ImPRessions

blogging, communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • July 31, 2012

When PR People Overshadow Their Clients

A while back, my firm was in a competitive review for a plum account. At our meeting, the potential client confided that he’d just come from a session with a well-known name in our industry and had crossed him off the list. The client wasn’t impressed. Or, rather, he was, but in the wrong way. […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, social media • July 24, 2012

Are We Too Old To "Get" Social Media?

Cathryn Sloane’s recent post arguing that social media managers need to be 25 or younger was a bombshell. Not so much because of her youthful myopia; that’s not rare. Or even the (somewhat shaky) thesis that because her peer group grew up with social media and used it socially to start, they understand its business […]

Crenshaw Communications, crisis management, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • July 17, 2012

Can Penn State’s Reputation Be Saved?

Among the casualties of the Penn State sexual abuse coverup were the personal reputations of university officials, including the late football coach and sports icon Joe Paterno. Paterno, Spanier, Curley, Schultz and others will be forever linked to the efforts to minimize and conceal shocking crimes against children. (Who can forget the email in which […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, social media • July 10, 2012

SCOTUS And What It Means When The Media Get It Wrong

Media mistakes happen all the time. Publicists joke about mangled names and massacred quotes, and even The New York Times – especially The New York Times – is regularly skewered over its errors and omissions. But occasionally media get it wrong in a big way, – an unforgivable, historically indelible, “Dewey Beats Truman” way. That’s […]

Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • July 4, 2012

The Case For The Independent Agency

Smaller and independent ad and PR agencies like to tout their size and status as a competitive advantage. The problem with some of those claims is that they can boil down to cost, and the message too easily becomes, “Hire us and pay less for essentially the same creative service, or a better publicity result.” […]

blogging, branding, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, marketing, public relations, reputation, social media • June 28, 2012

PR Techniques: How To Get ZMOT On Your Side

Marketers like to talk about the Zero Moment of Truth, or ZMOT, for a product or brand. Loosely defined as the moment when a prospective buyer looks for online reviews and recommendations for a product, ZMOT follows the P&G tenets of the “first moment of truth,” when a customer chooses a product on the store […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations • June 20, 2012

7 Deadly PR Sins or How Not To Be An Amateur

My favorite TV character rant, linked (loosely) to the practice of public relations, is the one delivered by PR pro Eli Gold of “The Good Wife,” who is played superbly by Alan Cumming. Faced with a boneheaded media relations move by a political colleague, Gold lets loose with a wonderfully escalating barrage of outrage. He […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • June 12, 2012

2012 Commencement Wisdom For New (And Old) Graduates

There’s just something about graduation season. Even those of us whose commencements are far in the past can catch some fresh inspiration from the wisdom dispensed at the annual college rites. And for the speakers, it’s often a strategic PR move where boldfaced names look to be humorous, colorful, and newsworthy. Here’s a recap of […]

communications, Crenshaw Communications, ImPRessions, public relations, reputation • June 6, 2012

Jason Alexander’s Apology Is A PR Homerun

We communications pros like to use words like authenticity, transparency, and honesty. Too often, they’re empty cliches. But every now and then, they jump out at you. Take the latest public apology to go viral. I don’t know anything about cricket, so when I read that actor Jason Alexander had called the game “gay” in […]