Brand Activism delivers! Below is a sample of our work for the Herdez® brand and information from Hormel Foods with additional details on the MegaMex Foods marketing success:

From today’s release:
Hormel Foods Celebrates Growth of MegaMex Foods at its Annual Shareholder Meeting

During its annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Minn., on Jan. 31, 2012, Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a multinational marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, celebrated the growth of MegaMex Foods, its 50/50 joint venture with Herdez del Fuerte. Since its inception just two years ago, MegaMex Foods has increased sales by more than 150 percent.

“The focus of MegaMex Foods is to bring the spirit of Mexico to every table,” said James M. Splinter, group vice president, Grocery Products at Hormel Foods. “Great brands like Herdez®, CHI-CHI’S®, La Victoria®, Don
Miguel®, and the new additions to MegaMex Foods, Wholly Guacamole®, Wholly Salsa® and Wholly Queso®, will help us accomplish this goal. We are excited about the future because our expectation for this business is that it will continue to grow at an accelerated rate exceeding that of our core Grocery Products portfolio.”

MegaMex Foods was a key driver of success for Hormel Foods which experienced record success in fiscal year 2011. To highlight this achievement, Jeffery M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods, offered remarks on the company’s recent growth.

Read the full release from Hormel Foods here.

Social media makes it easier than ever to communicate through new communications channels. These channels demand that the strategy behind communications and the attention to detail across all platforms be consistent, while allowing for the nimbleness required to engage in the fast-moving world of social media.

ARAMARK Parks and Destinations is a RIESTER client. The company provides authentic visitor experiences, including operating signature resorts and lodges, at America’s national parks. Working with them is a special privilege for RIESTER to connect two great brands: ARAMARK Parks and Destinations, with its unrivaled tourism operations, and America’s world-renowned national parks.

The company operates lodging services at Shenandoah National Park for the National Park Service. RIESTER assisted ARAMARK Parks and Destinations in creating a Facebook presence for its operations at Shenandoah. The Facebook platform is especially well suited for sharing experiences through photos–an important part of the content posted on their Shenandoah Facebook page. Our job included establishing editorial guidelines for the Facebook page that ensured consistency with the overall brand.

Learn more about their incredible lodging destinations at Shenandoah National Park by following them on Facebook and start thinking about scheduling a visit to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to experience this beautiful part of America.

The Blue Ridge Mountains at Shenandoah National Park, an integral part of ARAMARK Parks and Destination’s brand.

Herb Peterson photographed with the iron rings made by a California blacksmith for him to cook the original Egg McMuffins.

RIESTER is honored to be associated with the Egg McMuffin which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Herb Peterson was the owner of McDonald’s restaurants on California’s Central Coast where he created the iconic breakfast sandwich for McDonald’s.

Today Herb’s son David, a RIESTER client, continues to operate McDonald’s restaurants in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Every year he honors his father with the annual Herb Peterson Day. On January 5th, Herb Peterson’s birthday, customers can buy Egg McMuffins for a dollar at McDonald’s restaurants throughout the Central Coast.

Herb Peterson not only created a breakfast sandwich, he revolutionized the American breakfast menu. McDonald’s was the first quick service restaurant to offer breakfast and they remain the leader in the category today.

The next time you enjoy an Egg McMuffin think of Herb Peterson, an American breakfast and business pioneer.

Watch a news story on Herb Peterson from KCBY, an NBC affiliate in California.

Robert Farthing.

RIESTER: What do you do at RIESTER?

Robert Farthing: I am one half of the Content Production department along with my partner Linda Hart. I like to say that I am a professional fire fighter and have a full rack of different style hats that I put on from time to time to get a job done. Two years ago we were the Broadcast Production department, but with the way business has changed to include more content creation for Internet, we now cross over into all departments more than ever. I help with television, radio, special events and finding a way to do the really weird stuff we like to do from time to time for a client.

RIESTER: Discuss one project you’re working on right now.

Robert: 2011 was filled with a lot of anti-tobacco related content for both teen prevention and adult cessation. We are just finishing up some incredible spots for Ashline called Real Quitters II. I’m really proud of them. I am just starting the planning and coordinating stages of a trip around the world to film alumni for the Thunderbird school of global management, and putting together some B-roll of a recent shoot we did for La Victoria during the tomato harvest in Central California

RIESTER: What book or film do you recommend?

Robert: Book – Practicing The Power of Now because it helps keep the crazy freak out moments of life in advertising in perspective. Film – I would recommend Corvette Summer because sometimes it’s really fun to watch a truly horrible movie and wonder how in the world it ever got made.

RIESTER: What advice do you have for people?

Robert: See how long you can sit perfectly still and silent. Its harder than you think – but worth every second you can get.

RIESTER: What separates the good from the great when it comes to marketing campaigns?

Robert: Good campaigns get you to listen. Great Campaigns get you to act.

RIESTER: What trend in our industry is the most exciting to you?

Robert: I like the trend of capturing life around a product, telling the stories of the people who are our clients, and the people who use our client’s products or services. Putting a face to a brand name and finding out how it impacts of affects their lives in a meaningful way.

RIESTER: What are you excited about for 2012?

Robert: What’s the new Mayan Calendar going to look like?

Alan skiing in Utah at age 5. Skiing is one of Alan's favorite activities. He's been a member of the National Ski Patrol for 19 years.

RIESTER: What do you do at RIESTER?

Alan Perkel: I wear many hats at RIESTER. I was brought on board to head the digital department where I hired an entire team to support the ever changing needs in digital marketing. We define digital strategy, build websites, send emails, build custom Facebook apps, build texting campaigns and build mobile applications. I also manage the IT support staff at RIESTER to ensure all our servers and desktop users are up and running. I focus on strategy and user experience design. I help with new business and I am the go to expert on Keynote.

RIESTER: Discuss one project you’re working on right now.

Alan: We have just kicked off the rebranding and website realignment for FirstSolar.

RIESTER: What book or film do you recommend?

Alan: I just finished listening to a book on audio, the unabridged biography on Steve Jobs, it was truly inspiring, I have a 20 minute commute to work and I am on a plane a lot, so I enjoy tuning into books on audio. The most recent movie I saw was Hugo, it was great for the whole family. It focused on individuals and their purpose in life.

RIESTER: What advice do you have for people?

Alan: My best advice is to follow your passion in life, love and work. And stay positive!

RIESTER: What separates the good from the great when it comes to marketing campaigns?

Alan: Execution separates the good from the great. Great campaigns tell intriguing stories that get people to engage. Many good campaigns fail at execution.

RIESTER: What trend in our industry is the most exciting to you?

Alan: The trend I am most focused on right now is called Mobile First or Responsive Design. I love the iOS and the simplification of utility applications that make my life easier. I am very focused on mobile development.

RIESTER: What are you excited about for 2012?

Alan: I am very excited to help grow our LA office, there is so much opportunity and I feel RIESTER has a great story and the ability to deliver.

RIESTER: What do you do at RIESTER?

Stephanie Fleming: My title is Integration Director, but I prefer to be called a Brand Activist. Not only does it help me define my role as a marketer, but it truly defines my passion for the advertising business. I like to classify my experience as a retail/consumer packaged goods (CPG) foodie. I love working on food just as much as I love eating it. I worked on a large supermarket account for almost a decade and tried hard not to brand myself as a supermarket/retail guru, but after working on several other unrelated accounts I found myself coming right back to what I love most… and that’s food!

So, here I am, a Brand Activist at RIESTER, working on one of the largest CPG food brands and running a growing satellite office. Life is good.

RIESTER: Discuss one project you’re working on right now.

Stephanie: A new product launch I’m very excited about.

RIESTER: What book or film do you recommend?

Stephanie: On the film side, my all-time favorite movie is Flashdance. There’s a verse in the theme song that sums it up: “Take your passion, and make it happen.” I also love reading romance novels and motivational books (Tony Robbins first book, Unlimited Power, is a favorite).

RIESTER: What advice do you have for people?

Stephanie: Believe in yourself. Only YOU can make it happen.

RIESTER: Which living person do you most admire?

Stephanie: My mother. She has an amazing life story filled with extradinary challenges overcome by her strength and a golden heart.

RIESTER: What separates the good from the great when it comes to marketing campaigns?

Stephanie: I would love to say that the great ones change the world, but truly, you know you’ve reached greatness when everyone’s talking about it or copying it to some extent (i.e. Priceless, Got Milk, etc.).

RIESTER: What trend in our industry is the most exciting to you?

Stephanie: Social networking is the most exciting trend for me. It’s an extremely powerful word-of-mouth tool that can make or break a brand.

RIESTER: What are you excited about for 2012?

Stephanie: Taking a campaign from good to great!

Stephanie and her family, photographed in 2011.

Meet the AddictDead and learn their stories—and in the process, discover the truth about tobacco and avoid Addiction once and for all.

The Smoking Dead are speaking, Addiction is watching, and time is running out…

Over the last year, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of teens throughout Arizona, gaining insights on everything from fashionable trends and pop culture influences, to online habits and perspectives on some of today’s most pressing issues.

In pulling together information for my presentation, it was important to me that I not only inform the attendees on the latest happenings in the youth/teen market, but also enable them to walk away with tangible action items they could use in their organizations.

Whether I’m working alongside RIESTER team members to develop large scale communication strategies or devising grassroots outreach efforts for niche audiences, the end goal is always about effective message delivery for our clients.

The ways in which teens communicate with one another has vastly changed. Add to that, the need for attendees to successfully inform/persuade a young audience to make positive behavioral changes, and you can understand their communication challenges.

I utilized this opportunity to provide attendees with a snapshot of today’s youth, including their media habits and online activities, before reviewing how to strategically engage teenage girls. Key takeaways for the session included social media do’s and don’ts along with outreach tools and tips.

RIESTER’s staff consists of experts in communications and marketing who lead our clients in today’s rapidly changing world. If you need someone to speak at a conference or event contact Jim Breitinger at jbreitinger@riester.com to discuss arranging an appearance by a member of our staff.

Pilgrahoan by Idahoan is our way of putting the fun back into Holiday Fun.

RIESTER's Pilgrahoan: Spudbob Squarepants by Troy Pottgen.

We are inviting everyone to play with their food and enter the Pilgrahoan Celebrity Spud Showdown. Using only the foods we give them on a blank (virtual) Idaho potato as their canvas, the contestants will make celebrity look-a-likes, name their Celebrity Spud, and upload their creation to Facebook.

When we were concepting this idea, we sat sharing our favorite personal memories of holidays – and we couldn’t help but love the memories most of playing with our food on Thanksgiving. This seemed to be a theme we all kept coming back to – and an experience we all shared. So we decided to go with it- and make a fun holiday game out of playing with our food – virtually, of course!

Working on the Idahoan account over the years, has made everyone here at RIESTER crazy about Idahoan potatoes – and we’re excited and hopeful that the Pilgrahoan holiday contest will help us spread the love of potatoes with everyone.

If you haven’t yet made your fun, artistic creation, do it now! The competition is already looking fierce, but the fun is just beginning. And remember – creativity and originality wins!!