public relations

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations • November 19, 2009

Red Flags: When To Say No To A Potential PR Client

Today I spoke with an old friend who’s a well-established public relations consultant. She called for advice about a prospect, since, after meeting him, she wasn’t sure he’d make a good client. Twenty seconds into the conversation, I knew she was right, and we discussed how she should gracefully decline his business. When times are tough, it’s hard […]

branding, communications, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations, social media • November 17, 2009

Sarah Reloaded: Palin’s PR Offensive

“She’s not retreating, she’s reloading.” That’s how Sarah Palin, quoting her father, describes her re-emergence on the scene at the end of her memoir, Going Rogue: An American Life. It’s also a pretty fair description of the preparation for the PR offensive mounted to promote the book. Palin’s come out with guns blazing. Some reviewers have dismissed […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, reputation • November 13, 2009

How Goldman Can Beat Its Bad PR

When news broke last week that bankers at Goldman Sachs had received the H1N1 vaccine amid shortages at doctors’ offices and hospitals, it was one more public relations headache for the firm. And there was a feverish reaction from the blogosphere and the mainstream press, including a hilarious Saturday Night Live sendup. As the bankers got their shots, everyone […]

advertising, creativity, Crenshaw Communications, public relations • November 9, 2009

Top Five Agency Lessons From “Mad Men”

I’m a mad fan of “Mad Men.” But I confess it’s not the soap-opera-esque personal life of ad man Don Draper that had me hooked all season. It’s life at Sterling Cooper, the fictional, but true-to-life agency. From the client meetings and internal politicking, to the bon mots of insouciant principal Roger Sterling, “Mad Men” is…well, pitch-perfect. Several episodes (like […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, social media • November 3, 2009

Fake AP Stylebook Is A PR Success

For months, I’ve been looking for a real Twitter success story, but without much success of my own. The most exciting social media marketing campaigns tend to be Facebook-driven, or across multiple platforms, as they should be. Now, I know there’ve been some impressive direct-sales outcomes on Twitter. The most notable is @DellOutlet, which has apparently […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, social media, technology • October 29, 2009

Facebook’s PR Dilemma: “I Can Friend Dead People”

So close to Halloween, how can I resist blogging about the latest complaint by Facebook users? I noticed it, um, in passing, earlier this week. A “reconnect” feature is part of the site’s new home page, but Facebook’s being haunted by the persistence of its algorithm. It automatically generates notices urging users to reconnect with dormant contacts. Inevitably, […]

advertising, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations, reputation, social media • October 26, 2009

Ready Or Not, Here Comes SideWiki

Lately I’ve been involved in discussions about companies who don’t want their brands to engage with consumers online. Most PR practitioners agree that there can be legitimate reasons for a business to avoid social media – be they regulatory issues, a narrow or niche positioning, or lack of preparedness. It’s a brand’s choice, after all. Until now, that […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations • October 23, 2009

White House vs. Fox News: Who’s Winning The PR War?

As the adage goes, you should never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. So, what’s behind the White House’s PR offensive against Fox News? When Obama communications director Anita Dunn first referred to Fox as not a news organization, but, rather as an arm of the Republican party, I was surprised. It seemed to […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations • October 21, 2009

PR Prank #2: It’s Another Hot-Air News Hoax

Is it the time of year? Just days after the media was taken for a ride by the balloon boy story, here comes another successful public relations prank. This time, Reuters, CNBC, and even The New York Times were punk’d, at least for a minute. Earlier this week, an activist group called the Yes Men, […]