People tend to underrate being nice. Some might even consider being nice is a sign of weakness. As the Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher famously put it, “Nice guys finish last.” I don’t believe that was true in 1946, and I definitely don’t believe that’s true today. In today’s environment, when we cross paths with …more
I came across this video “Never Estimate the Power of a Great Story” back in 2009. Even knowing the ending, the humor still slaps you across the face. After a recent watch, I realized the video delivers a few pain-free lessons in business storytelling. . Sure, the protagonist manages to escape death several times — machine …more
Needless to say, COVID-19 has changed the way people live, work and play. The broadcast media industry is no exception with radio presenters and journalists now conducting live profile interviews over the phone. How can we as communications consultants help our clients adjust to this new normal and maximize interviews over the phone? These five …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
To avoid taunts of “fake news,” allow me to clarify. I’ve dusted off the post from a year ago that commemorated the publishing of my 1,000th post. The odometer now reads 1,087. Yet, the post has even more relevance today as companies navigate the Coronavirus era, making judgment calls on what to communicate to the …more
Your title might be PR manager, keeper of the blog, content developer or the classic copywriter. It doesn’t matter. All of us need to get the visual storytelling religion. The increasing amount of information accessed on mobile means shortened attention spans. And people want an entertainment dimension to their information, even in the business sphere …more
I first touted the virtues of the “word visual” in 2014. For those not familiar with this technique, the idea is to use the words (or typography) to drive the action while minimizing the need for design expertise. The image above borrowing the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld falls in the “word visual” category. Most “word …more
Every interaction with the customer offers a brand-building opportunity. This is particularly true for B2B companies that tend to pay less attention to the squishy things in life. Simply using conversational language that sounds like it comes from an actual human being — “Going from Point A to Point B to Point C gets you …more
I believe levity is the killer app in business storytelling. Levity lifts the narrative, especially in the B2B tech world where inserting an action verb is considered a win. For the B2B tech companies who say this is too hard, too risky, check out the use of levity by law enforcement agencies, starting with last …more
