Crenshaw Communications

How Coke Became A Pop Star On Facebook

We saw what happened when Skittles gave up too much of its online identity to consumers.  By contrast, Coke’s handling of a recent Facebook challenge shows that it’s possible to engage customers and even offer them ownership without giving up control of the brand. What’s interesting to me is how easily it could have gone, well, flat. […]

The “Other” Social Networking

I just returned from a trip to North Carolina for a family wedding.  We took a few days’ vacation, but because I had an opportunity to mix in some business meetings, I did just that.  Two of my meetings were with people I’d had phone contact with for months or even years.  hat a difference […]

Facing Up To The Competition

As the world knows, Facebook is planning to unveil another redesign this week. We were able to preview what users will see on their home pages at our offices last week, courtesy of Facebook, and of course we plugged into the live blogging of its news briefing.  Though the early reviews are mixed, to us […]

Skittles Social Makeover Or Trouble In Candyland

What’s up with candy this week?  I was planning to cover the Snickers “Snacklish” outdoor advertising campaign, but two things changed that.  First, it was more difficult than I thought to blog in the Snacklish dialect, and then….Skittles happened. You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Mars.  For at least 48 hours, everyone was […]

Newspaper 2.0?

Friday’s report that Hearst will launch a wireless e-reader for magazines and newspapers, similar to Amazon’s Kindle, is deeply encouraging news for those of us who hope that reports of the death of traditional media are exaggerated. It’s a risky venture, to be sure; hardware is a completely different business from content, and not all […]

Truth and Consequences

Transparency and honesty are good things, right?  They build trust, and trust engenders loyalty.  But, here’s a dilemma.  What happens when telling the truth makes the situation worse? Case in point:  President Obama cautions that a full economic recovery could take years, and the market shudders.  Senator Dodd refers to bank nationalization, which most experts believe […]

Frugal Is The New Black

Last night I had dinner with an old friend who does stock market analysis, and our conversation around the economy was pretty much “an orgy of pessimism,”  in the words of Philippe Daumann. But, enough about that. The more interesting part of the discussion was about “the new frugal.”  My friend feels that no marketers have yet managed to align […]

Former Stanton Crenshaw President and Staff Announce Crenshaw Communications

A Reputation Up In Smoke

It’s a shame that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has taken a hit (so to speak) and lost a key endorsement over a few puffs of (illicit) smoke. But, there are more than a few lessons in his experience. For years, clients have asked us about the risks and benefits of linking their brand with a […]