Nobody likes airports. Dealing with the security gauntlet at airports is right up there with going to the dentist and watching Brady Bunch rerurns. Naturally, the organization behind airport security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), finds itself image-challenged. To borrow from Shakespeare, the TSA does experience “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Still, I give …more
One of our young account professionals, Melissa Lewelling, will be headed to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival next month. Out of literally thousands of films, her creation called “More Than a Number” was one of 30 films selected by Campus Movie Fest to be shown in the Short Film Corner. Her film takes a raw look …more
Since Lee Kuan Yew’s passing, every media outlet in the free and not-so-free world has chronicled his accomplishments. If you haven’t spent time in Southeast Asia, it’s hard to appreciate the “miracle” of transforming this speck of geography into a world-class economy. It’s not quite Moses parting the Red Sea, but it’s close. I …more
I’m not referring to fiction or fabrication. The question relates to the role of storytelling techniques in the HR function. The question also happened to be the thrust of my talk at the Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS) conference last week in Hong Kong. It turns out that one can make an argument for HR more …more
The grab bag post is back. Here goes. Visual Storytelling from VentureBeat VentureBeat publishes stories every day on the latest startups to secure venture funding. As you might imagine, the visuals that usually accompany these stories might be called uninspiring (to be kind). So I enjoyed the double entendre when VentureBeat channeled Breaking Bad in …more
There are times when it’s just not possible to say what you want to say in a headline and also optimize that headline for SEO. This is one of those times. The Bulldog Digital Awards recently named my blog as “Best Blog for PR Agency/Consultancy” with the gold designation. I’m thankful that the judges didn’t …more
Public relations at its best acts as the conscience of a company. Here’s what I mean. Companies often go through the painstaking exercise of crafting a mission or values statement. For example Starbucks adheres to the following values: Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome. Acting with courage, challenging the status …more
Would you have reached this point if the headline simply read, “A Plea for Your Input on the Name ‘Ishmaels’ Corner’?” It doesn’t matter. You’re here; clickbait be damned. Here’ the situation. The “look and feel” of my blog harkens back to a time when AOL dominated and MySpace was hot. I believe my first …more
I’m sorry to see Gigaom go under. The media property produced a quality product in the form of journalism with fresh takes. Anyone can provoke. Gigaom provoked with intelligence. It was fitting that Gigaom communicated the news with raw honesty: “Gigaom recently became unable to pay its creditors in full at this time. As a …more
