Hampsters this years craze gift

Tickle Me Elmo and Cabbage Patch Kids have been past favorites for Christmas toys. This years favorite is the Zhu Zhu Pets' toy hamster. An article concerning this new craze is on the front page of Black Friday's edition of the Herald Journal. I personally had never heard of the Hampster toy until I read this article and I suspect it was the same for many others. A mother is cited in the article telling about her kids' obsession with the Zhu Zhu pets and their desire to have one. Unfortunately for them and probably many others, the Zhu Zhu pets have gone very fast and are now, "more scarce than the H1N1 vaccine." The toy's faults as well as it's selling main selling points are made known. The positive things about the toy are first, it's cheap retail price for $10. It also comes with accessories. The fact that its hard to obtain makes people want it more. Cepia Inc. the manufacturers of the toy, is a tiny company with 16 employees in the U.S. and 30 in China. They got the word out about Zhu Zhu pets with a, "savvy mix of local cable ads and parties thrown by "mommy blogggers." This is a good example of how the electronic media and internet can be effective in exposing a product and increasing awareness. They started with local ads and social median and now it's making newspapers throughout the country.

Nutrition program recognized in Herald Journal

The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) had a positive write up in the Herald Journal on Friday, November 27. After 40 years of promoting healthy life diets, the organization, which provides free nutrition lessons to families and youth, has had a positive impact on people and this article is not modest in making it known. In 2008, 590,273 adults and youth were served through the program nationally- 13,800 of them in Utah. The results have been positive including, improved food safety practices, increased meal planning and shopping with a list. A graduate of EFNEP was cited in the article saying, "he learned to cook more nutritious meals, plan menus with his wife and save money and time when shopping for food." Paula Scott, Utah EFNEP Northern Region coordinator is quoted, "on average, more than 97 percent of all adult participants made at least one positive change in their eating habits when they completed the program. In 2008, the percentage of adults who exercised for at least 30 minutes a day increased from 48 to 81. Families reported saving 5 percent on groceries while also achieving a healthier lifestyle. Touching lives this way is one of the best rewards from working with EFNEP."
The outreach locations are given in the article as well as more information about the organization. I'm assuming this is a non-profit organization since there is no charge to participants. This is good PR, and is sure to improve opinions for and increase awareness of EFNEP.

Utah reports no swine flu deaths in the past week

An article in the Herald Journal on Nov. 13 focuses on the swine flu. The Utah Department of Health shares some information concerning number of deaths, number of people diagnosed with the flu and number of hospitalizations. This article is a good example of public affairs in action. The Department of Health, a branch of the government who's mission includes preventing the spread of infectious diseases, was probable happy to report that there were no deaths from the flu in the past week. The article does have some negative statistics however that the department can't be proud of. Since the flu season started on Aug. 30, there have been 14 flu related deaths. There have been 623 hospitalizations associated with the flu as of the week that ended Saturday. This is an increase of 103 over numbers reported the previous week.

Even though the Department of Health is a government program, they must feel pressure from the public who pay taxes to do their job of maintaining Utah health. They are probably happy to see that the headline of the article focuses on the positive.

Organization recognizes Gossner Co.

In the Friday the 13 issue of the Herald Journal there is an article about Gossner Foods Co. receiving an award from the MEP. Nine companies in Utah were recognized for applying innovative, competitive and cost-effective principles to managing businesses. Gossner Foods was specifically recognized for being the best company in rural development. The article points out the fact that Gossner Foods is a family owned company originally founded in 1966 by Edwin Gossner Sr. who had devoted his life to making fine swiss cheese.

Whether representatives from Gossner Foods influenced this article or not, I'm sure they must be happy with it and hopeful that it will strengthen their company's reputation. They have always advertised themselves as being a long time family owned company that is devoted to making quality foods. This article says exactly that from an unbiased source.