What Your PR Firm Isn’t Telling You
The best client-agency relationships are based on mutual respect and honesty. It’s a good sign if that candor is in evidence before the contract is signed. Last August, Lucy Siegel wrote an insightful post, “6 Things many PR firms won’t tell you.” Her post contains some excellent red flags to look for when considering a PR […]
Read MoreIsn’t It Ironic? Lowe’s Apology Triggers PR Damage
The backlash came in a flood, like a burst pipe. The move by Lowe’s to drop its ad support for the TLC show “All-American Muslim” after pressure from a conservative Christian group may leave its reputation in serious need of repair. But, to me, it reads like an O. Henry story where good intentions go awry, and […]
Read More12 Days Of Christmas For The PR-Minded)
Fellow PR practitioners, clients, media, here are the famous gifts from the “12 Days of Christmas” song. If you actually received them, what creative things would you do with them? Twelve drummers drumming: Since being ousted from Zuccotti Park, they could use some positive PR – how about tracking down some Occupiers and resurrecting the […]
Read Moreo.b.’s Apology PR Campaign Is Pitch-Perfect
Maybe it should have known better than to tangle with women at, well, a certain time of the month. After J&J began to discontinue its o.b. Ultra line of tampons, its loyal users felt betrayed. The brand was smacked with infuriated customer comments, “girlcott” threats, an online petition and general user crankiness. But instead of defensiveness, […]
Read MoreMerry PR Mad Libs
The Global Language Monitor has released its list of Top Words of 2011. In the spirit of the holiday season, and with apologies to Mad Libs, we have created a press release template where you can use all ten words. Please enjoy it and feel free to adapt for any of your clients. Think of […]
Read MoreThe Governor, The Teenager And Twitter: A PR Lesson
The awesome power of social media may be matched only by the withering force of teenage scorn. I was startled by the social blowback resulting from Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s public feud with a local high school student. It started last week when Emma Sullivan and her class attended a youth event in Topeka where […]
Read MorePR Holidays To Hijack
Yesterday, we celebrated Cyber Monday, a day that was brought to us by Shop.org in 2005 after coining the phrase to recognize this day as the biggest online shopping day. It’s not a “real” holiday but it is treated like one, and turned into PR gold every year. There are many examples of wonderful and wacky […]
Read MoreRedefining Public Relations: Does It Matter?
Years ago, a colleague who’d spent 20+ years at PR agencies joined a large marketing services firm. He told me he’d cracked the code to winning new business, significantly increasing his batting average in selling programs to existing ad and marketing clients. The secret? Never calling it “public relations.” Instead, he would say “promotion,” or refer to “adding […]
Read MoreTop Ten Gifts PR Pros Are Thankful For
10. TweetReach, Compete, TV Eyes: services which have our admiration 9. Mommy bloggers: who “get” our pitches and understand collaboration 8. Never again hearing a client ask “When will Oprah have me as a guest?” 7. Gayle King on the Early Show where there just might be hope for that request 6. The enduring power […]
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