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.
In the latest example of how corporate attorneys and the judiciary system have way too much time on their hands, an appeals court today overturned the FCC’s decades-old censorship of “fleeting expletives” on broadcast TV. Your favorite stars now may [bleep] at will on-air, as long as it’s short.
We got a call from a young engineer who advises oil companies on deep sea drilling. What were our thoughts on holding a seminar on blowout prevention, charging press $1200 to attend — but forbidding questions? “I’ll pay double the ticket price to see that,” I replied.
What attracts us to Stieg Larsson’s best-selling The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo? The mystery, the suspense, the thrill of exposing neo-Nazi murderers? Oh c’mon. It’s the girl herself. By the millions we love this anarchistic punk goddess because she follows just one law: hers.
As a kid I joked that when the Revolution came, lawyers would be the first ones put up against a wall. Later, when I learned that they aren’t really here to help but only to fire people, I added HR execs. Today it’s all those who screen social media before it’s “safe” for posting.
“There’s little doubt that businesses are holding back. Right now they are sitting on more cash than they know what to do with, thanks to strong profits, depreciation that exceeds new investment and meager spending on researching, developing and marketing new products.” — Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post, 7/7/10.
Crawford PR is growing. Want to join us? We need skilled Account Executives with a good foundation in telecom, tech, BSS/OSS or CRM, and solid writing skills. The more creative you are, the better. To get started, send bios and writing samples to us at info@crawfordpr.com
With temperatures well in the 90s, the Dog Days of Summer are here. It’s a time to reflect on the work of fevered PR brains that transpires once the summer solstice passes. And maybe indulge in a little schadenfreude. Herewith, a few of my favorite Summer PR gaffes.
A common thread runs through many BSS/OSS companies we met with at the recent B/OSS Conference and Expo. Many firms overlook a vital tool in their PR programs: social media. It’s as if, for them, blogs, Facebook and Twitter just don’t exist.
In the 1800s, a transportation expert warned that if horse-drawn travel continued apace, city streets would fill with 10 feet of manure by the year 1950. He proved wrong about horses but right about the volume of manure, which still flows unabated from gloom & doom prognosticators.
At the B/OSS Expo last week, I was struck by the number of vendors whose solutions claim to do much the same things. Companies used to stand out by focusing on a core expertise. When products sound alike, as many now do, how can customers differentiate them? I suspect many don’t bother.
