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 company went public last fall with an $18 billion...
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 in http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222524. I’ve worked with start-up CEOs in their...
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 connected to the “Windex” at the top of the mast...
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 PR project or campaign can’t be done alone either....
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 sail, be prepared. We have not figured out how to...
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