September 23, 2013 was not a good day for those of us who toil in building digital presence. While there had been a steady rise in “not provided” [keywords] for some time, that was the day that Google virtually eliminated keyword capture from the GA dashboard. Fortunately, there is still a way to dig out …more
An online media property in Hong Kong called House News called it quits last weekend. If you go to www.thehousenews.com, you’ll be greeted with a letter in Chinese from one of the publication’s founders, Tony Tsoi on the “why.” Before turning attention to the writing in the letter, I must say that it’s disturbing to …more
Wednesday’s post featured half of the list capturing my top storytelling techniques posts from the first half of 2014, including the American Chemistry Association breaking down the composition of Sriracha. Today brings the second half. PR’s Digital Opportunity Will Come at the Expense of SEO Consultancies We’ve been quietly executing campaigns that blend the principles …more
I’m tardy in capturing the best business storytelling posts during the first half of 2014. As always, figuring out the “best” combines popularity (number of views) and what rated high on my personal amusement scale. Here goes: Can You Measure Storytelling in Your Media Relations Effort? It turns out you can (and we do). Simply …more
Unfortunately, that’s how Stephen Elop, EVP over Microsoft’s Devices & Services business unit, communicated the company’s decision to reduce its workforce by 12,500 people (or 18,000, depending on who we believe). I don’t expect Mr. Elop to be a skilled communicator, much less command writing expertise. And I appreciate that a letter such as this one …more
More to the point, do they fortify the McDonald’s brand? I can understand McDonald’s quest to associate with suppliers who take a certain “hand-crafted” approach to their products. The message serves as a counterbalance to the perception that McDonald’s is all about volume production. Stepping back for a moment, the execution of this campaign is …more
I invented the grab bag post as a forum to share three vignettes on business storytelling that otherwise couldn’t stand on their own. And here’s the latest … Serendipitous Nature of Social Media Breaks LeBron James News on My Twitter Feed On Friday LeBron James officially announced that he is taking his talents back to …more
There’s no question that the rise of owned media has both emboldened companies and shaped more of a peer-to-peer relationship with journalists. In the old days, if a company took issue with a critical article, it might write a letter to editor, contact the publication’s ombudsman or cajole a correction out of the journalist’s boss. …more
A Look at the Publication Headlines from Countries Bounced from the Start of the World Cup Knock-out Round We already know the answer to the headline question. Virtually every great novel and movie depend on failure to bring tension to the story. And are there few things more painful than seeing your country fight its …more
