This is Part 1; Part 2 to come at year’s end The first half of 2023 has just concluded, and already a long-time belief of mine—which I have written about and told many times to people who reported to me—has once again been proven true: that a tuition-free Master Class...
When I was a youngster, I believed the sports world’s hype that sports is all ice cream and cake and that the moguls of the business and their employees, the athletes, should be considered on a par with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding...
I've long said that PR people can learn valuable lessons free of charge that are not taught in communications school, especially by following happenings on the political scene. And politics aside, former President Donald Trump's appearance on CNN's Town Hall provided...
For years, I have been writing and telling account execs who reported to me to always do what’s best for themselves, because in the final analysis you’re nothing but an employee number, and the agency will always do what’s best for itself. My saying so wasn’t always...
On the night of April 11, during former President Trump's interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, there were two important PR lessons voiced—both which should never be copied by PR pros. The first one was when the former president said that when he was indicted in...
Sports fanatics in our business often are so excited when they are assigned to or suggest a sports marketing mega-project to a client that they often fail to consider the downsides that might occur, which are many. The downsides have always been there, punctuated by...
Some things never change, and one of those things is the glorification of sports in America. But anyone who closely follows the sports scene can notice that things are changing, especially readers of the New York Times. No longer does the Times’ sports section act as...
Good work matters, especially when an agency is making money. But when things turn sour and the bottom line at an agency is red, no one is safe because the fastest way to cut losses is to trim the staff and reducing salaries is the fastest method of doing so. In many...
Too often a very important aspect of responding to the media during a PR crisis is underused—common sense. This article lists some of the common-sense tactics that I have used when responding to the media during crises. They have always worked for me. If there is one...
For decades I've been telling PR agency people that they can learn a lot about media relations by paying close attention to the political scene. Why do I know that is true? Because my first job in our business was with a political PR firm, where I worked on local,...
I’ve often told people who reported to me that the way to get ahead in our profession is to differentiate yourself from the pack. There are various ways of doing so. For me it was to think outside of the box. As a novice freelance reporter, I caught the eyes of...
Inconsequential titles have been a hallmark of the communications business for as long as I can remember In our trade, the propaganda industry, I’ve seen titles handed out like raindrops during a storm, mainly for three reasons: 1) to placate restless account people;...