David Ogilvy penned his infamous advice on writing on Sept. 7, 1982 in a memo to his employees. His point of view still has relevance for anyone who touches business communications, not just the jingle jockeys and slogan makers. Still, they could use a refresh for 2020. Toward this end, I’ve captured Ogilvy’s 10 …more
Update: I dusted off this post because the content remains relevant today. The President continues to struggle with the concept of delivering a clear and consistent message. Yet, he’s a “natural” at generating earned media. . Before addressing the question, let’s consider the high-level objectives of the typical communications campaign. Increase awareness, often in …more
There. I’ve said it. You can officially classify me as a heretic. My viewpoint started to form in 1983 when I landed my first job at a PR agency. Shortly after, the big boss decided I was ready to support our client Philips at COMDEX — THE computer show at the time (eventually bulldozed by …more
By Eric van Damme, The Hoffman Agency London “Mic check, 1,2” Those were the first words recorded in our podcast studio after some time experimenting what the best setup would be to launch our own audio sessions. Rewind to a few months ago, and I would have told you confidently that it would be …more
By Frank Zhang, DGM Hoffman China Sitting on the train from Shanghai to Wenzhou, I had time to contemplate a simple question: What were students from Wenzhou-Kean University, a Chinese-American jointly established higher education institution, expecting to hear from an international communications consultancy? I arrived at the venue 30 minutes early. It turns out …more
I’m not a big of fan of research on journalists. The studies always “reveal” the same core points: Don’t mass blast email pitches to journalists. Offer a point of view, not vanilla commentary. Stop foisting non-disclosure agreements on us. Read the room (understand the journalist’s readership). Corporate speak dulls the senses. There should be …more
I rarely use this real estate to talk about the Agency, much less brag about the Agency. As we coach our clients, no one likes the person who comes off as “OK, enough about me. Now let’s talk about me.” Today I’m making an exception. The Holmes Report recognized our Asia Pacific team as the …more
We announced today that Syreeta Mussante will take on the role of North America managing director (standardizing our titles for geo heads across the globe) joining us after five years at the Bateman Group. She follows in the footsteps of Steve Burkhart who is retiring from day-to-day consultancy life. Rather than pull out …more
By Alannah McDermott, Intern Imagine yourself sitting at a table, staring down at a pile of puzzle pieces. With determination and a hint of intimidation, you push aside the pile and place one small piece in front of you. This is where you’ll begin. As you reach for another piece, you notice it’s …more
