For global companies founded in the U.S., Donald Trump’s election has the potential to dishearten and even divide their employees working overseas. This sentiment doesn’t necessarily show up on Facebook or Twitter or other public forums. Instead, it’s water cooler chatter and emails, wondering if their company’s character will take on the hue of Donald …more
Spending time in Singapore at the start of the month to celebrate our 20-year anniversary of operating in Asia included a few interviews with journalists. Here’s the unfiltered version of a Q&A that touches on topics ranging from the future of communications to our differentiation. Q. Happy 20th Anniversary on your operation in Asia! Can …more
Today finds me in Singapore with my wife Heather and my parents celebrating the Agency’s 20-year anniversary of expanding to Asia. A quick back story — I wanted to open an office in Asia in 1994, but couldn’t muster the guts to hit the go-for-it button. I kept thinking if establishing a tech-focused PR consultancy …more
Our U.S. offices tried an experiment this year. Straying from convention, we decided to give everyone a jump on the weekend by calling Friday at 2 p.m. “closing time” (cue the Matchbox 20 song). So how did folks spend the time? Here are some of the back stories. A Sunny Day of Music …more
Persuasive language has a say in the success or failure of virtually every job (ventriloquists get a pass). It doesn’t matter whether you manage a juice bar or lead a Fortune 500 company, the ability to win others over to your point of view matters. The word “others” covers a lot of ground, but let’s …more
Why don’t companies care about job descriptions? It makes no sense. Every company claims “people are our most valuable asset.” Every company is fighting competitors for talent. Every company recognizes that first impressions count. Yet, most companies churn out job descriptions that sound like they came from the same HR 101 handbook. The end result …more
The Agency opened its doors in Asia on Oct. 20, 1996. It has been an amazing, fun, torturous, weird, satisfying, frustrating and enlightening run. 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
Minus the pomp and circumstance, I joined our U.S. GM Steve Burkhart in delivering the State of the Agency to our U.S. staff this week. I look forward to the presentation and the give and take with the team. The preparation forces me to step away from the day-to-day fray, take a breath, enjoy a …more
Given the blog’s quest to serve as an industry resource, it’s rare that a post focus on Agency work. Today is an exception. I asked Idran Junadi, an account director in our Singapore office before taking a PR role with Oracle, to write about a campaign because it shows the power of storytelling techniques in …more
