Our Insights

Crenshaw Communications, leadership, reputation, social media • July 23, 2009

Zappos And The Social Media Myth

It’s a common perception that Zappos, which was just acquired by Amazon.com, was able to build its brand, and even its business, on the strength of social media. After all, CEO Tony Hsieh is a Twitter celebrity with over a million followers. Zappos encourages its employees to Twitter, and more than 400 do. A model of […]

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, technology • July 20, 2009

Cronkite, Media, and The Way It Was…

Just as there will never be another pop star like the late Michael Jackson, there can never be another journalist like Walter Cronkite. In ways that partly parallel the music industry, traditional broadcast journalism has changed dramatically since those quaint days of of the three-channel, black-and-white TV universe. In both industries, changing technology, demographics, and economic […]

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 […]

advertising, celebrity, communications, Crenshaw Communications, reputation, social media • July 13, 2009

Citizen Advertising, 2.0

My Twitter account was recently suspended. It was an accidental move apparently caused by an attempt to control spam, and it was rectified within 24 hours or so. But for a short time, I was one of hundreds of legitimate users left out in the cold, vainly posting messages asking assistance. As one fellow complainer posted to the […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media, technology • July 9, 2009

Michael Jackson Makes Internet History

It’s ironic that Michael Jackson had planned a series of “comeback” concerts scheduled to begin shortly before his death, since no comeback could have matched the media storm surrounding his passing and subsequent memorial service. The service, which was televised, live-streamed, and followed closely by millions on social networking sites in real time, has been called the largest […]

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 […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media • July 2, 2009

Why Twitter’s Fuzzy Follower Math Doesn’t “Follow”

Since the rise of Facebook and LinkedIn, online connections have become a visible form of social currency. But, given its one-way follow model, where anybody can basically follow anyone else, Twitter has taken the numbers race to another level. In fact, Facebook may be about to change its follow set-up to be more like Twitter. Mashable […]