Silent, but powerful communication for Memorial Day

As I walk back and forth from the Boston Common Garage each day, I get a great daily view of the extremely alive city of Boston. One of my favorite daily sightings is the after work "dog park," an informal (it seems) gathering of dog owners whose pets run and play with abandon right behind my garage entrance. Earlier this week, just beyond the dog's favorite play area, I started to see the addition of flags. And then it grew...

Is Handwriting Going the Way of Cave Drawings?

On three separate occasions in recent weeks, I was struck by how far we are all moving from what some are calling the lost art of handwriting. First of all, I've had the sad pleasure of reading dozens of cards, notes and letters from friends and relatives after the recent passing of my Mom. There is just something very special about seeing a person's written note on a page that brings them closer to you. But at the same time,...

Are You in the 60% of Companies That Don't Have a Social Media Policy?

Image credit Case Central (client) Caught in my Facebook news feed yesterday was this Wall Street Journal article about the CFO of fashion retailer Francesca's Holdings Corp being fired for improper use of his personal social media channels. Specifically, he used his public Facebook page and Twitter channel to share confidential financial information with personal opinions. The Journal article transcribes a few, but these are the most egregious: On March 13 Mr. Morphis posted on Facebook about a company earnings...

Emergency Media Training for Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian, it's Les More. You remember -- the media trainer. We last met in September. I'm the guy who said to stop talking about chicken and beer. Remember I told you that your quote about people needing to eat, whether it was chicken or steak, wasn't what I had in mind? Yes, that was me. I didn't make the trip to Kansas City, but I've been watching the coverage -- and the games, of course -- and you're really taking...

Social Media Is Not A Checkbox

Thanks to Scott Stratten (aka @unmarketing) for channeling something that I think about every day. I just saw a tweet auto-posted from Facebook about being authentic. How can.... Ah forget it. — Scott Stratten (@unmarketing) May 9, 2012 I know what's stated in the headline is preaching to the choir for many of you out there. Here we are in mid-2012 and companies are devoting more resources and attention to social media as part of marketing, which is great but...

Step Up to the Plate - Are You a "Five-tool" PR All-star?

With baseball season now in full swing (pun intended), fans have already had the chance to witness some pretty amazing moments. Fenway Park’s 100th birthday celebration, Phil Humber’s perfect game and the blazing start for LA Dodgers superstar Matt Kemp are just a few that top the list. With all due respect to Fenway Park and the seemingly impossible feat of pitching a perfect game, Kemp’s start to the season stands out the most. Through the first month of the...

Boston and Bobby, Like Oil and Water

Fact: Boston sports fans are tough and unforgiving. But hey, we put up with a lot, don’t you think? It’s going to take more than a nice tan and impressive cardio endurance to become attractive in the eyes of Boston fans. Yes, I am referring to the Red Sox’s General Manager, Bobby’s Valentine’s sun-kissed complexion and his claim to fame of biking 6 miles a day. A persona that is not commonly associated with the macho tough sports town, and...

So You've Graduated from College, Now What?

I’ve been fortunate to have participated in two PR Q&A sessions with two universities: Roger Williams University and Bentley University. I was pleasantly surprised with the insightful questions that the students were asking and could see how eager they were to learn more about this fast-paced and ever-changing industry. Though conversations started off with general questions such as, “How do I build relationships with reporters?” or “How much of a role does PR have in corporate social media campaigns?” in...

Remembering Mike Wallace

Among the many tributes that have appeared since the passing of legendary investigative journalist and "60 Minutes" anchor Mike Wallace is one from the Washington Post that noted that "the four most dreaded words in the English language for anyone hiding a secret were 'Mike Wallace is here.'" I will never forget one of the founders of a company we worked with many years ago telling me about the nightmare he had after his company struggled with their first few...

5 Simple Secrets to Crisis Communications Success

“Etch A Sketch. Those three little words may become more of a bane to Mitt Romney's campaign than, say, Bain Capital.” – Frank James, NPR It’s no secret the public relations arena has changed dramatically with the advent of social media. After all, we now live in a world where 140 characters or a simple “Quotable Quote” (#QQuote) can make or break a brand in an instant. For example, a top Mitt Romney aide, Eric Fehrnstrom, famously declared with respect...