This quote from John F. Kennedy is one of my favorites and definitely relevant to the Agency’s trajectory. Last year was the first time in our history that all geographies — Asia, the U.S. and Europe — generated double-digit growth. From this position of strength, we’ve made several recent changes, including the hiring of Mark …more
Communications debacle after debacle have riddled the Trump administration, the latest involving the firing of FBI Director James Comey. TIME Magazine called the Comey firing “a gross miscalculation, like reaching for the gasoline can in order to extinguish a grease fire.” Naturally, Trump’s knee-jerk reaction was to throw press secretary Sean Spicer under the bus. …more
We learned earlier this month that The Holmes Report named us one of five finalists for Tech Agency of the Year in the U.S. While some pooh-pooh awards, I view the Holmes Report recognition as a big deal. Our staff works damn hard. They deliver outstanding work. Why shouldn’t they bask in a touch of …more
The Internet has commoditized — and continues to commoditize — the news release. Yet, there’s still a time and place for the humble news release. And when the mission calls for this tactic, it’s logical to craft the narrative so it has the greatest probability of resonating with journalists. I came across a LinkedIn post …more
The quest by both brands and publications to fool the reader continues. In response, the FTC has made a push for disclosure on sponsored content and native advertising. But what about the online search for news? I was reminded of this challenge during a client campaign that included a sponsored content spoke. If you plug …more
Checking email during the morning of February 21, I received a smattering of notes that asked me if I was OK. OK? I didn’t understand. Did they know something nefarious had yet to reach me? Then I came across a note that added the context of a flood in San Jose. Seeing the video footage …more
I enjoy studying journalism. When it comes to business communications, journalists are the masters at storytelling. Highlighting this point, I came across the following from a New York Times review on the new Richard Nixon biography last week: “The similarities between Nixon and Trump leap off the page like crickets.There is, first and most superficially, …more
I’ll be in Portland on April 12 talking at an IABC Oregon luncheon. I plan to use the occasion to explore whether communicators are changing fast enough. The velocity of change in today’s world can be unnerving. Cars that drive themselves. Bursts of 140-character missives that impact the Presidential election. A startup trying to invent …more
Uber’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, posted on the company’s website last week that the hunt is on for a No. 2 executive: “We’re actively looking for a Chief Operating Officer: a peer who can partner with me to write the next chapter in our journey.” While hiring a No. 2 doesn’t guarantee a change in a …more
