In Praise of Smart PR

Good press releases, public relations campaigns and quotes come in all shapes and forms. This week, I examine five recent public relations events to see what was done right, and in some cases, wrong. (Read more…)

In Brooklyn, Every Beer is Political

Add Roberta Flack to the blacklist that my friend Julie is building.

The diva, best known for hits like “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” landed on Julie’s list because she showed up at a recent meeting in Brooklyn to support the Atlantic Yards Project, a controversial real estate development that is anchored to a basketball arena. (Read more…)

A Challenging Time for JetBlue

I can only imagine what it’s been like for the public relations people at JetBlue over the past week. If any of those folks get paid by the hour, they’ve been racking up some serious overtime. (Read more…)

Problems, Lessons, and Solutions

Every time I turn on the news or flip to a website, I seem to find yet another PR problem unfolding. Luckily, I find lessons and possible solutions in most situations. (Read more…)

Commencement

Around this time each year, students around the year are graduating from school and moving on in the world. High school students prepare for a summer of fun before they head off for college. University students, meanwhile, prepare for either the world of employment, or the world of graduate school. Regardless of what the next level is for these students, they will all be crammed into auditoriums or seated on folding chairs on lawns and forced to listen to commencement speeches. (Read more…)

PR Rogues

Three months ago, I would have loved to be David Stern, Roger Goodell, Arthur Blank or Bud Selig. These days, however, I would not want to trade places with any of them. (Read more…)

Customers Behaving Badly

One of the clauses contained in the contracts we sign with our customers includes language that, when the legalese is deciphered, basically says that our customers cannot publicly denigrate us. This means that a customer can’t go to the media, a message board, or a conference and blame us for something or trash-talk us. (Read more…)

The Strange World of Public Relations

Not Everyone Can Be a Winner: Ronn Torossian, President and CEO of 5W Public Relations
The snubbing of “Dream Girls” in the Best Picture category of the Academy Awards turned a lot of heads. The snubbing of 5W Public Relations in PR Week’s Agency of the Year category turned at least one head, that of the firm’s founder, Torossian. (Read more…)

A PR Fuel Thanksgiving

This year, I am thankful for… (Read more…)