Author Archives: Michael Whitlow

Showing Love Increases PR Influence

January 29, 2010 – 12:30 am

We were sitting in an agency board meeting the other day, and our chairman posed an important question. To paraphrase: ”Are showing our clients enough love?”
We counsel on employee and community engagement. We work for Satmetrix, a great customer experience and relationship company. Yet, in trying to help bring success to our clients, we may be allowing ourselves [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (8)

Conan Interruptus – Socializing Old Media

January 22, 2010 – 12:15 am

There is nothing like a PR disaster to get the ol’ buzz rolling, and the ongoing mess surrounding NBC’s evening lineup has added some fun for those of us who don’t have to deal with it from the inside or for any of the sparring camps representing the hosts.  The move to push Conan O’Brien off the air [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)

10 Years From Now – A Look Back

January 15, 2010 – 12:16 am

Again this year, I got links to dozens of those inevitable posts that come up at the beginning and end of a year. All this got me to thinking about both inevitability about wishes for the future. An email from a friend came also, remindin me of a whole list of things that weren’t around in the olden days [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

Facebook Privacy Suit Holds Caution for PR

December 18, 2009 – 12:07 am

There is nothing quite like a social media dustup. Most are literal tempests in teapots. Even if the teapot represents 100s of millions of participants, and even if thousands and even millions get all bent out of shape about something, there’s usually not so much as a ripple created in the analog world by events in [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (16)

Trouble Lurks in Social Media Guidelines

December 11, 2009 – 12:58 am

In October, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonial in Advertising. The new guidance is game-changing, as many have commented upon. Some have even said that the FTC, particularly in its comments about “typical” results claimed in advertising and other promotion, has changed the rules in the [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing, PR Industry Trends | Tagged , | Comments (20)

5 Whys Jog Actionable Listening

December 1, 2009 – 12:03 am

I can pay to listen. I can listen for free. I can “monitor,” even. I can pay others to listen for me. I can lurk. I can engage.
There have been some great posts on the tools for listening. The list for both paid tools and free tools is ever-expanding, it seems. If I want to latch [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)

Conscious Capitalism/CSR Creates True Fans

November 20, 2009 – 12:05 am

The really old school capitalists like to say that the only business of business is to provide a return to shareholders. Long before the concept of “stakeholders” came into being, business was conducted, customers and suppliers were treated fairly or not, and it all somehow moved along. Now, companies need to do better. The concept [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (9)

New GE Brains Boost Buzz

November 13, 2009 – 12:01 am

Paul Glader’s article last weekend in The Wall Street Journal online about a new twist in the ongoing GE up-from-the ashes saga gave me hope that public relations people will get their day in the sun at this famously left-brained outpost of capitalism.

I’m a great fan of GE — even took some Six Sigma green [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (8)

Social Media Tipping Point vs. Press Release

November 6, 2009 – 12:01 am

A recent poll of corporate communicators conducted by Ragan Communications and PollStream shows up this week, saying that “only 49% of today’s professional communicators say they think press releases are ‘as useful as ever.’ ” About a third say that the news release is holding on largely due to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s old school [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (35)

Old/New Media Multiplying Whines?

October 30, 2009 – 12:01 am

I love The New York Times. I really like the writing of David Segal. I didn’t like Segal’s “Soapbox” column last week where he added the muscle of his newspaper to one person’s battle with T-Mobile. (Full disclosure: we represent another mobile firm).

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anyway, long story short, his subject complains about a never opened T-Mobile account for which she is being charged.
Segal gets [...]

Posted in Digital Marketing | Comments (18)