Bateman Group has started off 2012 with a bang!  Today we kicked off our new partnership with a company called Adchemy based in Foster City, Calif. and led by CEO and Founder Murthy Nukala, a veteran leader of innovative, technology-driven businesses.

Adchemy’s mission is to help advertisers leverage consumer intent to create more effective digital advertising experiences. The company is backed by Accenture, August Capital, Mayfield Fund and Microsoft and in 2010 was listed by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top 50 venture-backed companies in the U.S.

Adchemy is a wonderful new addition to our digital advertising and marketing technologies practice. The account will be run by a spectacular team consisting of practice lead and Senior Vice President Bill Bourdon, Vice President Lisa Melsted, Account Manager Shannon Hutto and Senior Associate Kathleen Stuart. I feel confident this will be a long and fruitful partnership for both our organizations. Please join me in welcoming them to the Bateman Group family.

As the year comes to a close and we reflect back, there’s no denying 2011 has been an incredible year for Bateman Group. The surge we experienced in the fourth quarter; however, has truly been unprecedented. Today, we publicly announced our selection as agency of record by three exceptional companies. These recent additions to our client roster include:

Qualys — Based in Redwood Shores, Calif., Qualys is the leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) IT security risk and compliance management solutions. Qualys solutions are deployed in a matter of hours anywhere in the world, providing customers an immediate and continuous view of their security and compliance postures.

Antenna Software — Based in Jersey City, N.J., Antenna provides mobile business solutions that enable enterprises to build, deploy and manage applications, websites and content across myriad devices for employees, customers and partners.

Sociable Labs — Based in San Mateo, Calif., Sociable Labs provides on-site social commerce solutions for online retailers to maximize social sharing, referral traffic and conversions.

We’ve worked hard over the years to maintain a client roster notable for its diversity — particularly in terms of geography and market position. These recent wins only enhance this by adding an early-stage startup and two fast-growing market leaders that hail from Redwood City all the way to Jersey City. At the same time, Qualys, Antenna and Sociable Labs will strengthen our sector knowledge in IT security, mobility and social commerce markets, respectively. Today we took another big step in our journey to national prominence.

A warm welcome to all three!

Since opening our Brooklyn office in March of this year, we’ve seen our business on the East Coast expand rapidly — both organic growth as well as from some exciting new clients we will announce shortly.  As a result, we’re seeking candidates for a Senior Associate (Sr. Account Executive) position at the firm. Base salary is competitive and dependent on experience, plus a generous benefits package that includes 100% paid health, vision and dental insurance; 401K plan with company match; state-of-the-art technology including the latest laptops and iPhones; three weeks paid vacation the first year; nine paid sick days; new business referral bonuses; new employee referral bonuses; domestic partnership benefits; etc. Last, but not least, a nurturing working environment that supports life/work balance like no other.

The candidate should reside in the New York Metropolitan Area with an ability to work full-time from our offices near Park Slope in Brooklyn. He/she must able to set priorities and deliver results using excellent written and verbal communications skills. The candidate also should be accustomed to working autonomously under pressure, be extremely self-motivated, proactive and deadline-oriented. Furthermore, Bateman Group looks for people who are passionate about new and emerging technologies and social media, have an excellent client service ethic, proven experience with technology trades and business media and bloggers, a strong team orientation, and would enjoy the opportunity to work closely with agency senior management on their own career growth. Finally, he/she must able to leave their ego at the door, but not their sense of humor.

Responsibilities include:

—     Providing exceptional client service, from strategies to tactics

—     Creative, proactive communications and business development, including social media

—     Driving account activities, positioning ideas to managers and clients, implementing programs and presenting results as they follow

—     Content development including: plans, press releases, corporate backgrounders, customer case studies, speaking abstracts, awards submissions, contributed articles, etc.

—     Executing proactive editorial and social media/blogger influencer outreach programs

—     Contributing to business development initiatives and internal training programs as requested

Senior Associates (SAEs) should possess 3-5 years of related PR and social media communications or related professional experience, and have the following:

—     Pre-existing knowledge of at least one of the following subject matter areas: 1) Enterprise Software, i.e., application development, web content management; 2) Wireless/Mobility Solutions, e.g., mobile apps, broadband wireless switches; 3) Green/Sustainability services and/or other mission or cause-driven businesses.

—     Excellent organizational, communications (written and verbal) and time management skills

—     Established relationships with technology trade press/analyst/blogger communities as well as business press

—     Prior client service experience required; new business experience preferred

The Future of Media Round Up features the top articles and blogs curated by The Bateman Group each month on issues and events related to the convergence of technology, media and communications.



Here’s our take on the most disruptive news, commentary and insights about PR and media from the month of June. Please share links to other must-read articles in the comments below if you think we missed anything.

Links of the Month for June:

• News Corp. Sells Myspace for a Song, The Wall Street Journal – News Corp. finally washed its hands of troubled social platform and entertainment site Myspace this month. As the Journal points out, the deal indicates how dramatically News Corp. has shifted its digital strategy in recent years, shedding previously acquired social networking sites to focus resources on creating digital components for existing publications.

• Google+ Changes the Social Media Game for Business, PC World – Google Plus made its much-anticipated debut, bringing with it a slew of potential changes for … well, just about everyone. As PC World cautions, Google Plus will ultimately create demand for content that’s stickier, relationships that are tighter, and social sharing that’s more relevant – a rule likely to apply to companies as much as the news media.

• President Obama To Hold First Twitter Town Hall on July 6, Mashable – Given President Obama’s social media chops, this headline shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. What was interesting this month was the influx of politicians – and their parties – joining the social media soirée in a variety of new ways. As reporters gear up for the months of campaign coverage ahead, the way campaigns utilize social media as a communications tool is likely to affect the campaign trail in whole new ways this time ‘round.

• Americans Regain Some Confidence in Newspapers, TV News, Gallup Blog – Gallup polls show that confidence in media among American adults has climbed a full five points in the past year. Good news for the industry, as many outlets still struggle to gain footing in the new media landscape. An equal backward stride in confidence among college students, however, may suggest more work ahead for media companies as they regain trust.

• Will the NY Times Give David Pogue Another Pass on Ethics, Forbes – As was all the fuss last month, the ethics (and disclosure) controversy spilled into June as well-known writer David Pogue evolved his “playboy” reputation at the Times. This time, eyebrows rose over his advice-giving to PR flacks.

Follow @BatemanGroupPR for more opinions on breaking news and issues.

Today we publicly announced our selection as agency of record by NatureBridge, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco and the largest residential environmental education partner of the National Park Service. NatureBridge currently operates four campuses in Yosemite National Park, Olympic National Park in Washington State, Golden Gate National Park and Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and each year serves more than 40,000 participants through field science, youth leadership and teacher training programs.

Environmental education is a pre-requisite for a sustainable planet, yet it continues to be misunderstood, underfunded and even ignored. This is especially true in our public schools where, much like the music programs our client Little Kids Rock aims to protect, hands-on nature and science courses taught out in the field are among the first to be cut. In response, NatureBridge has set ambitious goals to expand the program nationwide and inspire even more students in more places to become advocates for the planet.

This win is a key addition to our Green/Sustainability practice formed on Oct. 25, 2010 made up of companies, both for profit and nonprofit, offering products and services designed to protect natural resources and embrace the concepts of environmental integrity and social responsibility. The bi-coastal account team, consisting of myself, Tyler Perry, Shannon Hutto and Kathleen Stuart, will work closely with our fantastic internal contacts Susan Larson and Brea Jones along with a soon to be hired new PR director.

We feel very fortunate to be able to compete for and win accounts where the organization’s mission so closely aligns with causes and issues we as an agency (and individuals) feel so strongly about, namely managing climate change, living a more sustainable lifestyle and protecting the planet for future generations. Welcome aboard NatureBridge!

Today we publicly announced our selection as agency of record by Motista of San Mateo, Calif., an El Dorado Ventures-backed start-up focused on providing CMOs and marketers with a one-of-a-kind on-demand consumer connection intelligence solution.  With this win, we add another client to our growing Marketing Technologies practice made up of companies offering innovative products and services to CMOs and other senior marketers.

To quote our own Bill Bourdon, there’s arguably no other business function being disrupted more by technology right now than marketing. Our work on behalf of current clients such as Baynote and Recyclebank, as well as past clients like Passenger and BrightEdge, has made us acutely aware of the unique pressures experienced by senior marketing executives, regardless of the industry sector. We were immediately blown away by Motista’s vision and unique offering — a web-based application that delivers highly sophisticated consumer connection intelligence specific to brands, segments, competitors and industries and puts it directly into marketers’ hands.

Just by logging in to Motista, marketers can find immediate answers to questions, test and justify hypotheses; in addition to discovering and exploring new ideas — all on-demand, in real-time at the true pace of business. Powerful consumer connection intelligence marketers can start using right away, across all marketing programs, campaigns or strategic challenges, just by logging in. The potential impact of this cannot be overstated.

Unique technology, defensible IP, a real problem to solve — Motista has it all.  This partnership has gelled seamlessly, largely due to the efforts of the stellar team of Bill Bourdon, Lisa Melsted and Rod McLeod working side-by-side with our fantastic marketing contact, Paula Cavagnaro.  Now, if we could just find 30 or 40 more companies just like Motista…