Obviously, we’re passionate about applying storytelling techniques to our client campaigns. These are more than words. We walk the talk. Here’s an example from Jacqueline, one of our senior account executives in our Silicon Valley office. By Jacqueline Velasco The Hoffman Agency (Silicon Valley) Being solely reliant on press releases for coverage is a thing …more
Most manufacturing processes do not make for a good story, whether they involve sausages, semiconductors or steel beams. The steps are either gross or way too complex. That’s why I’m impressed with Erik Rhey’s visual storytelling in Fortune and his piece, “Bottles to Bridges.” Understanding the transformation of recycled plastic bottles into the equivalent of …more
There’s often a gap, no make that a huge gap, between what the media values and what the PR function “sells.” It’s no wonder the relationship between journalists and communicators can border on contentious at times. In the graphic below, you can see two variables that go a long way toward aligning with the media’s …more
Goldman Sachs just turned to Richard Siewert, Jr., former counsel to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, to take the public relations reins. Obviously, Goldman Sachs felt something had to change. But they had no way of knowing the firm’s tarnished image would morph into a full-blown crisis. That’s what happened yesterday when Greg Smith’s op-ed, “Why …more
In facilitating a branding workshop last week, it suddenly struck me. One of the great myths of branding is the big guys get it right. Thanks to their ample war chests, they can hire the smartest people, maintain an endless flow of M&Ms during focus groups and stockpile creative types. It’s just not true. Worse, …more
The latest issue of BusinessWeek offers the feature, “The Adventures of Superfood Man.” The lead takes from one of those life-is-better-than-fiction moments: On a good morning in Paradise Cove, Malibu, the water is so clear you can see halibut lurking in the kelp. Little Dume Point rises from its cliffs to the north, and …more
We’ve been trained to craft a lead sentence that grabs the reader by the scruff of the neck. It seems logical that the sooner you interest the reader, the better, especially in business communications where you don’t have the luxury of developing a narrative over 200 pages. To test this theory, I looked at the …more
Business Wire captured its top 20 news releases of 2011 in terms of views. On average, each news release garnered 63K views. More proof that every company has the potential, doesn’t happen automatically, to be a media company. When it comes to applying storytelling techniques to communications and driving popularity, what can we learn from the top …more
We need a better cliché than “time flies by.” With 2011 in wind-down mode, I’ve captured what I consider to be my top 10 posts from the year. Some got the nod from sheer number of views. Others were personal favorites. I’ve split the list in half with the initial five today and the rest …more
