Observing the spate of recent public debacles has caused me to revisit what makes for the most effective outbound communications. At the 10K-foot level, it requires the management of a company and the communications function to be on the same page. I’m not talking about being in sync with regards to the pristine messages in a news release. …more
Don Ranley taught at the Missouri School of Journalism for 32 years. He has conducted more than 1,000 writing, editing and publishing seminars. And let’s not forget he reported for the “The Catholic Herald Citizen” (weekly, circ. 180,000) in Milwaukee from 1966-1967. In short, here’s a guy who’s knows a thing or two about storytelling. I connected with Don last week after …more
The quandary on how to best deploy different media types to build brands will be with us for some time. Just because Facebook worked in Egypt doesn’t automatically mean the platform positions your company as revolutionary. By virtue of being part art part science and the dynamic nature of the internet, there’s plenty of complexity in the media …more
I’m convinced the craft of interviewing is one of the most undervalued skills in corporate storytelling. Consider PR’s version of what came first, the chicken or the egg. Would you rather enjoy an excellent relationship with a journalist, but be stuck with lame content? Or would you rather have man-bites-dog content, but no relationship with the journalist? I’ll take the …more
Long-form journalism remains a mainstay of sports. I consider Sports Illustrated one of those pleasures up there with the “Dining Section” in the New York Times and the Red Sea blend from Philz Coffee. A story in last week’s edition on Jason Kidd called “The Old Man And The Heat,” caught my attention. First, it’s great to see …more
I rarely use this forum to discuss the Agency’s work. Today, I’m making an exception. We’ve been preparing to launch a start-up venture called SuVolta. What does SuVolta make? Another product that fits under the social networking umbrella? A web infrastructure play? Not exactly. SuVolta has invented a technology that greatly reduces the amount of power …more
Naturally, this New York Times headline from last week caught my attention: “Funny or Die: Groupon’s Fate Hinges on Words” The piece goes on to explain that Groupon differentiates through words, depending on storytelling techniques as its version of Google’s search algorithm. Here’s what the NYT article doesn’t say. You don’t need the narrative gifts of a Hemingway …more
I took the “story” on the road during the month of May. As a closet introvert, I make a conscious effort to push myself beyond cubicleland. Here’s a snapshot of how May played out. UnGeeked Elite in Chicago (May 12) Cd Vann has created the “uncola” of gathering. The speakers are charged with leading a discussion, not pontificating via a slide …more
There are certain storylines that never go out of style. David slays Goliath. Greed isn’t good. (Sorry, Gordy.) Etc. Variations of these themes serve as springboards to business stories all the time. While I don’t think it’s going to become a classic, Alcoa deserves credit for coining a phrase that demands attention: Smog-eating building One …more
