The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization with more than 1 million members. American Standard’s two-year agreement/partnership is in support of the Conservancy’s mission in the area of global freshwater conservation.

Read more in the press release, available for download in the American Standard pressroom.  Contact us for more information.

O’Reilly/DePalma recently interviewed retail notables and GlobalShop 2010 conference speakers Wendy Liebmann of WSL/Strategic Retail,  Joe Feczko of Macy’s, and Ken Nisch of JGA to identify the must-have tools for today’s successful retailer:

• Online has empowered shoppers with information, yet they have not rejected brick and mortar stores. But they want to be dazzled and have an emotional experience when they shop. This means retailers must better understand their shoppers on an emotional level, not just with demographics. “The combination of speed to market and innovation is more and more important. Compelling new and discernibly different will draw people back into stores,” says Wendy Liebmann. “Shoppers are saying, ‘Convince me why I need this.  Otherwise I’m not showing up.’”  Liebmann is revealing new data from her latest How America Shops® survey at GlobalShop which attendees will be able to purchase at a special rate.

• Connect emotionally with shoppers by integrating data mining with a synchronization of all retail disciplines.  In a GlobalShop conference session titled “Shopper Insights: Challenging the Boundaries of Consumer Marketing,” Ken Nisch will reveal how Wal-Mart photo studios used data mining to better understand the emotions around milestone events that involve photo services. “When everyone was integrated around data–store design, merchandising, even the ad agency– results were better,” Nisch reports. “That’s why at GlobalShop visual merchandisers should spend as much time in interactive and fixtures. And fixtures people should spend plenty of time in interactive and visual areas. The power of putting them together is much more effective.”

• It’s no longer enough to develop a prototype store, test it, reset all stores and then forget it. The new normal is a fleet of stores in constant flux. “We set, we test, we roll it out, we test again, set again, and roll it out again,” says Joe Feczko of Macy’s strategy. “Embracing change is an overused term but it’s real.  The most successful retail organizations are not afraid to try new things.”  At GlobalShop, Feczko will be presenting “Forget about Twitter and Facebook—Why the American Department Store is the New Social Experience.”

Download the full GlobalShop trends release here.

GlobalShop 2010 will be held at the Sands in Las Vegas, March 10 – 12.  It is the largest annual store design and at-retail marketing show in the world.  Actually six shows in one, the GlobalShop show floor is conveniently divided into six sections of the retail design industry including: The Store Fixturing Show, The Visual Merchandising Show, Store Design & Operations, The Digital Store, At-Retail Marketplace, and Retail Marketing Services.  Attendees can register here.  Media can register here.   For interviews and new product previews, contact us at O’Reilly/DePalma.

From quick-reference terminology, theories and e-learning, to sizing tools and sustainable pumping solutions, thinkingbuildings.com delivers everything specifiers and installers need to identify and size the correct technologies for their applications.

“Thinking Buildings Universe will ultimately offer not only in-depth information on our product portfolio, but also all of our pump systems knowledge and experience worldwide, including white papers and case studies on projects in North America, Europe and around the globe,” says Terry Teach, Vice-President, Business Unit Director – Buildings for Grundfos Pumps. “The site will serve as an efficient and effective single point of quick-reference on buildings and their pump systems for anyone in the buildings industry.”

View the full media page and download images at  http://bit.ly/BuildingsUniverse

Step 1:  Shut up and listen. (Admittedly hard for your humble correspondent.)   What are people talking and tweeting about related to your area of interest?

Step 2: If you build it, will they come? What is out there already?  It may be better for you and your brand to become active in an existing community, rather than building your own.

Step 3: What is your platform?  Where will you build your group?

• Linked In: Not our preference to start a group. Good place to “break in” with comments and questions. No IT help needed.
• Facebook: Surprisingly good! Having a fun name for your group helps. Little to no IT help needed.
• Twitter: Yes, you can build a community with 140 characters or less.  Selectively follow and purposefully post. No IT help needed.
• Blog:  Just as you’re reading now.  Most time consuming, but the best ROI we’ve seen. Templates exist, but we recommend investing in custom design and features. No IT help needed for updating.
• Custom: Pricey. Harder to demonstrate ROI at that spending level, and more expensive to build.   IT help needed.

Step 4: What to post? Videos, images/slide shows, copy. In that order.   Funny is good.  Weekly is also good; vary timing to see best results (Facebook is big Mon-Wed; Twitter is big Thurs – Fri). Don’t forget weekends.

Step 5: Be a person, not a brand. It’s a networking party, not a board room.  Share of yourself. Ask questions. Start conversations. Thank contributors.  Loved this advice from www.communityspark.com: remember birthdays!

Step 6: Be patient. Easier said than done with bosses and clients.  Set expectations up front and set them low. Contests and corporate social responsibility initiatives can help build communities, but rapid growth can create volatility with a lot of churn. Our personal bias is quality, not quantity.

Atlanta Green Communicators was founded by our Green Earth PR Network colleague, Nancy Rogers.  Join through Linked In, or let us know if you want to attend the next bimonthly meeting.

2" Wirsbo AQUAPEX® Tubing Expansion Joint Kit

To eliminate the added labor and costs required to build an expansion joint from scratch, Uponor has created an industry-first: the 2-inch Wirsbo AQUAPEX® Tubing Expansion Joint Kit, designed for plumbing systems that need to accommodate expansion and contraction in long tubing runs.

For more details on this new system, please use the following Weblink to gain access to the press release and accompanying hi-res photography…

http://uponor.oreilly-depalma.com/2008/2in-expjointkit.shtml

Once on the link, you will be able to:

– Download the press release in any of several formats: Word, Text or PDF.

– Download a hi-res digital photo to accompany your release.

– Gain access to other, related information from Uponor, including several recent press releases on other new products.

EP Branch Multi-port Tees and Elbows

Uponor’s new offering of engineered plastic (EP) Branch Multi-port Tees and Elbows features 7 to 12 outlets with ¾” and 1″ inlets that enhance flow performance and better serve the demanding applications of commercial and large residential plumbing systems.

For more details on these new fittings, please use the following Weblink to gain access to the press release and accompanying hi-res photography…
http://uponor.oreilly-depalma.com/2008/ep-c.shtml

Once on the link, you will be able to:

– Download the press release in any of several formats: Word, Text or PDF.

– Download a hi-res digital photo to accompany your release.

– Gain access to other, related information from Uponor, including several recent press releases on other new products.

Yorkville® FloWise® Two-Piece Toilet

American Standard recently unveiled its redesigned Yorkville™ pressure assisted two-piece toilets at Greenbuild 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Pressure-assisted siphon jet flush action and a fully-glazed 2 1/8” trapway enable high performance and fewer clogs, removing as much as 1,000 grams of bulk waste from the bowl with each flush.

Learn more about the Yorkville toilets’ classic styling and WaterSense®-certification at the American Standard Media Page.

Dec. 30 cartoon | Mike Luckovich.