it into the Web site, and you send out a
press release.”
Emeritus has sponsored national con-
tests through its Facebook page, for ex-
ample, and used other media venues to
spread the word. Earlier this year it spon-
sored a “Lifetime of Love” contest pegged
to Valentine’s Day in February that was
so successful the company ran a second
contest for Mother’s Day in May urging
people to share stories and photos an-
swering the question, “What makes Mom
special?” USA Today featured the contest
in a Mother’s Day story giving Emeritus
positive nationwide exposure.
tion of popular reality shows—a cross between Iron Chef America and American
Idol.
Ultimate Chef America has its own
Web page ( www.brookdaleliving.com/
ultimate-chef-america.aspx) as well as
a Facebook page. The pages feature the
schedule of events, a photo gallery, video
of the competition, and unique recipes
such as lobster and shrimp bisque with
fresh tarragon.
Each event includes seminars on food
and nutrition that highlight the company’s food vendors. And each competition
runs a silent auction benefiting the Leeza
Gibbons Memory Foundation. Brookdale
staff prepared a comprehensive press kit
with several targeted releases and fact
sheets on different aspects of the competition and the company.
Fontana says the competition is a fun
and effective way to tell the public and
press about Brookdale’s philosophy of
care, including its trademarked “
Optimum Life” program, which strives to give
residents the best possible quality of life,
as well as its in-house Culinary Arts Institute and ongoing brain fitness programs.
The initial competitions in Arizona, Dallas, and Denver generated
huge crowds and great publicity for the
company.
reporter relationships
Gini Dietrich, founder and CEO of Ar-ment Dietrich, a Chicago-based public
affairs company that specializes in nontraditional marketing, says social media
is a powerful and inexpensive way for
companies to develop and maintain a relationship with reporters.
“The best part about both Twitter and
Facebook is that you can communicate
directly with reporters you never would
have been able to build a relationship with
before—without an expensive PR firm.
Reporters use these tools to mine for story ideas and contacts for interviews,” she
What do your outdoor environments look like?
Go to ALFA exchange ( community.ALFA.org)—
the only executive social networking community
in the senior living business—to share your
thoughts and exchange ideas.
