Public relations is an interesting business. Stay in the game long enough and you get exposed to just about every kind of client and story you can imagine. I was recently reminded (by a blog on Forbes.com) that the first item sold on eBay was a broken laser pointer. The story goes that founder Pierre Omidyar wanted to test the auction website he had designed (originally… Read more »
As the newest team member at Matter Communications in Portland, OR, I take time to reflect on the words of one of the most influential voices of my generation to help make my transition as seamless as possible: “When opportunity knocks, you better let him in. Sit him on down and try to be his friend.” I’ve taken Coolio’s words to heart during my first month… Read more »
It’s NFL playoff time, and the New England Patriots are again looking like league leaders. With a weekend win over Indianapolis, our boys are packing their bags and preparing for what will surely be a tough test when they play the Broncos this coming weekend. The recent performance of the Patriots reminds me a lot of the results generated by the top-notch public relations and social… Read more »
Later today, the majority of our staff (and their plus-ones!) will be gathering to celebrate the season. Like so many agencies nationwide, we’ll share holiday joy by eating, drinking and being merry. After a full year of helping our clients achieve both communications and business success, we’re ready to enjoy a holiday season celebration – and likely, you are too! Here are four reasons why holiday… Read more »
I’m dealing with a salesperson that has crossed the line from persistent to annoying, and doesn’t understand what we do and need. He’s spamming me with crazy regularity and the content of his pitch is meaningless to me and my business. The truth is, there are far too many PR agencies that take this similar tact while pitching. As PR professionals, we’re always trying to sell… Read more »
These days it’s impossible to find an article written about our business that doesn’t cover the emphasis currently being put toward visual story telling. It’s an exciting part of a PR and social media gig, and should be a big part of every agency new business pitch. Here are a few ways to leverage visual content to help pitch prospects: First, work with your in-house video… Read more »
Like most businesses in America, next week the dedicated employees here at Matter will take a well-deserved break from their press releases, editorial pitches and blog posts as they celebrate Thanksgiving. Matter will have an abbreviated work day on the Wednesday before the holiday – and they have been encouraged to work from home that day in the spirit of avoiding holiday traffic and getting a… Read more »
Yesterday’s double-whammy reminder of how the world remains an ever-changing orb of technological advancement came in the form of an exciting IPO reminiscent of the pre-bursting bubble from 15 years ago, alongside the death knell of a legacy business that capitalized on a technology that has come and gone in my lifetime. So long, Blockbuster. Hello, Twitter. It seems ridiculous at this point but it wasn’t… Read more »
Visual storytelling. For much of the year I’ve been talking with colleagues, prospects and clients about the powerful and very real impact that this kind of story-telling has on any communications initiative. Obvious to any audience who experiences and embraces visual elements, the impact of these story-telling tools has been proven by countless marketing studies. It’s a fact that supporting your PR and social media campaigns… Read more »
Fall is fully upon us – and there’s no looking back now. The leaves have fallen from the trees and the clocks are set back marking an earlier end to the light of day. It’s playoff time for high school sports – the undefeated girls soccer team here in Newburyport seems to be on a particular roll – plans are being made for Thanksgiving, and our… Read more »
Once upon a time, a movie camera was invented. What would follow were silent movies, movies in black and white, movies in color, movies with sound, special effects and eventually even 3D movies. There would be cult classics, box office biggies, busts, rom coms and everything in-between, and there would be public relations efforts for each one. These days there seems to be a new multi-million… Read more »
Last week, United Steel Workers of America Local 8751, the labor union representing Boston city school bus drivers, created a crisis situation for themselves and every parent and child in Boston when they refused to pick up 33,000 school children at their bus stops Tuesday morning. Their intention was to voice grievances over supposed safety and performance improvements, but their actions made them look heartless, selfish,… Read more »
The old saying “All publicity is good publicity” does not apply to high-profile athletes who endorse, support or promote unhealthy food. It’s bad PR for Lebron James, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, to position himself as a fan of McDonald’s fast food, or Serena Williams, a women’s tennis champion many times over, to push Oreos to the masses. And, it’s a particularly bad idea in 2013… Read more »
