We’re now days away from the U.S. Presidential election. I’m optimistic that that the polls have it right, that the vast majority of voters understand four more years of Trump would be akin to putting the country in a wood chipper. When the 2016 election put Trump in the White House, our folks in Asia …more
I wrote about Zappos using levity as the killer app in its communications a few years ago. Before going further, it’s worth noting that levity has a lower bar than humor. We’re not trying to channel Jon Stewart or Conan O’Brian. Levity delivers a smile, a grin (bigger smile) or, at its best, a low-decibel …more
The grab bag post makes its 2018 debut. For new readers, this is where I take three shards of content that by themselves can’t carry a story and bundle them together in one post. Here goes. Can a HK Daily Become an International Read? When Jack Ma and Alibaba plucked down $266M at the …more
I have discussed the concept of a “word visual” in which the words handle the heavy lifting for an image that doesn’t require deep design expertise. For PR pros who typically major in mass communications, journalism or English, the “word visual’ establishes a path to visual storytelling that’s particularly useful for social channels. One of …more
For global companies founded in the U.S., Donald Trump’s election has the potential to dishearten and even divide their employees working overseas. This sentiment doesn’t necessarily show up on Facebook or Twitter or other public forums. Instead, it’s water cooler chatter and emails, wondering if their company’s character will take on the hue of Donald …more
Storytelling is the new “black” when it comes to business communications. To understand the plight of storytelling, consider the chart put together by our crack research group using Factiva to search on the number of articles containing the word “storytelling” in general and business publications. .. The data doesn’t exactly quantify the communications profession embracing …more
I often refer to levity as the killer app in business communications. Why do so few organizations go this route? It takes guts as much as creativity to insert levity into an organization’s storytelling. As a great philosopher once put it, “One man’s levity is another man’s trash.” Zappos showed guts bringing levity to its …more
