The disgrace of Tiger and the never-ending freefall of Toyota, while seemingly unconnected, are in fact – from a brand perspective – very similar.
When word broke of Tiger’s infidelities, the world was shocked. Throughout his career, Tiger had painstakingly cultivated his image as a fierce competitor, shrewd business man, generous philanthropist and private family-man (portrayed as a dedicated husband and father.) Tiger really was, well…a tiger.
Tags: brand · brand development · business · communications · green marketing · public relations · Tiger Woods · Toyota
In my early days in public relations, I’d spend hours writing, designing and overseeing the printing of corporate newsletters that were distributed by snail mail to the company’s staff and to our customers. As I picked up the crisp, colorful stack of freshly printed newsletters and stuffed them into envelopes for shipping, I often wondered [...]
Tags: client communications · email marketing · employee communications · newsletters · public relations · strategic communications
Just the other day I went to an event for the Asian American Resource Center in Atlanta and I was happily surprised to see representatives of the United States Census Bureau handing out information on the 2010 Census and letting people know many of the reasons why it’s important to be counted.
Tags: 2010 Census · business · communications · consumer insight · consumer trends · Planning · PR · public relations
One of the largest components of planning a successful public relations campaign involves determining who you’re trying to reach and how you’re going to reach them. One demographic that has been driving marketers up the wall is millennials – kids and young adults aged 9-to-29. As a millennial, I’m sick of hearing about millennials.
There have [...]
Tags: generations · marketing · millennials · public · public relations · Victoria's Secret PINK
With the 2010 planning season upon us, I’m writing a three-part blog that provides top-line tips for how to develop a strategic communications program that is aligned with your brand and your business goals.
In my first blog (Defining Your Brand), I discussed why it’s important to start a strategic planning session by looking at your [...]
Tags: Brand Knowledge · budget planning · communications strategy · growth market · Planning · public relations · sales · strategic planning
Despite some recent economic good news, most businesses are still suffering through this Great Recession. However, I’ve noticed that aggressive companies are continuing to keep the pedal down on their marketing and branding. A clear example of this is Chick-fil-A, the quick-service food company known for their cow promotions and incredibly delicious chicken sandwiches (confession: [...]
Tags: brand development · Chick-fil-A · Optimist · PR · public relations · recession
On July 28, Matt Spaulding, our president, served as a panelist for the Atlanta Marketer’s Forum Green Panel alongside Sarah Dearman, public relations program manager for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and LindaMcCulloch, president of Design That Matters.
After an evening of discussing green marketing and communication strategies, the panelists were asked if they had [...]
Tags: communications · CSR · environment · green · green marketing · public relations
I’ve recently written two thought pieces that I’ve coined as “Green Papers.” The first paper provides some thinking about why and how organizations can implement a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program into their business. The second paper provides some ideas and strategies about how companies can effectively communicate their CSR program to drive greater brand [...]
Tags: brand development · business · communications · corporate social responsibility · CSR · environment · environmental trends · green · green marketing · green papers · public relations
You may have seen a recent Associated Press article (full disclosure: I’m quoted in it) about small businesses that are re-thinking compensation for employees during these economic times (Available here).
Compensation Considerations
In the article, I mention that Spaulding Communications will not be able to provide raises this year (as of July), and it seems unlikely that [...]
Tags: business · business creativity · economy · employee compensation · employee relations · employment · finance · fiscal prudence · human resources · public relations · salary · small business
In these hard economic times, it’s hard to be an optimist. Indeed, the dreary business reports don’t seem to cease. Each week, each month brings more pessimistic news on a variety of topics: consumer confidence, U.S. manufacturing levels, unemployment figures, energy costs, the U.S. deficit, inflation, taxpayer healthcare costs, etc., etc.
With all this doom and [...]
Tags: brand development · business · consumer insight · consumer trends · corporate social responsibility · CSR · environment · environmental trends · green · green marketing · green papers · media · Optimist · PR · public relations