The AdAge headline screamed “B-to-B Content Fails to Engage Users.” Forrester Research graded 30 B2B websites based on 10 criteria reflecting the engagement level of the content. The results weren’t pretty. With 30 points possible, the average score was a mere 12.8. “The biggest problem is that the majority of content talks about the company, …more
The executive quote serves as a mainstay of PR-generated content from news releases to prepared statements. With rare exception, they’re dreadful. It’s as if each quote goes through the following process in which a conscious effort is made to squeeze out any semblance of humanity: The upshot — PR ends up crafting quotes like this …more
Regardless of your politics, no president has brought out the humanity of the Oval Office like President Obama. How much comes from President Obama himself as opposed to his advisers? The question misses the point. He gets it or he wouldn’t sign off. As exhibit A, take a look at the statement from President Obama …more
It seems like every Crisis 101 playbook now includes taking out full page ads in a cross section of national and metro dailies to publish an open letter from the CEO. The tactic gives the company under siege the opportunity to control the narrative. It can be effective as long as the company surrounds the …more
Every company correlates the recruitment of top talent to long-term success. Yet, companies continue to churn out job descriptions like soulless widgets on an assembly line. Even in Silicon Valley where rule-breaking serves as a badge of honor, job descriptions get zero respect. I wrote last summer that 99 percent of companies borrow from the …more
We’ve all done it. We sandwich the most vanilla verb with a noun or two and gushing adjectives and end up with an executive quote that communicates absolutely nothing. It’s such a waste, particularly in today’s media environment in which journalists are moving so quickly they increasingly need a quick way to plug in a …more
I mentioned I spoke at a conference last week in Asheville, North Carolina. In the course of exploring Asheville after the conference, my wife Heather and I landed at the Tupelo Honey Cafe for breakfast. To borrow from Crocodile Dundee, “Now that’s a biscuit … with homemade blueberry jam.” I chased the biscuit with an order of sweet …more
The letter to the customer posted on one’s website offers the perfect forum for storytelling. Because you’re in control. While I chastised Toyota for its customer letter addressing the recall, I also recognize the attorney factor during a crisis warrants a handicap. Which brings me to Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos. No question, Mr. …more
An essay in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal makes an argument that U.S. students need to spend more time in the classroom. We learn that kids in China attend school 41 days a year more than their American brethren. The author, Chester E. Finn Jr., goes on to roll out stat after stat – the typical …more
