public relations

public relations • July 14, 2010

What Nicknames Say About Brands: Chevy, Meet The Y

A brand nickname is a little like a viral video. No matter how badly you want it, planning alone won’t make it happen. It has to come about naturally. I’m not talking about mere abbreviations, like AmEx or P&G. I mean real nicknames…those insider-y monikers that make us feel cool because we drive a Beamer […]

public relations • July 7, 2010

Why Do PR People Lie?

The latest PR war between tech blog Boy Genius Report and Apple has ignited some pretty harsh accusations, including charges that Apple’s PR is lying about emails BGR claims were sent by Steve Jobs. For me, the outcome of the drama isn’t important, except as it affects the reputation of those of us who earn a living […]

public relations • June 30, 2010

Is There A Cure For PR’s Entry-Level Turnover?

Bob Pickard’s recent post about junior-level turnover got me thinking. Bob, who is President & CEO of Burson Marsteller’s Asia Pacific region, challenges the agency mindset that we should accept churn at the entry level. His view is that we’re losing out if we don’t try harder to accommodate new talent. The recession has helped […]

public relations • June 24, 2010

McChrystal’s Defeat: Poor PR, Or Natural Disaster?

The term “PR disaster” is thrown around a lot these days. But unlike man-made catastrophes that wreak Gulf-spill-sized reputation damage, the McChrystal debacle is a direct result of poor PR. After all, it was the clumsy handling of an ill-advised press interview that lost the reputation war and the General his job this week. Or […]

public relations • June 17, 2010

What PR People Can Learn From BP

Let’s get one thing straight. The Gulf Oil spill isn’t a PR problem. It’s an environmental disaster that no PR team, no matter how skilled, could clean up. The public relations crisis comes with BP’s lack of preparedness for the gusher, and with the communications in its wake. But, all calamities offer learnings. What lessons can we extract from […]