public relations

branding, Crenshaw Communications, public relations • July 31, 2009

Was The Beer Summit A Teachable Moment?

What is it about beer? Former President George Bush was elected partly because he was a guy most Americans could imagine sitting down and having a beer with…ironic, given the fact that he doesn’t touch the stuff. This week, knocking back a cold one became the symbol for a “cooling off” event involving President Obama, […]

branding, communications, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations, technology • July 28, 2009

It’s No Contest, The Netflix Prize Is A Winner

Partly because I gave four stars to Woody Allen’s Manhattan, Netflix is recommending the dark and brooding East German indie The Lives of Others. Hmmm. I don’t know about you, but for me, recommendation engines that try to predict our likes and dislikes in books and movies usually miss the mark. I’m talking about the collaborative filtering […]

advertising, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations, social media • July 22, 2009

Cola Rivals Engage…With Each Other

It took me a while to get the Coke-Pepsi social media handshake thing. I’m referring to that moment of Twitter diplomacy a couple of weeks ago. The brand rivals agreed to make nice and follow one another, through a notably civil but tepid public exchange of updates. The detente was a response to a challenge by Australian marketing firm […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, public relations, reputation, social media • July 17, 2009

Can United Fix Its Broken Reputation?

After musician Dave Carroll’s pricey guitar was damaged following a United Airlines trip to Nebraska back in 2008, the guitar wasn’t the only thing that that took a beating. Now, United is grappling with a battered reputation, and Carroll has become a poster child for frustrated consumers. If you somehow missed the story, here’s the […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, public relations • July 15, 2009

The Art Of Saying Nothing

Since Samuel Alito’s famous confirmation hearings where he hedged even the question of whether he liked Bruce Springsteen, the art of saying nothing has gained favor in high-stakes Washington proceedings. The latest case is Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Her carefully scripted answers, calm demeanor and physical composure throughout two days of hearings have been remarkable. Michael Wolff implied […]

Crenshaw Communications, public relations, social media • July 7, 2009

Is A “Whisper Campaign” Good PR?

This Sunday I was among many PR professionals who read a lengthy New York Times piece titled “Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley.” It recounted the launch of a tech start-up by a youngish publicist using her social and business connections to generate positive buzz through “whispering” to influential non-journalists. One point of the piece is that […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, leadership, public relations, reputation • June 29, 2009

PR Means Having To Say You’re Sorry

The sad and sudden demise of pop superstar Michael Jackson may have knocked Governor Mark Sanford off the front pages for a weekend, but it didn’t let him off the hook. Governor Sanford’s may have been the most ill-conceived and badly delivered apology of the decade. And, that’s saying something. I was one of several PR […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, public relations, reputation, social media • June 26, 2009

Why Are They Saying Those Things About You?

A while back, I was shocked to see some harsh criticism of me on an IT Internet forum. Strangers were calling Dorothy Crenshaw incompetent and even demanding that I be fired…which I thought was pretty unfair considering I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. I quickly realized it wasn’t about me. It […]

advertising, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, reputation • June 24, 2009

Investing In The Recovery: Why PR?

Although the economic recovery is still far from certain, some in our business are preparing for it in plans for new new hiring, deal-making and restructuring, as reported in today’s New York Times. This is smart thinking, and it gives me hope that the outdated “conventional wisdom” of cutting discretionary marketing spending during a recession has […]