Two letters cropped up again this week that have been the bane of my life in the PR industry.
PC.
Not Politically Correct, nor Personal Computer. No; the PC that I am referring to is the definition most non-PR savvy people use to describe our industry – the Press Conference.
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Why didn’t they pick up my story?
If you’re in PR, you think you hate journalists but it’s not them it’s you. Imagine how they feel every time they open their Inbox to a swarm of emails, some straight to the point and some just a big hot mess? Instead of secretly wishing they would die, why not make their lives easier (and in turn, maybe they’ll make life a lot easier for you)? Continue reading »
Every PR campaign is tailored to attract a certain target audience – but women (namely teenage girls and mothers), more so than others, have to be approached in a very specific manner. I recently came across an interview conducted with Maureen Lippe, CEO of Lippe Taylor, which delved into the secrets of creating Public Relations campaigns for women.
The brains behind the Jenny Craig campaign that used actress Kirsty Alley’s transformation as a selling point for its diet plan, Lippe knows exactly what it takes to attract and hold the attention of women from any age group. She explains that rather than doing the same routine PR practices, clients such as Jenny Craig require a different perspective – something that will “cut through the clutter” in order to really reach editors of lifestyle and beauty magazines. The key is to maintain authenticity and transparency, something that is often lost in a desperate attempt to get a story published, and like anything else in this day and age, the best way to achieve this is through greater online engagement with target audiences.
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Although a discipline on its own with its specialized agencies, Event Management often becomes the responsibility of Public Relations firms.
Small or large in scale, to insure the success of any event – and to guarantee smooth roll out of activities – a huge amount of effort must go into the preparation phase. There are many resources you can consult for tips on managing events and things you should consider before, during and after your events, but one of the best and most useful guides that I have come across is by The Leonardo Programme.
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Christian Louboutin has built a brand that is synonymous with beauty, design and luxury. The expensive shoes, with their distinctive red soles, have become so famous – to the extent that when YSL designed a red soled shoe earlier this year, it fell under litigation. But what really is the secret behind the larger than life success of the Louboutin red-lacquered soles? The answer is distinctiveness. Christian Louboutin shoes stand out with their bright red Pantone 187C soles, and because once we’ve see them, we know you’ve paid a fortune for your footwear.
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The average person today carries 3 to 4 devices, juggling each with its own settings, applications and data. Added to that, technology today is upgraded as fast as a bee fluttering its wings. In June 2010, Apple fans queued for a new iPhone 4 and just 15 months later thousands scrambled to get Jobs’ last mobile model. Getting the latest gadget is the fun part; data migration is the real challenge. Well not anymore, not if you are safely covered by the cloud, iCloud that is. Continue reading »
Yes, our C&Bers have been busy at it, ever since we launched our new blogging approach. It was all thanks to my Twitter Epiphany (some are thanking me for it, while others are wishing me bodily harm), which was:
I recently had an epiphany. I’m new to Twitter (I know, I know, where have you been?) But the point is: I recently had a revelation. On my way to bugging and begging my way to more follows, I tried several things. First the Retweet, then follow more people and finally find interesting things on the Twitter boards that I could Tweet in my own words (you all do it too and you know it).
Ok, so where’s the ‘aha’ moment? I’ll tell you. I love to write and I love to come up with cool ways to attract people to read the links I post, but now that I have more followers, why not use that to express the only thing I really love to hear? (That would be me!) I love to say it in my own way, and I would rather be doing this when I need a break from writing a press release than play Solitaire on my desktop (does anybody even do that anymore?) or surf aimlessly on OMGFacts.com. So call me a nerd if you need to, but I pledge that at least 50% of what I Tweet from this point forward will be PR – and things related – literally from my perspective.
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Yup, it’s that time again – time to upgrade, but not to the mystical and mythical iPhone 5 we’ve been anxiously awaiting, oh no, we’re being asked to buy a new iPhone 4, but this time with an ‘S’ (pause for oohs and aahs). Obviously the news failed to wow investors, considering stocks dropped 5% after the medio-who-cares announcement on Tuesday.
Forgetting the investors, should we stampede the shops to get our hands on one of our very own? Here are some reasons why you should.
Why shouldn’t you have your very own personal assistant?
Helping you find out the weather (because heaven forbid you have to look outside yourself), read text messages, find restaurants, give you directions….but can it pick up your dry-cleaning? I don’t think so (maybe that’s what the iPhone 5 will do…) Continue reading »
In this post, our English writer Reem Heather Dabbas discusses the dos and don’ts of dressing for public appearances.
When it comes to making a television appearance, what you have to say could be a ‘bestseller’ but people will be judging the ‘book’ by its cover before they decide to read one.
It only takes a couple of seconds to make a first
impression, because beauty really is ‘skin deep’ when you initially say hello. That’s why when getting ready for a TV appearance your first question should be “What will I talk about?” but the second, and crucial, question will be “What am I going to wear?” No, this isn’t vanity, this is science. Psychological studies have shown the power of persuasion when it comes to the way we dress and how it influences people’s perceptions of us. In order to be the authority on the message you are trying to deliver, people must be receptive to your message in the first place. If you look like an expert on the matter, people will listen. On the contrary, how are people going to take you seriously if they’re too focused on the busy designs or outrageous colors of your outfit?
We’ve all heard the advice to dress for the position you want, so why would it be any different for the image you want to project for your company? It’s always important to look your best, as you are actually selling your company every time you make an appearance. As a professional organization that others can rely on you need to perpetuate this image in every encounter.
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