Words matter. To be more specific, our choice of words goes a long way in determining the perception of others (just ask Netflix). This concept beautifully comes to life in the video, “The Power of Words.” Andrea Gardner, who heads the online marketing firm Purplefeather based in London, created the video. Her sense of storytelling …more
How can you not like a guy who puts in his official bio: As an entrepreneur, he has founded dozens of companies, most of which failed. Seth Godin brings many dimensions to the marketing discipline not the least being levity. A believer in the art of storytelling, he penned the book “All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of …more
Let’s start with the positive side. Netflix customers passionately care about the service. Every time Kellogg’s raises the price of Pop-Tarts, you don’t even hear a whimper. But the Netflix customer base responded with the emotional fervor of a South American futbol match. Why? Take a look at the blog post announcing the pricing change. After laying out …more
I haven’t. Until now. Welcome to U.S. District Court of California with the Honorable John F. Walter presiding over the spat between the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and Zediva, which rents DVDs online. One quick housekeeping note – While we support Zediva on the PR front, we had no involvment with the brief. I’m guessing I’ve read through 100 or so …more
I shared five of my favorite posts from the past six months yesterday. Here’s the second half of the list. 6) Book Review: Entertainment Value Of “Tell To Win” Sugarcoats Lessons In Storytelling I liked the fact that Peter Guber’s book “Tell To Win” brought more attention to the business storytelling cause. In spite of the …more
Welcome to the midway point of 2011. Time flies when you’re telling stories. I’ve captured my top-10 list from the past six months. 1) Q&A With 12-year-old Creator Of “Good Morning Geek,” Max Swisher This interview with Max shows that blogging wisdom comes from all quarters. Of course, I had to ply Max with hot cocoa to …more
Jeff Vance has figured out PR is not the enemy. He’s the guy behind Sandstorm Media, a service that straddles the line between journalism and content marketing. As a contributor to publications ranging from Forbes.com to Network World, his database of PR contacts essentially serves as a tool for crowd sourcing story ideas and industry …more
The New York Times recently wrote about Bloomberg TV’s quest for a larger audience. Trevor Fellows, an exec with Bloomberg Media Group, brashly stated: “We want to be the most influential business television station there is.” He goes on to say, “We’re fiercely independent, fiercely rational.” Somehow, I don’t think this was a dig at …more
When it comes to writing that amuses, Christopher Buckley makes my top-10 list. “Thank You For Smoking” should be required reading for anyone contemplating the communications profession. The scene when the PR guy for the tobacco industry turns the table on the senator from Wisconsin by spotlighting artery-clogging cheese is a classic. Buckley’s review of the book “On China …more
