Our Insights

Crenshaw Communications, social media • May 8, 2009

Mother’s Day Goes Social – And Socially Conscious

Brandweek ran an interesting feature recently about a M2Moms survey in which 73 percent of moms said they feel advertisers don’t really understand them. While it’s true marketers have lagged in recognizing the purchasing power and social clout of mothers, I feel many are listening to and reaching the so-called Power Moms, on their own digital turf. […]

Crenshaw Communications • May 6, 2009

The Prince, The Frog, And The Rainforest

My kindergarten-aged daughter brings home a stream of stories, hand-drawn art, and songs with a “green” theme – all part of the not-so-subtle propaganda that I dearly hope will lead to an entire generation of more environmentally-aware adults. But as she explains, wide-eyed, about how and why we need to protect the Earth, I’m struck by how little […]

Crenshaw Communications, technology • May 4, 2009

The Future of Ink, Part 2

Finally, the newspaper industry is fighting back. At least that’s how it feels, and it feels good. As yet another storied paper teeters on the edge of extinction, and Warren Buffett rubs it in, there are some hopeful developments. As noted in a previous post, Hearst Corp. is backing a Kindle-like e-reader created to handle digital downloads of newspapers, magazines, […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, public relations, reputation • May 1, 2009

Michael Vick And PETA: Like Cats And Dogs?

When it showed up on my Twitter feed, I thought it was a joke. Michael Vick, the onetime NFL star who went to jail, while his public image went to the dogs, after being convicted of particularly disgusting acts of cruelty to animals, is reportedly in talks to become a public spokesperson for People for […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, public relations, social media • April 30, 2009

Branding A Pandemic Or “Aporkalypse Now”

The media buzz surrounding the influenza virus formerly known as swine flu has resulted in an epidemic of both controversy and criticism. Is it overkill? Many think so. But over the past 24 hours, the PR offensive around the flu hasn’t been about prevention or panic…it’s about the virus’s brand. As of yesterday, the World […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, public relations, reputation • April 27, 2009

Can Craigslist Limit The Damage?

We’ve seen all kinds of business crises in the past several weeks, from the #Amazonfail glitch that took over Twitter to the Domino’s Pizza social media storm. But, from a PR perspective, it doesn’t get much worse than having your brand be the descriptor for a horrifying crime. Yes, it’s happened before to Craigslist, and maybe […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media • April 26, 2009

Facebook Tears Down The Wall

At over 200 million monthly users, Facebook is vastly more popular than Twitter, but the micro-blogging service seems to be a growing public and media obsession. Even Twitter-hater Maureen Dowd recently penned an interview with its co-founder, which, while ostensibly satirical, only fanned a Twitstorm of interest. Remember when Facebook drew that kind of love-hate? […]

News • April 23, 2009

Crenshaw Communications Open Chicago’s New River Hotel

International business hotel chain Club Quarters has brought us on to handle media relations for the May 2009 opening of River Hotel, a new boutique hotel in downtown Chicago. We’re excited to help make River Hotel’s mark in the city and beyond by getting the word out to regional markets, as well as hospitality, hotel, […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, reputation • April 22, 2009

Staying Green When You’re In The Red

For the past several years, just before Earth Day, we’ve done a survey on behalf of Call2Recycle, a battery and product collection and recycling program, about “green guilt,” a term we coined that’s pretty self-explanatory. Green guilt is what you feel when you toss your soda can into the regular garbage, or shove that once-trendy-but-now-obsolete cell […]