Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Features The Motherhood in Article on Brands + Bloggers

May 23, 2013 by The Motherhood

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s marketing reporter Teresa Lindeman featured The Motherhood co-founders, Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann, in an article about partnerships between consumer brands and mom bloggers.

Lindeman reported,

“Public relations agencies now incorporate blogs into their overall marketing plans for clients; networks of bloggers help identify the most appropriate ones to recruit for those marketing efforts; and then bloggers, aware of the value they bring to the deal, consider how they want to be rewarded …

Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann saw the opportunity in the medium early on, co-founding The Motherhood, a social media marketing agency, in 2006. The two women, both with backgrounds as marketing and public relations executives, thought they could be effective matching clients with bloggers. Now they have a network of about 14,000 bloggers, working mainly with 3,000 who are part of a database targeting the blogger’s interests and strengths.“

Thanks to the Post-Gazette for including The Motherhood!

Photo by Michael Henninger, Post-Gazette

Pinterest Taco Night Challenge

May 20, 2013 by The Motherhood

Tacos are one of those family dinners that we like to call a “people pleaser.” They are quick and easy to prepare and make every member of the family happy because everyone can personalize their own plate.

Tacos also leave lots of room for cooking creativity with almost endless ways to make the classic Mexican dish using different meats, spices, veggies, and toppings, as well as types of shells and tortillas to hold it all together.

If you’re looking for some great taco night recipes or tips on adding some variety to your next taco night, the experts at McCormick have got you covered. They’ve got everything from Cheesy Taco Burgers to adventurous global twists on tacos like the Asian Steak Tacos with Spicy Mushroom Salsa. YUM!

This month McCormick is celebrating the classic family meal hero with a fun Pinterest Taco Night Challenge. Thirty winners will receive a taco night spice kit including classic taco spices like chili powder and ground turmeric, as well as some zesty selections like diced jalapeno peppers and smoked paprika chicken taco seasoning mix.

To enter to win, all you need to do is login to Pinterest and pin any taco recipe. In the description of your pin or repin include the hashtag #McCormickTacoNight and tag @TheMotherhood.

For taco inspiration, check out the Taco Night board on the McCormick Pinterest page.

Start Your Day the Healthy Way with Milk, Monsters U, and a Twitter Party with The Motherhood

May 15, 2013 by The Motherhood

Debuting on June 21, Disney-Pixar’s new film, Monsters University, takes everyone’s favorite pair, Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan, “Sulley,” back to their college days, where they learned that nothing scares up successful days more than a breakfast with milk. The Motherhood is excited to celebrate with a “Monsters Love Milk” Twitter party.

Not only are Mike and Sulley coming back to the big screen, they are also the featured duo in the latest “GOT MILK?” ad, encouraging kids and adults alike to SCARE up protein at breakfast with milk!

Join this scarily fun Twitter party, hosted by @theMotherhood, @CooperMunroe and @EmilyMcKhann, to learn about milk’s health benefits. We’d love to exchange ideas and recipes that help you and your little milk monsters earn an A in nutrition each day.

When: Friday, May 17, 12 p.m. ET

Where: Join the chat on Twitter—follow the #MonstersLoveMilk hashtag to follow the conversation. See this Twtvite for more info and to RSVP.

Hashtag: #MonstersLoveMilk

Prizes: We will give away 5 prize-filled “Monsters Love Milk” gift baskets from @MilkMustache and @DisneyLiving throughout the party.

Hosts: @theMotherhood, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

The roster also includes these awesome co-hosts:
Jen, The Suburban Mom – @SuburbanMomClub
Laurie, Guessing All The Way – @clueless_mama
Rob, Look What Mom Found…And Dad Too! – @anddadtoo

Other Info:
To learn more about the newest Milk Mustache celebrities, visit http://milk.am/muad.

A Google Hangout with Secretary of State John Kerry

May 10, 2013 by The Motherhood

Today I was honored to speak directly with Secretary of State John Kerry on Google+ Hangouts with the State Department to discuss critical foreign policy issues facing our country.

As moderator Andrea Mitchell of NBC and MSNBC noted in her introduction, Secretary Kerry recently gave a speech at the University of Virginia in which he outlined the importance of our engagement abroad to the American people.

The State Department invited five people, including me, to ask questions and hear from Secretary Kerry on this important issue. Our group took a deep dive into the impact of foreign policies on all Americans.

(My clip starts at the 18:44 minute mark.)

Beginning the conversation, Secretary Kerry noted that we run risks everywhere in the world, and “America can never cower. America can never hide from our responsibility to advance human rights, build relationships with other countries, and try to provide people the vision of what life can be like in a strong democracy.”

I asked the Secretary the following question:

We all know that people lead incredibly busy lives and have plenty to worry about here at home. What are the three most pressing global issues that impact average American families – and why should moms and families care about them?

The Secretary told us that, “overwhelmingly, there is this profound concern about children – about how those kids are going to be raised, what their opportunities are going to be, and most of all, will they be safe?”

He raised three particular areas of concern:

Environment and Global Climate Change: “If we don’t respond to the challenge of global climate change, there will be wars over water and agricultural land and other things. That is a major challenge for the future.”

Health and Education: “We’ve done a great job of trying to export healthcare around the world. The State Department is deeply involved in the PEPFAR program that tries to prevent AIDS from being transmitted from mother to child in other parts of the world. If the United States can continue to be a leader in that, we’ll be exporting our values in the best way possible and helping families to make good choices.”

Security: “Making sure we don’t fight wars that aren’t necessary … or that we take actions to try to ensure our children grow up in a world that isn’t threatened by violence … I think every family in America cares about our security, and that is a frontline concern of the State Department and Defense Department and the President of the United States.”

Thank you Secretary Kerry and Andrea Mitchell for hosting ‘Hangout at State’, for speaking with me, and for wanting to talk with American moms about why the work of the State Department matters to all of us.

What do you think? Did the Secretary’s top three most-pressing issues for moms and families resonate with you?