Welcome, You've been hearing a lot from us recently about the IMA Awards, set to take place on September 22 at the Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter in Las Vegas. Simply put, the IMA Awards will encompass a spectacular venue, world-class speakers, Internet marketing professionals from across the nation, a smashing after-party, and a unique opportunity to celebrate the best Internet marketing work in the world. It's a unique opportunity to rub shoulders with some of today's most prominent leaders in the online universe. We invite you and any Internet marketing professionals you respect to enter exemplary work in the awards competition. There are some 55 categories, plus Best Of and Lifetime Achievement awards scheduled to be presented. However, you don't need to enter the competition to attend the September 22 event. With over 400,000 members, the Internet Marketing Association is one of the largest and fastest growing professional associations in the world. We invite you to get involved and help us spread the word. For details, visit www.imanetwork.org. Sincerely, Sinan Kanatsiz Chairman / CEO KCOMM

KCOMM Specializes in Youth Marketing Services NuVision Federal Credit Union Street Team Targets Gen Y KCOMM helped NuVision Federal Credit Union celebrate the Fourth of July by deploying street teams at the Huntington Beach Pier Festival. The mission was to communicate to young Generation Y festival attendees that NuVision, open to the general public, is part of a transformation of the traditional credit union concept. Armed with information sign-up cards and a grab bag with a chance to win either $1 or $100, the street team approach proved highly successful with over 400 information cards gathered from people interested in hearing more about NuVision and the benefits of a credit union. The team also took photos of event attendees with the NuVision money sign, which then were posted on NuVision's Facebook page. KCOMM is fully equipped to deploy targeted street teams to promote your brand to the youth market though peer-to-peer tactics.

KCOMM Sponsors YWCA Central OC Event Over 350 Women and Community Leaders Attend YWCA Central Orange County kicked up its heels for Wine, Women & Shoes on June 9 at an expansive, custom estate in Newport Beach's exclusive Crystal Cove. Sponsored by KCOMM and M Media and chaired by Nicole McMackin, Managing Partner for Irvine Technology Corporation, this much-anticipated event brought together women and community leaders for an evening of fine wine, gourmet food and designer shoes, with over $35,000 raised for the YWCA. Guests were greeted by a red carpet and champagne toast sponsored by KCOMM, then sipped sensational wines and savored a gourmet menu courtesy of Bluewater Grill. Charming Shoe Guys displayed wine-shoe pairings while professional models, adorned in the season's must-haves, showcased vendors and vintners alike. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez was honored for her support of the YWCA. Honorary Chair McMackin received the "Guiding Star" award for her leadership in business and commitment to women's causes. Also recognized were event Co-Chairs Arianna Barrios, Betsy Lewis and Valarie Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of M Magazines, who were applauded for their tireless efforts in bringing the event together. Click here to view photos from the event.

The Necessity of Engagement Sound PR Strategy Should Not Be Optional There are times when business owners and executives look at a robust public relations strategy as an option like heated car seats, something that would be nice to have but a seemingly easy cut to make or expense to avoid, especially in difficult economic times. The fact is that if an agency, business or enterprise interacts with the public in any way, shape or form, it has to have a public relations strategy. Period. While the strategies and tactics involved in public relations vary widely from business to business and not every enterprise needs all the bells and whistles, there are absolute minimums that must be in place. These essentials include a message deck outlining potential past and future challenges and successes, proof points, quotes extolling the organization on-hand at all times, facts at a glance, etc. Even if an organization does not have a proactive strategy (which it should), getting caught flat-footed and having to scramble in response to a public crisis by not having these items in place and ready to go is the absolutely best way to make a bad situation worse. Public relations is about more than just "hey, we got mentioned in the newspaper." It's about being prepared for crises. It's about controlling perception. It's about building socio-political-economic capital (a capital account nearly as important as the one in the bank) in the community so that, if something bad happens, the organization is given the benefit of the doubt. And when good things happen, the community will actually care and pay attention. Take, for example, an organization (public or private) that tries to save money and fly under the public radar. Sure, there may be short-term savings, a little bump to the bottom line. But when something goes wrong or prices have to be raised, the public has little to hold onto and no reason to trust the organization. That is an enterprise with a socio-capital account of zero, with nothing to "spend" to cover the cost of the problem. The problem then begins to define the enterprise, the exact opposite of what should occur and what would occur if a proper public relations plan had been in place. On the other hand, an organization that invests the time and effort to engage the public builds that capital account over time and has it on-hand to allow it to turn a crisis into a blip, a blip into nothing and, on the positive side, minor good news into major good news. In the past, if something went awry, an enterprise at least had some time to react. One had until the 6:00 p.m. newscast or 10:00 p.m. newspaper deadline to figure something out on the fly. Now, with the new media technologies, reaction time has been slashed from hours to mere seconds. A Facebook posting, a blog entry, even a lowly "tweet" can ignite a chain reaction that, for the unprepared organization, is impossible to control. To be blunt, public engagement is a necessity, not an option, because in too many situations it's not the eight-speaker Bose system - it's the steering wheel.

KCOMM 10 Mar del Rey San Clemente, California 92673 949-443-9300 phone 949-443-2215 fax info@kcomm.com