Web 2.0 is being taken seriously by businesses. New research from McKinsey shows businesses are bullish on Web 2.0 technologies like wikis, blogs and social networks. In fact, “more executives said they should have acted faster than slower” in bringing Web 2.0 technologies into their companies. Why? Executives see Web...

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PR Tactics editor John Elsasser tapped me to write an article for their latest issue. At more than 800 words, it’s considered blasphemously long for a blog post. But I'm not sure if it’ll be posted online or not so I posted it below. Check out PR Tactics print edition...

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”If print communication alone is no longer sufficient for print publications, it probably isn't sufficient for (your PR efforts) either.” This quote via Scott Baradell underscores my thoughts on how content is changing. This quote was ringing in my ears as I sorted through my Sunday paper to find a...

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Everyone wants to know the secret formula to pitching blogs. The secret is it takes more than pitching. You need to get immersed in the topic you’re pitching and be able to expand the conversation. This requires a deeper level of subject matter expertise than media relations folk usually have...

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The untapped connection between SEO and public relations begs PR people to immerse themselves in a potent combination of meta tags, anchor text and the latest algorithms. PR people are wordy by trade, so this makes good sense on the surface. But PR people need to look beyond search engines...

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In a class play during the first grade, I played the tortoise in his infamous race against the hare. My approach to blogging over the last five years has been a lot like the turtle’s – slow and steady. And while blogging can seem like a race sometimes, mostly it’s...

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PR folks get steady grief for trying to place news stories. And while the definition and delivery of news is worth some scrutiny, let's be honest. Grief makes for good content. But what about the visual pollution created by the ad side of the house? OK, let me be more...

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With Twitter gaining momentum everywhere from on the field to in the classroom, I thought some tips might prove helpful. Call it link bait, call it hypocritical, just don’t call it a comeback. 1) Be a Good Twitter Citizen If you have a primary ID, name or handle that you...

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The July BrandingWire challenge is a destination - Estes Park, Colorado. The BrandingWire bloggers are recommending ways to optimize this town’s brand based on a thorough project brief prepared by Martin Jelsema. How do you brand a town? My hometown went through a similar exercise (unveiled in 2005) and, whether...

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Lunch today with some talented friends from a local digital agency yielded a quote that gave me a simple epiphany. We were pointing out the fallacy in assuming that younger digital natives are social media naturals and how older, er, more mature digital immigrants are not usually tech-savvy. So if...

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A handful of PR agencies are up for work around the Beijing 2008 Olympics, including "public relations strategies to be used before the games, media background and market analysis on how China is perceived in the West." Via Mediabistro OK, before I give my perception, I’ll invoke tenets from two...

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A presentation from Nike on “temporary branded environments” at the retail design conference I’m attending also serves as a case study in media relations. Nike morphs pop-up retail into a targeted media relations tactic to reach key media and influencers. They create branded environments to attract, and completely immerse, their...

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Kami Huyse tagged me to join the Media Snackers meme. My desire to play in memes goes back and forth, but Kami rocks so I'm more than happy to jump in. Kami just blogged the annual PRSA Conference and it turns out she also has an amazing singing voice. The...

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Admit it. At some point, in some form or another…Twitter pisses you off. I’ve been there and back. That’s from a post detailing why I think Marketing and PR people should try Twitter. Rather than cross-posting it here, I’ll build on it. People are time-starved and don’t want to spend...

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These three (lead-free) toy trains look very similar until you spend some time comparing them. If you’re a toddler, more specifically my son, you know there is a world of difference between each train. That’s because each train is a character in the Thomas the Tank Engine stories. As my...

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Reuters details a new program from Corbis giving bloggers access to some of its photos. Corbis and its digital rights partner, PicScout, will allow bloggers to access photos via a Web link from the site PicApp.com, now in a test phase. The photos will either include an ad overlay on...

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Years ago en route to a client meeting I asked my then colleague, a hack turned flack, if writing ever gets any easier. My heart sank when this ex-journo told me writing is the hardest thing he does every day. But his point was writing is a labor of love....

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Maybe not. But it made me laugh and it's from Ronn Torrossian no less. Via Bulldog Reporter: ----5W Public Relations Selected By LifeStyles Condoms5W Public Relations announced that they have been chosen as the public relations agency of record by condom maker Lifestyles, owned and distributed by Ansell Healthcare Products....

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Heading to NYC this weekend to attend the National Retail Federation Show at the Javits. In addition to media briefings, we have two presentations and a booth so we’ll be plenty busy. But I’m pumped to see this year’s ”Store of the Future” exhibit. I’ve covered pop-up retail here before...

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This month’s BrandingWire challenge comes from the business to business sector. A small, Canadian IT services company (ITCo) wants to brand itself more effectively. ITCo asks: "How can providing IT services be cool, let alone sexy? This is a fundamental dilemma when considering marketing campaigns, when writing for the website,...

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