Taking a page from the music industry, I introduced our “greatest storytelling hits” in 2013 pulling from posts published before 2011. Now I’m going back to the well, showcasing some of my favorite posts published between 2011 and 2013. I hope you’ll find that they still have relevance and some spunk. 1. An Open Letter to …more
I have this theory that as our world increasingly tilts toward the digital side, the human touch, the personal touch, becomes more valuable. It’s only a matter of time before a newly minted Stanford MBA makes the rounds on Sand Hill Road trying to raise venture capital for the radical idea of bringing back the …more
That’s exactly what happened last week when CNN covered President Obama’s intention to veto the Keystone XL pipeline that would transport oil from Canada to Mexico. Check out the headline. “Meet the pen Obama used to veto the Keystone XL pipeline.” Obviously, the focus of the story lies on a Presidential decision. Yet, the pen …more
The grab bag makes its second appearance this year. Again, these are topics that can’t quite stand on their own, but I found worth highlighting. Social Buttons for Sale? Go to virtually any online media property and you’ll find two social buttons, Twitter and Facebook. The big two dominate the sharing of media stories. But …more
I spoke on “PR and SEO. No Longer a Match Made in Hell” at the Holmes Innovation Summit last week. In the course of preparing for the talk, I had a Mt. Sinai moment. Imagine the advertising world foisting the term “organic media” on the PR industry to replace “earned media.” We would have a …more
This headline served as the title for my talk at the Holmes Innovation Summit on Tuesday. The pulpit gave me an opportunity to evangelize one of my favorite causes, the opportunity for PR to jump into the SEO game. Stepping back for a minute, the genius of Google’s advertising model for search lies in allowing …more
I saw a LinkedIn study that claimed that 84 percent of B2B executives source social media to make a purchasing decision. Even if the stat is on the high side (skewed by LinkedIn’s agenda), the fact that B2B buyers (like the rest of the human race) spend more time online means more time on social …more
In conducting our storytelling workshops, the concept of contrast is one technique that always resonates with participants. I think of contrast as a poor man’s failure. Several posts have highlighted the power of failure in lifting a narrative, but most companies won’t go there. When was the last time a CEO barked “OK, let’s focus …more
I attended the Joint Venture Silicon Valley (JVSV) annual conference last week, which in essence delivers the Valley’s version of the State of the Union. Silicon Valley being Silicon Valley, no byte was left unturned. What’s called the Silicon Valley Index packs enough information to appease the most strident data scientist. Want to know how …more
