What does a shovel have to do with storytelling? Everything. Many of our clients come from the B2B tech world where hearts race from inventing a way to increase the spin-torque efficiency of a memory device. While these types of stories hold great importance to the people who use a given technology, they typically aren’t …more
OK, it’s more than a few. This question came my way last week: Here goes. I moved to Silicon Valley in 1981 two years out of college. You’ve heard the saying, “It’s better to be lucky than good?” I was lucky in the sense that I moved to Silicon Valley because of the vibrant culture, …more
I’ve written several posts on how organizations select communication services. Even after 30+ years, I’m still thinking there’s got to be a better way. In cases in which Procurement leads the charge, the process feels more like a tussle than a process of getting to know each other. Speaking of a better way, …more
Between the internet, social media and human beings’ proclivity for talking, transparency is the rage. Companies figure that even sensitive information — especially sensitive information — eventually finds its way to the outside world, so they’re better off sharing their perspective before the grapevine kicks into gear. Yet, there’s zero transparency in the letters that …more
The four-word stacked headline appeared in the print version of The Wall Street Journal last Wednesday: WPP’s Sorrell Faces Probe The online headline went for the jugular, “WPP Is Looking at CEO Martin Sorrell’s Possible Misuse of Assets and Allegations of Improper Behavior.” Before digging in, let’s get the disclosure out of the way. I …more
The two agencies pen literally thousands of news releases for their clients each year, many addressing M&A. How tough can it be to apply this expertise to their own announcement? Of course, what the news release states doesn’t necessarily align with reality. As a public service, I’ve addressed the news release distributed over Business Wire …more
This quote from John F. Kennedy is one of my favorites and definitely relevant to the Agency’s trajectory. Last year was the first time in our history that all geographies — Asia, the U.S. and Europe — generated double-digit growth. From this position of strength, we’ve made several recent changes, including the hiring of Mark …more
I will always remember November 14, 2014, and it has nothing to do with my birthday. That was the day that Mike Sottak called to say he was accepting our job offer to run our European operation. Since we entered the European market in the late 1990s, the Agency’s experience had resembled a roller-coaster ride …more
Today finds me in Singapore with my wife Heather and my parents celebrating the Agency’s 20-year anniversary of expanding to Asia. A quick back story — I wanted to open an office in Asia in 1994, but couldn’t muster the guts to hit the go-for-it button. I kept thinking if establishing a tech-focused PR consultancy …more
