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If You Care About Storytelling, Bookmark “Why’s This So Good?"

Don’t let the words fool you. This isn’t the latest addition to the Food Network. “Why’s This So Good?” comes from Nieman Storyboard, part of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Enjoyed the way Andrea Pitzer describes the new feature: “… we thought it would be intriguing to host a series of one-off posts by …more

The Anecdote Earns Assist in Jason Kidd Story

Long-form journalism remains a mainstay of sports. I consider Sports Illustrated one of those pleasures up there with the “Dining Section” in the New York Times and the Red Sea blend from Philz Coffee. A story in last week’s edition on Jason Kidd called “The Old Man And The Heat,” caught my attention. First, it’s great to see …more

When Storytelling Morphs Into “Laying It On Thick”

One doesn’t typically think of the humble news release as a storytelling platform. Savvy communicators have proven otherwise with examples ranging from Gold’s Gym (Fit for a Phone) to our own recent work for Zediva. But is it possible to take the storytelling in a news release too far? Try to guess the product category in …more

UPS Ad Doesn’t Deliver

I’ve been impressed by UPS and how the company’s PR team embraces storytelling techniques. I highlighted how UPS landed a Journal article around training, not the type of topic that typically cracks a national daily. A second post on UPS analyzed BusinessWeek Bloomberg coverage titled “Squeezing More Out of Brown.” UPS gets it. Which is why I was so surprised …more

Social Media Meets Corporate Storytelling: The Good, The Bad, The Unauthentic

That’s the title of the IABC lunch panel that takes place in Silicon Valley on April 21. I have the pleasure of joining social media guru Steve Farnsworth for what should be a lively discussion. Steve does believe in storytelling. And I absolutely embrace social media. Still, there’s plenty of provocative turf to navigate around these two areas. …more

Top Five Predictions For Silicon Valley In 2011

I write a column on Silicon Valley for a tech publication in Korea called The Electronics Times. The editor asked me to take a shot at predicting what will happen in Silicon Valley in 2011. Here’s what got edited out of the column (apparently storytelling techniques with a touch of levity don’t resonate overseas): The …more

A Mass Comms Curriculum Alone Short-sheets Tomorrow’s PR Pro

I was delighted when Steve Farnsworth asked me to contribute a guest post to his blog. The content follows. While it’s not exactly focused on storytelling, it still falls under the communications umbrella. Steve originally approached me to share my perspective on the changing role of internal PR practitioners. No question, the economic downturn has …more

If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words, What’s The “Value” Of Video?

When YouTube debuted, I remember thinking what’s all the fuss? You obviously don’t want me reading tarot cards at the local county fair. Universal McCann’s study on social media on video traction shows that more than 80 percent of Internet users watch video online: With that said, I don’t know if anyone predicted that video would …more