PR Myths And Facts For Marketers
A favorite former client calls PR “the cheapest form of advertising.” Not really. But his comment shows that, even among sophisticated marketers, misconceptions about PR and what we do for clients are still prevalent. These are the top seven myths that persist about public relations, and a perspective on each. 1. PR is advertising lite. Not […]
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Better Brand-Building Through Cultural Archetypes?
On this past week’s episode of “Mad Men”, Ted Chaough, while trying to dream up campaign ideas for a margarine, riffs on the notion that various category brands can be viewed through the lens of the very popular, very silly 60s-era sitcom, “Gilligan’s Island”. The notion is that the seven ship passengers stranded on a […]
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How to Prepare for a PR Interview
A former colleague once told me that she “interviews recreationally” – that is, she actually enjoys going on job interviews even if she isn’t actually looking to make a jump. She interviews for sport – to see what else is out there, remain savvy about the PR marketplace, and stay competitive within the field. Assuming […]
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How To Find A Job in Public Relations
Graduation season should be joyful, but in the past few years, the media coverage has been dominated by slim employment prospects, hefty college loans, and depressed salaries. Yet things are looking up; for one, the public relations industry is booming, and new grads know it. As the resumes pour in, here’s my (updated) post with […]
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Lost in Translation? What a Client Says/What it Really Means
At our New York PR agency, we sometimes wish for some kind of client translation software to confirm that what we heard is what was actually meant. For example, we’re working on a proposal for a prospective client who told us, “don’t work too hard on it, we just want to see some sample ideas.” […]
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Retractions And Reversals: Best And Worst of Apology PR
This week has brought a fresh wave of public mea culpas and backpedalings – plenty of fodder for self-anointed apology PR experts. Most proactive is the ad campaign mounted by JC Penney after the failure of its everyday low price strategy and store makeovers of last year. The spot, which is narrated in a warm, […]
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What I Learned About PR from "42"
by guest blogger George Drucker The excellent film and tremendous PR effort created on behalf of “42: The Jackie Robinson Story” which opened on screens nationwide a few weeks ago, inspired me as a PR professional. As a long-time Angeleno, and even longer PR practitioner, I have to take my Dodger baseball cap off to […]
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PR Crisis Management Lessons From Behind The Headlines
Hindsight – ahem – is always 20/20, particularly when it comes to reputation management. Yet, textbook crisis successes (and failures) aren’t always what they seem. Here’s my take on some recent examples of crisis handling by top brands. The Lululemon Yoga Pants Recall. For sheer, on-the-spot crisis management skill, Lululemon wins, hands down. PR experts […]
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Tech Tools That Make PR Work, Work Better
Work demands are always changing, but thanks to technology, we can be better prepared, more organized and more confident of doing our job efficiently. Here are some great tech tools for PR pros and others to consider to make work…well…work better. 30/30 Task management can be daunting. 30/30 simplifies it and even makes it fun. […]
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