Have you ever been at a dinner party and begged the host for the recipe of that great “sauce” only to try it at home and be underwhelmed?

That’s the thing with recipes… they are highly susceptible to interpretation and hard to give and use exactly as prescribed. This peculiarity can help explain why I don’t think there is a fool-proof approach to media relations. Sure, there are some do’s and don’ts that may apply to most, but even breaking some of those have yielded me results. So, instead of an ingredient list, I have come up with a list of principles (much like…boil water before throwing in the pasta) to set you on your way to media relations success.

Leave the Cookie-Cutters in the Kitchen

By-pass the cookie cutters and grab a healthy scoop of relentless determination instead. Like a seasoned chef with any recipe, feel your way around your story/news/message and understand what makes your audience, in this case the journalists, tick.

Is it Fresh and in Season?

Sure a chef may have a great idea for a lovely pumpkin soup, but in the heat of summer finding a fresh pumpkin, let alone an ample sampling of customers to have it, may be hard. By the same token, if you look at what is being written and covered and try to see if your story fits that message in some way, you will be more likely to find “willing customers” for your message.

Find the Prime Cut

The same way meat can be cut or sliced at different points to yield different textures and flavors, a message can be dissected or cut with precision to yield a “juicy” story. Say, the small hometown paper where your client’s business is based already wrote a feature about you and is not returning your calls. Try selling your story from a customers perspective. Maybe a hometown hero eats the same breakfast at your restaurant every Saturday before the home game. One approach could be… Is Amanda Deli’s Omelet the Food of Champs? Two-time Valley High football champ thinks so.

The key is to ask questions and listen beyond the story your client is telling you. Talk to your client’s customers and employees for invaluable insights. The more you ask and learn about your client the larger the piece of meat you will have to cut from.

Do you have other media relations principles you have learned along the way?

With the close of 2011 and launch of 2012, we wanted to share a few of our “best hits” – the memories and moments that shaped Ideas Collide in 2011. Each day we will reveal one that made our list and we want you, our friends and colleagues, to select the top moment of the year!

So throughout the next few weeks we will post one moment out of ten that we’re especially proud of. You can check daily on Facebook for new “hits” or watch our video below! If you comment on our blog you’re automatically entered into our random drawing for an ICMC “Good Vibes” Prize Pack! The pack includes Urban Ears Headphones, $25 iTunes gift card and an ICMC Rubix-cube and harmonica – you’ll be the envy of your friends and co-workers! We will select a random winner from our blog at the end of January and then deliver the prize! So let us know what you think of our greatest hits and which one should be at the top of the charts.

Each year in America, over 17 million households don’t have the means to buy their own food.  The downturn in the economy has made things even worse by decreasing donations for those who desperately need it. In an effort to help those in need this holiday season, our client Macayo’s has partnered with the Association of Arizona Food Banks to bolster the pantries of 5 local food banks. Their goal is to donate 10,000 cans of non-perishable food. To make this possible they are making it easy for anyone to help.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

-          Go to Macayo’s Facebook page and “Like” them to have one can donated on your behalf. If you show your server that you are a fan, you get 20% off your chimi as well!

-          Bring a can of non-perishable food to a Macayo’s location near you between December 2-7 and receive 20% off any chimi.

It’s a season to give and Macayo’s believes it should be as easy as possible to help those who don’t have enough. We invite you to Give with everyone at ICMC so that those in need may receive this holiday season.

All work and no play makes for boring creativity.

When I’m starting to feel stale or uninspired I  set out for adventures. I’ve made it a habit to travel at least twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. I love to travel and when I set out on a journey it’s not just any journey. I take the road less traveled and I take it alone.

It’s on these journeys I can get lost, find myself, discover new colors, patterns, textures and most of all, meet new inspiring people. I’ve met an architect from Switzerland, a travel writer from Denmark and a photographer from Ireland. Sharing our travel experiences together recharges my creative energy. Getting out of the country and the same old routine keeps me open minded. Open to new things, new art, architecture, trying new foods and immersing myself into the different cultures.

Recently I visited Istanbul, Turkey and Athens, Greece. Istanbul has an amazing mix of people, architecture and religion. The people of Turkey are smart, ambitious and very friendly. The food is a culinary delight. Athens has a history of democracy that is unmatched. Magnificent Temples built 2,000 years ago are a true accomplishment in architecture. The people of Athens have great pride in their city and its history; a very joyful group of people despite current woes in their economy.

Doing what I love inspires me to be more creative. What inspires you?

Recently, Ideas Collide kicked off its first political campaign. Luckily, the agency’s debut into politics centered around an independent candidate so we were not forced to pick sides.  Check Yes for Chimi is a political campaign for our client Macayo’s that aims to make the chimichanga Arizona’s official state food.

Celebrating 100 years of statehood in February, Arizona is one of only a few U.S. states that do not have a food with this official emblem distinction.  We feel Chimi, which was born in an AZ kitchen over 65 years ago, has proven to be remarkably adaptable, open to change and the perfect candidate for this important post.

Through our work with Macayo’s, Ideas Collide has gotten to know Chimi well.  We have witnessed how this hefty contender cares about substance, quality and tradition. Our internal straw poll reveals Chimi as a favorite and over 1,000 people who have signed the petition agree.

Have you Checked Yes for Chimi? Go to www.checkyesforchimi.com and sign the petition to let our state legislators know that we want Chimi as our official state food.

If you’re anything like me, grocery shopping is a dreaded chore. No matter how well I have planned my shopping list, or used all the latest iPhone apps to organize my expedition, it seems like I always come home unsatisfied in some way. Especially if your household is as complex as mine with food allergies to account for (we buy 3 types of milk at our house!) and varying tastes (“I don’t like peanut butter anymore, Mom.”)

I’ve tried grocery shopping using Safeway’s online tool, and even Costco or Amazon (although they don’t deliver perishables usually); but something is still missing in the experience. It takes too long (I can’t easily find the products I’m used to picking up in the store); or else the couponing system doesn’t quite work out the same way to get me as good of a deal as I would at the store. Then, recently in the news they’ve reported so many purse snatchings in grocery store parking lots, especially at night when I tend to go, that I’m realizing it’s time to rethink grocery shopping althogether.

If you could dramatically change the way grocery shopping is done, what would it be like? What if my automated home management system was connected to my fridge and pantry, and could detect when I’m low on key staples? Wouldn’t it be great if my cupboards notified me that the cereal inventory was running low – and automatically placed an order for replenishment – and even better, found the best price and coupons for me so that I get the best deal?

Well until that system is available, I’ll have to wait. But I today I found a glimmer of hope. Take a look at the latest shopping innovations in Korea. It wouldn’t work in a suburban setting like Phoenix, but I think they are on to something.

When your clients have an uncompromising taste for innovative thinking, your biggest responsibility as an account manager is to stay ahead of trends.   Coming up with viable ideas that are everything but “cookie-cutter” and that enable your client to stay ahead of competitors is among the most challenging and rewarding tasks a marketer can wish for.

So, to stay fresh, current and one step ahead of the competition’s marketing team, we study. We read, talk and think about how new trends will come into play.  We listen to TED talks, research our competition’s tactics and, we read some more.

The result of this never-ending cycle is serving up award-winning ideas that make our clients shine in light of the competition.  From having a more engaged fan-base on Facebook and increasing sales amidst a depressed economy, our clients keep coming back because our ideas are fresh while rooted in traditional values, vis-à-vis sales.

So, if your clients are as avant-garde as ours, here is a list of 5 of the “lesser-known” blogs we follow to stay “ahead-of-the-curve”:

• blogs.forrester.com/sean_corcoran — Because data and numbers matter
• marketingvox.com— For more interactive marketing news you’ll ever have time to read
• ducttapemarketing.com/blog/— Bridging traditional with “new-age” marketing
• Seth Godin’s Blog— My devil’s advocate
• danzarrella.com- For a scientific approach to Social Media

Over the past year, Ideas Collide has been working with Macayo’s on great campaigns that have aimed to, among other things, raise awareness about their 65 years in Arizona. As Macayo’s prepares for a month-long “fiesta” at their 14 valley locations, we tip our “sombrero” and congratulate them on this most-special of birthdays.  İFeliz Cumpleaños!

The world of search engine optimization, or “SEO”, is ever evolving.  If you Google just about any SEO related search term you’re bound to be flooded with contradictory feedback, misinformation, and plenty of outdated rhetoric.  Just about the only way to stay completely current with the latest and greatest SEO strategies is to be an actual SEO strategist, and even THAT can be strenuous.  So how, you may ask, can one even begin to tackle staying current with the latest and greatest search enginge technology?  Think like a user.

Think like a user. It’s the single greatest piece of SEO strategy that anyone can employ.  Years ago, SEO was about, well, thinking like a search engine.  With everything from meta data, to keyword density, to hidden code- it was all about tricking and manipulating the search engines to find success.  No more.  With the advent of more advanced algorithms and technology, a search engine’s #1 goal is to think like a user. Have you ever Googled the word “Hammer” in Columbus Ohio and noticed that the first result is a hardware store selling hammers a block from your location?  This is an example of advanced computer behavior, or, the search engines thinking like a user.

To better illustrate this concept, let’s assume you’re in the business of selling popsicles.  You might, naturally, want to improve the search performance of your site.  Rather than tackling complex coding, trying to trick the search engines into ranking your site well, and manipulating the code to appear #1 for the word “Popsicle”, start asking a few critical questions:

• Why might my customer be searching for popsicles?  Are you going after a corporate buyer or an average Joe at home?
• Where are my customers located?  Is your customer base worldwide, nationwide, or defined by a small geographic area?  Will location be a part of their search process?
• Why would my site be valuable to a customer?  Am I offering tips and information, new content, or valuable pricing information?

By asking yourself a few key questions, you can begin to understand how a potential target customer may want to find your site.  If your “golden customer” is a corporate popsicle buyer in Scottsdale, Arizona, who just wants to know what your popsicle case price is, you now have a great basis for creating meaningful content and copy to our target customer.  Now you have an opportunity to dominate the search phrase “Bulk popsicle prices in Arizona” and truly connect with your most valued customer.  How did you achieve this?  By thinking like the user.

When it comes to search engine optimization, forget the tricks, forget the deception and forget the wacky formulas.  Technology is now enabling users to find what they want and faster than ever before.  This means that the more that we can think like a user, the faster we can connect with them.

In brainstorming, as in sports, a team gets better the more it trains. At ICMC, our commitment to brainstorming as a means of finding solutions to problems as well as developing clever and unique ideas for clients, has made practicing a weekly occurrence.  As we have honed our brainstorming skills, we have learned that sticking to one conversation at a time and building on the ideas of others, is only the first step in getting the team engaged.

Over time, it has become evident, that at the genesis of some of our most memorable and impactful ideas, is a brainstorm when we were willing to suspend disbelief and embrace absurdity.  By contemplating ideas independent of whether the budget or timeline allows for it, we have been able to truly create synergies and come up with solutions, campaigns, slogans etc. that are everything but ordinary.

So, at the risk of sharing our secret ingredient with the world, suspend disbelief during your next brainstorm.  You will be surprised where it may take you and your team.