Our Insights

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 […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media • March 8, 2009

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 […]

Crenshaw Communications, social media • March 4, 2009

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 […]

News • March 3, 2009

Crenshaw Communications Tapped For “Be Berlin” Campaign

Our team is very excited to support the launch of a new PR and media relations campaign to spotlight Berlin as a timely destination of choice. “be Berlin” is sponsored by Berlin Partner, the Berlin marketing and tourism organization, and coincides with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The campaign is […]

Crenshaw Communications, technology • February 28, 2009

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 […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, leadership • February 23, 2009

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 […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, marketing, public relations • February 18, 2009

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 […]