Narus: A company picnic - thank you

Last week we ended with a wonderful picnic at our client's office Narus. It is so great to have the kind of relationships in place with your clients where we are truly an extension of their team. We are invited to their events - beyond company meetings.

For almost five years we've worked with Narus. And, I count my lucky stars regularly to have so a fantastic relationship with the executive staff and our day-to-day Marketing Director.

Thank you for being such a great partner to BOCA.

What is a virtual agency? BOCA

BOCA is a virtual agency. We are a group of very smart, senior-level people that decided we want to work with each other and we want to have the freedom to work from anywhere...

We go on-site to our clients, we meet at cafes, we meet at our houses and we meet on the phone.

We work around the clock - because we are always on-line.

I am personally in San Francisco. As well as others on the team. But, Michael, our VP of Media/Messaging, is in New York City. We are bi-coastal and our clients love it. I love it.

That said, we have clients in Boston, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and coming soon Austin, Texas. We have a CMO that works out of his house in Aptos and a PR Director that works between the office in San Francisco and her house in the valley.

Being virtual also allows us to hire people where ever as well. So, when a client comes in from Austin, we can hire someone in Austin.

Beyond the ability to hire someone in a client's zip code - our operation costs remain low. There is no need for BOCA clients to pay for over priced San Francisco office space. Even if the rents are low - no need.

Additionally, many agencies need to have rigorous structure because they have junior staff. They just graduated from college and need to learn some form of structure. There was an agency I once worked at that had the administrative assistant walk the office to confirm the staff was in their seat by 8:45 a.m.

I've said this before in past blogs - I do want an office at some point. But, I like the idea of a creative lounge/think tank versus an office. One fabulous open space with whiteboards and a full bar.

Ok...back to work.

BOCA: Branching Out (Health, Wellness, Travel, Leisure)

While technology has been my forte - I do think at times it would be nice to branch out. And, the beauty of being a nimble, boutique firm is that me and the BOCA team can really do what ever we want...there are no formal rules.

Yes, I love technology. And, I literally love deep technology - there is nothing like making a chip manufacturer sexy, or embedded Wi-Fi a mush have, not a nice to have.

That said, I also think that health service, drug treatment, wellness centers are of interest and here to stay. With an aging population and a more health conscious population - why not go down that path.

In regards to travel and leisure...who wouldn't want to do PR for the British Virgin Island Tourist Board or the Bitter End Yacht Club....the islands are fabulous and the Yacht Club luxurious.

I am not saying BOCA will go down that path...but the world is our oyster. And, it doesn't have to me. The beauty is hiring people that are true experts.

At BOCA, differentiating by specialty is how we run our business. Yes - there are jack of all traits - but if someone is just an amazing pitcher and story telling strategist (e.g., Michael Lindenberger - also knows as our Big Game Hunter) or an expert writer (e.g., Susannah Adler - also known as our writing Goddess)- one should tap into that excellence.

So - that said...we'll see who we hire and who we bring on as additional experts.

Kathleen S.

MSFT and Yahoo - A OK

I wrote this a while ago - but blogger randomly shut down. So - very quickly - I am happy about the MSFT and Yahoo partnership. I've always had a soft place in my heart for Yahoo...from the first commercial...do you "Yahooooooooooooooooooooo." I actually would like to see those again...mabye it should be - "are you read to BING....." with a big bong sound at the end.

No - really. I don't love Google. It is probably a personal reason - actually I know it is a personal reason but I've just never been a fan. And, we do live in the USA - so why not have some healthy competition...

I look forward to watching the motion...and commotion the next few months.

Kathleen S.

I Got an iPhone and I love it

I got an iPhone on Monday and I just downloaded some apps and I am learning how to use it. Ok - it is a lot of fun. I am so excited about this product. I've been working in the mobile space for so long now - it was about time for me to get this toy.

While - it is my phone - I think of it more like a personal computer on my body. And, yes - it is a toy.

Back from Vacation: Wi-Fi Observation

I was just on vacation for the past two weeks and it was amazing...I went to the British Virgin Islands and sailed with friends on a 38 foot Lagoon. The Caribbean Sea was gorgeous, the sands majestic and the people warm.

While I was on vacation - I still have technology observations - lots of open, free Wi-Fi Networks.

I live in San Francisco where it is fairly difficult to find an open network. Yet, I go to the BVI and I had Wi-Fi everywhere...

Yes, I am addicted to my Wi-Fi. We live in a world where we can live, work anywhere. And, I love that. When will we get more open, hotspots in SF? Where is my municipal Wi-Fi?

My Wi-Fi thoughts today...

A Passion for PR - GenArts Rocks

I am exhausted today...but me and the team keep going. We've worked very hard these last few weeks for our all of our clients. But, in particular, our client GenArts had a major announcement that we obviously supported. Today, the news went live about a customer/partner/expansion with GenArts loyal customer Lucasfilm.

We met with everyone from the New York Times, Bloomberg, L.A. Times, Wired, Financial Times and their trades such as Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Vanity Fair and more.

I am now sitting back watching the coverage roll-in. I am so proud of the team and I am so happy for GenArts CEO Katherine Hays and CMO Steve Bannerman. They worked very hard on this deal and to see it go live in this fashion is awesome.

I love my team, I love BOCA and I love that we all have one core attribute: passion. We enjoy what we do for a living and it shows...

BOCA, A Passion for PR.

Go Team...................

Kathleen S.