ImPRessions

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • July 3, 2018

"Doors" Goes Viral, Opens Up A Race

Sometimes a story is so strong that all you need to do is tell it and get out of the way. Improving on a good thing can be tricky, because there’s always the risk of over-embellishing. Too much PR or packaging can overwhelm an emotional punch. “Doors,” the remarkable ad by Texas congressional candidate […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • June 27, 2018

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet On Choosing A PR Agency

Deciding it’s time to invest in PR is one thing, but selecting the right agency is another. It’s time-consuming, occasionally intimidating, and often confusing. What’s more, the people who are skilled at internal communications aren’t always prepared to conduct an agency search. Here’s a cheat sheet on finding the right PR firm while saving time […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • June 20, 2018

10 Signs It’s Time To Invest In PR

If timing is everything, how does a business know when it’s time to invest in a public relations program? Here are some of the most common signs. Competitors are beating you to the punch They may be beating you in business deals, customers, or simply mindshare. If your B2B service isn’t in the consideration set […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • June 11, 2018

What PR People Should Know About SEO

PR and SEO were once worlds apart, with no overlap between them. A PR team or agency would work to build brand credibility through news announcements and feature stories. SEO focused on getting backlinks and website-stuffed keywords to drive search rankings. What changed? Now there’s a growing area of commonality as traditional public relations has […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • May 30, 2018

In Bold Move, ABC Boots Roseanne Reboot

There were bigger stories breaking on the Tuesday after Memorial Day, but on social media the news was all about Roseanne. It started with @therealroseanne’s revolting tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. The post was bizarre, horrible, and nakedly racist, but at the risk of sounding cynical, I didn’t think anything much would happen […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • May 24, 2018

Truth In Media Relations: When PR Is "Risky Business"

Many years ago at my first PR agency, we represented a “dot-com” startup in the ticket resale business. When I was introduced at a board meeting, the founder casually mentioned that I’d be serving as a media spokesperson as the company navigated tricky messaging around gray areas of the industry. This came as a surprise […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • May 11, 2018

Brands Bungle Response To Michael Cohen Scandal

This week two sophisticated corporations faced an unwelcome PR challenge. AT&T and pharma giant Novartis were confronted with awkward and pressing questions about “consulting” payments each made to a company set up by Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen. In each case, the public response left a lot to be desired. Cohen is under criminal investigation for […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • May 4, 2018

How To Nail A PR Dream Job

It’s the time of year when PR agencies have the chance to bring on fresh talent as a crop of new college grads hits the job market. I’ve offered advice in previous posts for those determined to build a career in PR or communications, and it holds up pretty well. But it’s time to add, […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • April 27, 2018

Forget The PR Fauxpology

I apologize in advance to anyone reading this who can’t appreciate the insights offered in this post or who disagrees with the public relations expertise shared here. See what I did there? Call it the no-pology, the fauxpology, or the if-pology – but it’s far too common today. A cheap and lazy way to publicly express […]