St. Francis Winery & Vineyard has always marketed its red wine to men as a "bold-flavored companion to red meat." In an effort to appeal to a broader audience and generate discussion about the brand for long-term brand building, the company decided to position it in the female-dominated home entertainment category.

Apple's announcement this past spring that it was establishing an App Store to make downloading games and other software to the iPhone easier set off a rush among developers to get attract media attention.

"Including search engine optimization and multimedia elements in your press release can generate more interaction with your target audience and make your release 'stickier' in news portals," says Paolina Milana, VP of marketing at Marketwire.

A recent survey found that men are more likely to feel as strongly about their online communities as their offline communities, than women. The study of 2,000 households, comparing the online habits of men and women, ages 12 and up, was conducted by the USC Annenberg Center for the Digital Future.

While in the delivery room waiting to give birth to twins last December, Tia Mattson, senior PR and communication manager for Crocs, was busy writing a press release. Given her dedication, it's not surprising that the Colorado-based shoe company hit 1 billion media impressions last year, a number it will likely surpass in 2008.

Mary Anne Potts started at National Geographic Adventure as assistant to the editor in chief in November 2000. She worked her way up the ladder in assistant and associate editor roles before landing her current position as online editor/associate editor, where spends about 90% of her time working for the online side of the publication. She spoke to PRWeek about the publication and its Web site.

A growing desire among consumers to eat at home, combined with the strong influence of The Food Network and other culinary programming, is keeping both the public and media's interest in gourmet foods strong despite the national economic troubles.

'Times' may cut dividend; Murdoch objects to biography; Tribune Co. reportedly interested in Orange County Register

Last week, PRWeek reported that some clients have cut ties with their agency partners or put PR on hiatus until the economy stabilizes. When times are tough, companies are within reason to scale back on budgets.

SAN DIEGO: In the water-challenged Southern California region, one municipality is working to encourage residents to conserve.