And journalism is the new marketing. For better or worse, we are moving rapidly into a state of brand-produced journalism. It’s happening on two fronts: Sponsored Content and Brand Publishing Sponsored Content There’s no doubt traditional media companies are dropping like flies. Circulations and subscriptions have flat-lined – print advertising revenue is moving to digital […]
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3 Ways to Save Journalism from Extinction
March 21, 2013 
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Let this statistic sink in for a moment. Total number of journalists in the U.S.: 40,000 Total number of Google employees: 54,000 Google was founded in 1998. Journalism may have died around the same time. Try this one on for size. There are 3.6 public relations professionals for every single journalist. Nearly 4 to 1. […]
Read morePitching Social Content
December 6, 2012 5 Comments
In the swirling storm of social media its popular to frown on the old-fashioned notion of pitching “traditional” media. How many times have you been told that media relations is dead? Well, it isn’t. In fact, it’s importance may be on the verge of a major upswing. First, can we please dispel the term “traditional […]
Read moreJournalism Needs to Punch Back
September 20, 2012 5 Comments
When the PR consultants start dictating news coverage – everyone loses. Even the PR consultants and the brands they represent. That’s because the value of journalism is its objectivity. If journalism loses objectivity it loses credibility – as well as its value. And right now, journalism is in the midst of a crisis of credibility. […]
Read morePawngo Stunt is an Example of “Vile” Marketing
February 7, 2012 8 Comments
Today most of New England is still bruised from the Patriots loss in the Super Bowl on Sunday. For the last 48-hours the city that has been spoiled by championships in football, baseball, basketball and hockey in the last decade was numb at the sudden and heart-breaking loss by the Patriots. You can feel it […]
Read moreWhy Wikipedia Should Shoulder Blame for Violations
December 15, 2011 0 Comments
Because they do a lousy job of explaining themselves. I’ll get to that momentarily. But first why is Wikipedia hands off for PR people? The reason is simple: Because Wikipedia isn’t an owned, earned or paid channel. For those of us who don’t work in marketing or communications, those distinctions are how the industry identifies […]
Read moreThe Joy of Social Media
November 30, 2011 0 Comments
It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of the industry. Communications and marketing pundits have a tendency to dive into the trivial aspects of social media – how we should define influence, how a new feature on Facebook works, a rant about a brand making a social media snafu, etc. No doubt some […]
Read moreWhy Outsourcing Social Media is Critical for Brands
October 20, 2011 0 Comments
I often meet with brands from all over the country – mostly big, global brands, but also mid-sized and smaller companies. Here are the two biggest challenges they have with social and digital communications: 1.) Knowledge. When you work at a single company it is difficult to get expertise on areas where you aren’t actively […]
Read moreBrands Should Not Pay Bloggers
July 21, 2011 8 Comments
If bloggers want to make money with their blogs they should sell advertising – or charge readers for their content. But they should not expect brands to pay them for writing or producing content. This is an issue that has been around for years – and it never seems to go away. Yet it’s my […]
Read moreSocial Media is Plain Speaking
May 2, 2011 0 Comments
One of the unexpected benefits of social media its is forcing communicators and marketers back to plain speaking. Corporations and organizations are insular by nature. Like gated communities. This natural isolation with peers and like-minded individuals results in the development of specialized languages. Short-cuts are taken with communications. This is natural because everyone in your […]
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