We are increasingly executing campaigns that leverage owned media and paid owned media as well as earned media. Companies recognize that all three channels have a place in brand building. Plus, publications are willing to blur the line when it comes to journalism and sponsored content to increase the value of the paid stuff. Such …more
What is the longest-running sponsored content (sales promotion) in the history of marketing? I’ll give you a hint. The Jewish holiday of Passover kicked off last night. And the answer is … Maxwell House which has produced the Haggadah — the text that walks everyone through the Passover story and Seder ceremony — for roughly …more
Here’s my second grab bag post of 2018, capturing vignettes that caught my attention, but don’t lend themselves to stand-alone posts. Broken Links, an Opportunity Most companies treat broken links as a functional challenge. The person has clicked to a wrong place (page doesn’t exist), bringing a 404 page to navigate the person back …more
The grab-bag post returns for the first time in 2019. As a refresher, I invented the grab bag as a forum to share three shards on business communications that otherwise couldn’t stand on their own. Here goes. Who Will Get the Books? Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld died last month. According to Le Figaro, the …more
I continue to come across shards of content that amuse, surprise or teach. As individual content, each one doesn’t necessarily frame a post. Which is why I invented the grab-bag post. Coming at you … Japanese Train Apologizes for Departing 20 Seconds Early That’s not a typo in the headline. . A Tokyo …more
I’ve been collecting potential fodder for a grab bag post for over five months. Now, I have too many possibilities. Here come three vignettes pulled out of the hat. How The Economist Symbolizes Global As business storytelling goes, The Economist lands in my top five. This is a publication that adores the back …more
My last “grab bag” showcased donut drama. No such alliteration (or glaze) in today’s segment. Behind the Op-Ed Curtain at The New York Times I’ve touched on this area before. Landing an op-ed in a heavyweight target like The New York Times requires crisp and clever storytelling. I just stumbled across a column in The …more
Certain storytelling topics catch my attention, but don’t carry enough substance to warrant a standalone post. I’ve finally figured out how to weigh in on these topics. Introducing the “Storytelling Grab Bag,” a forum for discussing two to three topics in the same post. Storytelling Techniques at Yom Kippur Services All religions depend on storytelling. …more
