All Entries in the "Public Relations" Category
There’s More to Communications than Just Hourly Billing
The field of public relations and communications is rapidly changing, and agencies need to keep pace. Client needs and expectations have radically changed in today’s digital era. There’s more to communications than the passive tactics of yesteryear.
How Much are Head Hunters Hurting PR?
It’s a familiar story – a seasoned PR veteran is approached by an executive search firm, hyped over an attractive-sounding corporate position, strung out through a series of interviews, and then, told that the evaluation process is too far down the road … or some other lie.
5 Ways to Save Porter Novelli PR
In many ways, the old model of big PR agencies is catching up with Porter Novelli quickly. Suffering from a lackluster image … if any image at all … the agency represents the way PR used to be done, in bygone times. Today’s subtle communication styles in the digital era have eluded Porter Novelli.
The Rise of Savvy Clients and Smart Boutiques
Clients today are, for the most part, far savvier and smarter about enlisting outside communications and public relations agency counsel than 10 or 15 years ago. The days of fat budgets and little agency supervision are on the wane. The emphasis is on accountability and results.
A Mainstay of Traditional PR is Rubbish
It’s Friday, and I’m clearing out my email spam folder. Most of the stuff caught are press releases. For years, I’ve used a spam filter called SpamSieve that almost magically sniffs out and trashes press releases. No surprise that in today’s digital world, mass and blindly distributed releases are treated as rubbish.
PR at Cross Purposes
While doing research for my new book, Making News in the Digital Era, I was struck by the fact that most large PR agencies seemingly have created two different and competing agencies under the same roof that I believe will lead to competitive growth problems in the near and long term – a traditional agency competing against a digital agency.
The Very Broken PR Agency Model
A friend of mine was sharing a story about being interviewed by an office of a large PR agency. I could mention the name but it really does not matter because they are all the same. What struck him at first was the singular focus of the agency on itself.
Threat Level is Murky
The color-code threat level at America’s airports has been “Orange” for so long, it’s become rusty. Don’t believe me? Drive into Houston’s Intercontinental Airport and a permanent sign, now rusting and faded, informs you of the orange threat level.
It’s Called … Work
I got into a discussion the other day with a friend over which group is lazier – mainstream media, bloggers or public relations people. The subject came up because he remarked, rather accurately, how easy it is today to spoon-feed the media with information that they will use, without question. While mainstream media has gotten [...]
Build an Online Newsroom, Using WordPress
As you have no doubt noticed, I’ve written quite a bit about the overuse and ineffectiveness of press releases. In this Internet era – a time when the ways of public discourse are changing, whether online or otherwise – one-way shouting out an announcement no longer is effective. Press releases are shouting. We are in [...]
The Short Lifespan of Press Releases …
Let’s talk practical, and about the real world. As we all know, the news media is undergoing seismic changes. Maybe it’s more accurate to call it, chaos. Newspapers are failing. Broadcast news is losing audience. There are layoffs every which way your turn in mainstream media. Online media is all over the map when it [...]
Is PR Out-of-Sync with the Internet Era?
When I wrote on this blog a few weeks ago about the fact that public relations people are woefully slow (or maybe fearful) at learning and developing expertise about latest developments in today’s online world, including even the basics of blogging, a fellow on the digital team of one major PR agency objected. He said [...]
Plain Language is Sexy
Plain language … it’s clear, to the point, meaningful, and it’s such a cool approach, it’s … sexy. In today’s noisy world, there’s no better way to cut through competitive clutter than with the instant clarity of plain language. The new online Gobbledygook Grader – recently announced by HubSpot, David Meerman Scott and Dow Jones [...]
Realigning Public Relations for the Internet Era
News programs, newspapers and the media are full of stories about business in turmoil, many companies struggling to stay alive and viable in not only these tough economic times but also in a world that has changed dramatically. Change has happened quicker and more profoundly than many of us comprehend, partly because we have no [...]
Die Press Release!!!
A friend was telling me today about a conference she has just attended that brought together a large group of public relations people with a smaller group of working journalists. The discussion had centered, as it often does at such sessions, on what journalists really need in today’s demanding media world, and the merits of [...]
Today’s Reality: Nothing Is Secret
Washington, D.C., where I am based, is full of consultancies run by former members of Congress or government staffers who sell their connections and supposed clout to just about anyone who hopes to have greater influence before the federal government or in the halls of Congress. It’s influence peddling for a price, and often, their [...]
