no means no

Posted by Suzy Vitello Soulé on June 21st, 2011 at 02:05 AM | Comment!

At long last, there will now be penalties for violators of Do Not Call rules in the country with the second highest frequency of mobile phone users. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, India plans next month to start enforcing sweeping changes to its Do Not Call rules, making the telecommunications industry responsible for walling off the sea of unwanted calls and text messages that have been inundating mobile-phone users.

Up until now, violations to the rule resulted in a slap on the wrist (or an $11 fine), but after next month, telemarketers’ phone numbers must be preceded by the numbers “140” on caller-ID screens and commercial text messages must have standard headers that will identify them, and the new law carriers will face a fine of $2,200 for the first offense; $11,000 for the second offense; and $22,000 for each subsequent offense.

Regulations like these have taken a long time to figure out and put into place, as my husband and I found out first hand after we audited a recent ridiculously huge AT&T bill. Turns out, in the parlance of text solicitation, no answer means “yes.”  In other words, if you or, say, your 12-yr-old, get a text inviting you check out “free cool wallpaper for your phone” and don’t respond with “No,” et voila, suddenly you have a month 410 charge hidden within the 58 pages of your phone bill. I plan to immediately update my info on the Do Not Call registry before next month, and you should too!

As for the unhappy telemarketers and carriers who must install upgrades and new software to their systems to avoid noncompliance, well, press 4 for “cry me a river.”

The Nature Principle

Posted by Laura McCulloch on June 16th, 2011 at 08:02 AM | Comment!

I had the pleasure this week of meeting Richard Louv, (author of Last Child in the Woods) when he came to Pasadena on his book tour to talk about his latest book, The Nature Principle. Mr. Louv gave a very inspiring presentation, full of insight, humor and thought-provoking information. He talked about a blog entry he recently posted titled Seven Reasons for a New Nature Movement that has made the rounds in the blogosphere of late. I invite you to take a few minutes to read it.

This topic is of particular interest to me and Suzy on many levels. One of our favorite non-profit clients is the Child Educational Center here in Pasadena. The CEC is a pioneer in integrating nature into its programs for children since its inception in 1979 and began the Outdoor Classroom Project in 2003. We have been working with the CEC and OCP for several years on various communications initiatives and are planning a new website for the OCP. Stay tuned for a launch announcement and invitation to find out more about the great work they are doing to make The Nature Principle an everyday experience for children.

Social Media meets Social Responsibility

Posted by Suzy Vitello Soulé on June 14th, 2011 at 04:32 AM | Comment!

One of our great clients, The Fresh Gourmet Company, combined a drive for Facebook friends on their company’s page with participation in a great cause. A few months back, they offered to pledge a dollar for every new “liker” with the money going towards the Salad Bars to Schools campaign. Not only did they donate the $2,500 for the salad bar, they attracted nearly 3,000 new friends in a month. Friends who valued nutrition in schools, and helped shape the culture of the Facebook page by their periodic posting and interest in good nutrition.

A win-win for all!