Happy Groundhog’s Day! The little groundhog, known affectionately as Punxsutawney Phil, did see his shadow this morning no thanks to overcast skies and a chance of showers. According to legend, this means six more weeks of winter. Even Potomac Phil, the DC counterpart, is predicting a month and a half more of cold and snow. Continue Reading
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This week, I was joined by co-host Doug Haslam of Voce Communications, a Porter Novelli company. We talked about the social media issues brought up by the Social46 program in Indianapolis, McDonald’s sponsored Tweet problem (and how they recovered), and whether neutrality and objectivity are even possible in PR. Continue Reading
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The late House Speaker Tip O’Neill said “all politics is local.” It’s a mantra in politics, and is frequently at the core of Public Affairs programs. It makes sense: if you are appealing to a population that is defined by a geographical area (a voting district) you must keep the issues that are of importance to that specific area at top of mind when speaking to them.
But I think we’ve reached a point, because of the Internet, that candidates can no longer rely on this adage as gospel. We are so connected and it is so easy to share news items that while the need to appeal to voters on a local level remains, the ability to confine the messages directed at that local level is gone. And that has ramifications for candidates and elected leaders. Continue Reading
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We don’t talk much about the celebrity endorsement/marketing side of PR here on Media Bullseye–mostly because I tend to think that celebrity endorsement, while presumably effective considering its widespread use, tends to play into a stereotype of PR that I generally don’t care to reinforce. (That PR=publicist.) It is also an area that I think may be overrated, when examining the benefits versus the possible risks–celebrity endorsers have on occasion made rather large splashes in the water during their falls from grace. Continue Reading
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Do you remember the feeling of being a kid on the way to the nickel-and-dime store? Your pockets were heavy and rattling with all the change you could shake free from your bank, or find rolling around under the couch. You schemed about all of the various combinations of gummies, chocolates, and other sweets to get the biggest brown paper bag of penny candy you could afford with your treasure. Continue Reading
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Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer Windrum, the driving force behind the WTF (Where’s The Funding) for lung cancer awareness. Windrum, whose mother has been battling lung cancer for several years (and no, she’s never smoked), continues her advocacy efforts with a seemingly bottomless supply of energy. In addition to continuing her work there, she’s taking the entrepreneurial plunge and will be launching a sock monkey line, called “SMAC”–Sock Monkeys Against Cancer–to raise funds and awareness for a range of different cancers.
As many of you know, Joe Paterno of Penn State lost his fight with lung cancer this weekend. Due to the stigma surrounding this disease, it doesn’t get nearly the attention or funding that other cancers do. I encourage you to listen to the interview and hear about Jennifer’s efforts on behalf of lung cancer patients.
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Our talk is 18 minutes long.
The Q&A ranged from discussing the success of her efforts with WTF, how the sock monkey effort came to be, and how she–and her mom–are doing.
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This week, Sarah Santucci and I discuss the PR and communications strategies and tactics surrounding the SOPA/PIPA blackout effort, Politico has teamed up with Facebook for campaign analysis, and Gawker highlights some bad PR pitches–will they ever run out of material? Continue Reading
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At your Monday meeting, your boss says she wants you to start monitoring online media for your organization. You think “Great, I already have so many other projects on my plate! How am I going to fit this one into the mix, too?!?” Not to worry. I have some ideas to help you monitor traditional or social media with just 15 minutes a day. Continue Reading
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With so many screens and gadgets commanding our time and attention, sometimes it’s good to take a mental break from them, and let the mind rest a bit. I do this typically by reading (old school, paper) books. Gini Dietrich has a great post up today about how reading fiction can help your career–I agree whole-heartedly.
It’s also why I think I got such a chuckle out of another post I came across today, from the blog Pioneer Woman. Titled “Goodnight iPad,” it spotlights a book that is a parody to the wildly successful and much-loved children’s book “Goodnight Moon.” Written by Ann Droyd, it has delightful illustrations to go along with rhymes such as “And a BlackBerry ringing/With Eminem singing.” I think my favorite illustration and caption pairing is the one about a “viral clip of a cat doing flips.”
Such a funny and light-hearted way to present a gentle reminder that stepping away from the gadgets for a bit can be a good thing.
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