Announcements

Avaans Media Turns 15 – Then and Now in Media

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August marks the 15th anniversary of Avaans Media. Avaans started out as a digital communications firm specializing in social media.

Aside from the blind optimism of starting a business during the 2008 financial crisis in a city where she knew no one, in the middle of the Pacific, Coomans quickly made a national name for herself as a leading social media expert, in part because of her early involvement with the only educational professional social media organization, Social Media Club. Coomans would eventually serve in executive leadership roles for two SMC Chapters and the Global Board of Directors. Coomans didn’t realize then that she was on the bleeding edge of another trend that would take hold many years later; remote work. Living on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific necessitated remote work; back then, the best video conferencing available to small businesses was Skype.

Back then, we were Akamai Marketing, based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Eventually, we would settle down as Avaans Media after relocating to Los Angeles, shifting our emphasis to digitally savvy public relations. Back then, the entire company was Coomans, whose passion for communication continued to blossom. Today, Avaans Media A-Team is six people strong, and Avaans Media is one of Los Angeles’ top PR Firms.

Apple iPhone changes communication forever in August 2008

Apple iPhone changes communication forever in August 2008 with release of its App Store.

A lot has changed since in media since 2008. Here are 15 other “Then and Now” examples:

  1. #1 Song: I Kissed a Girl  – Katy Perry; in the summer of 2023, Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour dominated entertainment news. Taylor and Katie have supposedly made up since “Bad Blood” Days.
  2. The Summer Olympics are held in Bejing after a contentious negotiation of whether there would be internet access during the Olympics between the International Olympic Committee and Bejing leaders.
  3. YouTube offers live streaming of the Summer Olympics for the first time.
  4. Facebook’s active users reached 100 million total active users; only two years later, Facebook hit 500 million users in July 2010. In the first quarter of 2023, it was reported that Facebook had 2.98 billion monthly active users.
  5. Twitter officially launched support for hashtags, a year after users started using them on the platform; in 2023, Elon Musk purchased Twitter and rebranded it as “X.“
  6. LinkedIn ended 2008 with 33 million members; in 2023 Linkedin has 900 million global users.

  7. A month after its debut, the new 3G Apple iPhone hits 3 million sold; it sells for $199, not including the required wireless subscriptions. When launched in 2022, they listed the iPhone 14 for $799, with the Plus version starting at $899.
  8. #1 Movie: The Dark Knight, a Batman movie starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger committed suicide in January 2008, before the movie even released; he won a posthumous Golden Globe for his performance. In summer 2023, the meme is all about Barbieheimer, the double hitter movie pairing of Barbie and Oppenheimer; the opening weekend soared beyond expectations, with Barbie raking in $162 million and Oppenheimer posting $82 million.
  9. August 23, 2008: presumptive Democrat Presidential nominee Barack Obama selects Joe Biden as a running mate; before this, Delaware Senator Biden had two unsuccessful Presidential bids under his belt, in 1988 and 2008. Biden defeats Donald Trump to become President in 2021.
  10. August 29, 2008: GOP Presidential nominee John McCain announces Sarah Palin, then Governor of Alaska, as his running mate. John McCain passed away in August 2018; Sarah Palin ran for Alaska’s House seat in 2022, but her platform of “fish, family and freedom” didn’t capture the hearts and minds of voters.
  11. Only a month old, Apple founder Steve Jobs announced the App Store had seen 60 million downloads; Apple says it sold an average of $1 million per day in downloads despite most apps being free. Jobs died in 2011, today Apple is helmed by Steve Cook, reportedly the first gay Fortune 500 CEO. In 2023, Apple said it’s $1.1 trillion dollar App Store revenue came from downloads, in-app advertising, physical and digital goods, and services.
  12. In 2008, the average annual tuition for incoming in-state college freshmen is $6,585, for out-of-state students, the average annual tuition is $17,452. In 2023, the average in-state tuition is $26,027 annually at a public institution; for out-of-state students, the average cost is $27,091.
  13. “Farm to Table” menu concepts became more prominent, and other trends on the rise in 2008, according to certifiedhumane.org include “Sustainable” and “Biodynamic.” In 2023, top food trends include “Urban Farm Produce” and “Pasture-Raised Meat and Eggs.”
  14. 2008, minimum wage workers see a bump in pay as the Federal Minimum Wage increases to $6.55 per hour from $5.85 per hour. In 2023, the Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 per hour.
  15. In 2008. 28% of women are self-employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics; in 2023, that number has grown to 36.9%

 

We’ll report back in 2038 to compare the changes in media. We will probably think some of the 2023 stats are as quaint as the 2008 stats seem now.

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Avaans Media Named #1 Los Angeles Top Boutique PR Firm

Los Angeles PR firm Avaans Media, specializing in emerging industries and ambitious brands, has been recognized as one of Los Angeles’ #1 Boutique PR Firm

“For a PR agency that defines successes by its clients’ success, this is an exciting honor, on top of an already thrilling year,” said Avaans Media CEO Tara Coomans. “Our clients have appeared in Venture Beat, The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Fortune, Forbes, and dozens of others since the beginning of 2023,” she continued.

Clutch.com is a business services referral site that hosts verified client reviews to help businesses identify the best PR agency fit for their business. Thousands of PR companies in Los Angeles are listed on Clutch, but Clutch only recognizes the top boutique firms in Los Angeles. Brands may purchase sponsored listings on Clutch, but its Top Los Angeles Boutique PR Agencies are based on client reviews, niche depth, and proven results.

Coomans credits Avaans’ A-Team white-glove services and their distinctive strategy and competitive analysis process. With its unique strategy and competitive analysis process, established in 2022, Avaans Media has exceeded client goals by an average of 300%, and PR results are 2X more effective than the competition.

“We’re a boutique firm, and I believe that’s our strength,” said Coomans.

Avaans Media was founded in 2008 by Tara Coomans and established itself in Los Angeles in 2015, specializing in emerging industries such as AI, Cannabis, Drones, and ambitious brands.

 

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Avaans Media Named Among Los Angeles’ Top PR Firms

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Los Angeles PR firm Avaans Media, specializing in emerging industries and ambitious brands, has been recognized as one of Los Angeles’ Top PR firms by Clutch.

“For a PR agency that defines successes by its clients’ success, this is an exciting honor, on top of an already thrilling year,” said Avaans Media CEO Tara Coomans. “Our clients have appeared in Venture Beat, The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Fortune, Forbes, and dozens of others since the beginning of 2023,” she continued.

Clutch.com is a business services referral site that hosts verified client reviews to help businesses identify the best PR agency fit for their business. Thousands of PR companies in Los Angeles are listed on Clutch, but Clutch only recognizes the top 15. Brands may purchase sponsored listings on Clutch, but its Top Los Angeles PR Agencies are based on client reviews, niche depth, and proven results.

Coomans credits Avaans’ A-Team white-glove services and their distinctive strategy and competitive analysis process. With its unique strategy and competitive analysis process, established in 2022, Avaans Media has exceeded client goals by an average of 300%, and PR results are 2X more effective than the competition.  With this recognition, Avaans Media punches above its weight next to other larger, established firms.

Avaans Media was founded in 2008 by Tara Coomans and established itself in Los Angeles in 2015, specializing in emerging industries such as AI, Cannabis, Drones, and ambitious brands.

 

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Tara Coomans Selected to Speak at PRSA Western Regional Conference

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Congratulations to our CEO, Tara Coomans!

Tara has been chosen to speak at the Public Relations Society Western Region Conference. The annual conference, this year held in Honolulu, in April 2022 attracts thousands of PR professionals, communicators and PR leaders throughout the western United States.

Coomans presentation, Guiding Your Client Through Purpose, is a timely and important topic for communicators. Many PR professionals insight purpose-driven, given the current environment where businesses are expected to lead in social, cultural, and environmental issues.

Registration is open for the PRSA Conference in Honolulu.

To learn more about purpose driven PR, check out our resources.

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Why We Rebranded and The Story Behind Our Brand

I’ve been running a digital branding and marketing firm for over 8 years now. It’s been an incredible journey. And while that business has served me well, it was time for a brand refresh.

Deciding to re-brand wasn’t an easy decision, but I did for very strategic and focused reasons.

After operating for the last 8 years, I learned more about what kind of people I work best with and the kind of work that inspires me.
Inspiration is important in my world.
When everyone is inspired, magic happens.
I decide to choose to be inspired, so Poodle Mafia is selective about client and collaborators.
I work best with people as inspired as we are.
Inspiration. Passion. Magic.

Entrepreneurs, Change Makers, Leaders.
Poodle Mafia welcomes and invites passion.
We know that passionate people are sometimes “hard to work with.”
We’re not scared about that.
We want to partner with people who care about their business.
That’s why the areas of focus for Poodle Mafia is startups, movements and personalities.
That doesn’t mean we don’t work with businesses outside of those areas, but those are the areas we’ve consistently found the kind people we want to partner with.

But why the name?

I firmly believe that the best marketing is part science, part art. I enjoy those contradictions and I wanted a brand that reflected those contradictions.
I wanted something that had personality and reflected our drive and our willingness to go over and above.
I wanted a brand that was also fun and memorable.
So I started thinking. Tossing out ideas to other creatives. We came up with some fun and interesting ideas. But there was one phrase, which my husband actually uses which I could not get out of my head.

We refer to our two Poodles, Stella and Zoe (you can find them on Instagram under #PuppyStella and #PuppyZoe) as our “Poodle Mafia.” Once I started trying that name out on people, they couldn’t get it out of their heads either. I continued to play with other ideas, but Poodle Mafia would NOT go away.
It wouldn’t go away because it’s not only memorable and fun, but it’s a reflection of my approach to marketing. I know Poodles to be elegant, but also complex and full of contradictions and surprises. A lot of people think of Poodles as fluffy show dogs, but there is a lot more than a pretty face. What many don’t know is poodles are excellent hunting dogs, they’re also extremely loyal to the pack. In many ways, that’s what Poodle Mafia does for you: hunt for your customers and turn them into your pack. More importantly, we’re loyal and dedicated to our clients.
But there’s something else, Poodles are known as some the smartest dogs in the world.

Now that we’ve covered the “Poodle” part, why did we chose the word “Mafia?”

I naturally gravitated towards a word so polar opposite of the image of Poodle.
But there was more.
I’m a bit of a creative and a bit of a rebel. I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum. “Mafia” reflected that.
Mafioso are known to write their own rules, to go against the grain. Entire industries have started because of the Mafia. Yet, for all their rough and tumble, there is an elegance, pride and no small amount of their own code of ethics. That’s us. We don’t follow the “rules” just because there are rules. We have a strong code of ethics, but we’re not afraid to rebel, take risks or rewrite the rules.We often say, when the pack is headed in one direction, that’s the perfect time to head in the other. That’s how you stand out. That’s how you make waves. That’s how you get the creative juices going. And that’s what we like doing.

In short, now that digital marketing has firmly left it’s infancy behind, simply HAVING a digital presence isn’t enough. It’s time to standout, break out or break in with creativity, intelligence and yes, a little rebellion. Poodle Mafia reflects that next stage of digital marketing.

So if you’re looking for an elegantly aggressive digital marketing and branding company who prides itself on elegance and rebellion, then we should talk.
[link_button link=”http://poodlemafia.com/contact-poodle-mafia-digital-marketing-and-branding-silicon-beach” size=”large” color=”#000000″ align=”left”]Contact Us Today[/link_button]

 

 

Thanks for reading,

Tara-Pink-Transparent

P.S.: Over the last 8 years, Poodle Mafia’s team has been better known as Akamai Marketing.

P.P.S. All the blog posts from Akamai Marketing will remain there, and some will be published in both places, but in the future, but the primary blog spot will be here.

 

 

 

 

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