Archive: April 2014

MENU

Words Matter

  You would think every company would prefer to communicate in a way that connects with the audience. Yet, business writing often comes off as mechanical or at best perfunctory. The crazy part is that it doesn’t take true expertise to write with a touch of warmth. It’s more of an attitude. Do you want …more

Omnicom and Publicis Finding It Tough to Stay on Message

The couple looked so happy after the big day. Now as the “sausage making” behind the Omnicom/Publicis merger makes its way to public view, you might want to close your eyes. It’s not pretty. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that “battles over power and position” threaten to torpedo the merger. Sounds like the …more

Six PR Insights from the Pew Research Center’s State of the Media 2014

  . The Pew Research Center’s annual State of the News Media should be required reading for PR professionals. While I took issue with last year’s study – struggled to make sense of the overlap between journalism and business storytelling – the 2014 report is back on track. I’ve highlighted six points with relevance to …more

Genius Storytelling Techniques from the American Chemical Society

That’s right. The same folks who publish “the molecule of the week” and find humor in the periodic table have cracked the mainstream with storytelling techniques worthy of a big brand. Before jumping to the tactic, it’s useful to rewind the tape to Nov. 27, 2013. That’s when the Los Angeles County court sided with …more

For Those Who Tilt Toward Words, Here’s How to Improve Your Presentations

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a senior exec at a Fortune 500 company or manage the A1 Car Wash in Albuquerque, the ability to communicate impacts job performance. For many, this extends to the dreaded presentation. You can find advice on this topic rivaling how to lose weight and make money selling timeshare condos. Here’s …more

What Does a Cold and Heartless Narrative Look Like in the Business World?

/p> Such storytelling isn’t easy to find. When organizations and consultants go through branding exercises and come to be part of associating words with their brands, they rarely highlight “cold” or “heartless” (suppose someone selling ice fishing equipment might go for “cold.”). After scouring the Web I finally found one. Meet Nick Murray, a self-professed …more

Does Your Public Relations Effort Include a Mobile Strategy?

You don’t need to be a data scientist to figure out that the world is going mobile. The sales of mobile phones and tablets tell this story as does Apple’s cash hoard, $158 billion as of January 2014. Along a similar line, eMarketeer projects that mobile ad revenue will triple over the next three years. …more

Transmedia Branding E-book from USC Professor Delivers Excellent Primer

“Branding is in a state of disruption and re-invention. Recent advances in Internet and consumer technologies have put professional branding tools in the hands of consumers. Everyday people – as individuals and as communities – are appropriating, remixing and recirculating brand icons beyond the control of those who have historically shepherded the brand.” So states …more

What Came First in Business, the Story or the Deed?

Bloomberg Businessweek published an article by Ty Montague back in September, “Is Your Company a Storyteller? Or a Storydoer?” After a quick scan, I determined the piece focused on storytelling in business and tweeted out the link. In a weird juxtaposition of social sharing, a retweet of my original missive (thank you Runar from Oslo) …more