At the beginning of the year we often saw articles in newspapers and magazines which talked about relationships, and didn’t even mention Imago. Not good!

But changing that could be a very expensive proposition unless we develop a very smart public awareness strategy. Even to retain a publicist would far exceed our budget. Our approach has been to identify and approach journalists who write specifically about relationships, particularly the ones who wrote the articles that didn’t mention us! To our delight they have been very receptive, and we are beginning to see the pay-off through mentions in the Wall Street Journal, and upcoming articles in Oprah, Glamour, and Real Simple magazines.

We have to thank many of our therapists who have made this possible. Many have being willing to talk to journalists at length, and connect them to their clients. We’re very grateful for all your support- Thank you! Writers would much rather hear about Imago from our couples than from us. So by having many couples available to talk about a variety of relationship issues, we are becoming an attractive resource for journalists to turn to. Lori Vincent has joined our staff part-time, and is doing a wonderful job for us making the connections.

Another person to thank is Debbie Mulhern in Washington DC, who connected us with her husband Jim, at a major PR firm. Jim and his colleagues worked with us on our PR strategy, so now we have the confidence that we are putting our limited efforts into the most effective activities.

At the heart of our public awareness strategy is the idea of coordinating a global Valentine’s Day initiative. In many places Valentine’s Day has sunk to becoming a commercial festival, and we want to take it back for lovers. Our plans include encouraging hundreds of you worldwide to hold early evening events, where couples can connect through an appreciative dialogue and celebrate their love. We’ll add to that a media splash, which could build year after year, to make Imago a household word.