In the words of Queen Latifah, “let’s start 2010 by giving, not taking.” I had the honor of hearing these words directly from her last week at the COVERGIRL Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign press launch. COVERGIRL launched this effort as a partnership between the iconic Clean makeup line and the non-profit organization Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW), at a press conference in LA with long-time spokesmodel Queen Latifah and the newest CoverGirl Dania Ramirez. Both Queen and Dania are faces of the Clean makeup advertising campaign and Dania is the ambassador for this new cause initiative.
The mission of Children’s Safe Drinking Water is to address the need for clean drinking water around the world. Thanks to COVERGIRL’s involvement, 70,000 children will have purified, clean drinking water for an entire year! What a way to kick off 2010. The launch event in LA was filled with emotion and excitement. Both CoverGirls gave remarks to a packed press room about their personal experience with helping those in need and their eagerness to be part of the Clean Makeup for Clean Water Campaign.
Cause marketing has definitely been pushed to the forefront of business plans for many brands, especially in today’s economy where giving back to those in need is important to consumers and brands alike. It has been such a rewarding experience to be part of the planning and execution of this campaign and see the results come to life.
From logistics to media attendance, it was amazing to see what teamwork can accomplish and the benefits of working together at MMC. Our pitching of the launch helped generate awareness for an outstanding cause (CSDW) that is truly making a difference in the lives of children, as well as the COVERGIRL brand that is committed to this great initiative.
To date, our coverage results have been outstanding. Utilizing traditional and social media we’ve been able to secure coverage on broadcast, print and online—including buzz on twitter! Even Dania herself tweeted about the Campaign and spread the news to her celebrity friends and fan followers:
@daniajramirez : @iamkelis Back at work is right darling!!! check out my covergirl clean water conference vid. http://bit.ly/4EerxQ xox
@ZacharyQuinto: heroes fans: check out @daniajramirez (just joined twitter) & her covergirl clean makeup clean water campaign
It has been so inspiring to be part of this with COVERGIRL and I look forward to seeing the results of the Campaign throughout the year.
http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/covergirl/41731/
As PR professionals, we strive to work hard for our clients while still having fun and loving what we do each day, an experience I have discovered is hard to find in all career fields.
One of the other great things about working at MMC is that we are involved with many activities outside of work that give us all an opportunity to give back to the community. Recently, Team MMC joined forces with NY Cares to help refurbish schools across the city. I travelled to Brooklyn, with my colleagues Jackie L. and Cathy, to help de-clutter and literally “paint new life” into The East New York Middle School of Excellence.
Our painting adventure turned into a great way to spend a brisk Fall Saturday and gave us all a feeling of achievement knowing that we had helped the community in some way.
As we near the holiday season, and the end of the year, there comes a time when we all stop and reflect and think about ways that we can give to those in need. How do you plan on giving back this season?
I’ve always been a type A personality and definitely someone with a lot of determination, but I recently stopped to think about how my work in Consumer Public Relations these past few years has really changed me. At MMC, I really value the hard-working people who make our agency successful, and even better, produce great results for our clients. The energy in the office is addictive and inspiring and we all tend to joke about our knack for perfection. But what I really have learned from my PR colleagues is the extreme dedication we all come to exhibit whether it be securing a media feature, providing smart counsel to our clients or executing a flawless event. This commitment to dedication even begins to transcend our work at the agency and starts to seep into our out-of-work lives.
Case in point: my colleague, Danae, and I decided to test our fitness (and early-morning) skills by enrolling in a group boot camp class through New York Road Runners. Every Thursday I grudgingly hit the snooze button at 5am and contemplate the choice I made to sign up for this 8-week program. “What was I thinking? Is it still dark out? I can just miss this one
..”
But each week I push that internal struggle aside, get up and meet Danae at the bitter cold Subway stop to head up to Central Park. By the time we arrive to meet the group we’re almost awake and by the time it’s 7:15, we’ve already completed drills, lunges, squats, sprints and more and we feel great!
So although the boot camp class will come to an end next month, I feel proud that I’ve grown as a person through my profession and my personal life, exhibiting great dedication and a drive to succeed that I know will help me in years to come.
Growing up is a funny thing. I can remember events in my life dating back to when I was three years old and it seems like as we get older each year flies by faster than the next and I find myself constantly grasping on to the memories of each life milestone.
This past weekend I celebrated one of the most special milestones, a wedding. I had the privilege of standing up in one of my best friend’s wedding; my first wedding I was in to be exact. This was a friend I have known for over a decade, which is even crazier that it’s been over 10 years since I went to high school. The weekend was not only filled with wonderful toasts, delicious food and drink and of course the amazing reunion our high school friends shared, but it got me thinking about growing up and the different life stages we enter. Childhood, pre-teen, adolescent and the college years have all passed and as I continue to move through the young adult “real world” chapter, I find myself constantly stopping to think about how the different stages of my life have really impacted who I am today and what I hope to be tomorrow.
One of the reasons I love working in PR so much is because we get to take our past experiences and knowledge, peer into future trends and use it all to make creative decisions for our brands. Bringing our experiences and various stages of life together is something I’ve valued greatly since joining the cosmetics team at MMC. It’s such a pleasure to work with truly fascinating men and women who continue to teach and inspire me. I look forward to cherishing the memories of this life chapter and see what the future brings!
I’m not a runner. Although I was always involved in athletics while growing up I was never quite the fastest or the strongest. So, when I decided to give up those pre-conceived notions from my elementary and adolescent years and train for a half-marathon I was the most surprised of anyone. The 16-weeks of training proved to be challenging, but being a true PR person, of course I had each week outlined with the mileage plan, a perfect production schedule! As the race drew near I pondered to myself the reasons that I was doing this. Was it to simply get in better physical shape? Prove to myself maybe I could be a runner? Or maybe it was beyond that. I had set a high goal for myself, something I never would have had the confidence to do a few years ago. I think that I wanted to run this race as a symbol for entering the next phase of my life, the phase where I have the confidence professionally and personally to set high expectations for myself and exceed them.
I ran the MORE/Fitness Magazine marathon on April 26 with 9,000 other motivated and excited women. As I pounded the pavement in Central Park for 13.1 miles I had a lot of time to think to myself. The record-breaking heat caused some distraction, but I tried to focus on the finish line and think about what it meant to me that I was running this race. At each major mile marker I tried to think of something in my life that I was grateful for and something that I was proud of. I was proud that I had moved to New York and embraced a new city and grateful that I had started an exciting job towards a career I was passionate about. Upon crossing the finish line I felt such a sense of accomplishment. Completing this race has reminded me that I can do whatever I set my mind to. I hope to continue setting high expectations for myself in this next phase of my life.
