Two years ago I was talking to an executive of an NFL franchise. Twitter was just blowing up and I counseled him that the team should be harnessing their players’ burgeoning interests in getting on the social media tool as a means of connecting with fans. Set the tone with your employees, teach them how… Read the rest of this entry
Monthly Archives: July 2011
No Children Allowed: A Recipe for Publicity
A few weeks ago, the owner of a little restaurant attached to a golf driving range in Pennsylvania, decided to introduce a new policy that it will no longer serve any person under the age of six. As principal of a PR firm with restaurant clients, I followed this story right from the beginning. From… Read the rest of this entry
Latest ‘Got Milk?’ Campaign Shows Worst of Marketing
“We accomplished what we set out to accomplish.” Keep that quote in the back of your mind as you read skim pick apart the main points of this post. I’ll tell you who uttered this seemingly innocuous statement in a minute, but first, some background information: It seems that the California Milk Processor Board —… Read the rest of this entry
Google+: Let’s not put the cart before the horse
By now, our world has experienced and started actively using the latest in social platforms. Google+ launched to excitement and rightfully so. Google has been looking to enter the social space for some time. But, I think we need to temper this giddiness a bit. Much like Facebook and Twitter before it, time is needed… Read the rest of this entry
Death of News Outlets Isn’t Good News for PR Business
Another day, and another article bashing the growing ranks of PR flacks. The Economist, a British publication, recently ran an article saying the media business was in danger of being overrun by PR professionals. Republican, a publicly-financed American news outlet, also wrote a similar article recently. As someone who has worked on both sides of… Read the rest of this entry
Fatigue a Professional Hazard
Outsiders believe public relations practitioners lead glamorous lives. That beautifully painted image with events and sneak peeks should be replaced by 4:00AM morning show interviews and a “to do” list that three people should be working on. A PR practitioner must constantly be “on” 24/7/365 and because of this CareerCast recently named public relations, a… Read the rest of this entry
Journalists’ Tips for Working with Flacks
Sometimes, probably on our worst days, being a publicist can feel like being a glorified telemarketer. And, on those days, it seems that journalists feel the same way about us. In fact, many of them have posted diatribes on their personal sites about us and how to properly pitch them. In fact, I have seen… Read the rest of this entry
Five Blogger Reactions to Review & Endorsement Compensation
Last week, Nathan Burgess wrote about a very top-of-mind issue for PR professionals – blogger compensation. If you haven’t read that post yet, head over there first before diving into this one. As Nathan notes in his article, it’s not uncommon now for bloggers to receive monetary compensation to review a product or service…in addition to… Read the rest of this entry
Is Traditional PR Even Worth It?
Any PR pro knows that PR is entirely different than marketing and advertising. So how much should be done online and how much should be done through more traditional styles? That depends; how much what? The answer to this question differs depending on if you are discussing marketing, advertising, or public relations. Every company should… Read the rest of this entry
Tuck(er) and Roll With the Punches
I took a big step in recent weeks. On Saturday, July 2, I adopted a cat from PAWS. His name is Tucker, and he is ten-month old ball of energy who has already stolen my heart. Because I am a first-time cat owner and a major nerd, I thought of a few ways I’d keep… Read the rest of this entry