Category Archives: PR
A Brand Forever Associated with “Killer”
Living in Southern California, the word “killer” is part of surfing lingo. Something “killer” is considered really good and harmless. It works, as in “that pair of Oakley Radars is killer, dude!” But when a brand assumes a different type of killer … Continue reading
Filed under Brand Placement, Communications Society, Language, News, PR
Twitter: Chaotic Addiction
So much has been written about Twitter, it’s a bit silly. Here’s a small private company with annual revenue surely south of $100 million, and headcount well below 100. Many companies meet these criteria. Many companies are barely known. Twitter … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Blogs, Business, Communications Society, Free, PR, Sharing, Social Networks, Twitter
People Will Talk
If HP can revive fortunes by making the the Windows-based computer “Personal Again” through lush visuals and marketing campaigns featuring Gwen Stephani, so can Dell. Or can the brand pull off the difficult job of making a laptop sexy? We’ll … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Blogs, PR, Social Networks
The Trouble with Anonymous Sources
You can never know the agenda of an anonymous source when covering the news. To wit: Old-school media Wall Street Journal reports that Jonathon Miller, former AOL head, is trying to raise money in a long-shot deal to buy all or part of Yahoo … Continue reading
Filed under Blogs, Competition, News, PR
A Shopping Name for Every Day
First there was Black Friday. Then Buy Nothing Day, an anti-consumerism alternative. Today it’s Cyber Monday. What’s next? Gift Card Saturday? A year ago, I only half-jokingly suggested the possibility that someone might buy their friends only virtual gifts from Facebook. … Continue reading
Filed under PR, Shopping, Social Networks, Virtual
Will You Join Us?
A barrel of crude may recently dipped below $60. And oil companies are wise to start talking about environment. The latest: Chevron and it’s www.willyoujoinus.com campaign. A sampling of copy from print ads featuring earnest and environmentally serious faces: “I … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Brand, Design, Environment, Language, Logos, PR
Pixels by the Barrel
When newspapers once shaped the public discourse, politicians were warned not to pick fights with people who buy their ink by the barrel. They’d drown in negative coverage. Now it’s not just ink. It’s pixels distributed freely and published with such speed … Continue reading
Filed under Blogs, Communications Society, PR
Are Press Releases Dead?
As a marketer, are you pre-pitching target publications long before you issue a press release? If not, start now. Unless your company is holding a quarterly earnings call or responding to a crisis with a prepared statement, the press release … Continue reading
Message Police
What’s your company or organization’s story? How do you tell it? Messaging is part art and science. It takes a strong gut sense to move a group messaging session to completion — especially in the early phase of a company when … Continue reading
Bon Jovi PR
“You Give Love a Bad Name” is a timeless anthem of heartache and angst. Some agencies give PR a bad name. There is the selection process, the excitement, and the promise of what can be. Then the boilerplate letter of … Continue reading
Filed under PR, Productivity
