Crenshaw Communications

0
advertising, communications, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations, social media • September 29, 2009

Top Social Media Sins

I’ve been seriously under the weather after attending a meeting in Mexico City last week. (No, it’s not H1N1, though I did hear an excellent talk by the top docs in charge of public communication around the epidemic.) To make it easy on limited mental energy, I’m using a part of today’s MediaPost‘s Social Media Insider. It’s a […]

Read More
2
advertising, creativity, Crenshaw Communications, social media • September 24, 2009

Etsy’s “Homemade” Ads Are A Hit

Just when I was about to write off the “crowdsourced” advertising trend as a fad…I happened to read about Etsy.com‘s consumer-generated commercial campaign in AdAge. The online crafts marketplace launched a contest among its own members for 30-second spots, and some of the entries are wonderful. You can view them and vote for your favorite handmade […]

Read More
1
advertising, communications, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations, reputation, social media • September 22, 2009

Marketing Isn’t Getting Any Easier

It’s tough being a Chief Marketing Officer nowadays. It’s always been a high-risk role. Management tends to find it hard to gauge the bottom-line contribution, yet easy to place blame. In a recession, many businesses view marketing as a cost center, and it’s often the first budget to be cut. Then, too, everyone (and his spouse) thinks […]

Read More
0
advertising, branding, communications, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, leadership, public relations • September 17, 2009

Will Healthcare Damage Brand Obama?

In “Mad Men”‘s season debut, fictional ad man Don Draper quietly advises a colleague, “Limit your exposure.” It’s actually an oblique reference to his associate’s indiscretion (and his own secret past), but I thought of Draper’s advice today in a different context. I’ve finally joined the ranks of those who fear that President Obama may be overexposed. Don’t […]

Read More
1
advertising, communications, creativity, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, social media • September 14, 2009

Will Crowdsourcing Make Agencies Obsolete?

It sounds so easy. Instead of hiring a pricey ad agency or PR firm, just tap into the wisdom of the crowd to market your product. After all, they’re the ones buying it. Crowdsourcing is being touted as the latest trend in creative services, from logo design to advertising. Yet, most so-called crowdsourcing initiatives don’t truly harness […]

Read More
3
Crenshaw Communications • September 11, 2009

In Defense Of The 9/11 Anniversary

It’s hard to forget what day it is, and not just because I’m writing this while waiting to board a plane. Occasionally I’ll glance up at a CNN monitor and catch video of President and Mrs. Obama observing the moments of silence earlier today, or glimpse the rain-drenched ceremony down at the World Trade Center […]

Read More
0
communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, reputation, social media, technology • September 10, 2009

Could Review Fraud Kill Consumer-Generated Media?

Trust is a rare commodity these days. Consumers are skeptical of traditional institutions – and traditional marketing. Which is why I was a bit surprised by the results of the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey. Apparently, most of us place our trust in “friends we know and virtual strangers.”  Ninety percent of the 25,000 Internet […]

Read More
2
advertising, creativity, Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, reputation • September 7, 2009

Why Agencies Shouldn’t “Chase the Lion”

Once, as I was beating my brains out all weekend to come up with fresh program ideas to try to win a new business pitch, my husband offered to look at my draft presentation. (He’s not a PR guy but has learned enough through osmosis that I value his judgment…and, frankly, there’s a point when […]

Read More
0
advertising, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, reputation, social media • September 3, 2009

How To Buy Friends And Influence People

Maybe money can’t buy you love, but these days it can buy friends…at least, of a sort. I was interested in Web traffic company uSocial’s recent announcement that it will offer packages for Facebook that start at 1000 friends for as little as $177. Overnight, a faux network….who knew friends came so cheap? uSocial, which […]

Read More