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I’m tardy in pulling together a curated list of the best posts in H1 of this year.

I suppose the big one-oh distracted me.

As always, I start with the caveat that these posts don’t necessarily represent the most popular posts — the ones that got most clicks. It’s me, not the Google Analytics dashboard, grading the content.

Here goes …

 

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1. Procurement’s Quest For “Cheapest” Results In Tick-the-Box PR

I’m not a fan of Procurement. I’ve encountered one procurement department over the past five years whose behavior and decisions reflected the end goal of delivering the best communications results possible. (Come on down, Adobe.) Too often, the always uttered phrase, “We’re here to help,” turns into a bear hug until the agency finally says “Uncle” to Procurement’s price point.

 

2. “Show,” Don’t “Tell” Optimizes Storytelling

500 days of summer

In business communications, it’s easy to turn to adjectives and adverbs as crutches to advance the narrative. There’s also a tendency to jump to the point as quickly as possible, which can mean cutting out what might be viewed as superfluous details. Yet, these same details can help shape and bring a certain realness to the communications. The narration that starts “500 Days of Summer” offers the backdrop for “show, don’t tell.”

 

3. Translating a Silicon Valley Culture in Japan

This is one of the best guest posts ever published on the blog. Our VP of North Asia and GM of Japan, Shingo Nomura, takes the reader behind the curtain to show how his team has broken down the barriers that permeate traditional Japanese companies. By blending the best of Silicon Valley culture and Japanese culture, Shingo once again has the Japan office on a growth track.

 

4. Elon Musk Claims the Media Favors Fossil Fuel Companies and Gas Car Makers Who Advertise. The Data Says Otherwise.

Elon Musk is good TV. Does the media attention that comes his way build Tesla’s brand and resonate with potential buyers? Not always. When Mr. Musk put forth the hypothesis that the media favored the establishment over Tesla, we conducted the research that proved otherwise.

 

5. Breakdown of the State of the PR Industry

If Hollywood were to create a movie called “PR Street” with Michael Douglas, he would declare “Chaos is good.”

Because part of the role of communications, particularly in the tech sector, is helping the outside world make sense of complexity and eliminate confusion. Inevitably, chaos generates the very complexity and confusion that we help our clients or companies address. This post steps back, takes a breath and looks at the state of the PR industry.

 

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I’ll publish the second half of the list on Wednesday.

I made a conscious effort to fight the gravitational pull of President Trump as fodder for the blog. Still, two Trumpian posts cracked the Top 10.

See you on Wednesday.


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