You would think every company would prefer to communicate in a way that connects with people. After all, before segmenting the target audience, we know the objective is to reach people. Yet, business writing often comes off as mechanical and even stiff. Do you want the narrative to sound like it comes from an actual …more
Whoever said there’s no such thing as “bad PR” never held a press conference at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping in Philadelphia. No matter how much Republicans try to change the narrative —Hey, we thought it was time for something less formal — Trump’s chronology of tweets tells the story (source: @sissenberg). Noah …more
I first touted the virtues of the “word visual” in 2014. For those not familiar with this technique, the idea is to use the words (or typography) to drive the action while minimizing the need for design expertise. The image above borrowing the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld falls in the “word visual” category. Most “word …more
Is there such a thing as “strategically stupid”? Is it possible to be “strategically stupid”? These are big questions for our time right up there with why are grocery stores running out of sweet pickle relish and should the Post Office merge with the Federal Election Commission? OK, let’s break it down. The adverb talks …more
By Chris Owen, Hoffman UK Director Def: ‘Light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.’ To date, we’ve looked at Tragedy and Rebirth as two of the Seven Basic Plots which …more
By Mark Pinsent, Managing Director, Hoffman Europe As we all know, one of the immediate impacts of the global pandemic has been the inability to meet face-to-face in any size of group, however small. And given that a significant part of our business sector is centered on doing exactly that, we’ve seen a quick shift …more
I’ve avoided clickbait for nearly nine years and 1,096 posts … until now. The headline for this post definitely qualifies as clickbait. You’re not going to find a video on Kim Kardashian dissing her mom. With that said, watching my mom share her unfiltered insights on the business of public relations does offer …more
People tend to underrate being nice. Some might even consider being nice is a sign of weakness. As the Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher famously put it, “Nice guys finish last.” I don’t believe that was true in 1946, and I definitely don’t believe that’s true today. In today’s environment, when we cross paths with …more
I came across this video “Never Estimate the Power of a Great Story” back in 2009. Even knowing the ending, the humor still slaps you across the face. After a recent watch, I realized the video delivers a few pain-free lessons in business storytelling. . Sure, the protagonist manages to escape death several times — machine …more
