Secrets of a Successful CSR Campaign
It’s no surprise that public trust in corporations, along with government and faith institutions, seems to be at an all-time low. According to the Reputation Institute’s 2012 Corporate Social Responsibility RepTrak 100 Study, only 17% of respondents trust what companies promise in their marketing. What’s more, a mere 6% perceive the top 100 companies as […]
Read MoreThe Most Notable CEO Apologies Of 2012
The public apology has long been a staple of PR and reputation management, and this year saw a large number of C-level mea culpas. Some were mandated, while others were designed to beg forgiveness, right wrongs, or restore good will. Here’s my list of the most notable. Picture this: Instagram is forced to backpedal after […]
Read MoreFive Ways PR Can Build Brands
It’s been said that PR drives reputation, while marketing builds brands. But that simplistic premise defines both PR and brand far too narrowly. It may not always take the lead in brand-building, particularly with large, global companies, but there are many ways in which the classic PR approach and tactics help defend, deepen, and even […]
Read MoreWhat It Takes To Succeed in Public Relations
People outside our industry sometimes ask what qualities or proclivities are required for a successful PR career. I’ve always resisted the stereotypes – from PR party girl to press agent – because very few people I’ve worked with conform to those two-dimensional images. And yet, there are some “types” who have a passion for PR […]
Read MoreWill The AirPR Model Fix The PR Business?
Muckrack CEO Greg Galant’s piece,”Why Public Relations Gets No Respect” hit a nerve in our industry. Though the post drew some indignant responses from the PR community, it was a thoughtful and relatively optimistic assessment of PR’s value, thanks to digital measurement tools, the prevalence of social media, and PR’s increased scaleability due to more […]
Read MoreHow To "Own" A Media Interview
There are few things more exciting to PR agency professionals of all levels than to see a client’s comments in print or digital form. A published interview can be a quick, reactive response to a journalist’s inquiry or the culmination of a long and arduous pitch process. But what if your quotes end up on […]
Read MoreIs Oprah Still Relevant?
What does it say that the most notable Oprah story this Thanksgiving season was about her tweeted endorsement of the new Microsoft Surface tablet…posted, ironically, from an iPad? Critics of the Queen of Talk saw the tweet as a sign of hypocrisy, sloppiness, or lack of tech savvy. Does it matter? Does she? For so […]
Read More8 Ways To Manage Negative PR
It’s hard to predict, and even harder to handle appropriately. It may come in the form of a Google Alert, a phone call inviting comment, or an email from a customer or colleague. You, or your company, is being criticized in public. Some say there’s no such thing as negative publicity, but most businesses who’ve […]
Read MoreThe Problem With Pay-for-Play PR
Pay-for-play PR, or “PR by the pound” is topical again. For years, it’s been on the radar as an alternative to the traditional way of billing among PR agencies, which is a monthly retainer representing either actual or estimated time spent to reach client goals. But though such pay-per-publicity-placement work has its place among start-ups […]
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