Why I Am Optimistic
These are tough, turbulent times. The national debt is now pushing $11 trillion. Unemployment is way up; the S&P, way down. In fact, in the 185-year history of the Standard & Poor’s Index, the two years with the lowest return (-50%) were 2008 and ...
SUCCESSION PLANNING: REMEMBER THE CEO JUST RENTS THE OFFICE
In just the first few weeks of 2009, a number of corporate CEOs were sent packing. Seagate, Tyson Foods, and Borders Group were just some of the companies that announced changes at the top. Also, Apple chief Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence for...
An Inappropriate Thank You Note
Outrageous! Chrysler has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on ads that have been running in The New York Times, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal , among other media outlets, to thank Americans for “investing in Chrysler” through ...
The 13 People, Places and Things that Most Need a PR Bailout in 2009
What’s a public relations bailout? It’s a necessary, fundamental and substantive change in an individual, organization or institution that’s lost its way, which requires a program to communicate the change and thereby redeem the entity’s reput...
The First Presidential Blogger?
Imagine! The first blogger President. And a blog is right in line with the bold and transparent environment which Obama has tried to create.He could discuss every new or controversial policy in a blog – and people throughout the world could commen...
Peace سلام Paz שלום Paix 平和 Мир Fred
[NOTE: That’s “peace” in English, Arabic, Spanish, Hebrew, French, Japanese, Russian and Swedish]This week and next, I’d like to take a break from my usual blog to pause, express gratitude for the blessings of family and friends and to wish yo...
Boosting Employee Morale in a Down Economy
I remember after 9/11 how significantly employee morale fell; it was understandable. Nevertheless, while I always found a great escape in my work during such periods, that obviously isn’t true for everybody. Thus, it was not surprising — in the c...
“Green” Pressure
Investors are now starting to “go green,” which will likely impact corporate action. With that in mind, it is important to note that Makovsky + Company’s “Green Gap Survey” of the Fortune 1000, with Harris Interactive, demonstrated that whil...
IBM, Trust and the Great Global Conversation
At least once a month our firm invites a thought leader to present and discuss a topic of particular interest to our PR professionals and others on our staff. Last month’s guest speaker was Adam Christensen, IBM’s social media communications manag...
The Power — and Truth — of Headlines
It has always been my philosophy that, if you want to do a fast read of any media channel, you don’t have to read the body of an article; the headline will tell you a lot regarding trends, content and even future direction. I do admit that sometimes...
Marketing in Challenging Times
Many companies seem to be wrestling with the same question today: “In these troubled times, should we be cutting back on our marketing initiatives?” If you listen to Advertising Age, you won’t cut your marketing budget … at all … ever!As ed...
