Raving PR Fan on Groupon CEO’s 60 Minutes Interview
When I worked for a Fortune 500 company’s corporate communications department one of the few calls we wanted to take was from a CBS producer of 60 Minutes, the expose television news magazine. A call like that would make most CEOs cringe. It kept corporate communicators up at night for weeks preparing for the best interview possible. I’m not sure if Andrew Mason, the 30-something CEO of three-year old Groupon, cringed when he got the call, but his interview underscores the importance of media training. He may be cringing now. The...
read moreMy two cents on Cuban’s sense of PR firms for start-ups
After six years in Corporate America, eight years with medical and technology start-ups, and another six as founder of a boutique medical/technology PR firm, I know with confidence how much PR counsel puts start-ups on the map. With the economy in flux, layoffs and the reality of today’s business climate, I predict more and more entrepreneurs will be born. Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, is not exactly a fan of the mix of ‘PR Flacks’ and start-ups who hire their firms, as he notes...
read moreLessons learned in PR
My first quarter teaching is coming to a close this week at DePaul. I decided to ask on the final exam what was the most important thing the 38 students learned from our “Principles of PR” class. I imagined an incentive was needed to get the answers. So I offered an extra credit point. Twice a week for 12 weeks I’d seen them for 90 minutes. If I did not ask now, and they walked out of this room for the final time, I wouldn’t know the answers. Had I conveyed the most important concepts? Did those concepts...
read moreEight ways PR is like sailing (3 of 3)
Eight ways PR is like sailing Part three of a three-part blog series published as seen in PRBreakfast Club PR Pro’s: would you add anything? Sailors: what do you think? Other professions: how can you relate to these metaphors? 7) To tell a great story, as with sailing, you must always connect the dots. On the water, the sails are connected to the mast which is connected to the hull that is connected to the tiller and to the hand that steers the boat. That hand is connected to the eyes that are always watching the compass that is...
read moreEight ways PR is like sailing (2 of 3)
Eight ways PR is like sailing Part two of a three-part blog series published in PRBreakfast Club PR Pro’s: would you add anything? Sailors: what do you think? Other professions: how can you relate to these metaphors? 4) PR and sailing represent teamwork at its finest. Most boats over 15’ are best operated, but not required, with a team. Each person, when racing, has his or her role. If you are fortunate the team understands the bigger picture and moves toward the common goals of safety, fun and crossing the finish line first. The...
read moreEight ways PR is like Sailing (a 3-part series)
Eight ways PR is like sailing Part one of a three-part blog series published in PRBreakfast Club PR Pro’s: would you add anything? Sailors: what do you think? Other professions: how can you relate to these metaphors? 1) PR people, like skippers, tend to have a ‘Mother Nature’ resiliency. A PR person’s day can be planned with great predictability but each hour, let alone each day, can bring twists, turns and interview requests that become opportunities not to be missed. Whatever Mother Nature may throw your way during a 2-3 hour...
read moreWelcome Raving PR Fans
PR students, interns, practitioners, and (ahem…) flacks like me, plan to gain and share something in this blog. Whether you are aligned with an agency, have your own business, work on the corporate, government, nonprofit or other sides, we want to hear from you. I suppose I have earned a right to share experiences from my time on the front lines. Now as an entrepreneur and adjunct professor, I am jazzed to learn from the newcomers in our field and the self-starters of social media technology. When I landed in PR, intranets were the hottest...
read moreEstablishing Team Accountability
Case Study: Establishes Team Accountability SITUATION A leading national marketing consulting firm wanted a way to build empathy, generosity and transparency with its 10-person senior leadership team. The team was geographically located throughout the country and used a team-selling approach with clients. Therefore, success was dependent on team trust and accountability. COMPLICATION Senior team meetings were trite and essentially a reporting venue. Consistent trust, accountability and generosity were needed to bring the team...
read moreIdentifying Strategic Partnerships
Case Study: Identifies Strategic Partnerships SITUATION Despite human and capital resources applied to co-branding, promotions, distribution, licensing and other external partnership opportunities, many companies still do not apply an objective methodology and analysis to finding the right partners to grow the business. An SVP of consumer products and a VP of marketing for a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company identified the need for building relationships for long-term growth and for finding the right partner for a new branding...
read moreBuilding an Executive Community for Business Development
Case Study: Builds an Executive Community for Business Development SITUATION There are some issues that will always have the attention of company stakeholders, including the health of Americans. With experts predicting the average Fortune 500 Company spending as much in healthcare dollars for its people as it earns in pretax profits, this issue is now driving executives at all levels to join forces for solutions. COMPLICATION From ordinary conferences or meetings, little action is taken. No prework is used to qualify...
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