Journalists, particularly journalists at business and mainstream publications, show the way when it comes to applying storytelling techniques to business communications. Pick out a story in media properties such as The Atlantic or The New Yorker. Reverse-engineering the content and studying the construction of the story will surface lessons that can be applied in business. …more
I’ve been wanting to use this data for some time. But I needed to allow the statute of limitations to run its course since the data comes from a specific client engagement. The client was Novellus, a player in the semiconductor capital equipment space. It’s been over five years since Lam Research swallowed up Novellus, …more
The wonders of social media periodically dust off commentary long relegated to the archives. So it was with David Ogilvy’s advice on writing that made the rounds on LinkedIn this week. Ogilvy penned these words on Sept. 7, 1982 in a memo to his employees. His point of view has relevance for all business communicators, …more
I wasn’t going to write about the FTC’s latest salvo on native advertising. When the agency announced its “enforcement policy” on Dec. 22, I was focused on making sure there was enough “Bud’s Famous Egg Nog” in the fridge and constructing my argument that binge watching Empire absolutely fits the holiday spirit. But so many …more
I’m a big believer in visual storytelling. This can be a tough one for PR professionals who come from the world of words. Yet, between assignments overlapping into owned media and the increasing use of mobile devices to access content, visual storytelling takes on greater importance. With this in mind, my blog — which doubles …more
There’s no question that 2016 delivered plenty of fodder for storytelling. Thursday’s post included half of the list capturing the top posts from this year. Here’s the rest of the list. 6. Five Storytelling Techniques to Give Business Communications Storytelling is the new “black” when it comes to business communications. But here’s the pachyderm in the …more
I suppose there’s a reason that “time flies” became a cliché. It does. I think 2015 saw a better product from Ishmael’s Corner. It certainly looks better, finally bulldozing the original design and bringing the “look and feel’ into the 21st century. And with Ron Howard resurrecting the “Moby Dick” narrative, a new audience learns …more
The relationship between the media and PR can resemble a tug of war. But it’s not like the tug of war at your grade school birthday party when the mom splits the kids into two equal teams ─ also making sure that the big kids are equally divided ─ and shouts, “Go”! Instead, the media has a clear …more
Minus the pomp and circumstance, I joined our U.S. GM Steve Burkhart in delivering the State of the Agency to our U.S. staff this week. I look forward to the presentation and the give and take with the team. The preparation forces me to step away from the day-to-day fray, take a breath, enjoy a …more
