Ad Age: Social media marketing supplanting traditional media relations

And the earth’s temperature is heating up.
While the dismantling of traditional media both financially and by audience/credibility has been gaining steam for years, this past year’s economic meltdown has only exacerbated the derailment. Clients are pursuing more direct lines to consumers through micro-targeted ads, Youtube channels, Twitter accounts and tactics of the like while PRtists continue [...]

PR Geniuses? Or a bunch of hot air?

They (the proverbial “they”) say that all publicity is good publicity. The informed public relations professional will wholeheartedly disagree with that slice of conventional wisdom. The backlash and disgust aimed at this Balloon Boy hoax that was allegedly perpetrated in an attempt to initiate interest in a reality show should prove dangerous, transparent stunts that [...]

On transparency and authenticity…

I lose.
For not contributing nearly enough to this precious weblog. But while the hours in a day seem to diminish with every new month and I’m not able to update as much as I’d like, I still keep a very active blogroll of PR and communications-type vehicles that keep me in the industry loop.
One of [...]

No Crossing The Blog Line

Apologies all around for not posting this week. Sometimes life happens.
Mark Cuban, the polarizingly (not a word) charismatic owner of the Dallas Mavericks has decided to ban bloggers from the locker room, creating a clear separation between newspaper reporters and bloggers. As of now, the only person affected by this ban is Tim McMahon who [...]

“It’s for you…”

Stractical would like to stay away from the cavalcade of slung communication tactics known as the Presidential primaries/election. Not because the Hillary vs. Obama vs. McCain vs. talk radio topic is uninteresting or doesn’t illustrate sound communications lessons. It’s just that, well… once you dive into the deep end of political communication, you may not [...]

“The Big Game” Advertisers Win Big with Earned Media

If you remember, it’s called “The Big Game” of course, because the NFL cried trademark over the name “Super Bowl” and forced advertisers to dive into the land of vague associations. But that’s for another post.
 Marketing Magazine reports that the $2.8 million price tag for 30 seconds of commercial real estate during Pigskinapolooza also came [...]

Get Out Your Editorial Calendars: It’s Valentine’s Day

Here’s a story about the best places to snog in Canada. The article doesn’t really matter though. What matters is it’s Valentine’s Day which means love is in the air and love is in the ink.
Besides driving up the price of heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, Valentine’s Day, like Mother’s Day and Halloween, create opportunities to [...]

How crises are like rabies

Wikipedia lists the initial symptoms of rabies as including: paralysis, cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, agitation, abnormal behavior, paranoia, hallucinations, progressing to delirium. Corporate CEOs and their communications advisers can easily relate when a crisis hits.
A troubling story emerged in Toronto yesterday as a man who purchased a dog at a Dr. Flea market for [...]

Playhouse Disney mixing business with pleasure

Playhouse Disney, an Astral-owned television station for kids, does not accept traditional 30 second spots. Like their big brother, the Family Channel, the station cross markets with toy and snack companies and fills their programming with product placements. This partnership is growing, according to Media in Canada.
The emergence of product placement and cross promotions in [...]

Chinese blogger killed for taking a picture

There’s nothing really to add to this story. Anyone who works in or with media should stop and reflect for a moment on how amazing it is to live with a mostly free press acting with mostly free speech.