Feb. 8‘10
Call me un-American, but there is only one thing I enjoy about Superbowl Sunday. Before you ask, no- it’s not the uber masculine trash talk about which team will prevail nor is it the gluttonous table spreads of bean dip, chicken wings, and blocks of processed cheese- rather it is the ridiculously over-priced advertisements between plays I look forward to most.
Light beer, Doritos, and Go-Daddy models- oh my.
Feb. 5‘10
For some reason, I can’t miss an episode of The Biggest Loser. It’s my “guilty pleasure” show. There’s just something overly entertaining about watching twenty insanely obese people sweat out pounds in the double digits from week-to-week. But having the marketing mindset that I have, I can’t help but notice how half the show is filled with thinly veiled “product placement ads.” I enjoy analyzing commercial ads, sponsorship deals, and marketing strategies. With that said, in a recent episode of The Biggest Loser, I caught on to a very unique play on the “product placement” technique and I had to blog about it…
Feb. 2‘10
What if I don’t want to interact with someone I don’t know who is sitting in a cubicle in New York tweeting on behalf of a corporation?
What if I ONLY want to hear about deals, specials and giveaways on my social media stream without the fluff?
Jan. 28‘10
I was out of town recently trying to pass a cement truck with a large sticker on the back that read “Got Cement?” Hmmm… had a familiar ring. In the same trip, I observed a few billboards and storefronts with everything from “Got Cavities?” to “Got Termites?” and mused about the sincerest form of flattery. Why has this 1993 brainchild of ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners spawned an entire industry of “Got…” marketing slogans?
Jan. 20‘10
A dark unrelenting storm continually worked to bury the bodies of the newspaper industry deeper into the dirt of the ink-stained battlefield.
Pens, printing presses, Benjamin Franklin, typewriters and Randolph Hurst rolled in their graves trying to push back the withering souls, but it was no avail. The evil forces of bad management and technology were winning the battle.
It was swiftly coming to closure, when out of the bright lights of New York came a hero, a NYT in Shining Armor.
Jan. 20‘10
Companies and celebrities alike are always dreaming up new and inventive ways to stir up publicity. The latest stunt, a series of 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day, gets the news and public talking.
Jan. 18‘10
Although words are glorious, there are some that make my jaw tighten every time I see or hear them. They are overused. They’re annoying. For the benefit of the PR world–and the general world populace–I’m cutting them out, and you should too. They are:
Jan. 11‘10
Isn’t it GREAT when clients leave other agencies and come onboard your ship? Doesn’t it stink when they make a mistake and abandon your ship for another that is captained by their friend or the new CEO’s friend (despite the fact you’re doing a great job) ?
The only thing that can make that worse is when–like a cannonball to the gut (staying with maritime theme for the last time)–the new agency asks for materials that you’ve created (specifically in the PR field– things like research and media/influencer contacts and lists).
Nov. 30‘09
Tiger Woods, who recently is receiving much attention for a recent car accident with what some think are suspicious circumstances, has provided us with an interesting public relations case study.
With the world humming about Tiger, with a public who wants answers from their celebrities and who wants them now, it has turned into quite a PR nightmare for one of the biggest celebrities in the world; sports or otherwise. Why has it turned into a big deal? Here’s why:
Nov. 19‘09
NBC is reporting that Oprah Winfrey is calling her show quits in 2011. As a PR person, it immediately occurred to me that this was WONDERFUL news…not because I dislike Oprah, but because I think every single client I’ve ever had, potential clients and random people I talk to (when I tell them I’m in PR) ask “can you get me on Oprah?” Sometimes it is a demand, “get me on Oprah.” My eyes were on the verge of permanently rolling back into my brain.
