Why Subway’s Apology PR Fell Short
Maybe because I’m reading John Kenney’s excellent novel, Truth in Advertising, I’ve been thinking a lot about authenticity in brand marketing and public relations. It’s one of those things that we take for granted when present, but that can be a time bomb when absent. Yet, when I first heard about the lawsuits served up […]
Read MoreCan "The Pitch" Be Fixed?
Can the pitch be fixed? I don’t mean the new reality TV show, although the debut episode was a losing proposition — contrived, tedious, and unrealistic. But there was one aspect of the show that hit home, and that was the pitch itself. A team from McKinney, the first of two ad agencies competing to […]
Read MoreWhat’s In A (Brand) Nickname?
Al Ries’ recent column in AdAge, “When It Comes To Names, Corporations Just Aren’t People” got me thinking about the PR of brand nicknames. Corporations may not be people, but their brands can get pretty darn close. That’s why “pet” names for products and companies can be powerful, from the classic shorthanders like Coke and […]
Read MoreWho’s Winning the Super Bowl 2012 PR Game?
The run-up to Super Bowl XLVI has definitely begun. And every year the pre-game show ( the ad-fest that leads up to Sunday) seems to get longer. Now, the Super Bowl has never been known for cutting-edge advertising creative. The challenge is to go big, go broad, and generate chatter. And it’s the early buzz […]
Read MoreWhen A New Name Is Bad PR: A Rebranding Gone Sour
A new name often brings a reputation lift – suggesting renewed relevance or sweetening an unpalatable handle. Which would you rather eat – Patagonian Tooth Fish or Chilean Sea Bass? But beware the rebranding for reputation reasons. It can make news, but not always in a good way. Right now, a bitter battle’s brewing over the […]
Read MoreA Summer’s Eve Debate: Why ‘Offensive’ Ads Can Be Good
Can men effectively market to women? Can whites sell to people of color? Sure. Yet, some recent ad campaigns make you wonder. The latest is for Summer’s Eve cleansing wash, and it’s definitely a fresh take on the “feminine products” category. Each of the three ads features a woman’s hand that is meant to be a […]
Read MoreIn PR Melodrama, Hoover Tries To Save The Soaps
Cue the organ music… here’s the dirt. A top appliance brand is so steamed by the demise of ABC’s daytime serials that it’s yanked its advertising clean off the network. That’s right, in a move worthy of Erica Kane herself, Hoover announced that it won’t be advertising on ABC after Friday of this week. What’s more, […]
Read MoreWhat Marketers Don’t Know About PR
Are we living through PR’s “golden age”? Sometimes I think so. Clients understand the benefits of PR and are sophisticated about the tricky aspects, like trading perfect control for a measure of credibility. And budgets are opening up after the economic downturn. But other times I wonder. Last year a favorite client of mine refers to […]
Read MorePR By Another Name: Public Relations and the "New" Competition
The chemistry was great, our experience perfect, and they loved the proposal. But, in a twist, the account went to a “digital brand management” shop whose website touts its ability to drive visibility and engagement. PR by another name? The “creative destruction of PR”? It’s true that social media has changed the game for our […]
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