The era of free is over. It was a good run and I hope everyone learned a ton, but the idea that information/entertainment is sustainable solely through advertising is dead. In most cases, that is, unless you have hundreds of thousands of readers, the page views most sites attract won’t produce the click throughs and ad rates necessary to sustain … Read More
Content Marketing Workshop by Vertical Measures
Google just updated its search algorithm. Named Panda, I have no idea what it stands for, what it means to my search results OR how it will affect content production. But Arnie Kuehn and Vertical Measures do, and they’re willing to show you at their Content Marketing Workshop on April . It’s a full day of content strategies, development and … Read More
Donate a kidney, save a life…get fired?
(Update: Amy’s surgery isn’t scheduled until April 19. I’ve amended the opening paragraph to reflect such. This is why you shouldn’t write provocative stories without a few hours of research, everyone. Thanks to Si Robins and Amy Donohue for the correction.) Local comedienne and former Gannett Local employee Amy Donohue recently donated a kidney to a woman she’d never met. … Read More
Roll In For Japan
We have pop-up restaurants, so why not pop-up events? Roll In For Japan is over two hours of two dozen restaurants and local businesses helping raise funds for the Grand Canyon Red Cross and the crisis in Japan. Roll In For Japan, to be held March 30 from 6-9pm, is asking $20 at the door, to be given directly to … Read More
Jason Hope’s (JAWA/Cylon) lawyers send cease and desist to AZDisruptors
Oh, these incident regarding Jason Hope of JAWA/Cylon’s alleged text messaging scams are getting a bit more interesting. It seems Hamid over at AZDisruptors has grabbed the attention of their lawyers for continuing to make allegations against Hope and company. They sent him a cease and desist letter. In this letter, they outlined a few things – Hamid’s statements rose … Read More
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
I know when companies are trying to sell me. I can also tell when TV shows and movies go far out of their way not to. And I usually don’t care. Bills need to get paid, and when it comes to events, websites and tons of TV shows, advertising pays them well. I’m so okay with advertising that I’d honestly … Read More
How To Handle Bad Press
Online rumors can never, EVER be put back in the bag. Try as the PR world might, eliminating the source of negative allegations against a client is an impossible task. The Lavidge Company, representatives for the recently accused Jason Hope of JAWA/Cylon, has drawn the highly unenviable work. While I certainly didn’t expect them to follow any of my previous … Read More
Is Jason Hope (JAWA/Cylon) A Scam?
You’d think this kind of operation would be handled overseas, but local boy Jason Hope of JAWA has been accused of running a home-grown text messaging scam right here in Scottsdale.
Rebecca Black Ain’t No Quack
Oh, YouTube. You’ve given us Justin Bieber, the guy who just wanted Britney left alone and now Rebecca Black. For those able to avoid the Internet for days at a time, Rebecca Black’s music video (in only the most literal sense) Friday has blogs, geeks and music fans in quite a tizzy. Produced by Ark Music Factory, who claims to … Read More
Facebook contests – what are they good for?
I usually abhor any kind of Facebook contest. While I have zero issue with the companies that run them, as I know they are trying to get their fans to promote their products, after participating in my first one ever, I’m a bit disappointed in the process. First, a bit of background: PopChips offered $50k for one “VP of Pop … Read More
Charlie Sheen wants an intern?
The media’s latest crush, Charlie Sheen, has set records that no normal person cares about. Fastest to one million followers on Twitter, most highly publicized but worst live stream ever and likely the first celeb in the past few years to warrant not one t-shirt, but an entire line. Now he’s looking for an intern. PR pros, including our very … Read More
Bulbstorm looking for a few good (wo)men
“We keep saying we have a shortage of money, but we really have a shortage of talent. We are in a disruptive time, and old time marketing people don’t know how to market for a social media company, while new media marketing people don’t know how to plan.” – Francine Hardaway. Arizona, we live online with virtual walls, and those … Read More
What IS Personal Branding?
Personal branding is one my absolute greatest pet peeves. I’ve tried in vain to run away from all mentions of it, avoid any sort of person who teaches it and ridicule the idea as much as humanly possible. But I can’t get away. No matter how many times we in the industry may scoff at the idea, personal branding is … Read More
Now Revolution (book review)
If you are like me, you won’t get much from this book. If you are up to date with social media and new marketing and advertising techniques, you won’t get much from this book. If you are the arrogant sort that expects books to weave a tight narrative, you won’t get much from this book. If you are the elitist … Read More
The Domino Project
I’m a Seth Godin fan. Have been ever since I read (listened to) Tribes while training for my first half marathon at the end of 2008. While I don’t always agree with his blog posts, his books have always made me think. And now I’m kinda working for him. Not for pay or really anything besides free books, but rather … Read More
The Write Stuff
Writing a book is hard. Getting it published is hard. Marketing it is hard. But it isn’t something that must be tackled alone. Friends of the Chandler Library will be presenting a workshop, on April 9 from 10am to 2:30pm, to “inspire your creative spirit and launch your writing career” as part of an effort to encourage new writers. Sessions … Read More
Steve Jobs and The Price of Fame
Fame has its perks. The famous usually get paid very well, they are allowed greater access to most anything and they seldom have to worry about how what they’re doing is being received, as we’re always willing to tell them. There are two kinds of fame. The first is the traditional way, where a person’s accomplishment brings them fame. Whether … Read More
TED simulcast available for free
My TED podcast feed is one of the most interesting, informative and educational slices of media I subscribe to in iTunes. It’s packed with great thinkers and doers from around the world and lets me in to their world, albeit temporarily. I’d love to attend a TED conference one day, but it’s invite-only and the price tag (in the thousands … Read More
The problem with scale – remember Jerry Maguire?
Most of the marketing and PR professionals I know around here work for themselves or for small firms. The advantages are many, as these businesses can adapt quickly, don’t have to worry too much about their image being ruined by a maverick employee and often are more happy with their jobs because they simply don’t work with or hire people … Read More
Why you should care about (insert cause here)
There is no bigger night for advertising creatives than the Super Bowl. You know this, they know this and the world knows this. As millions of American and international fans sit and watch the most popular TV event of the year, featuring highly paid athletes who we treat like prima donnas, the most exciting and most talked about happening seldom … Read More
How to apologize like a boss (unless you’re Kenneth Cole)
So, this happened yesterday: Wow. Pretty insensitive, yeah? I see how he could have thought that was funny, and I’m sure I’ve made jokes about Egypt, but it’s still too soon. Anyway, thousands of people called him out on Twitter, which lead to an apology of sorts: Except that’s not really an apology, but more a half-assed effort made in … Read More
SMAZ brings NOW Revolution
Fred Von Graf and team have been busy. Social Media AZ, or SMAZ, is now in its third year. To be held February 11, SMAZ was started by Von Graf to fill a void in the Social Media/Digital Marketing for Business event realm, the event has grown from a place of veterans teaching newbies about social media to experts working … Read More
Startups are so hot right now
If the backbone of the American economy is small business, then the spark is startups. New companies, not only in the tech sector, are key in many community and state economic plans, including right here in Arizona. As such, the Arizona Commerce Authority recently received 108 proposals for the Arizona Innovation Challenge, which will reward $1.5 million to companies creating … Read More
Is customer service a function of PR?
Most consumers don’t understand the difference between marketing, branding, PR and customer service. They only see a product/service, an ad or two and maybe the returns department. Every contact with a potential customer must make sense to them, solve a problem and leave them with a favorable opinion of the brand. So when I see AT&T’s new slogan after I’ve … Read More
ChandlerCamp on February 10
ChandlerCamp is a half-day conference focused on helping new businesses succeed in the new economy. Expect just under three hours of useful tips and conversations from local professionals. It’s run entirely by volunteers in the Easy Valley and beyond. To attend, please register. Topics for small businesses include how to manage multiple locations, making your passion pay, and quick and … Read More
How do you keep score?
“At conference, in boardrooms – it’s always “scale”, “revenue”, “biz”. Let’s talk wisdom, passion, justice, perseverance, humanity, meaning.” — Umair Haque, thinker, blogger, advisor to revolutionaries. (source) Industries thrive on quantitative measurements. Whether it’s growth rate, subscriber base or gross profit, there’s no question that more is always good. The PR industry is no different, as I see long client lists, … Read More
Empathy in leadership
It’s not easy to spot a leader. They are often confused with visionaries and sometimes managers. Leaders don’t always stand out, and like a good football referee, the best ones seldom make their own noise. Men like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg aren’t leaders, they’re visionaries. They rely on other people to make their ideas happen. Leaders are the people … Read More
Is PR inherently not social?
There’s no one way to talk to customers online. Whether a company representative is solving problems, promoting their product or service or just talking with normal people doing normal things, it’s hard to say they’re doing anything wrong. But I don’t think tweets like this do the sender or the subject any good: Full of what some might call hyperbole, … Read More
Matt Murphy – from Phoenix to Tucson
It’s been quite a ride for long-time Valley PR professional Matt Murphy since early 2009. He’s been through a layoff (Pearson), a restructuring (Adaptive Curriculum), a serious bout with prostate cancer that required surgery, a custody battle and finally, a job with the United Way that just didn’t work out. To add to his misery, his modest home in Mesa, … Read More
Twitter isn’t the new Cronkite, nor should it be – the #giffords shooting
January 8’s tragic shooting in Tucson, AZ illustrated a few things about the modern media landscape that very few people understand and even fewer have the ability to influence. It showed the usefulness of interconnected social media platforms, it showed the power of the web for research and, most of all, it showed that too many people still don’t get … Read More
Much ado about content farms
Content farming, which is recognized as high quantity, low quality content produced to flood Google with search results in order to generate more page views, is not evil. But it still sucks. I don’t blame businesses like Suite101, Demand Media and even (shock) Huffington Post for using low- or no-pay methods to entice writers to produce searchable articles. It’s the … Read More
Time spent on traditional media slips in 2010
I subscribe to most of the “leading” media sites and journals. Chock full with numbers, studies and feedback from around the industry, I initially thought they’d be invaluable in helping me and those I worked with create useful campaigns for clients. Boy was I wrong. The insights, backed by numbers from somewhere, did no more to help me than blanket … Read More
Is Copy Dead?
Copy used to be the most powerful tool for any communication professional. Designed to specifically persuade users to take action, copy is a fantastic way to get your point across when you’re selling or promoting based on price or scarcity. It’s often clever, sometimes a bit misleading, and usually elicits groans from those who have seen a bit too much. … Read More
How to be popular online
(For those of you celebrating today, Merry Christmas! For those who celebrate something else, happy Friday! For those who hate family and gift giving, Bah Humbug! For almost everyone else, Happy Holidays!) It’s tougher than you’d think to be popular online. While many of us would like to be well-known because of our success, our know-how or just how cool … Read More
Does the rise of women mean the fall of men?
I’ve never understood most battles in the business world. I’ve also never understood why we often assume that any struggle, unless it’s dealing with hard numbers, is a zero sum game. Men versus women, old versus young and analog versus digital make little sense to me, yet the arguments never die. Ever. Now we’re being told that women, long treated … Read More
How many PR companies post fake reviews online?
Fake reviews on sites such as Yelp, iTunes and Amazon are usually pretty easy to spot, but that doesn’t make it okay. While I can understand a company asking their friends to post reviews about their business or product in hopes of some promotion, any time a company or their representatives blatantly misrepresent themselves and post false reviews, it tarnishes … Read More
Phoenix Startup Digest keeps tabs on latest startup news
It’s not easy to keep track of startup companies. They can come and go pretty quickly, and even if they do last beyond a few months, their founders are usually too busy working to publicize themselves much. By the time they do get mainstream attention, it can be tough to track them down. Phoenix Startup Digest is here to solve … Read More
Is your industry boring?
It takes a lot to keep people’s attention these days. From the constant onslaught of poor economic news to a never-ending stream of hate spewed from every political angle and sites like AZCentral providing updates seemingly only concerning the weather, immigration or whatever accident sells better, it feels like doom and gloom sells. Is that because we’re mostly bored? Are … Read More
Is popularity a problem?
Peter Shankman may very well be the world’s first Social Media Socialite. PR pro/author Richard Laermer doesn’t like it. Is the PR industry hurt when personalities shine brighter than the clients they represent? No one likes a loser, especially clients. They want the best and the brightest, and what better way is there to judge how good someone might be … Read More
Non-boring networking events
It’s 7am and I’m waiting for everyone to get here so I can have a bowl of Apple Jacks. Last night, I spent two hours with four other Linchpins. The former event, labeled Cereal Bar, is Gangplank’s take on the typical morning networking event. Instead of showing up somewhere foreign, filling out a name tag, snacking on terribly-sugary pastries and … Read More
WordCamp Phoenix set for end of January 2011
Too much learning is never a bad thing. WordCamp Phoenix, to be held January 26-30 2011, offers hours and hours of just the kind of learning anyone in the PR industry can benefit from. Whether you’re looking to brush up on some WordPress skills, would like tips to give to clients or just need to connect with local freelancers to … Read More
Jon Klein on trust in the news
Why we trust who we do fascinates me. With so many information sources available, what makes anything, even broadcast or cable news, stand out? Jon Klein says viewers trust sources, usually networks, that presents news in a way that agrees with its political ideology. Regardless of fact, as long as new sources live up to their market positioning, viewers will … Read More
Real-Time PR
Brian Solis and David Merman Scott make their living preaching about the necessity to be involved in real-time communications across the web. Scott claims that social media isn’t just for sharing and socializing, it’s actually better suited to be labeled real-time media and used as a customer service tool. I agree, with Scott especially. According to him, tomorrow is too … Read More
Hello PR People
The role of PR in a world without gatekeepers has long confused me. Although you all claim to work with your clients to manage their public image, PR has long been the yin to old media’s yang. It’s not public relations, it’s press relations and you know it. But that’s okay. That’s a job that needs to get done. My … Read More