Honestly, my first reaction to hearing the news that Sony was cancelling the release of its movie The Interview because of threats from North Korean hackers and blowback from theater chains was this: North Korea, you need to lighten up. Have you seen Seth Rogen and James Franco? Have you seen their movies? Do you really think they could be a danger to the North Korean military? One only needs to watch Pineapple Express to see that this is not a credible threat – unless you are worried about them stealing your weed.Read More
What if The Interview Sucks?
Posted on: 12.20.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
Strengthen Your Marketing Channels in 2015
Posted on: 11.14.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
A consequence and perk of being a blogger is that you often get solicited by public relations and marketing people. Because my blog is written about whatever I feel like writing about, I try to respectfully decline invitations and story pitches. This week, though, I was invited to a marketing event that I just couldn’t turn down. It involved a major liquor company and the sampling of specialty cocktails, kind of like a wine tasting but with hard stuff. I was in.
The event was sponsored by Intercontinental Hotels and Bacardi, and the publicized goal was to choose a signature specialty cocktail that will be showcased in the hotels next year. It was held at Bacardi headquarters, not far from my office.Read More
You had me at Ello! 5 Questions with Todd Berger
Posted on: 10.26.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
Ello Logo
Rarely a week goes by that I don’t encounter someone who is frustrated with social media. I have friends who have taken extended breaks from Facebook, and others who often see it as a platform for people to be nasty in a somewhat anonymous manner. Still others just find Facebook overly commercialized.
Entrepreneur Paul Budnitz and designer Todd Berger fall into this category. Budnitz, who also sells titanium “city” bikes that can retail for more than $8,000, and Berger are two of the founders of a new social network called Ello.Read More
Changing the PR Channel
Posted on: 08.04.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
As I have told my stunned teenage children, we only had four television channels when I was a kid. Back in the day (and by this I mean before anyone ever said “back in the day”), before cable television, before the Internet, and way-before a full-season of House of Cards dropped in one day, we had four TV options: the local affiliate stations for ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS. Television channels were broadcast over the airwaves (not Wi-Fi), and some TVs only showed footage in “black and white.” Our viewing choices and channels were very limited, but we didn’t know any better. Oh yeah, there was an informal fifth channel which I will call the “Shut-Off the TV and Go Play Outside Channel,” but the details of that one are best left to another post.Read More
Should the U.S. have Google’s “Right to be Forgotten” too?
Posted on: 06.02.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
Google last week unveiled a system which enables citizens of the European Union to ask the search engine to remove results from its listings. The move comes in response to a landmark E.U. court ruling which gave people there the “right to be forgotten.”Read More
Three Reasons to Apply for Business Awards
Posted on: 03.26.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
At some point in the recent past, it became popular to include one’s awards and accolades in your e-mail signature. It’s now common to finish reading an e-mail and then notice that the sender’s company is a “Great Place to Work” or a member of the (insert trade magazine here) “Top 100.” While I don’t like to see e-mail monikers overwhelmed by such plaudits, I must admit that I’m a fan of awards. I think they make good business sense for a number of reasons, and here are my top three.Read More
Cracking the Code on Wikipedia
Posted on: 03.06.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
One of the Internet’s most popular websites is the free online encyclopedia called Wikipedia. The site is viewed as an objective source of information and contains entries and listings on the world’s most common subjects as well as mundane and little-known topics.Read More
Sometimes you have to dig in and play rough
Posted on: 02.21.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
One doesn’t typically equate Miami with artifacts and prehistoric ruins, but today the city has a bona fide archaeological controversy on its hands. And while my knowledge of antiquities is best measured by how many times I have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, I do know a good PR mess when I see one. This tale began earlier this month when archaeologists announced they had uncovered remnants of a Tequesta Indian Village on prime downtown Miami real estate. The site, called “highly significant” by one anthropologist, includes eight large circles comprised of uniformly carved holes in native limestone that are believed to be foundation holes for dwellings dating as far back as 2,000 years.Read More
Would you appear on Al Jazeera America?
Posted on: 02.13.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
Last December I wrote a blog post about the movie Anchorman 2, and after it ran, a producer from Al Jazeera America called and asked if I would be interested in appearing on the cable network to discuss the marketing of the Will Ferrell movie. It made me pause and think.Read More
Seahawks Player a Quick Study in Crisis PR
Posted on: 01.30.14 Posted in: DavidPRBlog
Like millions of other football fans, I watched the NFC championship game when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers to advance to the Super Bowl. At the end of the game Seattle defensive back Richard Sherman was interviewed by Fox’s Erin Andrews, and he proceeded into an epic rant disguised as an interview. The Seahawks had just advanced to the Super Bowl, but the only thing Sherman wanted to do was disparage 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree. The vitriol spewing, wild-eyed Sherman appeared unhinged. Take a look.Read More