It’s easy for public relations firms to overestimate the impact of media coverage. Unless you land your client on the cover of Time or the front page of the New York Times, it can be disheartening to see how little impact a single piece of media coverage brings. My own history with media coverage is an e… Read more
Before you send out another press release or write your next employee newsletter, ask this question: “Are my company’s communications operating from a detailed plan customized for my clients, employees, and press contacts?” If your answer is no, there’s a communications a… Read more
By now we all know it’s rarely worthwhile to hold up professional athletes as role models. While athletes still rank as popular heroes for kids, we’ve definitely seen a shift in the past decade to more traditional role models — teachers, doctors, etc. But one arena where it is worth loo… Read more
High energy prices, troubled industries, flatlining online advertising growth, and geopolitical concerns are just some of the headwinds the U.S. economy faces these days. One would think that these issues would also impact spending on public relations, but that does not appear to be the case. Good new… Read more
A while back, a friend who works in the public relations industry cornered me with a few questions. The following discussion about public relations and the media takes a little peek into how the two intertwined industries relate to each other.… Read more
It’s perhaps one of the longest running questions in public relations: How do you deal with a journalist who has an agenda? Some journalists do have agendas; columnists are paid to comment on the news and provide opinion, not just report the news. Even in traditional reporting, sometimes a persona… Read more
During my first television interview, the producer had one piece of advice for me: Don’t use profanity. During my second television interview, the producer had another piece of advice for me: Be controversial. Public relations consultants should take both of pieces of advice to heart. But there… Read more
Consistency in public relations is important. Public relations consultants and corporate executives are often told to “stay on message” and not to stray from a script. Companies and organizations put an enormous amount of time and energy into hammering home a consistent key messages, be … Read more
I have one friend from the country of Georgia, and we were talking on the phone when President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia appeared on NBC News to discuss the recent Georgian crisis. Saakashvili compared Russia’s current actions to those of its predecessor, the Soviet Union, in 1956 in Hungary … Read more
Comcast uses the phrase “Comcast Cares” but my experience with the company seems to show they care only up to a point. If, like the majority of users, you get cable installation and it works, that’s great. Comcast really cares about these custo… Read more