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I write about communication, leadership and change, drawing on a 30-year career in journalism, public relations and management.
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Category Archives: Marketing
A sad state of affairs for America’s news media
Two journalists—Gwen Flanders, a breaking news editor at USA Today, and Arin Greenwood, associate editor for HuffPost DC—spoke at an Independent Public Relations Alliance luncheon I attended earlier this month. It was a great session, with helpful tips on how to … Continue reading
13 trends for 2013, courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Last month, Ford released its first-ever trend report, “Looking Further with Ford: 13 Trends for 2013.” Aside from a story in USA Today, it was mostly picked up in auto trade publications. That’s a shame because it contains some intriguing … Continue reading
Posted in Marketing
Tagged 2013, collective empowerment, DIY, Ford, green living, micro skills, minimalism, trends, trust
4 Comments
Brand awareness and a glass of red wine
On one of the warmer afternoons we had last week, Debbie and I escaped to The Winery at Bull Run, where we tried a couple of the red wines. I can honestly say I was there on business because I … Continue reading
Posted in Marketing
Tagged brand awareness, branding, Civil War, Norton, The Winery at Bull Run, wine
3 Comments
‘I’ve got a name’ or personal branding 101
Why does Jim Croce’s “I’ve Got a Name” come to mind whenever I hear the words “personal branding”? Maybe it’s because I’ve always liked that song, and branding shouldn’t be any more complicated than Croce’s advice to be who you … Continue reading
Try prototyping to jump-start your next project
It was the night before a client meeting where we would be discussing ideas for a brochure, and I spread out on my kitchen counter some photos I had pulled off the Internet and some preliminary copy I had drafted. … Continue reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Tagged client's needs, design, ideas, IDEO, prototyping, right-rapid-rough
2 Comments
Content marketing, storytelling and blogging
“Content marketing” is all the talk these days among marketers and advertisers. But the more I hear and read about its use by big-name consumer companies like Coca-Cola and P&G, the more I have to wonder, “Where have these guys … Continue reading
Posted in Marketing
Tagged Blogging, Coca-Cola, content marketing, Content Marketing Institute, storytelling
2 Comments
‘Nothing happens until someone sells something’
A common lament among employees-turned-entrepreneurs is that they are unaccustomed to scratching for business. They’ve left the security of a company where business development was someone else’s responsibility. Now they’re on their own, and as Henry Ford famously said, “Nothing … Continue reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Tagged customer-focused, customers, Henry Ford, sales, selling, team player
2 Comments
Exploding the boundaries of social media
There was a time—when I was working on my master’s degree—when I paid a lot of attention to “the Other” and all those post-modern concepts that preoccupied academia during the “culture wars.” I read Lacan, Derrida, Barthes, Foucault and all … Continue reading
Posted in Marketing, Purpose
Tagged Derrida, empowerment, Facebook, LinkedIn, margins, Mashable, Social media, Twitter
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Marketing is dead. Long live marketing!
Here’s how to get a few extra hits on your blog or website: Declare something that is obviously not dead (yet) “dead,” as in: “The Internet is dead. TV is dead. Print is dead. Blogging is dead.” Then write a … Continue reading
Posted in Marketing
Tagged advertising, Bill Lee, Eddie Combs, Kevin Roberts, PR, Sears
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The Wayward Journey 