In IT, a black box is a program that measures output against input in complex systems.
This Black Box is designed to help companies achieve a similar goal in PR. Black Box provides our candid input—based on several lifetimes of experience—for companies that want to measure and improve the performance of PR programs.
“I used to shoot people for a living.” So began the article in, of all places, a software testing magazine. The author turned out to be harmless, just a software geek for the U.S Army. His great opening line hooked me: It seems the best work, even by those who automate for hire, can’t be automated.
An executive asked if I liked his draft blog and could think of any media that might run it. “No and No,” I replied. Like much blogging for business, his piece turned out to be just a re-hashed marketing brochure. As a blatant sales job, it was the antithesis of social media — no editor would touch it. How do you avoid this common mistake and hit the right note?
As the latest jobless recovery takes shape, media departments are hearing the familiar “do more with less” mantra from on high. With fewer bodies to produce the content that execs demand, the temptation to “re-purpose” old material is strong. The trouble is, you can’t steal — not even from yourself.
