Archive: 2018

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And the Winner for the Worst Communications Award in 2018 Goes to …

The Saudi Arabian government. Let’s give the Crown Prince a round of applause for the entry, “The gang that can’t talk straight.” Before going further, the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was an act against humanity. I am by no means making light of it. As I followed the …more

Did Social Media Humanize McKinsey Too Much?

I think we can all agree that a consultancy does not want to see this headline on the cover of The New York Times. “Turning Tyranny Into a Client”     That’s the headline that greeted the good folks at McKinsey over Sunday brunch. As discussed last week, the clients of a professional services firm …more

The Ethics of PR Consultancies in “Choosing” Clients

As the world becomes increasingly transparent, professional service firms need to know more about their clients and their potential clients. You may have read how the management consulting firm McKinsey took on an assignment with the South African government and the state-owned power company, Eskom. The story did NOT have a happy ending, tarring the …more

Home for the Holidays: A Hoffman Look at Volunteering

By Melissa Lewelling, Senior Account Executive In a region with increasing disparity in wealth, I am one of the statistics that (by logical rhyme and reason) shouldn’t exist. I remember standing in the fog of the early morning before kindergarten waiting for the Salvation Army to open so we could eat that week. I remember …more

The Biggest Barrier Between PR and Creativity Is …

If you asked 1,000 people which profession is more creative, advertising or PR, I suspect 997 would say advertising (figuring the outlier dynamic at .003 percent). After all, advertising delivers those 30-second TV commercials that tug at the heartstrings or prompt laughter. They sell beer by teasing out a classic story arc depicting a horse …more

White House Offers Lesson in How Not to Persuade

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I intended to slide into the holiday on a happy note. But I can’t leave alone the White House statement on Saudi Arabia and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It turns out that Trump didn’t care whether Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was behind the murder or not. He …more

A Behind-the-curtain Look at EE Times’ Bigger Picture

By Jaime Hamilton, Account Coordinator   For EE Times, the days of thinking small are over. Marked by an October 1 relaunch, the publication embarked down a new path that combines an aesthetic upgrade with fortified substance — all-encompassed by a new mantra: Think Big. “We, as editors, were trained to think small as our …more

Intel Cracks the Code on News Release Structure

The news release resembles a cockroach. It survives in spite of the odds that say it should have died long ago. PR pros recognize the pressure on journalists to write fresh stories that don’t rely on information in the public domain. And journalists aren’t exactly fans of the news release. A couple of years ago …more

Sprout Agency Partner Summit 2018 – The Hoffman Agency CliffsNotes

By Sarah Collins, Senior Account Executive   A career in public relations inherently keeps you on your toes. Although it may seem that no two days within a week are the same, as creatures of habit, we unavoidably fall into routines from time to time. I try my best to prevent that and personally believe …more