Many public relations professionals today do not come from the background as many entry level public relations hopefuls do today. A large number of seasoned professionals did not have a PR internship much less a PR degree.
“I started off in TV production then as the co-producer of a ‘pilot’ entitled “Entertainment Tonight”, says Terri Hartman of Harman Media Group. Finding herself in PR, Hartman added, “PR gives me the opportunity to influence people’s lives through my client’s expertise, services, and personalities.”
These professionals have manned a fax machine for hours and didn’t know what a blog was at the beginning of their career much less have a cell phone. Continue reading →
Social media’s integration with public relations and marketing is still “new.” There are some that are slow to truly understand how we, as PR and marketing pros, can make all these puzzle pieces fit. When is Twitter relevant for my business. Why do I need a Facebook page? What will a blog really do for me?
If you’ve been asked those questions (and I have), you’ll find great support in reading David Meerman Scott’s, “The New Rules of Marketing and PR.” Now in its third edition, it is essential for any up-and-coming pro. Heck, you should read it as a experienced one, too. Continue reading →
Most of us strive to be known as brand builders, reputation managers, crisis maestros, et al. For better or for worse, I’m considered the world’s foremost authority and advocate on mustaches.
Sad but true.
In summer 2006, I mused with a few friends “Why not bring the mustache back into prominence?” That turned into a non-profit organization, online community, living and breathing digital Petri dish going on six years now that’s been featured by CBS Sunday Morning, Rachel Ray, USA Today, ESPN, “Fashionably Late With Stacey London,” the “Colbert Report” and more. Continue reading →
Even though The Lion King in 3D topped the box office this weekend, I raced to see the new Brad Pitt flick, Moneyball. I read the book on which the movie is based when I was in college just getting into PR and measurement. (If you haven’t yet read Michael Lewis’ book, Moneyball, I highly recommend it.)
In the movie, one baseball coach uses the power of statistics to build a record-breaking team after losing his three all-star players. The movie glosses over much of the nitty gritty math, but you walk away with the same overall message: numbers are powerful. Continue reading →
Most PR practitioners quickly learn that the Chinese Wall protecting editorial integrity from the influence of paid advertising can be, like the Pirate’s Code, “more of a guideline than an actual rule.” For better or worse, at a great number of well-known and respected media sources, advertising can purchase anything from regular coverage of meaningless news items, to top billing in an industry roundup, or even an outright puff piece. Continue reading →
With the PGA Tour season coming to an exciting close this past weekend with more than $10 million on the line for eventual winner Bill Haas, it is timely to offer up insights on how pitch letter writing is like the golf swing. I’ve been an avid golfer for most of my life and like many golfers believe that golf itself is a microcosm of everything we do in life. So here’s my take on how developing a pitch letter is similar to developing a sound golf swing (please note that I am a PR professional NOT a golf professional though it is still a dream to be one someday): Continue reading →
Recently, I got married to my beloved Laura. As newlyweds, life is great. But like any relationship, it’s a lot of work, a whole lot of give-and-take and, yes, it can be stressful at times.
Hmm … sounds a lot like managing a PR campaign. To continue PRBC’s theme of exploring five ways in which PR is like __________, I thought I’d address the five ways that PR campaigns are like getting married. Continue reading →
The glitz! The glamour! The pageantry! The spectacle!
Am I talking about professional wrestling…or social media?
Maybe a bit of both.
You see, there are huge similarities between the online world and the male-oriented athletic soap opera that you know you secretly still watch. Continue reading →
A brief note before we really get into today’s post – you may have noticed a trend in our posts since Monday – all the posts are lists of metaphors explaining why PR (or social media, metrics, analytics or some other aspect of the biz) is like something else. The great metaphor post – only we’re doing ’em in series. If you’d like to offer up your own contribution to the effort, drop me a line.
In the 2+ years I’ve gotten plenty of questions about how we “manage” to get the blog published every day, usually on time, and how things are scheduled, setup, arranged, enforced, etc. etc. Most of those secrets are in the vault with the KFC original recipe recipe, but it’s occurred to me, not infrequently, putting this show on the road every day is quite a bit like working in PR in general: Continue reading →
