PR

Brace Yourself: A Brand-Building Reality Check

Corey Blake — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:13:46 -0500

I’ve talked before (and will continue to talk about) my growing impatience with clients and potential clients who think we’re ready to call Oprah because the first draft of their manuscript is written. Not only is this expectation both naïve and grandiose, it’s completely based in fantasy. This childlike look at the book industry would be completely laughable if it weren’t so frustrating. What people need to understand is that, yes, it’s possible to get Oprah’s attention. Yes, it’s possible to get on the bestseller list. But it will not happen overnight.

Corey’s Book: From the Writer’s Perspective

Corey Blake — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:41:03 -0500

Hello! I’m the third member of Corey’s book-writing, storytelling, epiphany-creating team—Katie, the writer. Corey has asked me to contribute one blog per week describing our unique process from my point of view, and I’m happy to do it. The truth is that, to many, the writing part of this equation is quite mysterious. I’d like to shine some light. But, first, a little history.

Four Ways to Break Through The Holiday Noise

Erica Salamida — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:18:44 -0500

Last year, I was working on a sustainability campaign around the holidays, and a TV producer challenged my client and me to come up with some green tips that haven’t been “done before.” You wouldn’t think that was such a tall order, but for a national TV outlet, it turns out nearly everything has been done before. LED Christmas lights? Nope. Unexpected ways to weatherproof your home? Over it. Some of the tips were truly different but too “off the wall” for a mainstream audience.

Fierceness

Corey Blake — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:54:19 -0500

My big take away from today was an attribute that I have recently labeled about myself as impatience, but that my story guide Annie Hart redirected this morning as fierceness. As my business is growing and our authors and company are gaining more popularity, more and more people are contacting me to help them with their branding.

Got Courage? Then You're in Business

Corey Blake — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:52:05 -0500

I blogged recently about how important-no, invaluable-integrity is in business. As you may know, I believe that integrity should be the linchpin of every business, no matter how large or small. But tied up in integrity is something else: courage.

Blog FAIL: What was I thinking?!

Erica Salamida — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:51:10 -0500

About four or five years ago, when everyone started launching corporate blogs, a lot of people (myself included) thought it was OK to just use it as a medium to post press releases, without a lot of context. Like the scrunchie, that guy I dated sophomore year, and stirrup pants, this goes down in history as one of those “What was I thinking?” moments.

The weight of Story

Corey Blake — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:59:44 -0500

This morning on my call with Katie and Annie I spoke mostly about my recent trip with Daniel Cardwell and our work together on “A Question of Color”. I told them about my first trip to the grocery store with Dan to stock up our cabin in preparation for our five days together and how unusual it was to go shopping with someone for the first time. The experience opened my eyes to how stories are often told between the lines. Imagine how much I learned about Dan when he reached for a dozen tins of sardines, four boxes of Nutrigrain bars, two cans of beans and three onions.

The Most Important Most-Important-Thing

david heitman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:02:10 -0500

According to a recent poll cited in Newsweek, the number of Americans who believe that global warming is caused by human activity is 36%. That’s down from 47% just a year ago.

Only 57% of Americans believe the world is warming at all, down from 71% a year ago.

So what has changed? Have millions of Americans spent the last year studying the scientific evidence and changed their opinion?

Day 3: A Question of Color

Corey Blake — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:35:30 -0500

Because we are at the bottom of a small valley in the Solomon Islands, the rain from behind us and from across the street in front of us was all flowing beneath our cabin on day three of this tropical storm. Not the best week to choose to hang out on an island off the coast. The water was raising on us so quickly, that we were forced to put garbage bags over our boots and walk through the foot deep water to get to the car. See Dan’s German born; he likes German cheese and he drives a Mercedes.

In Defense of O'Dwyer in the Social Media vs. PR Fiasco

Erica Salamida — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:01:02 -0500

Jack O’Dwyer has been doing PR for 40 years, and he’s a well-known, albeit curmudgeonly, expert in the industry. In a recent interview with Dave Armand at PRSA, Jack denounced social media, saying that PR people’s jobs are to deal exclusively with the press.

Day 2: A Question of Color

Corey Blake — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:17:00 -0500

Yesterday began early again and was one of those creative days that flowed from the get go. Dan and I hit a groove and Erin was awesome about getting me back transcribed material we were recording. We had a couple of striking epiphanies about origin vs. destination, about Dan’s experience in the military, and I figured out how to fit his unprecedented work with cancer into the story in a way that drives it forward.

A Question of Color

Corey Blake — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:12:23 -0500

Yesterday was day 1 of a 6 day trip working with Daniel Cardwell on A Question of Color.

Why Shelter Books Are Getting Shuttered

Norman Birnbach — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:47:45 -0500

With the news that Hachette Filipacchi Media is shuttering Metropolitan Home magazine,
we've come to a turning point, I think, in what used to be known as the "shelter books" -- magazines focusing on interior design for the home.

In an environment where home foreclosures continue to mount up, the
potential readership for decorating tips has other things on their mind.

Alesia Shute and Everything’s Okay: Another Story Inspiring Change

Corey Blake — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:04:39 -0500

As some of you know, our client, Alesia Shute, was diagnosed with cancer when she was seven years old. At a time when most kids are learning to ride bikes, Alesia was overcoming obstacles that knock adults to their knees. As a child, she survived six major surgeries and several minor ones and endured years of pain and uncertainty. But Alesia didn’t want to tell a story that focused on the pain and struggles of her journey; she wanted to tell a story about overcoming, a story that would inspire other patients and survivors to live openly and joyfully.

Not Disruptive...Destructive

david heitman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:21:58 -0500

Whew! The recession is over. Well, that’s a relief

Or so said the Commerce Department. The 3.5% GDP growth in Q3 proves it. Right?

The announcement has been greeted with understandable and almost universal skepticism. It obviously comes as small comfort to the nearly one in ten unemployed Americans and their millions of underemployed brethren.

From Mission to Marketing, How to Show Integrity in Everything You Do—and Why You Should

Corey Blake — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:18:46 -0500

Making Your Partners Look Good

George Dennis — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:36:58 -0500

I can tell you from first hand experience that I’m a big fan for what good PR can do for a company in driving new customers, partners and investors. Often times, such initiatives can generate high returns when coordinated with a paid advertising campaign.. Good stories written by credible media outlets and bloggers can help an organization rise above the foray and show a clear difference from its competitors.

What’s more, the best PR can occur when the company plays only a small part in the piece.

35 Politis PR Tips and Counting

David Politis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:57:56 -0400

Call it a sales/marketing ploy; call it an altruistic effort to give back and/or pay it forward; either way, it doesn't matter to me what you call it.

But I started a little effort a few months ago on the Politis Communications Website called Politis PR Tips. And I've now got 35 different tips published there.

Not a ton, but not insignificant either.

When the Media Gets Mediated

david heitman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:32:25 -0400

One of the biggest impacts of social media is the way that traditional forms of advertising have had to adapt to it.

As companies begin to embrace social media marketing, that means that a portion of their attention, time and marketing budgets are being diverted from traditional print and broadcast media to address social media opportunities.

What’s More Important Than Exceptional Work? Integrity.

Corey Blake — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:06:49 -0400

If you ask me, integrity is the backbone of any good business—no, great business. But it’s a broad term, one that people find more difficult to define than, say, “results-oriented.” And without knowing what integrity is, it’s almost impossible to live it.

So, what does integrity mean to me? Well, to start:

The Booth Babe Tactic Goes Solar

Erica Salamida — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:31:52 -0400

Consumer technology vendors notoriously use the “booth babe” to grab the attention of nerdy passers-by at conferences. After all, nothing says “Check out my new widget” like a hot, clueless chick dressed as a pirate. (Sarcasm, naturally.) I was saddened to see in a post this week from NYT’s Green Inc. that the same kind of thing is happening in the solar industry.

The Power of Simplicity

david heitman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:49 -0400

Looking at politics through the lens of communication theory reveals a lot of good lessons. For example, despite a recent uptick, the falling approval ratings of President Obama (http://tinyurl.com/nlgfn) coincide with the increasing complexity of his message to the American public.

Why You Should Prioritize Your People Above the Product

Corey Blake — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:27:53 -0400

When I lived in L.A., I was fortunate enough to take part in a number of really fantastic film projects. Either as an actor, producer, or director, I dove headlong into making these projects a success, and to some extent, they all were. I worked on one film, however, where the environment was completely different from all the rest: It was all about the product.

Windows 7 Gets Its Big Day

Kit Eaton — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:34:17 -0400

Annie Hart Strikes Again

Corey Blake — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:15:10 -0400

After our morning call with Katie, Annie reached out to talk privately with me to check in and see if there was some unresolved tension from last week. I admitted that last night I had gotten nervous about our call today because I’m starting to feel how these calls impact my week. With so much else in life feeling all over the place (especially my own businesses), my anxiety struck late last night and I jumped in to dictate the direction of today’s call without letting Annie in on the “why”. I usurped her role as story guide and jumped in to lead. I was feeli