Richmond Takes Wing
Anchor Bar, the official home of the original chicken wing, has dropped Anchor at Stony Point Fashion Park, the Buffalo, N.Y. chain's first U.S. location outside the State of New York. The restaurant asked us to pack the place with some wing-loving Richmonders for its River City launch, and more than 200 finger-lickers descended on the newly renovated space. And for the event, Stony Point became Stoney point as we welcomed Hizzoner Levar Stoney to wing it along with other VIPs. The opening already has garnered lots of local coverage including stories in the RTD, Style Weekly, RVA Hub, Virginia Business, The Apple Cart blog and CBS-6.
Destill My Heart
Channel 6 meteorologist Nikki-Dee Ray took her “Can you be me?” segment to the Virginia Distillery Co., where she had barrels of fun helping turn malted barley into some cheers-worthy sipping whisky. Check out her behind-the-scenes report here.
What do you crave?
If it’s Ukrop’s White House Rolls, rainbow cookies, chicken salad or any of its signature foods, then your wait is over. Kroger just announced that it is becoming Richmond’s one-stop-shop for all things Ukrop’s. The big kickoff announcement led to a bunch of appetite-whetting coverage from the RTD, NBC 12 (here, here and here) CBS 6 (online and on air), Fox Richmond and RVA Hub.
A Gathering Place
Just over a year ago, we took a giant leap into the world of brand journalism with the online publication of Umgås, Swedish for “gathering place.” The idea behind the magazine is to create an online community of folks interested in all things Swedish – the people, culture, history, food, personality and so much more that defines one of the most vibrant, fascinating and relevant countries of the world. We’ve discovered countless interesting facts about Sweden and the Swedes (e.g. at 76%, Sweden has the highest percentage of working mothers in the world), so interesting, in fact, that the magazine has attracted nearly 10,000 readers a month, and readership continues to grow. Already this year, the Umgås team has posted kaleidoscope of stories worthy of the Northern Lights, including an interview with a Washington Capitals player, an update on the Swedish twins who graced the 1976 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover, a Q&A with famous Swedish chef Emma Bengtsson and a profile of a Swede who opened a winery in Napa. And last week, Umgas premiered the latest video from Swedish pop star Ulrika. Check out Umgås here.
Ask Jon
We’ve kicked off a new video series that puts Jon back in front of the camera. Tune in for his concise (not always easy for him) answers to marketing questions, especially on the EOP front. You can send your questions to us via Twitter @hodgestweets using the hashtag #AskJon. Please keep your Rutgers football and Springsteen questions to a minimum.
Double Vision
The artwork of Murry DePillars, whose work as an artist, scholar and dean at VCU’s School of the Arts helped propel the school to national prominence, is being featured at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center. Thirty-seven of the late artist’s work – paintings, drawings and sketches – are part of a special exhibition, Murry DePillars: Double Vision, that will run through June 3. Learn more about the exhibition and DePillars’ legacy in this Richmond Magazine profile and WCVE interview with DePillars’ wife Mary. Our Feb. 1 preview was open only to the media, but lucky you: CBS-6 captured 360-degree video.
That’s the number of users who would rather watch a brand’s live video than read a brand’s blog post.
