I espoused the virtues of the humble news release as a link-building tool to Mashable some time ago and continue to believe in this tactic. We apply this thinking in cultivating our own brand. For example, we distributed a news release on our new U.S. general manager last week that generated syndicated pickup in a …more
I find these grab-bag posts work as a way to share information and thoughts that individually aren’t rich enough to justify a standalone post. Three quick vignettes: Corporate Blogging: Not a Field of Dreams Between our corporate blogging workshops and consulting on the topic, we find this visual makes a good springboard into discussions. USA …more
It doesn’t matter whether you sell mobile phones or tractors, customers want to feel there’s a real human being on the other side of the transaction. That’s why Intel, a semiconductor company, posted on tattoos. Even Dick Costolo, the CEO of Twitter, has espoused on the topic: It’s fun to be the customer of a …more
Steve Burkhart recently joined The Hoffman Agency as U.S. general manager. The news release shares the facts. This Q&A with Steve probes the intangibles. Nicely deflecting the tough questions, Steve manages to tell stories and still stay on message. Q. Consider this an official welcome to the team. A. Thanks. I am very excited …more
The best global brands recognize that their communications must be tailored to the local markets. Last year two of our account folks in our Japan office penned a post that examined how Sony created two different videos for the same camera, one for the U.S. market and the other for the Japanese market. Today, Jiyoung …more
Here’s another grab-bag post, capturing a smattering of thoughts related to storytelling techniques. Apple Ads Didn’t Always Display a Certain Panache Apple has done such a masterful job in creating its “look and feel,” one forgets the evolutionary process behind the brand. Check out the print ad below signed off by Mr. Jobs in the …more
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook trekked to China in late March to show the world that Apple cares. After the damning New York Times report, “In China, Human Costs Are Built Into An iPad,” Apple wanted to specifically connect with what goes on behind the curtain in the making of its products. I noticed that photos …more
USA Today published a story on corporate blogging last week. The journalist asked us for input. One of our comments made the actual article. So far, so good. It’s not every day a communications consultancy makes the USA Today Money section (albeit below the fold). We’re doing more work in the area of corporate blogging …more
Customer case studies that examine the deployment of technology tend to be dull. Most follow a formula: Here’s the problem It was a horrible Fortunately, ACME Technology came to the rescue Snapshot of the product(s) from ACME It was easy to install Here’s how we did it Quantify the benefits We’re thrilled Not exactly scintillating …more
