I recently participated in a roundtable discussion alongside one of our industry’s real pioneers (and a long-time mentor of mine) Harold Burson. The topic revolved around the future of public relations (don’t they all?). While the session’s hosts, PR Newswire and CommPro.biz, gathered a number of industry thought-leaders including Ketchum chairman Ray Kotcher and Weber-Shandwick CEO…… Continue reading Red Crossed?
Category: The Flack
WhatsApp Founder’s Late Apology
Not a day passes without some big apology for bad behavior or a dumb choice of words by politicians, celebrities, executives and athletes. Making a public apology has grown into an art form and appears to be the stalwart strategy for stemming the criticism that subsequently reverberates in the media and social spheres. The latest…… Continue reading WhatsApp Founder’s Late Apology
Is NYC’s Tech Scene Just Hype?
Hype or Not? Fortune’s Dan Primack recently set tongues-a-waggin by cutting down to size New York City’s normally ebullient tech community with a piece titled “Are we done yet with New York tech hype?” Dear New York: Are we done yet with your tech hype? http://t.co/4k9Qyp0qgN — danprimack (@danprimack) October 2, 2014 The Boston-based Mr.…… Continue reading Is NYC’s Tech Scene Just Hype?
Uber Vs. Some Hairy NYC Cabbies
If one were to name the top ten most successful startups in the last five years, everyone’s seemingly favorite on-demand car service Uber would invariably make the list. The taxi industry-disruptive service has more investors throwing more money at it than one can reasonably fathom. Its last round in June raised some $1.2 billion from…… Continue reading Uber Vs. Some Hairy NYC Cabbies
Lena Dunham and Charles Blow: Literary Tales & Sales
As someone who has dabbled in book PR over the years, I can’t help but notice how the art and dynamics of this specialized practice have evolved. Most significantly, I’m seeing how a newly published author, with a sizable social media following, can play a pivotal role in driving awareness, esteem and…ultimately sales. There are, however,…… Continue reading Lena Dunham and Charles Blow: Literary Tales & Sales
NFL Sponsors Rattle Their Sabers
Last week we jumped into the middle of the Ray Rice domestic violence controversy, and its implications for brand NFL. The League ultimately suspended the Ravens star who, in turn, filed an appeal via the Players Union. Since then, disturbing photos emerged of the four-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson who characterized the…… Continue reading NFL Sponsors Rattle Their Sabers
Sex+Tech=Boffo News
Who hasn’t heard about the hacker(s) who leaked private photos of some well-known female celebrities? It produced breathless Labor Day weekend coverage from virtually every influential news organization. I suppose nowadays the combo of sex+tech has the capacity to pre-empt such mundane news like Islamist barbarism and a rich Russian despot invading his sovereign neighbor. Nonetheless, the hack…… Continue reading Sex+Tech=Boffo News
A Fourth Estate No More
Several months ago I presided over a Publicity Club of New York panel featuring a handful of reporters and editors from news orgs that could very well represent the future of journalism. They were there to offer the 120+ NYC PR execs in attendance an overview of their “digitally native” approach to news gathering, content publishing and sharing…… Continue reading A Fourth Estate No More
Downton Abbey’s Bottle Bonanza
Downton Abbey has enjoyed tremendous attention and affection from its fans and the media over the four seasons the British-bred period costume drama has aired here on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. But as with any TV series poised to again compete for viewers against a myriad programming choices across big screens and small, the show needed…… Continue reading Downton Abbey’s Bottle Bonanza
UBER: So Cool, Yet So Uncool
I was among the first New Yorkers to sign up for Uber back in May 2011 when the premium on-call taxi service announced its Big Apple debut at the New York Tech Meetup. I must admit that I didn’t take my first ride until a couple of years later when my college-aged son ordered one…… Continue reading UBER: So Cool, Yet So Uncool