With a decent stack of potential fodder for a grab bag post, it’s decision time. Here are the three vignettes that made the cut. That’s One Ugly Website If Warren Buffett was willing to take a pay cut, he could slide into the PR world as an account director with virtually no learning curve. His …more
I’ve said this before and continue to believe it. The PR profession under-appreciates interviewing expertise. It starts in college. Try to find a curriculum for mass communications or PR that offers a class on interviewing. Good luck. Every journalism program in the country tackles the art of the interview like this one from the University …more
BuzzFeed has cracked the code on how to attract an audience. This is a media property that regularly generates over 200 billion video views per month and over 50 million unique monthly visitors. Thanks to BuzzFeed, the listicle has become de rigueur for those charged with owned media and social channels. Of course, it’s the BF algorithm — …more
Remember when native advertising promised to rescue online media with a legit revenue stream? Putting the poster children of native advertising such as BuzzFeed, The Atlantic and The New York Times to the side, most of the content is downright dreadful. The defenders are quick to say it’s early days, but its’ been a good …more
Think about the attention that rains down on moms every “Mother’s Day.” Or the amount of money shelled out for chocolate, flowers and other sundry items for Valentine’s Day. Now imagine establishing a national day as a means to elevate a brand, product or issue. Before writing this off as PR once again going off …more
Google wants the best content to win. When a person clicks on the Page 1 results from a Google search and finds useful information, that constitutes a win. As shared in previous posts, Google’s increasing emphasis on content over technical gamesmanship is a good thing for communications professionals. Still, there’s more to it than crafting …more
No, Peter Mayle hasn’t written an abbreviated sequel. But I am feeling the pressure to write a post that’s “stylish, witty and delightfully readable.” How about “simply readable?” Anyway, the tweaked book title portends a looming personal adventure. My wife, Heather, and I head to Aix en Provence today for a seven-week assignment.If the word …more
The science behind persuasive language makes one point clear. Words alone don’t win the day. For speakers, non-verbal communications ranging from posture to voice intonations to dress have just as much impact — some would argue even more — as the actual words in determining how the audience responds. The same dynamic holds true for …more
Everyone seems to think there’s a deep lesson in Donald Trump’s popularity. At the risk of stating the obvious, Furthermore, Americans love a good train wreck. We can’t help ourselves. And one of the few things that will outperform a train wreck is the potential of a train wreck. That’s why the viewing numbers for …more
