News
April 19, 2021
Engaging on a strategic level with key audiences and influencers on social media has come into its own as a significant part of an effective CEO’s outreach efforts. We still sometimes encounter corporate leaders who want to avoid digital engagement, but we believe they may […]
March 15, 2021
How well a business capitalizes on marketing trends can make or break it. The digital transformation will continue – at an accelerated pace during 2021 – as we all realize that “business as normal” may have changed forever. Consumers are becoming numb to digital advertising, […]
March 11, 2021
Ackermann Marketing & PR today announced the promotions of several team members. Pat Staats has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer. Erin Freeman and Tommy Smith have been promoted to the role of Senior Vice Presidents, and Ryan Oglesby has been promoted to Account Executive […]
February 15, 2021
All businesses are faced (always) with learning from their past, thriving within their present and planning for their future. COVID just made that a lot harder. Business leaders and CEOs are having to make critical decisions, while standing on shifting sand. Things that we have […]
January 19, 2021
I think we all breathed a sigh of relief to finally be looking at 2020 in the rear view mirror, and being the resilient humans and optimistic business people that we are, there was something hopeful and almost “cleansing” about the very act of turning […]
December 14, 2020
I’m proud of the businesses, large and small – some that we know personally and others that we just read about or hear about – which have sacrificed and re-invented themselves during 2020 in order to cope with this global pandemic. It has been a […]
November 16, 2020
A challenge for many businesses is how to best pursue your most desirable prospects and/or former customers without being a pest! First, let’s define a “good prospect.” For many companies, this would be a past customer or client. You don’t have to go from “cold […]
October 19, 2020
Are you tired of hearing about the “new normal” and feel stuck in the Covid blues, or are you just frozen in your marketing efforts? Now is the time to wake up and take action. As the CEO of an independent marketing communications firm, I […]
September 29, 2020
In times of confusion and turmoil such as the times we are currently living through, leadership voids can become more pronounced than ever. People are fearful – for their lives, the well being of their loved ones, and the sustainability of their businesses and their […]
September 14, 2020
Is it too late? The short answer is “no.” You don’t need an actual crisis as the impetus to create or update how you communicate during one (granted, the pandemic has been a big, surprising one!). Every organization at every stage of its development should […]
August 27, 2020
Ministers, musicians, celebrities lift spirits of inmates and staff in facilities across the country August 25, 2020 – Prisoners and corrections staff across 47 states are watching episodes of Visitation 2.0, a digital video series produced and distributed during the Coronavirus pandemic which seeks to […]
August 17, 2020
All businesses these days are trying to figure out how to not only reach new customers, but also how to get them to stick around for a long time. Here are a few insights that may help you do that better: 1. Get to Know […]
August 10, 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – June 19, 2020 – Now more than ever, we could all use an escape. As the days get longer and summer rolls in, Treehouse Grove at Norton Creek is the perfect mountain getaway to reconnect and explore the outdoors. Treehouse Grove is a […]
August 10, 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – July 15, 2020 – Knoxville-based healthcare law firm London Amburn has announced that Gary Wade, former Chief Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court and Dean of the Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University, has joined the firm as a shareholder. Judge […]
August 10, 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – July 15, 2020 – Knoxville’s first full-service food truck park has changed ownership but will continue to operate at its current location in the Happy Holler Historic District area of North Knoxville. Local real estate group SMJT, among other local partners, announced the […]
August 10, 2020
Common, Michael W. Smith, CeCe Winans Headline “Visitation 2.0” premiering May 18 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – May 5, 2020 – 4th Purpose Foundation is excited to announce the launch of Visitation 2.0, a new digital series premiering May 18, and delivering a message of faith, hope and […]
July 24, 2020
Wiseman Replaces Retired Medical Center Leader Dr. J Russell Langdon KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – July 24, 2020 – The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) has named Dr. Brian Wiseman Vice President of the Brain & Spine Institute, one of the medical center’s seven Centers of Excellence. […]
July 23, 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – July 23, 2020 – The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association has designated The University of Tennessee Medical Center as a Blue Distinction® Center+ for five specialty service lines – Cardiac Care, Bariatrics, Knee and Hip Replacement, Spine Surgery and Maternity Care. The Blue […]
July 20, 2020
One of the most disruptive results of a pandemic like the one we are currently trying to navigate our way through is the lack of recent precedent relative to how we should behave in these uncharted times. Short-term, businesses are trying to keep their heads […]
June 15, 2020
Mary Martin named Branch Sales Manager KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – June 15, 2020 – SmartBank has opened its newest branch in Alcoa, Tenn., located at 109 Associates Blvd in Springbrook Corporate Center. “Adding this location in Alcoa allows us to widen our footprint in Blount County and […]
June 15, 2020
As our world continues to be in a state of turmoil and unprecedented challenges, there has never been a more critical time for leaders of organizations – be they corporations, non-profits, government entities or neighborhood groups – to step forward with clear, concise and authentic […]
May 18, 2020
Many renowned healthcare experts from all over the world are predicting the end of the handshake, our most universal and certainly most American of all business greetings, even after the current pandemic is under control. Their thinking may be that this is an unnecessary and […]
April 22, 2020
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – April 22, 2020 – SmartBank has been working diligently over the past two weeks on behalf of local small businesses in their fight to survive the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the bank has processed approximately 1,700 loan applications and […]
April 20, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak is challenging all aspects of our lives. From working at home to social distancing from our peers, everyone is trying to figure out how to adjust their way of life to the times we are living in. Small businesses have rapidly had […]
April 3, 2020
We spoke to a panel of local business leaders to discuss how businesses are surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel included Mike Turner, CEO,COO, and President of Turner Homes, George Ewart, Principal of George Ewart Architect, Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, President and COO of Titanic Museum Attractions, […]
April 3, 2020
Dentists have been advised to close their offices to all but emergency care during the global COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean emergency visits are the only ones that can take place. Teledentistry is one of the best ways to maintain your patient care continuum […]
April 3, 2020
As you are keenly aware, interruptions to the healthcare delivery system caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in the growth and expansion of telehealth. Under a special COVID-19 waiver, Medicare will now reimburse for telehealth services regardless of where the beneficiary is located. […]
March 27, 2020
10 Admissions Strategies that Colleges and Universities Need to Adopt in the Face of the Coronavirus
College campuses are eerily quiet in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic—and the fear is that quiet could usher in an even quieter campus come fall. With the traditional sea of spring visits to colleges and universities across America canceled, the challenges of higher-ed recruiting […]