Facebook announced last week it would tweak its timeline algorithms to weed out obnoxious “clickbait” posts. This is long overdue, as no doubt we’ve all become jaundiced from reading those breathless headlines that populate our screens, even if we don’t actually go...
Can the Brits save face after torpedoing “Boaty McBoatface”?
The Internet has spoken, and “Boaty McBoatface” won the Natural Environment Research Council’s naming poll by an overwhelming margin. So bring on those children’s storybooks featuring an anthropomorphized arctic exploration vessel, the school science teaching aids,...
PR takeaways from Boaty McBoatface
When an agency of the British government put the name of its new polar research vessel up to an Internet vote, it was probably counting on something like the Shackleton, the Endeavor or something paying homage to a great scientist or ship of the past. What it wound up...
Is Apple’s stand against the FBI putting the brand at risk?
I used to work in a video rental store (remember those?). In later years, we had software that kept track of all our customers’ rental histories, in part so we could learn their tastes and recommend other titles. Back then, the employees and customers understood that...
Volkswagen crisis: Sometimes an apology just isn’t enough
I offered some thoughts this week on the PR value of an apology, to a reporter with The Chicago Tribune. That got me thinking…when won’t an apology suffice? A sincere mea culpa has always been one cornerstone of any crisis communications plan, but there are times when...
Jared’s guilty plea: Vindication for Subway, a PR nightmare, or both?
I was as disgusted as everyone else by the news that former Subway spokesguy Jared Fogle pled guilty to child pornography charges, including paying for sex with two minor girls. Looking at this through the prism of public relations, this development either potentially...
Relentlessness: why “Whiplash” strikes a chord with PR pros
An important PR issue has come to my attention, and I felt compelled to share it here. PR pros loved the movie Whiplash. Or at least the majority featured in the Daily ‘Dog’s PR PROfile did. Of 24 spotlighted professionals who answered the question, “Favorite movie...
Newsjacking and the power of the Offer
“Leave it to a public relations agency to make a good PR move.” That’s what NBC10, the Philadelphia NBC affiliate, wrote in covering some news I recently put out for my agency. I offered free PR services to any retailer selling an absurd handgun-shaped iPhone case,...
Subway’s PR dilemma: should “innocent until proven guilty” apply when brand equity is at stake?
It was a virtual certainty that Subway would suspend its relationship with Jared Fogle after police seized computers from his Indiana home as part of an investigation into child pornography. The privately held company had to take this action—and quickly—to preserve...
Political PR: Rand Paul should fire his communications manager
Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul has a problem with female reporters, that seems pretty clear. But the fact that he has repeated his condescending behavior during what he calls “contentious” interviews is a bigger issue. The Jheri-curled candidate most...