Archive: November 2010

MENU

BusinessWeek Blurs Line Between Advertising And Editorial

The concept of advertorials is not new. I’m sure if the early publishers of the Bible accepted advertising, we would have seen pitches for flint stones packaged as psalms. Fast-forwarding to today, it stands to reason that the never-ending economic pressures on publishers causes them to wade further into the gray area in exchange for revenue. Still, the …more

Putting A "Face" On A Company

Everybody knows technology rules Silicon Valley. That’s why Larry Ellison chastising HP plays out locally like “Desperate Housewives.” That’s why you can find memory chips next to beef jerky on the way to checkout counters at stores like Fry’s. The engineering mindset that permeates the Valley often finds marketing, much less storytelling, to be a superficial …more

To Not Storytell Deprives Readers Of The Ability To Understand

If you’re a communicator or care about communications, the Nieman Journalism Lab should be on your radar. The media property does a terrific job of probing journalism from all directions. A Friday article, Covering a Crisis More Like Molasses than Quicksand, that looks at the challenges for journalists in covering a “never-ending” crisis caught my attention. Think BP …more

Nancy Duarte Talk Shines Spotlight On Storytelling

It was standing room only at the Agency’s “Playing Field” yesterday to hear Nancy Duarte share her wisdom on how to create a presentation that grabs the audience by the scruff of the neck. Most communicators know Nancy from her breakthrough book, slide:ology. She recently published book No. 2, resonate, which dives into the type of content that …more

Storytelling in a News Release: Are You Fit for a Phone?

I’m convinced that storytelling in news releases increases syndication. While the wire services don’t track this type of data, our own experiences support the premise. Apparently, Gold’s Gym agrees, applying storytelling techniques to a news release distributed yesterday with the headline: Are You Fit Enough For Your Own Phone? Gold’s figured out announcing yet another discount on membership fees …more

Continued Dialog on Storytelling in Job Descriptions and a GE Gig

My post last week on the lack of storytelling in job descriptions triggered some interesting email exchanges. I especially appreciated Greg Morris who curates “What’s Your Story?” sharing a behind-the-scenes look at his son’s recent experiences in pursuing a job out of college. It turns out that Bank of America actually asks job candidates to …more

How Does Semiconductor Storytelling Play in The Wall Street Journal

We’ve discussed how storytelling techniques can open doors in the business and mainstream media. HP provides a good Exhibit A. By packaging a story on how the University of Minnesota took proceeds from licensing the “code” from Honeycrisp apples to help pay for a supercomputer, they secured interest from Ashlee Vance at The New York …more

A Little About My Story

A Korean publication has asked me to pen a column that offers an insider’s view of Silicon Valley. No question, the business of technology has been globalized with innovation coming from all parts of the world. At the same time, I think it’s fair to say that Silicon Valley, this strip of land that stretches roughly …more