Blogs
T he Golden Rule of PR: Always — and only — talk when you have something to say. At Crawford PR, we think deeply, strategically, and amusingly about our industry and how its developments impact our current and future clients. You can learn a lot about how we help tell your stories by seeing how we tell our own.
For expert commentary on PR strategy and how new tools suit timeless purposes, see company president Jim Crawford‘s Black Box Blog. For critical assessments of new media in PR — from corporate blogging to press relations via social media — see social media director Kate Schackai‘s White Hat PR.
Identity Crisis: The Great Slogan Misfire
I was all set to write a post today on images in PR, from infographics and photography to Pinterest (my new addiction). But then my state unveiled its new tourism slogan, and I just couldn’t resist. There’s a reason that really good catchphrases are rare and often expensive. The challenge is to capture the individuality of a company, product, etc., in just a couple of words — to convey what it is or does in a way that speaks to customers. “Breakfast of Champions.” “Just do it.” “Think...
read moreRage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light(Squared)
Those familiar with Welsh poet Dylan Thomas will recall the line from his famous work, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” urging his father and by inference all of us to live life to the fullest — even to the point of fighting, up to the last breath, its inevitable end. To “rage against the dying of the light” may be a noble personal sentiment, but in business sometimes it’s better to go quietly. This month’s national public policy scene provides a case in point. The Federal Communications...
read moreThe Objective News Story: Dead or Alive?
The New York Times story excoriating China for engaging in pay-for-play media, much of it placed by U.S. PR firms, might have horrified us all but for two things. First, the Times is a century late breaking the story — paying for coverage has long been common practice in other lands, and not just in emerging nations. Second, U.S. media are in no position to point fingers. Mainstream press routinely relinquish their virginity for cash, through “advertorials” that run alongside real news and features. In tech trades there is a...
read moreStrategic PR: When Silence Is Golden
People often think of public relations as sort of a professional version of that annoying kid who’s always trying to get everybody’s attention. It’s easy to imagine that pleading tone of voice and just substitute the details: “Pick me! Pick me! I want to be the source! I want to be the source!” That’s the mindset in which all attention is good attention — which some PR pros may believe, but most adults know to be untrue. In this share-friendly, hyper-communicative world, there is pressure to have the...
read morePlain English PR, Or Why Marketing Constructs Suck
I have a news flash that shouldn’t be one: potential customers want to know what you do, how you can help them, and why your product is better than the competition’s. The job of your PR and marketing teams is to tell them. It is not to make up trademarked terms or meaningless catchphrases that allow you to blather without saying anything informative. We all have our list of terms we’ve read one (or ten) too many times; mine includes “solutions,” “synergistic,” “intelligence,” and a whole...
read moreBranding Overkill: Has SXSW Lost its Cool?
Many moons ago in the days when Jimi Hendrix, Ginger Baker and Stevie Winwood were the virtuosos of rock I happened upon a large musical event in NYC. However, instead of flowing inside, crowds of long-haired, tie-dyed, bell-bottomed youths were streaming out the doors, humorously shouting expletives as they vacated the building. Seems they’d been lured in by the promise of a free “psychedelic” jam only to find that the event was underwritten by Budweiser. The killer: a light show interspersed with TV ads touting...
read morePR Images: The Dangerous Attraction of Stock Photography
You’ve seen the images; several times in fact. On the home page of one company’s website. “Enlivening” the most recent blog post for another. Maybe even inserted in a press release or product announcement for a little visual interest. The problem? It’s the same @#%!$^ picture. Stock photography, 1; company identity, 0. Having worked for several years in web development, I’m more than aware of the convenience of online stock photo libraries. For a few bucks here and there, you can purchase high quality...
read moreGoldman Sachs: When a Crisis Goes Beyond PR
Many employees who decide to quit their jobs dream of the big kiss-off — an apocalyptic retribution for years of wrongdoing, real or imagined. But few get to enjoy their revenge in the pages of the New York Times. By now, most news junkies have read the very public resignation letter of Greg Smith from Goldman Sachs in today’s paper of record. It’s a barn-burner — well-written, ideally placed, and designed to create massive shockwaves at Mr. Smith’s now very former employer. So first of all, hats off to Smith...
read moreTech PR: Raiders of the Lost Network
In the day when competitive local exchanges carriers (CLECs) like MFS and Teleport were hot, and prospective market entrants photocopied one another’s business plans to raise funding, I received a call from Stephanie Mehta, then with the Wall Street Journal: “Jim, I hear that one new CLEC founder breeds race horses for a living and has no telecom background — can that be true?” Fearing that said individual might be a client, I blurted out: “No way, ha ha! That’s gotta be a practical joke somebody is playing...
read moreWorthwhile PR: A Very Palpable Hit?
Clients are always excited about a hit, as well they should be. But let’s not forget that some hits are better than others. Pop quiz: Which is most valuable — the inclusion of your company in a broader industry story? or a you-only piece? Answer: It depends, of course. But while companies tend to be much more excited about being the sole source for a story, a good — read: trustworthy — journalist is unlikely to put up a serious piece (that isn’t a profile) without casting a wider net. And readers, from consumers...
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