We asked for good pitches and you listened. We’ve gotten several and we’ll take more. Our first one is from Ivy Le at Jackson Spaulding for their client Georgia Research Alliance.
----Subject: Some GOOD news about Ga.’s economy from our universities
Off the field, Georgia’s universities are on the same team, developing biotechnology to tackle tomorrow’s complex health problems. The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) promotes and strengthens these partnerships, which create good jobs, attract millions in investment, and improve the quality of life for Georgians and all Americans. And none too soon!
The deepening credit crisis, which prompted coordinated rate cuts last week by the Federal Reserve and other central banks, is likely to hurt business investment and hiring nation-wide. While Georgia isn’t immune to economic woes, Georgia is simultaneously gaining traction as the Crossroads of Global Health. That would be a cushion in a recession and a launching pad for the state, when America bounces back. Consider:
* BIO, the annual biotechnology industry convention, will be hosted by Atlanta in 2009. This marks the first time BIO has ever been held outside of San Diego or Boston, the two presumptive biotech corridors.
* Since 2002, GRA has evaluated the commercial potential of more than 250 inventions or discoveries at universities and awarded grants to the most promising to further develop the invention or discovery. Results so far: 66 early-stage companies formed that employ more than 430 people and attract hundreds of millions in private equity investment.
* A recent Families USA report ranked Georgia among the top-ten states for the economic impact of every National Institutes of Health (NIH) research dollar, which in our state stimulates additional business activity. GRA has offered millions in matching grants to attract NIH dollars. Result: over $86 million NIH grants spurring well over $200 million in economic activity.
In the spirit of good sportsmanship during the football season- and to spread some good news about the economy- the research presidents of the GRA universities would like to group-author an op-ed piece encouraging investment in research. Might this fit into your op-ed calendar?
Regards,SIG FILE---
It did fit the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s op-ed calendar and the story ran in December of last year.
You Pick the Best PitchIvy’s pitch is the first of several we’ll be posting in the coming weeks. We’ll then hold a round of voting so you can decide which pitch is best. The winner gets more Google juice, some swag and maybe more. So if you want to join the fray, send us your pitch, a link to the ink and stay tuned!
My Baby. Or, the newspaper. uploaded by BullWinkle1213tags | public relations | PR | media relations | media | good pitch | bad pitch | bad pitch blog
Ouch...this gets the award for most banal cliches in one sentence award. I guess they only know football metaphors in the Peach State.
ReplyDeleteGood pitch, but could be much more concise. Thoughts on that?
ReplyDeleteTamara's right, I would have preferred to make my case more concisely, but I swear it didn't look that long in Outlook. :) As the client is a behind-the-scenes player, I had to balance brevity with an awareness challenge. Michael is wrong, but "banal cliche" is such an original word pairing! Georgians know plenty of metaphors (see Flannery O'Conner, Henry Grady, Conrad Aiken), but we use football metaphors to pitch during football season, because it's timely. I'll try not be offended by Michael's generalization of Southerners, as I also struggle to resist stereotyping about his region's manners.
ReplyDeletenice pitch, ivy, and congrats on getting the placement.
ReplyDeletemy only observation is that the call to action falls at the very end of the pitch. obviously, this didn't hinder your chance for coverage, but i think it could be better served earlier in the pitch.
@m_dunn
For those who don't know, Ivy Lee was the founder of public relations as we know it. Oh, this is Ivy Le. Never mind.
ReplyDelete