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Hunterdon Harmonizer Marketing & Public Relations in 2011

1. Planning for the Year

2. Review Newspaper blog

3. Singing Valentines

4. Memorial Day Performance

5. Baseball Game

6. Deer Path Performance

7. Tenth anniversary of the 9-11 Event

8. Craft Fair

9. Holiday Show

10. Lights of Love

11. Community Singing

12. Just a Little More

 

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Planning for the Year One of the important components of planning for an annual marketing

and public relations campaign is advance planning for all of the activities for the chapter. That planning has to encompass the full year's music and performing plan, membership goals and opportunities, internal communications and morale building, and all other anticipated activities during the year. It also has to allow for unexpected opportunities and events. Such planning was the business of our Board.

One of the first things we did was adopt a theme for the year. We would

build our activities around the theme, or concept, of “love”. We started by creating four letters cut from plywood and painting them red and white.

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We used the letters though out the year at performances (we painted the “O” green for Christmas and added berries to make a wreath) , in promotional photos, and ever where we could to reinforce the theme. The concept of LOVE fit so well with Barbershop and so many of the songs available to us to sing.

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Review Newspaper blog I undertook to continue blogging for the Hunterdon Review, one of the

region's newspapers about the activities of the Harmonizer's. I'd been asked to do so a couple of years ago by the then editor of the publication. She retired a couple of years ago. But in her retirement she had been asked to collect people she had worked with and get them all participating in an electronic version of the publication through a blogging project.

It takes time to participate in the project, but doing so give our chapter a step into the future of publication.

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There were many entries during the year. In fact we had 31 different postings.

I am told by this editor that because we have regular entries in the blog

it has risen to the top quarter of all of the many people participating in her project in terms of readership and interest. We thus continue to feed that stream of information with combinations of pictures, videos, and of course written copy about our activities.

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Singing Valentines One of the first projects in any calendar year is “Singing Valentines”.

Of course the love theme figured in very well with that project.

One of the first things we did was recruit a quartet of mixed aged singers and photograph them in our traditional formal outfit of a red jacket, red tie, red cummerbund, white pants, and white shoes. The photographs taken in that photo shoot were used in several different ways.

First of all we prepared a postcard featuring one of the pictures. We used the Chamber of Commerce mailing list of their 500 members to distribute the cards.

We also created a poster featuring a similar picture taken during the

same photo shoot.

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And lastly we issued a news release to local publications and included pictures from that same photo shoot, as well as pictures taken the prior year during actual performances of singing Valentines. A number, in addition to example here, of clippings are included in an appendix attached.

We had a good response to this activity which we used to begin

building our singing Valentine program which had somewhat decline during the previous year or two.

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Memorial Day Performance One of our next activities was a Memorial Day performance. We have

traditionally gathered at the war Memorial at the end of Main Street in Flemington and have performed one or two patriotic or inspirational songs. Our doing so has become a tradition in the community and we are expected to participate.

There is a parade that begins at the far end of town and draws a large

crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people. As the parade concludes the people along the way follow the last floats or marching units to the war Memorial.

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This year our music leaders had introduced a new song, a military

medley, both for this occasion, and the expected later 10th anniversary of the 9/11 happening in New York City. The song honored all of our branches of service.

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Baseball Game Another tradition we have been following for about ten years is

performing at our community minor league baseball teams. The Patriots ball team, and fans, look forward to our performing the national anthem for them.

They provide space for us to set up a membership development table

near the refreshment stands and facilities in the stadium. Our members take turns manning the table and providing membership promotional material to anyone interested. We have found that this is a good way to attract attention to our activity in and among a group of people in the right age bracket that we would like to bring into our group.

We have arranged with the ballpark ownership to perform a 20 minute show before the game begins. We follow that show with singing our national anthem.

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Our activities, including the show and the performance of the anthem,

are projected by the Stadium marketing department on the big screen for all to see. Some years we are given the opportunity to have one of our members throw out the first pitch before the game begins.

In the past few years we have expanded this activity by inviting other chapters within a 25 mile radius of the ball club to come out and join us for the activity. We dress in our informal uniforms of red golf shirts and tan pants. The other chapters are invited to likewise dressed in their own informal outfits. They are also invited to join us at the membership table so that people who may be in closer proximity to their meeting halls have an opportunity to participate with these chapters.

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Deer Path Performance Another tradition that has developed over time is our providing a

performance for the County Parks system in the large public “Deer Path” Park. We take turns with the local symphony orchestra in opening the series.

In the event of inclement whether we are required to move inside into a

county facility or local regional high school facility. When the weather is good a large crowd gathers and picnics before the performance.

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We also have arranged that a local cable television group videos our performance and then shows the performance any number of times on the community cable station. We have thus gotten to know the TV people and they have gotten to know us. They have expanded their interest as they have gotten to know us to covering our other activities too.

Of course this expands and magnifies the audience that is exposed to

our performance. In the past we have been paid, and paid well, to participate in this park sponsored concert series. Because of a tightness in the County government budget we haven't been asked to perform without compensation. We have reached out to obtaining our own sponsorships as part of this activity. Being well known in the community helps and performing in this venue helps us be well known.

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When a Freeholder introduces us as one of the best known and best performing group in the County that enhances our reputation too.

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On September 11, 2011, the Hunterdon Harmonizers performed On September 11, 2011, the Hunterdon Harmonizers performed at two events to

honor those who dies in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The First Event

The first was a memorial motorcycle ride organized by the Borough of Flemington and the Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 of NJ. The event started in the Shoppes at Flemington parking lot with a bike blessing at 10:45 in the morning.

The ride left at 11 O’clock, passing by the War Memorial in Flemington and included a 30 mile circuit though Hunterdon County. More than 1,500 Rolling Thunder well disciplined motorcyclists took part. An amazing sight to see as they left with their police escort and passed the line up of fire equipment.

At the ride's end the Hunterdon Harmonizers sang three songs and were then asked

to sing the National Anthem along with the 100 plus piece Hunterdon Central High School marching band. There were also speeches by Congressman Leonard Lance and other dignitaries. Please see additional photos attached. The Second Event

The second event of the day for the Harmonizers was at the Lebanon Township's Memorial Park that drew a crowd of more than 500. The park features a large steel beam that was salvaged from one of the twin towers that were destroyed. Lebanon Township is less than an hour from New York City and was the home of several people killed in the attack.

The event was of inspirational music and speeches to honor those who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and to honor our first responders and military who responded to the attack.

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Speakers included Georgia Cudina1, widow of 9/11 victim Richard Cudina; Congressman Leonard Lance; former New Jersey governor Christie Whitman; state Sen. Mike Doherty; Bishop Paul Bootkoski of the Diocese of Metuchen; and Woodglen School Principal Michael Rubright who has initiated a school program about the event and the effects of the event.

The commemoration began with a gathering in the park pavilion at 3:30 p.m. The Hunterdon Harmonizers sang three songs followed by the Somerset County Police Pipes and Drums. The Harmonizers then sang twice more during the event which was heavily covered by the media. We sang God Bless the USA, Armed Forces Medley, When I Lift Up My Head, and the Tag to American Trilogy. Then we did America The Beautiful. A group did Halfway to Heaven and finished with You’ll Never Walk Alone, You Raise Me Up, and God Bless America.

See the attached appendix for photos and the below link for video.

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2011/09/hundreds_gather_for_a_septembe.html                                                                                                                1 Georgia led the drive to established the memorial at the park. The Harmonizers sang at the introduction of the memorial several years ago. She has become a Harmonizer supporter ever since. The site features 3,000 American flags on display in the park for the event.

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Craft Fair Sponsoring a craft fair on the main street of Flemington, the community

where we hold our meetings, has become a regular annual event for the Harmonizers. We get approval from the town to run this event. We sell space to various craft people who establish booths to offer what they create to the public.

The event draws a rather large crowd. During the course of the day we employ a day DJ who plays a broad mix of music through speakers that can be heard for a several block radius from the center of town. Each of the two days of the event we perform on the steps of the old historic courthouse.

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The court house itself is a great draw largely because it is the site of the trial in the 1930s that followed the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. We provide for ourselves and some other nonprofit organizations tables where are we get to expose to the large crowd information about our activities and opportunities to participate.

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Holiday Show2

Have you noticed the quantity and quality of promotion and advance publicity that our Holiday Show has received this year? Have you wondered how it happened? Did it just happen, or did someone (if so who) do something to make it happen? I can tell you that it was not one thing, or one person, and it did not just happen.

It all started with a determination to really push early ticket sales. The pricing called for a 25% discount on tickets bought before the show. The show chairmen and the Board made that early determination. The second step was the suggestion from Desi Desvermine and his wife Regina that we adopt the Hunterdon Medical Center as a beneficiary of some of the ticket sales. They, and show chairman Ron Newsom, followed up with the Medical Center Foundation. The Foundation was receptive, in fact enthusiastic, and the Board went along with the idea. The Medical Center is a major advertiser in local newspapers. They included a graphic and information about the show in one of their newspaper inserts.

The next step was the design of a post card by Mike Fordice. The Chamber of Commerce mailing list of all of their members was acquired. Our own list was compiled by Jim, Matt Mathews, and Dave Holzwarth and Jim put out a mailing of the card to all of the names on that enhanced list. We wanted people to reserve the date and open the door for our guys to sell early tickets.

Mike also changed the Chapter web site so that it prominently featured the show on the home page and added a graphic for the show at the top of the navigation menu. There is also an entire web page for the show. We can measure the usefulness of the web site in that there have been 48 direct ticket sales through the web. Of course all of our press and Blog information gave people the web address, illustrating how the various efforts work together to support each other.

                                                                                                               2 Please see photos attached.

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A flyer was put together by Mike. Copies were made available and distributed to all of our members to share with their friends, post at their place of employment, etc. It was also provided in electronic form for wider and easy distribution.

Jack Gardner wrote a press release about the show. It was put in a format that has been used for a number of years and Sharon Cole saw to it getting in the hands of all of the publications that serve our area. She sent it physically through the post office in our big red envelopes with a picture from a prior show, and in electronic form. She then followed up with telephone calls to all of the publications. It ran in several publications. These stories included our web site address and our telephone number.

The Chamber of Commerce radio program people saw it and called and connected with our web site to invite us to have a spokesman appear as the featured guest to be interviewed on their morning broadcast. That was done and our Holiday CD was made available and three cuts from the CD were played on the air3.

Norman Diegnan, one of our new guys, a real find among our members as a PR & Marketing guy, jumped into the process and made contact with three different publications where he knew people through his business. He arranged for several events that went beyond what we usually experience.

He arranged for a quartet of Ron, Pat Cerillo, Rusty Williams, and Don Reckenbeil, to appear at the office of the Hunterdon County Democrat to sing for a video camera and that appearance appeared on the NJ.com web site.

He also arranged for an interview of three people, Rusty a long time member, Rob Lucchesi a new member, and Don our Director. Those interviews, and the photos from a picture shoot at a rehearsal that he also arranged, constituted a story in the Courier newspapers. Of course that would not have been as interesting, or would not have gotten the coverage, if

                                                                                                               3 We have already been invited back for a Singing Valentine promotion broadcast.

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most of the guys had not cooperated and dressed in their elf outfits for the picture shoot.

Also Sandy Bonnell, who owns The Only Game in Town, a costume shop, was there and dressed our actors and the Harmonizer kids so they could add interest for the photo shoots. Vida Allworthy, our choreographer, had the Harmonizer kids, dressed in their wooden soldier outfits, organized to catch the eye of the photographers to provide even more interest and expand the coverage. Publications love kids.

Norman also arranged for a picture shoot by a Democrat photographer at another of our rehearsals. Again the guys cooperated by dressing to make the photos interesting.

I had been blogging for the Review newspapers and posted at least three entries, with photos, on the preparation for the show. Norman suggested to them that they do a story about me, and of course the show. The owners of the Review also own the Today in Hunterdon publication. They had a free lance writer visit with me and her story appeared on the front of that publication together with a photo of me singing with my old quartet. They included an information box with information about the show: place, times, and how to get advance tickets, including our web address and our telephone number.

An additional number of post cards have been made available to our guys. I carry a few with me and hand them out to various people at events I attend. I have given them to clients, to people at Chamber of Commerce events, and at Bar Association events. You will find a few in the waiting room of my doctor, for example. A lot of our guys do so too. I saw them passed out at the Lions Club holiday dinner where we entertained. One of our guys went around and put one on every table.

I am not sure what else may have appeared from this effort by so many. I know the newspapers read their fellow publications and they do not want to be left out when a good story gets going. Much of what we all have accomplished here may have really started with Desi, Regina, and Ron making arrangements with the Medical Center. I attended a program about

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getting publicity at which the managing editor of the Democrat spoke. He said that local publications cannot resist giving coverage to an organization that is doing something that benefits another local nonprofit organization such as the Medical Center. Also it is much easier to get good coverage because of the base of good will and coverage that we have built up over the years.

We should continue this level of effort all next year to make the Hunterdon Harmonizers even better know in the community. Success in doing so will lead to better ticket sales, increased Singing Valentines, and increases in our singing membership. It will also make it easier to acquire sponsors as we go forward.

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Lights of Love Our year was not yet finished. We were again invited to sing at the

“Lights Of Love” activity at the medical center. This is an event where people pay $10 to have a light placed on a large Christmas tree in the front lawn of the hospital in honor and memory of a loved one. We are part of the entertainment before the lighting of the tree. Being engaged in this activity gives us substantial coverage by local publications. We find that we are almost always included in the in photographs of the event taken by local publications. This year was no exception in that regard. We gain goodwill in the community, we gain exposure, and it certainly is excellent public relations through our involvement in this event.

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Community Singing To conclude the year we accepted a new invitation offered by the

Flemington Business Improvement District to perform the singing of holiday songs up and down the main street of the community one evening. Although we were disappointed in the number of people we had the opportunity to sing for, we nevertheless realized the importance of what we were asked to do and what we did do.

We stopped at a local restaurant where we sang for the holiday dinner of the local Lion's service club. Of course this is an important goodwill gesture as we enjoy the support of the service clubs as part of our annual activities.

We also stopped in and sang for the owners and customers of a local pizza shop. In exchange for having sung for them the owners agreed for the next year to pass out our singing Valentine flyers with every pizza order for the 30 days prior to Valentine's Day.

We also sang for a local ethnic grocery store. We sang for the people in a local photo studio in Photoshop. We sang for people in a new coffee and ice cream shop. And lastly before returning to the church where we hold our meetings in rehearsals we sang for the local newspaper store. We have heard good things about the goodwill we built with this activity both from the management of the business improvement District and County Chamber of Commerce.

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Some Other Activities in 2011 Our web site is an important PR & Marketing tool.

We continued to add to our UTube Site.