Does Media Objectivity Exist Anymore?

Recently, it was reported that 2 media members asked Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow for autographs when they were interviewing him in the locker room. Apparently, these accredited members of the media were fanboys first and journalists second. Needless to say, it’s hard to imagine any reporter being objective when he’s asking the subject he’s covering for his autograph. (Read more…)

Do You Have Goals for Your Blog?

Why are you blogging? Are you just doing it because “it’s the thing to do”? Just because everyone else has a blog doesn’t mean you should have one too. You need to have a reason behind your blogging, and you need to have specific goals you want to achieve through your blogging efforts. Otherwise, you’re just wasting a bunch of time. And in my world, time is money. (Read more…)

5 Good Reasons to Consider Repositioning Your Brand

In the early 1950s, Marlboro had a problem. The company that was, at the time, known for selling “Mild as May” woman’s cigarettes had low sales due to studies linking lung cancer to smoking. They needed to do something to spike sales and reach a new audience. Men wanted to smoke filtered cigarettes because they perceived them to be safer, but they didn’t want to smoke a woman’s brand. (Read more…)

4 Tips for Launching an International PR Campaign

You’re the owner of a widget factory and you think that your products are perfect for the people of Canada, Central America, the Amazon Basin, Sub-Saharan Africa or perhaps the entire Indian subcontinent. You’re ready to take on the world, but how do you make sure the world doesn’t take you out? Here are some tips for launching an international PR campaign: (Read more…)

Hiring the Right Customer Service Agents to Represent Your Brand

Your customer service agents are your front line employees. These are the guys and girls who will be dealing with your customers on a daily basis…the ones who will be making first impressions that can win or lose new customers…the ones who will be responsible for talking an angry customer down and saving them from leaving. (Read more…)

7 Costly Direct Marketing Mistakes

What’s the secret to success with direct marketing? It really all boils down to avoiding the common mistakes that kill other campaigns. By avoiding all the things you can do wrong, by default, you’ll be doing everything the right way. (Read more…)

5 Memorable Advertising Characters and Why They Worked

Since long before I was born, companies from nearly every industry have been using advertising characters to achieve marketing success. In highly competitive markets, a character goes a long way to make a company stand out from the crowd. (Read more…)

Public Relations and Marketing – What’s the Difference?

A man walks up to a woman at a party and says, “I’m great in bed.” That’s marketing.

The man’s friend walks up to the woman at the party and says, “He’s great in bed.” That’s public relations. (Read more…)

Crisis Communications for Small Business

A Fortune 500 company’s CEO is caught up in an insider trading scandal. Within minutes of the news breaking, his company’s PR team is performing damage control, booking appearances with sympathetic TV reporters, and drafting the CEO’s apology and/or resignation speech. That’s part of what a PR team is for, after all. (Read more…)

Why You Shouldn’t Answer Reporters’ Questions by Email

Today, an increasing amount of media relations is handled through email correspondence. Pitches are made by email; emails are used for follow up purposes; and in some cases, email is even used for interviews and giving quotes to reporters. (Read more…)