Word-of-mouth marketing is an effective tool because people trust the opinions of others. What better way to find out the best places to eat while you are on vacation, than to ask one of the locals? How many times have you consulted a trusted friend before purchasing an item? Would you buy it your friend [...]

Recent research conducted by the Council of Public Relations Firms reveals that there may be an even stronger relationship between brand equity and corporate reputation than previously thought. An analysis of 50,000 consumers showed that when these two strategies are combined, the effects are stronger than the individual power of each.
These results have a big [...]

This past Friday, Facebook released its initial public offering (IPO) at the morning bell on Wall Street. Starting at 9:30 a.m., investors could purchase a piece of the social media giant for $38 a share. This made Facebook, or FB as it’s now known in the NASDAQ market,  the highest tech IPO in history and [...]

Stories come in every shape and size, some are emotional, some are engaging and some are simply memorable.  At The Vandiver Group, we talk about stories each and every day.  They’re the conversations that happen on the way to an office, in the car, across the desk and in a conference room.  You may look [...]

Russian delegates from the Community Connections Program (CCP) visited the Vandiver Group this afternoon to learn about public relations and communications practices for non-profits. CCP is managed by the Bureau of Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Agency for Information Development (USAID) and is run locally by the World Affairs Council of St. Louis.
The Community [...]

By Donna M. Vandiver
In twenty-first century marketing, there is a new rulebook. Rule Number One: Your best marketers are always your satisfied customers. In conversations with friends, family, peers, people they interact with online, and even those who follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and the myriad of other social media sites, your customers [...]

TVG was recently named Best PR Firm in St. Louis by St. Louis Small Business Monthly readers. The publication released their annual Best In Business issue last week, which features TVG and other winners. TVG competed against 24 other PR firms and received the most votes from readers to win the top spot.
“At TVG, client [...]

For those of you who haven’t met any of the TVG crew in person, not only are we constantly connected via social media, but many of us like to take the occasional trip to the mall. So, we were intrigued when we heard about Ann Taylor Loft’s recent social media snafu.
If you’ll [...]

In December, the FTC released revised Guidelines Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. I think it’s important to address specifically the FTC’s requirement that companies and endorsers disclose material connections. That’s why I will be writing a series of blog posts about best and worst practices and the impact the regulations may [...]

In November I attended the 2009 Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Summit in Las Vegas.  As a member of WOMMA, it has been interesting to watch the Association grow and transform as the social media era has taken hold of communications.  WOMMA conferences provide some great face-to-face collaboration and bring together an interesting mix [...]