At this time of the year, my agency, CRT/tanaka, gets inundated with résumés from eager, young college students looking for internships or full-time positions. Listening to enthusiastic and passionate young people during the interview process always inspires me and reminds me why I enjoy working in public relations. These interactions with college students on the [...]
Author Archives: Jeff Wilson
5 Crisis Management Tips Learned from March Madness
March 12, 2013 – 8:00 am
This is a refresh of a previous blog post. I’ve come up with a few more insights about the parallels between crisis management and college basketball. Forget the Super Bowl or the World Series. For me, the most exciting time in sports is March. That’s because it’s almost time for college basketball’s March Madness! I [...]
Is BlackBerry Ready to Lure Back Business Users?
February 5, 2013 – 8:00 am
By Jeff Wilson, APR (@wilson0507) Don’t call it a comeback. We’ve been here for years. There was a time – not so long ago – when many of my colleagues wouldn’t go anywhere without their BlackBerrys. After all, BlackBerry was THE smartphone of choice for the serious-minded business executive. Even when the iPhone made its [...]
Does Livestrong Need a Name Change To Remain Viable?
January 22, 2013 – 8:00 am
By Jeff Wilson, APR (@wilson0507) Like many other news junkies and PR, marketing and branding professionals, I’ve watched with great fascination the unraveling of the Lance Armstrong brand over the past several months. His undoing culminated with his admission to Oprah Winfrey that he had, in fact, used banned EPO, testosterone, cortisone and human growth [...]
Swing State/Sling State: Are You Suffering From Political Ad Fatigue?
August 21, 2012 – 7:00 am
By Jeff Wilson, APR (@wilson0507) One of the many reasons why I appreciate living in Virginia is the fact that we’re a swing state. In the presidential election of 2008, I really felt as though every vote in the Old Dominion counted. As a swing state, Virginia – along with Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New [...]
Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire: A Look at the Chick-fil-A Controversy
August 10, 2012 – 9:55 am
By Samantha Cox (@samanthamcox) Regardless of where you stand on the issue of gay marriage, there’s no denying that the recent Chick-fil-A controversy has left us with an endless amount of food for thought. CEO Dan Cathy’s statements have brought a range of additional issues to the table over the past month – from free [...]
The Annihilation of the Penn State Brand
July 24, 2012 – 9:53 am
By Sam Lantor Note: The recent events at Penn State University have shattered the image of the school’s legendary football program and its storied coach Joe Paterno. The impact on the university’s reputation will be felt for years to come and will impact more than athletics. Following is a blog post from one of CRT/tanaka’s [...]
JCPenney’s Rebranding. The “New,” New Coke
June 6, 2012 – 2:09 pm
By Kelly O’Keefe (@kellyokeefe) It was a rare moment in the history of retail branding. Two giants in the field had come together to forge a new path for a tired old brand. Their approach was well researched and brilliantly executed with flourishes of creative genius. So why has it been such a complete failure? [...]
CRT/tanaka Enhances Branding Expertise with Kelly O’Keefe as CCO
June 4, 2012 – 9:43 am
Join us in welcoming Kelly O’Keefe as CRT/tanaka’s new chief creative officer and resident brand expert. As an entrepreneur, a brand veteran of 25 years and a professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter, the nation’s top ranked advertising program, Kelly has a deep pool of experience to draw on when it comes to brands [...]
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