What Makes Marketing and PR so Hard [in 30 Seconds or Less]
I’ve shared this idea a couple of times before, but it still seems so relevant: Just because a message is sent doesn’t mean it’s been received. Just because it’s been received doesn’t mean it’s been understood. Just because it’s been...Read More
Code of PR Ethics? The Gray Area of Communicating a Point of View
Do PR professionals present accurate and truthful information? A survey of 300 PR pros found 95% say “often” or “sometimes.” “We’re excited to announce that SlideShare is joining Scribd.” That’s how LinkedIn, which owns SlideShare for the moment, set it...Read More
Should the Public Relations Report to the CEO or CMO?
Many corporate public relations shops report to the CMO but PR professionals argue the function should report to the CEO; the “right” answer probably depends on the organization Whenever an organization gets an inquiry it isn’t sure how to deal...Read More
What Does “Storytelling” Mean to You? 105 Answers from Communicators
Storytelling is a powerful means of persuasion; it can be both a strategy, as in an overall narrative but it also can be a tactic, like using vignettes; here’s what a recent survey found. Years ago, there was a consultant...Read More
A Modestly Contrarian View of External B2B Comms about Coronavirus (Covid-19) that Borrows a Few Ideas from Military Planners
Contrary to traditional PR wisdom to over-communicate in a crisis, businesses should identify thresholds for publishing external or client comms about Coronavirus The military has well-defined etiquette for radio network traffic. When you have a TIC – troops in contact...Read More
Corporate Communications is Taking More PR Work In-House, finds Survey; Media Relations Gets Even Harder
Corporate communications departments are taking more work in-house. It’s a trend that mirrors similar patterns seen broadly in the marketing for the last several years, where CMOs have slashed agencies in favor of in-house teams. Some 47% of respondents said...Read More
3 Creative Ways Public Relations can Partner with Human Resources and Recruiting to Attract Talent
He was walking my way and I saw him before he saw me. While I don’t think he was looking for me, I knew if we cross paths, he would stop me for 15 minutes. I’d be stuck listening to...Read More
Pubs Pushing PR to Native Ads is Another Reason to Build Your Own Audience
For a long time, the venerable contributed article has been a mechanism for surfacing new or big ideas. These ideas were usually of the variety that deserved attention but perhaps not beat coverage. You can’t buy good ideas, and for...Read More
Two Creative PR Stunts that Turned a Press Release Upside Down
In 1999 I was introduced to an emerging nightmare in high-tech PR. PR pros, who at that time, were still new to a feature that Microsoft introduced around 1995, were sending pitches or releases by email with tracked-changes still on....Read More
38 Things PR Professionals Wish they Could Get Senior Management to Understand about Corporate Communications
Open-ended questions can sometimes be the most insightful part of a good survey. Often the answers to such questions provide nuance, context and even lead to new questions. More than once I’ve analyzed survey results for a client and wound...Read More
