O Midwife, Where Art Thou?: Experiencing the Plight of Midwifery Firsthand The midwifery profession has to come together to protect their brand from the misperceptions that surround it if they are going to be able to increase midwives' relevance and awareness.
Updated Thu Feb 9, 2012
The Danger Of Saying "Lighten Up! It's Only..." If we are asking audiences for their time and expecting to engage with them, we need to respect that time and take our communication with them seriously. The moment dismissive attitudes start to creep into our work, we might make the switch from making sincere mistakes to insincere ones.
Updated Fri Feb 3, 2012
Reports Of Design Thinking's Death Were An Exaggeration Though some have said we've moved past design thinking, its most exciting extensions move beyond the concept in its most narrow sense. Many wouldn't even be projects you'd expect from the IDEOs and Jump Associates of the world.
Updated Mon Jan 30, 2012
S#*! Our Business Leaders Say: "We're in Business to Make Money" "We're in business to make money" and "we engage in marketing to market ourselves" are the kind of statements that send companies spinning into obscurity. And it is to serious business strategy conversations what "because I'm your dad" is to parent/child relations: a shortcut from someone who has no reasoned or considered approach.
Updated Wed Jan 25, 2012
Should Marketers Strive To Make A Difference? Despite all the cynicism I've seen about marketing professionals--so often depicted as subversive brainwashers, spin doctors, or snake-oil salesmen--I've often imagined that even those who seemed aligned with mind-boggling products, causes, or political candidates must believe in what they do. That's my eternal optimism speaking, or perhaps my naivete.
Updated Wed Jan 25, 2012
Did Retailers Risk Damage to Their Brands Despite Hit Holiday Online Sales? Amid e-commerce glitches and technology's growing pains, retailers can still win the loyalty of customers. Here's how.
Updated Wed Jan 25, 2012
What We Can All Learn from Soap Operas Since the dawn of the broadcast era, soap operas have been a central part of television storytelling. The genre, a creation on radio during the 1930s, became a pinnacle form of storytelling during the Great Depression when audiences no longer wanted to or could pay per entertainment and instead were more accepting of "free," advertising-supported content.
Updated Mon Jan 23, 2012
In the Wake of ABC Soap Opera Cancellation, Is the Death of Soap Opera an Inevitability? Yesterday, ABC Daytime made the announcement that they were ending two of their three long-running soap operas, All My Children and One Life to Live, in favor of a cooking show and a "lifestyle transformation" show.
Updated Mon Jan 23, 2012
Lessons Learned from Icons of Ring And Classroom Randy Savage was a pop culture staple of a generation's youth with his larger-than-life voice; his flamboyant, colorful outfits; and his provocative, over-the-top interviews. Beneath all that, though, Randy Poffo was a real athlete.
Updated Mon Jan 23, 2012
Advertising Logic and the Race to the Bottom in Daytime TV Oprah's off the networks and many of America's most beloved soaps have been tossed aside in favor of not-so-compelling reality TV. Where did daytime TV go wrong, and how do we ensure the same fate doesn't capture the broader worlds of marketing or advertising?
Updated Mon Jan 23, 2012
Trends Shaping The Future Of Entertainment A quick primer on the innovations and forces that are shaping the current state and future of the media and entertainment industries.
Updated Thu Oct 13, 2011
Vince McMahon Gets (C.M.) Punked: The Wrestling Diatribe All the Fans Are Talking About The wrestling world has been abuzz this week over an incident that happened at the end of the latest edition of World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship show, WWE Monday Night RAW. C.M. Punk, a top WWE performer for the past few years, came out on the ramp to cut what people might have initially expected to be a "standard" heel wrestling "promo"--the colorful diatribe pro wrestlers are known for.
Updated Fri Jul 1, 2011
Can Hoover's Marketing Save Dying Soap Operas? Since the news that ABC was pulling the plug on soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live, the cancellation has been a major topic of discussion online. One thing keeping the story alive 1s the decision made by Hoover to pull all its advertising from ABC in the wake of the announcement.
Updated Thu Apr 21, 2011
Keeping Apple Fresh: The Importance of Designing (and Communicating) from the Customer's POV My mind has been on Apple and particularly how they seem to consistently develop technology developed for their audience in ways that resonates in their lives. Apple understands underlying needs audiences might have and how to develop technologies that are intuitive to those audiences.
Updated Wed Feb 16, 2011
Some Reading While You Wait? I'm not sure how the book ended up in the waiting room. Perhaps someone had left it behind in the distant past...I do know that the novel's presence was a symbol for me and some of the others in the room. And, for that, the novel's placement in the waiting room is actually a significant public relations problem.
Updated Thu Dec 2, 2010
"HELL IS REAL": The Battle Over an Interstate Billboard In last week's piece, I wrote about my trip across The Bluegrass State to speak at the monthly gathering of Louisville's Social Media Club. On my way there, I passed one of my favorite advertising juxtapositions. Off to the right, there's an exit sporting the sign for an adult bookstore that you'll find along any stretch of Interstate. Then, on the left, there is a black billboard with a message written in big block letters: "HELL IS REAL."
Posted Wed Nov 24, 2010
The Dangers of Typecasting Within an Organization My wife and I were first-time homeowners in 2010, a house built in 1881 that we will be renovating for years to come. Having to deal with life without a landlord to call on for the first time, we quickly adopted my uncle Eric as our unofficial handyman, handling everything from mowing the lawn to fixing the sinks and showers. Along the way, I inquired about redoing a floor and specifically tiling the floor.
"I'll help you with the floor," Eric said, "but I don't ever want to learn tiling because, once I do, I'll be doing it for the rest of my life."
Posted Fri Nov 19, 2010
Nick Gilyard: The Future of Public Relations? In both the marketing and academic worlds, you tend to meet a lot of people. Sometimes, those meetings lead to long-standing relationships. Occasionally, you even meet someone who truly excites you or gives you hope. That's how I felt when I met Nick Gilyard.
Posted Fri Nov 12, 2010
Buried: A Film About Customer Service? I went to see "Buried," Ryan Reynolds' latest flick, about a truck driver in Iraq who is attacked and kidnapped by someone who wants a ransom from the U.S. government. What I expected was a suspense film. I got that, but I ended up with something I didn't expect: a film about customer service.
Posted Thu Nov 4, 2010
Hoaxes and the Chevron Debacle The hijacked "We Agree" campaign stung Chevron. Yet, hoaxes have a deep history in our culture. Back in August, I wrote a piece about our fascination with figures like P.T. Barnum, Andy Kaufman, and World Wrestling Entertainment's Vince McMahon who constantly blur the distinction between fantasy and reality. They play a crucial role in our society.
Posted Wed Oct 27, 2010
