Tag Archives: counsel

Keith Trivitt

Can We Automate PR? Not so Fast…

6 Comments

There are a lot of things in life that get better with automation. Alarm clocks. Coffee makers. Calendar reminders of your wedding anniversary. But as PR pros, could we make our written communications and messaging better with automation?

That’s the question apparently attempted to be answered by a slate of new automated news reporting services, including one called StatSheet, according to a recent New York Times article.

It’s an interesting question to ponder. The Times article notes that so far, StatSheet is mainly being used as a sort of fill-in news service for collegiate sports programs that lack the level of media attention and coverage that their big-time brethren get.

As a former collegiate sports information director, this obviously piqued my interest, so I gave StatSheet a closer look. It’s worth a quick glance at one of the service’s customized news sites for every NCAA Division I school . . . if only to see for yourself why the concept of automated news, and possibly automated PR, is doomed. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

The Tech Industry’s PR Problem

Leave a comment

I love working with tech entrepreneurs. Their enthusiasm, innovative minds and passion for what they’re doing is infectious. But ask many of them what their business does, or their cool new product or service is all about, and you’re likely to get a variety of nonsensical answers rooted in geek speak:

“Well, we’re like Foursquare in that we allow people to check into their favorite restaurants, but we give them more social engagement options because our service places a box around their most frequently checked-in spots,” I actually heard one neophyte tech CEO say recently at the fantastic and very informative New York Tech Meetup.

Huh?

The tech industry has a big problem that seemingly few PR consultants or their clients want to address: tech people have no clue how to talk like normal humans when describing the value of their products or services. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Check and Balance in Every Situation

5 Comments

Businessman surrounded by crumpled paperI had a conversation last week with some really bright folks who run a social media agency in New York that works with several Fortune 500 brands. We got to discussing crisis communications within a real-time setting, and how they could effectively use social media to almost instantly respond to a crisis and mitigate its effects.

Throughout the conversation, we kept coming back to the point that in order to properly handle any type of crisis in real time, no matter what the brand or situation, you need a proper plan in place well before the crisis even hits. Because no matter what type of media you are using to monitor and respond, you always need a plan in place that details exactly how, who and why you will respond and the type of response you will give to different audiences to ensure their concerns are addressed appropriately. Continue reading →

Keith Trivitt

Get Out of the Way of Success

2 Comments

Businesspeople talking in office

We all have opinions. Hell, those opinions, and its cousin – counsel – are a major part of what we as communications and brand management professionals are sought out and paid for. But at a certain point, no matter how great we think our opinions, ideas and strategies/tactics are, once the ideas are all out on the table, and our clients (or potential clients) and bosses have had a chance to mull them over, that’s when the really hard work begins. That’s when it’s time to compromise.
And listen. And not get all bent out of shape when someone questions your motives or puts it right out there and says they just don’t like/get your concept or proposal. That can be a tough thing to accept, I’m learning. And yet, it’s actually quite a relief. It means we don’t always have to be perfect, and not all of our ideas have to be world-changing, save-the-planet and/or the-next-greatest-thing.
It means we listen a little harder in 2010 and relinquish the silly “guru” and “expert” tags from our bios and Twitter intros and just listen to people’s needs. The economy may still be sour, but at the end of the day, there is still a great need for tons of companies, non-profits and organizations to cut through the clutter and make 2010 a hell of a lot better than 2009.
Our job is to continue to give our opinions and stellar counsel and don’t get too bent out of shape because the new year is sure to present just as many questions as the past 12 months.

We all have opinions. Hell, those opinions, and its cousin – counsel – are a major part of what we as communications and brand management professionals are sought out and paid for. But at a certain point, no matter how great we think our opinions, ideas and strategies/tactics are, once the ideas are all out on the table, and our clients (or potential clients) and bosses have had a chance to mull them over, that’s when the really hard work begins. That’s when it’s time to compromise. Continue reading →