Archive for February, 2010
The War for the Internet
A war of sorts is underway to establish control of the Internet. The sides are defined – social media’s power to the people versus pornography supported by big business. Porn’s tactics are from mean streets.
How to Salvage Toyota’s Brand Reputation
Trust of Toyota’s brand … of the safety and reliability of its vehicles … is on life support. The giant car maker is suffering from self-inflicted wounds, the worst of which is not monitoring, not listening to warning signs of trouble.
Toyota’s PR: Like a Bent Fender
While Toyota’s leaders have been parading to Capitol Hill, offering little to say except apologies, what is really curious is the company’s lack of outreach to consumers.
When the “Media” Intentionally Misleads
While interviewing the daughter of Joe Stark – the guy who flew a small plane loaded with fuel into an Austin building housing the Internal Revenue Service – a cable TV news anchor woman stated, “Wouldn’t you call your father a ‘hero’”?
Tiger’s Brand: 80 Days Past Its Sell-By Date
Tiger Woods has finally spoken in public, 80 days after going into seclusion when it was dramatically disclosed that he was cheating on his wife. I cannot help but compare how the brand and reputation of a public corporation might have faired had it remained completely silent and unresponsive for 80 days following a major crisis.
How to Learn Social Media – First Steps
I was speaking before a terrific group at The Graduate School of Political Management recently – Professor Steve Lawrence’s class on Media Relations. The focus was understanding social media. The students could easily be described as among the best of the best.
Southwest: Too Fat to Fly
Here’s where Southwest Airlines really fumbled in handling its customer and social media crisis caused when filmmaker Kevin Smith was kicked off one of its flights because he was deemed to be too fat for one seat.
PR vs. News Style
I was being interviewed the other day by a global corporate consultancy about the success of the online newsroom model of ISCNewsroom.com versus other, more stereotypical corporate newsrooms. It comes down to one word … Style.
Driving Toyota’s Reputation into the Wall
All of the problems, the issues, the crisis, the severe damage to brand reputation currently facing Toyota are self-inflicted by the company. And, there are revelations each day that Toyota has been aware of safety issues.
Social Media Reality Check
Let’s get real about the current hysterical … near orgasmic … hoopla over social media. While there are new tactical tools in this digital era, the concept of social media is nothing new.
