Is there a future for standalone social media and digital marketing agencies? Not if you ask the next generation of marketing and communication pros, at least in Europe. According to a study of 2,000 students there, 80 percent believe these specialized agencies will disappear within 10 years. Nearly as many – 70 percent – believe marketing will be dominated…
Every day we see new survey findings in the news – everything from the cleanest city and the best beaches to the unhealthiest states and most stressful careers. Nationally known research companies such as Kelton Research, Gallup and Harris Interactive are making a killing organizing consumer surveys for foundations, corporations and consumer interest groups. However,…
While I consider myself a fairly seasoned PR pro, I certainly don’t hold the secret recipe for client happiness. There are a lot of variables involved in the client-services industry – boards, budgets, staff, strategic shifts – all of which affect the relationship between you, our clients, and us, your PR firm. What we can…
As part of an ongoing series, I will be discussing how differing perspectives can create opportunities and challenges in driving success in customer representations, communications efforts, messaging approaches, and marketing strategies. This segment on Perspectives focuses on measurement and some pitfalls that may occur if shifting expectations are not carefully monitored. On Measuring Success The…
As search engines evolve and mature to deliver more accurately the information we seek, the fundamentals of writing content for SEO have begun to mirror public relations. Back in the 90s when the Internet and search engines entered the mainstream, it did not take long for developers to figure out how to manipulate search results….
A recent PBS special on the coming-of-age of Silicon Valley reminded me of the excitement I had dreaming up the seemingly endless uses for my family’s first home computer (a Timex Sinclair 1000, with 1.5k of built-in memory, circa 1982), and the epochal significance of the work everyone in the technology sector is doing today,…
You’re ready to launch. Your development team has worked its magic, your distribution and pricing models are set, your shareholders and partners have bought off. All set, right? Too often emerging and established companies leave marketing and PR considerations as the last piece of their launch puzzle. It’s easy to push these elements to the…
What’s in a name? Well, if you are a Boeing, Gates, Schultz, or Ballmer, your name is synonymous with a well-recognized brand. And, in addition to being associated with hugely successful empires, what do all of these names have in common? They all have solid philanthropic reputations that not only benefit their communities, but also…
Companies can’t be making front page news all the time, but when the iron isn’t hot to strike, it doesn’t mean you can’t advance your PR program between larger news announcements. Sometimes the most interesting aspect of your company may be sitting right under your nose, and a well-written whitepaper can help you showcase…
As the world becomes more and more digital, so too does the world of public relations. The media landscape is constantly changing as publishers tweak their business models and expand further online. Social media cannot be ignored as a viable source of information and home to many influencers. PR professionals even have to take into…
This post is not intended to weigh in on either side of the gun control debate. Rather, it is to call out the inexplicable approach the NRA has taken since the school shootings in Newton, Connecticut. The organization, which represents 4 million gun owners – surely all of whom are sickened and heartbroken by the…
A few weeks ago, I was fortunate to attend the Gartner ITxpo with our client WatchGuard, a global business security solutions provider. In between staffing meetings with industry analysts, I had the opportunity to attend a session called, “The Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2013” presented by VP and Gartner Fellow David Cearley. Some…
