It’s the economy….still
President Barack Obama will deliver his fifth State of the Union address on Tuesday night. And yet again, the economy is the over-arching issue to the remarks he’ll make. I wonder if he’s as tired of the malaise as the rest of us. Here’s the preview from the Wall Street Journal: Four times, President Barack Obama has […]
Too much marketing going on
Last week on this blog Dean Rotbart made an impassioned plea for PR people to be more responsive to journalist inquiries. It was a well-written piece, and I fully agree with his points. In thinking about how PR has come to a point where the basics of responding to a journalist inquiry are too often […]
Something needs to change in tech coverage
Alexia Tsotsis of TechCrunch writes about the problems with tech coverage in Silicon Valley. Tsotsis writes, “It’s dangerous how embedded we are in what we cover. These founders, these VCs, these employees being laid off, are some of our closest friends and sources. Our community is so tight-knit that you could be writing about a […]
Companies in glass houses…you know the rest
Hewlett-Packard Co. reacted swiftly to the news that Dell was going private in a $24.4 billion buyout. “Dell has a very tough road ahead,” the company said in a statement it issued. “Leveraged buyouts tend to leave existing customers an innovation at the curb.” Now, I know these two companies have a history of sparring […]
PR is like customer service — it’s in your interest to do it right
It’s a ritual I witness at least once every week as I go about lining up guests for the various radio programs that I produce, including “Business Unconventional,” “Monday Morning Radio” and “Radio Chavura.” A company or organization issues a national news release, hoping to draw attention to itself. The release may be designed primarily […]
Standard & Poor’s to face civil charges
The Justice Department is expected to file civil charges later this week against Standard & Poor’s. The lawsuit accuses the ratings agency of bad calls on mortgage bonds contributing to the financial crisis. Here are some of the details from the New York Times: The Justice Department, along with state prosecutors, plans to file civil […]
Tricks of Super Bowl ads
The game is now in the history books, but the talk for many on Monday morning won’t be the plays. It will be about the commercials. At $4 million for 30 seconds, the trick is to get your money’s worth. Businessweek did a piece on how some advertisers are trying to generate Super Bowl buzz […]
Virginian-Pilot introduces new business column
Jamesetta Walker of the Virginia-Pilot will begin writing a business of life column that will appear in the paper’s Sunday business section. Walker writes, “Some would say I’m a cheapskate. I’d prefer the terms pragmatic and resourceful. But more on that in tomorrow’s Business section. “First, a little about me. “This is my 33rd year […]
Frankie Flack: Why quote approval is sometimes necessary
Editor’s note: Here is the latest missive from Frankie Flack, our anonymous New York-based PR executive. In July of last year Jeremy Peters of The New York Times penned a piece titled “Latest Word on the Trail? I Take It Back” that struck like a sudden earthquake in the journalism and public relations field. Peters deftly […]
Why can’t CNBC contain its guests?
Marketwatch.com media columnist Jon Friedman was not impressed by the cat fight on CNBC on Friday between billionaires Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn. Friedman writes, “Is it memorable TV? Absolutely. Will it have a long life on YouTube? Certainly. Will CNBC figure that this is more good than bad, since controversy — like sex — […]
