By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz JJR is entering its 13th year in business and I can honestly say I would not be where I am today without building vendor relationships that truly work. A s an agency owner, I work with a vast number of vendors daily, including creatives videographers, photographers and animators as well as fulfillment vendors such as printers and mailers. The majority have been with me for many years and this has not happened by accident. I choose […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz As you may know, I’m a licensed sports plane pilot. My insides are doing happy loop-dee-loops as I wait excitedly on the runway to take off. As I start to taxi slowly, then pick up speed at an exhilarating rate, the wind begins to lift me slowly and I rise higher and higher. My destiny is in my hands as I suddenly burst into the beautifully vacant field of blue I have come to know and […]
Many businesses wonder how they can land media opportunities, feeling as though they are not worthy of “feel-good” stories that can be shared with others. There is always an opportunity to share valuable content that activates the audience- through clever, strategic PR Stunts…but what, exactly, are PR Stunts? PR Stunts are either events or initiatives that connect two or more organizations (typically a local business to a nonprofit) with a clear intention to benefit both. The receiving organization (i.e. nonprofit) […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz Inspirations motivate and encourage your passions. They’re much more than just ideas and they evoke feelings you may not know you had. An inspiration is life’s way of giving you an outlet to cultivate your passion. The only way to thank life is following through with that inspiration. It took me some time, but I’ve detailed the anatomy of an inspiration, the journey that takes it from inspiration to realization. While this exact journey isn’t always […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz I was in Belgium and it was my first time in Europe. Here I was, making my way up the escalator to a room full of women waiting to hear my keynote address. It was amazing to think I was halfway across the world to address a group of high-powered professional women from not just a different country, but a different continent. Suddenly, I was filled with doubt. What if what I had to say wasn’t […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz When it comes to excitement, corporate event planning has it all! It’s amazing to conceive the big vision of an event, then make sure all the details are in place for the big moment when things begin to unfold. I have planned so many events, from small retreats and workshops of a dozen or so, to large events like the Today’s Inspired Latina book launch, attended by nearly 500 people. While the size, time and place […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz Here’s a truth that may come as news to you — every 2 days the amount of content we create is equivalent to that of which was produced between the beginning of time and 2013. Yes. That much content. Whether you’re creating the content on your own personal blog or creating it on behalf of larger corporations, the truth is that we get stuck in mental cycles that we need to break if what we want […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz I was recently asked to participate as a contributor to the book Design Strengths: Applying Design Thinking to Individual and Team Strengths by John K Coyle, an Olympic silver medalist, and innovation professor at Stanford and Kellogg Graduate Schools who is known for his thought leadership. As I was becoming familiar with the book, one of the chapters really resonated with me as I analyze my own journey in marketing over the last 15 years. You […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz It was August 2006 when I decided to start my first business in communications as a young Latina that had only been in the United States for 8 years. A lot of people thought I was crazy to start a communications company in a different language that my native one. A big learning curve was ahead of me for sure, not only in the language, bur primarily in the process of running a business. No one […]
By Jackie Camacho-Ruiz After 11 years as head of JJR Marketing, a Chicagoland marketing firm serving start-ups to Fortune 500s, I still delight in helping companies find the “right recipe” for their marketing. Like a chef experienced with different ingredients, I’ve found that not all marketing is the same, or designed for the same results. For some businesses, preparation of their marketing is the challenge while for others, it’s how to serve it up, or even, how to invite […]