Observing Facebook navigate the onslaught of negative media coverage fueled by the Cambridge Analytics fiasco and Russian operatives using Facebook advertising to advance their cause, I wanted to revisit reputation management and being ready when things don’t go according to plan. Virtually every organization experiences a point in time that feels like a demolition derby. …more
This wacky business of PR isn’t easy to understand if you’re standing on the outside. I was curious about how much my mom had absorbed on the PR profession through sheer osmosis and interviewed her a few years back on the topic. Armed with an iPhone and my trusty videographer — that would be my …more
Most of those in the over-50 crowd remember a movie called “Wall Street.” The main character is played by Michael Douglas, and he exclaims what became a famous line back then in describing the attitude of those in finance, “Greed is good.” If Hollywood were to create a movie called “PR Street” with Michael Douglas, …more
As colleges get ready to unleash their 2018 graduates, the economic principle of supply and demand comes into play. To put it bluntly, the supply of college grads far exceeds the number of open entry-level jobs. As someone who literally couldn’t give himself away for free — after graduation I wrote to over 10 advertising …more
I can’t say I’m a fan of procurement. I recognize that every company wants value in its purchases. Yet, procurement’s behavior often reflects a singular mission: secure the cheapest price point possible. I also find that procurement often takes the same approach to selecting PR services as pitting Walmart against Costco in buying soda pop. …more
The Agency opened its doors in Asia on October 20, 1996. It has been an amazing, fun, torturous, weird, satisfying, frustrating and enlightening adventure. I made my first trip to Asia in 1994 as part of a press tour for Hyundai Electronics (now known as Hynix). After researching PR resources in that part of the …more
The grab bag post makes its 2018 debut. For new readers, this is where I take three shards of content that by themselves can’t carry a story and bundle them together in one post. Here goes. Can a HK Daily Become an International Read? When Jack Ma and Alibaba plucked down $266M at the …more
The idea of pulling from multiple marketing services agencies to create a single team to serve a large client isn’t a new idea. This is one of the more effective ways that the large holding companies throw around their weight. Omnicom used this model to win the McDonald’s ad business last year. WPP won the …more
By Shingo Nomura, Vice President, North Asia for The Hoffman Agency I joined The Hoffman Agency to lead its Japan office in 2002. After roughly four years at a traditional local PR company in Japan, I found the idea of blending a Silicon Valley mentality with the Japanese way quite appealing. While I didn’t understand …more
