hosted a gala event at the carousel on the famous Santa Monica Pier. The party’s theme was “thank you” to the many who’ve helped the company become one of the largest, independent agencies on the West Coast and the second-oldest agency in L.A. Here are a few highlights from the evening.

The Phelps Group's Maria Brenner, broadcast editor/producer, and Ed Chambliss, VP and team leader, show off their agency spirit.

Joe Phelps with Paul and Barbara Youngblood and Dennis Houlihan of Roland Corp.

Tahitian dancers, courtesy of Tahiti Tourisme, a client of The Phelps Group for 19 years, were among the many highlights of the evening.

Joe Phelps, CEO, and Mary Jo Sobotka, VP of media, enjoy the agency's 30th anniversary festivities.

For a while now, we've said, "media is the new creative."

Meaning that, due to the number of options available to reach the targets nowadays,
it takes an informed and creative mind to deliver the most effective and efficient media plans.

For a while, I've said, "If the creative is strong enough, the media is free."
Meaning if the message is interesting enough for it to go viral, the cost of distribution is free.

I recently heard someone say it more succinctly.

"Creative is the new media.
Media is the new creative."

This may seem like rhetoric or just semantics.
However, we might think of it as way to frame the opportunities offered by the new world we live in.

Joe Phelps | CEO 

It’s a two-dimensional bar code usually called a QR (Quick Response) code.

Created in the early 1990s for inventory tracking, QR codes are now used in B2C and B2B marketing. QR codes store information that can easily be deciphered by open-source software, readily available for all camera/smart phones. Marketers infuse the code with a URL, which sends the user to some compelling content (mobile site or video). Then they place the code in a print ad, an out-of-home ad or a billboard to allow user interaction. If you haven’t noticed them on advertisements around the country, you soon will.

How does it work? Go to the app store on your smart phone and search for QR Reader. Download a free app and launch it. Point your phone’s camera at the QR code to the right to find the answer to this trivia question:

Q. What ubiquitous, medical measuring device was invented in 1862 by Dutchman Hermann Snellen?

Will Shepler | Team Manager

The zpizza team recently had the tough task of tasting and testing all the offerings on the zpizza menu. The tasting included artisan pizzas, rusticas, pastas, calzones, sandwiches and salads - made with all-natural and organic ingredients, along with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. All items combine select ingredients using award-winning skim mozzarella from  Wisconsin, certified organic tomato sauce, MSG-free pepperoni, additive-free sausage, and fresh produce. The dough is made from 100% organic wheat flour prepared fresh every day. Phew, all in a hard day’s work. 

You’re probably familiar with terms like graphic design and website design, but what about user-experience (UX) design? What does this encompass?

UX strives to create interfaces that meet users’ needs, no matter what the platform — website, mobile site or iPad app. UX designers translate business goals into easy-to-use tools for users. They work meticulously, deliberately and step-by-step to fulfill those goals.

For instance, when redesigning a website, UX designers consider the site from the user’s perspective. They collaborate to organize the site map and then draw up graphically spare wireframes to show where things should live, what the purpose of each section should be, and the overall paths a user should follow — all while regularly checking in with the programmers to make sure they’re not trying to build the impossible.

Only after the website’s entire architecture is laid out does the graphic design work begin. No one builds a house without a blueprint, and UX design is no different. It lets companies focus on how customers will use their website and ensures that few (if any) surprises will occur by the time a site launches because the structure and flow were thought through beforehand.

David Yoon | Interactive Art Director

Joe Phelps and Matt Toledo, President and Publisher Los Angeles Business Journal at the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2011 Book of Lists celebration at Club Nokia at L.A. Live. The Phelps Group was named once again in the top 10 independent ad agencies and PR firms in LA County.

So much time is put into developing and deploying advertising theme lines. Do you think they're important?

I wonder. Because as I go around my house looking at branded items, I don’t recall any tag lines for them. And I doubt that advertising theme lines had anything to do with my purchases. How many theme lines for brands in your house can you remember? And even if you can recall one, did it have any bearing on why you bought those services?

Commercial communications are changing rapidly to keep up with our increasingly sophisticated "media screens" that protect us from the onslaught of messages. If you buy something, it's probably because of product benefits, location, service and/or price – not advertising. And research agrees. The most important influences are word of mouth, your past experience in using the product or what you read on the packaging in the store.

If you're reading this blog, there’s a good chance you're in marketing communications. So take a moment and recall a theme line for an advertising agency or a public relations firm. My guess is that very few of you can come up with even one agency theme line. Of all companies, you’d think an agency would promote a theme line so folks in their own industry could recall it.

Yet, there are ad or PR agencies that have a brand image in your mind. So what makes up that image? The people who work there, the clients they work for, the work they do for those clients, the building their offices are in – those are the things that built the brand in your mind. And it's those real facts that we need to get across in contemporary marketing communications.

That's what I love about social media. The language is real. It's not condensed down into something that sounds like advertising. It's more believable to 21rst century man. The social media superstars present themselves as pure, utilitarian benefit, and have anti-taglines to match. My associate, David Yoon recalls that Facebook's was something like "Facebook is the easiest way to keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues." And Yelp? "Yelp is the fun and easy way to find and talk about great (and not so great) local businesses." It's a DR school of copywriting that assumes the user knows what they're doing.

In print, headlines have probably 10 times the power of theme lines in most instances. The eye glances at the page, sees a visual and reads the headline almost simultaneously. It glances at the logo, maybe reads the tag line and then the finger turns the page. It's probably smarter to put the company’s web address by its logo instead of a tag line. For me, the weakest moments for theme lines comes when a live TV announcer is reading sponsor copy. They'll read some copy, and end with the name of the product, and then recite a tag line like "America's insurance company". I find it slightly embarrassing.

What do you think about tag lines? Are they less believable or less important in today’s environment?

Joe Phelps | CEO