Why you build a brand: to add value to your company. How you build a brand: advertising, marketing, PR, events, social media, publications, web, mobile, apps, sales, email, conferences customer service, internal communications…you name it. A top-priority, critical intersection you’re likely overlooking: the connection between PR and social media. The connections between your disparate activitiesRead… Read more »
“He wants to hold my hand. But I’m short.” “So walk side by side.” “He wants to hold my hand. So I said to him, ‘I’m short. I can hold your arm though.’” “What did he say to that?” “Once I put it that way, then he calmed down.” * * * Paradox: We seekRead… Read more »
Remember the good old days of building a brand? The days of “Mad Men.” You took the client out for steak and wine. You wrote up a creative brief. You gave it to the client, who signed it. And then you delivered Choices A, B, and C. They chose one, and you did advertising. ARead… Read more »
It happened one day while I was Googling myself. “She is a sociopath,” or something like that. “Good luck if you have to deal with her.” A comment, online, that referred to me. You are thinking I brushed that comment off, right? Like I’m so cool, and practiced, and nothing bothers me. Hell no! ItRead… Read more »
1. Branding is about making money – not making you feel good. Last year’s “The Lone Ranger” was a box-office flop. Its star Johnny Depp commented, “They had expectations that it must be a blockbuster. I didn’t have any expectations of that. I never do.” Maybe Depp doesn’t care, but Disney surely does, having lost $160-190Read… Read more »
“That’s great! Have a good night!” That is me, tiptoeing backwards. Because the other person won’t stop speaking. Sure, there’s a technique for handling this. But unfortunately not one that I ever mastered. “Did you say goodbye? I have a great story about goodbyes.” Oh no. Oh no. “Hang on just a second, I’ll walkRead… Read more »
I’ve been doing branding for a very long time. And one thing sets my best clients apart from the losers: Their ability to take sound advice. One client flat-out refused to pay. Another threw a shit fit at my boss. A third became enraged at me directly. The things I say aren’t rocket science, really.Read… Read more »
“People are as individual as snowflakes, they kinda look alike but no two are the exactly the same, and all classification is the root of prejudice.” ― Craig Ferguson, host, “The Late Late Show“ I’ve been a creative as long as I can remember. Writing, photography, slideshows, web, social media, fashion design, PR, writing for magazines,Read… Read more »
The other night I gave a talk in my personal capacity (not as a representative of the National Archives, or the U.S. government) for the University of Maryland University College MBA program, which was kindly hosted by UMD’s Universities at Shady Grove. The video is now available here. It’s an hour-long webcast; you’ll see me answeringRead… Read more »
“What do you want to order?” my husband always asks me at the Chinese restaurant. After fifteen years going there, we know the three lunch specials among which we rotate but imagine it is always a choice. “Oh, I’ll just have what you’re having,” I always say. Because no matter what you order there, itRead… Read more »