ImPRessions

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • September 27, 2013

Public Relations Is A Powerful Storytelling Tool

Brand storytelling and PR – what’s really new here? The truth is, marketers have been telling brand stories through paid media, branded events, and, lately, brand journalism, also known as owned media. Make no mistake, a well-crafted 30-second television spot can tell a resonant story. But the heart of brand storytelling lies with public relations. […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • September 23, 2013

What Startups Should Know About Public Relations

Many startups or emerging businesses can benefit from an investment in public relations. It’s a cutthroat world out there, with all manner of new and fast-growing companies competing fiercely for media and investor attention. Most entrepreneurs realize that a well-focused PR program can help drive visibility, highlight what makes the business or its products different, […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • September 18, 2013

The Seven PR Agency Commandments

The web is brimming with posts by journalists and bloggers warning PR pros what not to do when presenting clients or pitching stories. Sadly, there’s plenty of evidence that we have more to learn as an industry. Yes, spamming pitches is a bad idea. But within a PR agency, there are other, more grievous sins. […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions • September 12, 2013

What PR People Can Learn From Vladimir Putin

It raised eyebrows when Russia seemed to seize the communications initiative on Syria, picking up on a stray comment by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to call for a diplomatic solution to the mess. But it’s downright shocking that Russian president Vladimir Putin makes his case with a bylined editorial in The New York […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions • September 7, 2013

When Customers Fight Back – With Promoted Tweets!

As every PR or reputation expert knows, social media cuts both ways. It can be a critical outlet for real-time promotion and customer relations and a useful branding tool. It can also be a megaphone for unhappy consumers. Any brand who puts itself out there needs to be ready. Earlier this week, a businessman named […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • September 4, 2013

The "Science" of Spotting A Winning Startup

My first PR agency was founded in 1996. If that year doesn’t mean anything to you, you’re either young, or you’re not very interested in technology startups. 1996 was a fantastic year to start up just about anything, including a New York PR agency. The “dot-com” boom was roaring, there was far too much VC […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • August 26, 2013

Smart PR Move of the Week: "I’ll Send You to Belize"

On AMC’s irresistible “Breaking Bad,” now in its final season, “going to Belize” isn’t a good thing. It’s a threat. So when in a recent episode, the sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman (played brilliantly by Bob Odenkirk) suggests that a troublesome character could be, um…”sent to Belize” – well, use your imagination. It didn’t mean mojitos […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, leadership, public relations • August 20, 2013

How To Be A Thought Leader (A PR Perspective)

Becoming a thought leader—everyone’s always talking about it, but who’s really doing it? It’s a cliché in PR and marketing circles. We tend to promise clients we can help make them a thought leader, pepper our proposals with the term, and invoke “thought capital” to differentiate corporations and their most marketable attributes. So, what is […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations, SEO • August 12, 2013

Google Hasn’t Killed The PR Industry

It’s good for any profession to have a few bomb-throwers, and PR is no exception. People who challenge, bait, or even criticize an industry can make it better. That’s why I’ve always been interested in Tom Foremski’s take. His 2006 post, “Die! Press Release! Die! Die! Die!” remains my favorite attack on the lowly press […]