I know why the clicked link sings Where did the mis-attributed quote on the new Maya Angelou stamp come from? Apparently Wikipedia. Buying the forest for the trees Apple just bought a forest where it will grow trees for its packaging. Agree to disagree No, Yes, Definitely: On The Rise Of ‘No, Totally’ As Linguistic Quirk Running north Via the indispensable Next Draft newsletter: A story from the starting line of the Pyongyang Marathon There’ll be a quiz later The typical American reads more than…
If you’ve been reading our blog lately you’ve probably seen these four words together: owned, earned, paid and shared, as it relates to the future of public relations. Not only is it important for organizations to have a media relations strategy (earned), create original content such as blog posts or microsites (owned) and a social media strategy (shared), but it is now imperative for organizations to have a social advertising strategy (paid). Next week, Emily Shane and I will be giving a presentation on the…
Remember the beginnings of Twitter when everyone told everyone what they were doing at that moment whether everyone else really cared or not. Oops, that’s still Twitter… Imagine that but doing it using live video and you’ve got the current state of Periscope and Meerkat. Those are the new live video apps that allow folks to live broadcast whatever they are doing wherever they are doing it and promote viewership through Twitter. This post will not debate the merits of one versus the other (Periscope…
Hot stuff What, exactly, is comforting about comfort food (aside from the, uh, eating)? On the news The Vanity Fair goes long on what’s wrong at NBC News. Presumably we’ll soon get an NBC segment on what’s wrong with Vanity Fair. Debbie Downer Can’t wait to see the SNL sketch on this: The Atlantic looked at FCC complaints to find the most offensive recent Saturday Night Live segments. Economy of one If, like me, you’ve wondered how a “living wage” is calculated, it seems like…
Earned, owned, shared, paid. They are the four words that make up the cornerstone of public relations in 2015. Native advertising and sponsored content are the phrases that are thrown around interchangeably to describe buying your (content’s) way onto a third-party website. But the Holy Grail is brand journalism. It gives you the ability to truly control your content in a way that both exemplifies your brand and reaches your target audience. Until recently I thought it was nothing more than a pipedream. That is…
Sorry You’re not as smart as Google makes you feel. 1985 In the Back to the Future II version of 2015, Max Headroom was everywhere. But, who was he? BPM & BPS 11 points about Tidal, Apple, Beyonce, and the future of streaming music Also from Quartz More live-action versions of Disney movies are coming. Maybe this SNL skit isn’t so far off? Teaming There was a time when “open office” just meant a terrible Microsoft Word rip-off, not a terrible working situation. Follow us…
On November 28, 1972, I scored two baskets in a hard-fought varsity basketball game against the Key School. I know this because the next morning, my picture was in the paper making one of them, my Pete Maravich-like hair flopping in black and white. (Admittedly, my haircut was pretty much the only part of my game that resembled Pistol Pete’s.) My mom cut that sophomore-year photo and the accompanying article out of the paper. And so did some of my neighbors. And some parents of classmates. And…
Art of the menu In this video on The Atlantic, “the young doctor” James Hamblin looks at the psychology of restaurant menus and how we’re manipulated by the language used. I promise it’s funnier than that sounds. Apropos of nothing Here’s 15 subway-style maps of, uh, non-subways. And on that bombshell It may be “just a car show,” but Top Gear brings in millions for the BBC every year, so it’s a pretty big deal that co-host Jeremy Clarkson went and got himself fired. All…
Things you probably didn’t know (or care to know) about me. I love Richmond native D’Angelo. I also love—to a lesser degree—Grantland.com writer Rembert Browne, who in my opinion is one of the funniest music/pop culture writers out there. So you can imagine my excitement last week when this happened. (Browne wrote about D’Angelo. I know, right?!?) I was expecting to read about how amazing D’Angelo’s newest album, Black Messiah, is live. What I got was a lesson in corporate branding. Stay with me. The…
Smarter than a watch Fusion has a behind-the-scenes look at how Apple’s new medical research framework, ResearchKit, came to be. Troll the respawn, Jeremy Read this Vanity Fair profile of Ellie Kemper and then go binge her new show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the best show not on TV. Hi Dad Here’s a sweet on-air moment between Lester Holt and his son, Stefan. Maybe you don’t want to know The language you use says a lot about you, and that holds for your social media updates…
Recently, we helped long-time client, Chesapeake Bank, host a community event to unveil a mural installation at the future site of the bank's first Richmond branch located in the Westhampton neighborhood of the City of Richmond. With several months of construction ahead before the branch is completed, Chesapeake Bank decided to install a mural as a way to thank neighboring residents and businesses for their patience while also obscuring the construction site. The woman behind the mural is local artist Emily Herr, of HerrSuite. Herr is a…
You’ve heard us say it before…the days of reaching large portions of your social fanbase for free are largely over. But it’s not all bad news. While it costs money to reach social users – people both within and outside your current fanbase— each of the major social platforms now offer audience targeting tools that will allow you to reach qualified contacts at a reasonable price. You no longer have to rely solely on demographic and interest targeting. Instead, you can send targeted messages to…