Weddings take place in Vegas every day. Yet, I think I can safely say the Sony wedding at CES between the TV and Internet was a first. I promised last week to investigate the wedding and report back to you. Conversations with sources led me to Ray Hartjen, senior PR manager at Sony Electronics who teamed with Rob …more
Big companies gravitate toward the status quo. Big companies also typically take themselves way too seriously. That’s why it was refreshing to see Sony take a chance and yes, have some fun, holding a wedding in Vegas yesterday between Bravia (Television) and SEN (Internet). You can find the back stories in the form of a scrapbook. Naturally, the …more
We recently completed a brand audit for a company outside the tech sector. To borrow from the legal profession, I love the “discovery” that comes from this type of work. In talking to the executives about branding, Southwest Airlines kept surfacing. It’s impressive how Southwest has carved out a distinctive position in the mind of …more
I said I would experiment in 2011, and experiment I did. Most experiments involved exploring media-like qualities like books reviews, interviews and reverse-engineering storytelling in the media. I think it’s fair to say these types of posts added a touch of panache to this corner. I also learned that crafting a proper Q&A from a …more
I started the count down yesterday. Today, I continue with the rest of my top 10 posts from 2011. What’s The Story With Netflix? You don’t hear complaints when Kellogg’s raises the price of Pop-Tarts. But the Netflix customer base responded to a price increase with the emotional fervor of a South American futbol match. After losing millions of …more
We need a better cliché than “time flies by.” With 2011 in wind-down mode, I’ve captured what I consider to be my top 10 posts from the year. Some got the nod from sheer number of views. Others were personal favorites. I’ve split the list in half with the initial five today and the rest …more
Many people dread Wednesday, the “hump day” of the work week. I, on the other hand, can’t wait for Wednesday and cruising through the Dining section of The New York Times. For my money, the best storytelling in daily newspapers can be found here. Sure, the journalists are skilled writers, but it’s their expertise in both finding …more
Consider how the media differentiates itself. By being first. By being the only media property with a particular story. Storytelling. Analysis that makes sense of an event. For wire services such as Associated Press, we associate success with breaking news. That’s why the recent memo from Michael Oreskes, senior managing editor at the Associated Press, …more
The difference between classic storytelling and applying storytelling techniques to business communications often comes down to this— Storytelling in business does not require a full narrative. Just one wrinkle can be enough to elevate a story. Take a look at the story below on a new coffee maker in Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Do you have any idea …more
