Our Insights

Crenshaw Communications, public relations • April 15, 2009

Susan Boyle, Marketer’s Dream?

PR people often talk about “packaging” a client’s story, or framing it in a way that’s current, visual, or relevant. But, every once in a while, something comes along that defies the rules…or rewrites them. Right now, that something is a someone – Susan Boyle. Boyle is the decidely unglamorous 48-year-old who wowed a panel of […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, reputation, social media • April 13, 2009

Amazon Turns Up The Gaydar?

Last week a friend joked that, based on her Caucasian husband’s onetime purchase of a novel by bestselling author Toni Morrison as a gift on amazon.com, the site now “thinks he’s an African-American lesbian,” and we had a laugh about the advantages (and drawbacks) of collaborative filtering software. So, I was unaware of the furor surrounding an apparent change […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications • April 10, 2009

The Label Made Me Do It

As someone who’s spent years working on behalf of food and health brands, I understand the critical need for solid communication about the nutritional value – or lack of it – in food products, particularly convenience or fast foods. But, when I read about lawsuits against food companies filling up the court dockets, as reported […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media, technology • April 10, 2009

Getting The Twitter Religion

I was all set to blog about all the fun Passover action on social networking sites – the constant tweets and updates, the Facebook Haggadah, the Twitter widget for locating a seder in your zip code, when another holiday use of social networking caught my eye. Trinity Wall Street Church in New York will “Twitter […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media • April 4, 2009

Last Night A Twitter Saved A Life

The social media thing can seem frivolous at times…after all, we’re not talking about saving lives, right? Wrong. Yesterday, actress and celebrity Twitterati Demi Moore reportedly helped stop a possible suicide attempt by a woman who tweeted her intent to cut her arm to kill herself. (I admit I follow mrskutcher, and even saw the comment in question, but […]

Crenshaw Communications • April 2, 2009

Manic Recession

I’m fascinated by some of the words and expressions that have been coined by what some PR types (like me) have euphemistically called the recent “downturn.” My favorites are “chiconomics” and “recessionista,” since it’s fun and consoling to think you can stay stylish while being frugal. But after reading Maureen Dowd’s editorial earlier in the week, […]

Crenshaw Communications • March 29, 2009

The New Home Economics

The flip side to the dismal economy, of course, is that it forces us to live within our means, and, if we’re lucky, to appreciate simple enjoyments as if they’re something new. That’s why I’m interested in the plethora of articles about the newest old trend, which is our national enthusiasm for socializing, cooking, dining, […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media • March 22, 2009

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. […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, social media • March 18, 2009

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 […]