Niche Media No More

In case you haven’t noticed, those once “niche” websites are all grown up and are challenging the hegemony of the biggest news brands on the planet. Buzzfeed founder Jonah Peretti, in his internal (posted externally) email to employees “Is History Repeating Itself?”, summed it up like this: “We have so much to learn from these…… Continue reading Niche Media No More

The PR Quiz 4.0 (w/answers)

Last week I had the good fortune to attend a lunch at the buzzworthy ABC Kitchen down the street from my old employer Burson-Marsteller. Our host, AirPR’s Rebekah Iliff, raised the issue of the lack of technology literacy in the communications industries before this eclectic gathering of PR execs, the founder of a fashion/tech startup…… Continue reading The PR Quiz 4.0 (w/answers)

Ambushed

NYU’s Jay RosenNYU’s Jay Rosen is a very smart fellow. I’ve heard him speak on many occasions about the transformation taking place in the worlds of media and journalism. He even joined one of our Publicity Club of New York panels back when the sea change had not fully taken hold. I was thus surprised…… Continue reading Ambushed

The Media Bypass

Ad Age’s Mike Bush today visits with a number of PR pros who wax poetic on how their clients bypass the media filter to reach customers directly.We’ve covered this for a few years now, but it hasn’t gone so far as to dismiss the value of media relations for advancing a client’s communications objective.Bush writes:…… Continue reading The Media Bypass

Jackson Intervention

With Michael Jackson mania poised to start all anew, it’s curious to watch how Mr. Jackson, once k.a. “Wacko Jacko,” may emerge as a whole new fellow.Here’s a tweet from the west coast editor for The Daily Beast: KateAurthur Kudos to the Michael Jackson fans mad about the movie whitewashing the “grim truth” for the…… Continue reading Jackson Intervention

Apple’s Vaunted PR?

Boy oh boy. Apple (AAPL) is on a real tear. Boffo earnings and equally boffo rumors including one alleging that Verizon is testing a 4G iPhone (take that AT&T!), keeps that brand in a state of PR nirvana.As a result, the company’s legendary PR department continues to grow in stature. Deservedly? I wonder.It seems like…… Continue reading Apple’s Vaunted PR?

Bribing Bloggers

PR Newser’s Joe Ciarallo and AllThingsD’s Peter Kafka’s eyebrows were respectively raised when a PR (?) rep for the upcoming ad:tech conference attempted to barter for their editorial coverage.Here’s a piece of the proposed offer as outlined in an email:”ad:tech will provide:* Twitter announcement of your involvement with ad:tech New York to our 6,800+ followers.*…… Continue reading Bribing Bloggers

Sidewiki’s PR-ospects

The digital marketing cognoscenti are nearly unanimous in their advice to newbie clients seeking to manage/advance their brands’ online reputations. Listen first! After all, how could a company know where to apply its marketing/PR muscle (and tools of engagement) without knowing what is being said about it?Listening to (or monitoring) the online conversation is so…… Continue reading Sidewiki’s PR-ospects

World Series PR Pitch

It made perfect sense. Why not glom onto the current national obsession for the national pastime to spark media interest in your company’s predictive technologies? I’m speaking of course about the baseball playoffs, and more specifically about the two teams that will end up in the season-ending best-of-seven.One enterprising company claims to have analyzed some…… Continue reading World Series PR Pitch

The FTC Tête-à-Tête on Twitter

If you’ve been following the digital discourse set off by the alleged $11,000 fine levied this week by the FTC against some bloggers, then you might enjoy Thursday evening’s Twitter exchange between BuzzMachine’s Jeff Jarvis and Mediashift’s Mark Glazer (@mediatwit).In case you’ve been out of the country, the FTC finally instituted its guidelines designed to…… Continue reading The FTC Tête-à-Tête on Twitter