Author Archive for DH
David is a veteran communications strategist ... writer ... blogger ... online publisher ... and Emmy Award winning former CBS Network News correspondent. He lives in the Washington, D. C., area, and works worldwide.
How PR People Rebuff the Media, Risk Brand Image
As co-founder and publisher of BoomerCafé – the online magazine for baby boomers – I was checking Community Coffee’s website the other day for a contact, and what I found instead was a corporate online fortress.
Making News: Core Values and Clear Vision
When actor Rainn Wilson wanted to find a way to introduce Soul Pancake, his new spiritually based social media Web site, he signed up on Twitter, joined in the discussions and attracted more than a million followers within six months. Today, 20 months later, Wilson has more than 2-million followers on Twitter.
CDC Conference on Communications
What an absolute thrill to be an opening speaker at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media today in Atlanta. Terrific conference and outstanding group of professionals.
Why Social Media Fails for Many Companies and Organizations
Social media is all the rage among companies and organizations. But when you stop to examine the return on investment and effectiveness of many social media efforts, it’s often embarrassingly ineffective and trivial at the expense of more important potential ways to communicate to key audiences.
New Orleans … Best Local Radio in America
I mourn the loss of quality local radio in most cities around the country. The Washington, DC, area – my hometown – has been reduced to trivial, agenda-driven radio. But … radio in New Orleans, on the other hand, is terrific and best in the land.
United, The Duct Tape Airline
I don’t normally write about such things but a couple of recent international flights on United Airlines were troubling, and raised questions in my mind about safety … how much is United cutting back on maintenance and pushing or circumventing the limits of repair standards?
Essential Elements of Brand Journalism
The new online image and reputation discipline, called Brand Journalism, centers around credible, transparent, legitimate and timely news. It is actual journalism and is not even remotely connected with PR or marketing.
BP’s Litany of Major PR Gaffes
Mark Sappenfield, a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, has chronicled BP’s series of major public relations mistakes that, as he writes, “have at times cast BP as bumbling, ill-informed, and callous.” Perhaps “incompetent,” as well?
News Group Net Recognized for Strategic Online News
Developed for Imperial Sugar Company by my firm, The News Group Net, the ISC Newsroom has won an “Award of Excellence” for strategic communication processes and an “Award of Merit” for electronic and digital communication.
Louisiana Seafood Industry Turns to News Group Net for Online Crisis Management
The New Orleans-based Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board has chosen News Group Net LLC to manage online news and crisis communications as a result of the devastating impact on the seafood industry caused by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
PRSA: Online Newsrooms in the Digital Era
Arizona-based public relations professional and writer Ryan Zuk writes for Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) about the essence of the dynamic new real-time news approach taken by Imperial Sugar Company to present news of the sugar industry and broaden its awareness.
Black Tide: BP’s Lack of Online Media Management
A keynote speaker at last week’s combined IABC/PRSA conference in Salt Lake City said BP (British Petroleum) was doing a good job of managing crisis communications as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf by using online social media. I do not agree.
Crisis Communications Online During an Oil Spill
Google “BP” or “Transocean” … and the first page of search results, alone, reveals the magnitude of the metastasizing online brand image and reputation crisis facing these two publicly traded companies.
Dulles: World’s Worst Airport
Dulles International Airport, west of Washington, has once again lived up to a reputation that if there is a choice between doing something right – which means convenience for air travelers – or totally and expensively screwing something up, the airport’s federal government decision-makers will always choose the latter.
Learning Subtleties of Image Management from Jeff Bridges
We can all learn something about image and reputation management from the Web site of versatile actor Jeff Bridges. He’s been online at least seven or eight years with the same clever, low-key, personal and interactive online style … and his site ranking stats confirm his popularity.
A Case Study of Poor Crisis Management
Toyota has become a case study in how not to do things in a crisis of brand and reputation. Toyota, the world’s biggest car maker, has turned consistently to teams of political lobbyists and attorneys as the company has been ravaged by one safety recall after another to “fix” the company’s problems.
