Considering that “flacks” and “spin doctors” are usually both negative monikers for public relations professionals, this post detects a nuanced difference, and also states the one truth of practicing in public relations: Any PR professional, no matter how great, can only be as good as his or her client. A bad client doing bad things is going to need more than a spin doctor.—Claire Celsi
A team of Italian physicians are warning people about social networks after an asthmatic patient’s condition worsened when he logged in to Facebook. The patient was reportedly in a “depressive state” and was confronted by a past girlfriend’s display of post-relationship closure. Luckily for the patient, there is a cure. Too bad it involves nipping that Facebook addiction in the bud.
Alex Blagg describes himself as “one of the hottest young veterans in the viral-social media landscape,” which is pretty funny given the abuse of the word “veteran” these days. Blagg created this two-minute video to accompany his blog, A Bajillion Hits , in which he satirizes social media gurus. Of course, this joke has been done, and done, and done. So, what do you think: still funny or time to get over it? (Maybe Blagg is so clever he’s making fun of the people who m…
Wally Hayward, a sports marketing guru and founder of Relay Worldwide agency, was hired by the Chicago Cubs as the team’s executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, according to the Chicago Tribune . Hayward had been a senior advisor on the city of Chicago’s unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Olympics. The Ricketts family recently bought the Cubs from Tribune Co. for $845 million.
Until recently, the people mostly likely to tweet were ages 30 to 49. However, a recent survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 19- to 29-year-olds are now the age group most likely to tweet. The survey said 33 percent of online adults between 18 and 29 “use a status update service.” What’s a status update service? According to Pew, it refers not only to Twitter, but also Yammer, Gmail status updates, or any similar service. “We left it intentionally vague ……
Here is yet another story about the PR dangers that franchises pose. A man in Sacramento, Calif., visited a local Burger King where he received a special note with his order — a receipt that said “f*** you.” A manager and employee are being fired for the incident, reports KCRA in Sacramento. A rep for the fast-food company said Burger King and the franchise “regret” that the incident occurred. Francisco Perez, the man who received note, told KCRA , “All I did was place…
Great list! Here’s No. 2, from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice : “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” And No. 38, from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five : “This all happened, more or less.” Classic! What’s the list missing? (Ahem, Of Human Bondage ‘s opener?)
The holidays are typically considered a rather social time for people, but don’t try telling that to Mark Zuckerberg. While marketing retailers are spreading their media dollars to include a larger array of avenues for reaching holiday clientele, 62 percent said they intended to spend less than 10 percent of their total budget on social networking sites, reports Advertising Age . And although print continues to lose revenue, it still presents the largest amount of holiday marketing buckaroos, with …
Is this a PR coup for Microsoft? Chelsea Kate Isaacs is the college journalism student who, after trying to contact Apple’s PR department for a story, unexpectedly began an e-mail exchange with Steve Jobs. He ultimately told Isaacs to leave the company alone . Now, Microsoft is in Isaac’s corner. “Isaacs spoke from the New York launch of Windows Phone 7,” reports Gawker . “The Long Island University student’s travel expenses to the event were paid by Microsoft aft…
Here’s how not to handle Facebook criticism. Maybe you heard Nestle is taking heat from Greenpeace for using palm oil. (Greenpeace UK created a somewhat nauseating video about it.) Critics of Nestle took to the company’s Facebook page , and many of them had changed their profile pictures to anti-Nestle images. Nestle responded by reminding the Facebook visitors to be careful, because the Nestle logo — which many of them were using in their new Facebook images — was a trademark. Th…
With school back in session, PR Daily ’s Susan Young created this four-question quiz for PR pros to help determine their success rate. Here’s one question: Your boss insists you take over 12 accounts on tech platforms, of which you have zero interest and knowledge. You decide to … ? Related The Business Insider When you’re done with this one, head over to The Business Insider and take the business etiquette quiz to see if you’ve got what it takes to get that ra…
The iPad is revolutionizing the way people consume media, but how are businesses using this new gadget to engage their customers? This post from The Buzz Bin blog details how doctors, automakers, and restaurants are using the iPad to dazzle, engage, and delight their customers — and still make things easier for themselves. — Claire Celsi
Here’s your weekend reading. Print it out; take it home; bring it to the bathroom—OK, fine, too much information. This long piece from Wired explores the life of a pediatrician and spokesperson, one of the most hated men in America, Paul Offit. Why is he so hated? He is a spokesperson for youth vaccinations. “He boldly states … that vaccines do not cause autism or autoimmune disease or any of the other chronic conditions that have been blamed on them,” Wired ’s Amy Wal…
So you’re thinking about starting a Facebook page for your company or brand. Why not? Everyone’s doing it. Be careful, urges social media and communications consultant, Shel Holtz. “Even if your company isn’t a likely target of a coordinated activist campaign, you still may be thinking of slapping up a fan page, adding a logo and a few other items, then waiting for the fans to come streaming in — an approach sure to make you look lame and clueless to all but the least sophis…
Essential dos and don’ts for PR professionals.
