Some Days are Tougher than Others

Yesterday was a difficult day for LP&P. Like so many companies, we have had to make adjustments to our operating model to better align our expenses with our revenue projections for 2009. This involved a number of actions, the toughest of which was to reduce the size of our staff. This was an extremely difficult decision and one that we labored long and hard to avoid until it was clear we had no other choice. Our clients have been staying...

Walking the Social Media Talk

In this blog, we attempt to provide insights into PR and communications best practices that others can learn from, create conversations and spur activity. We've done our best to make this blog a resource and not a mouthpiece in which we blindly promote us or our clients. Yet, there are times when it's appropriate to shine the spotlight on ourselves for just a little bit. Jennifer Leggio a social media blogger for ZDNet, put out a survey late last year...

Ch, ch, ch, changes.....at the SEC

Since Lois and I attended a NIRI event about 10 days ago at which David Bergers, Regional Director of the Boston Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, spoke, the changes at the SEC under Chairman Mary Shapiro have been getting more attention. Bergers spoke at past NIRI meetings, so we were looking forward to the perspective he was going to share on the roller coaster ride his organization has been on, along with the rest of the...

Thanks for many great DEMOs, Chris Shipley

Wednesday night I found on my Blackberry a confidential note from Chris Shipley telling me the news that was announced at midnight yesterday about her stepping down from her executive producer role with the DEMO Conference after 2009 and devoting full-time to her Guidewire Group consultancy. Gracious as always, Chris thanked me for my support over the years and expressed her excitement about this new phase for DEMO, under the leadership of Matt Marshall, CEO of VentureBeat, and her ability...

A-Rod Didn't Need PR Help. He needed The Actor's Studio

All right, cards on the table. Anyone who knows me knows I am a die-hard Red Sox fan who has, on more than one occasion, been part of the booing crowd when A-Rod steps to the plate at Fenway Park. The last time I saw him at Fenway was after the Madonna affair hit the media and I admit I thoroughly enjoyed the group of men who sang Madonna songs about Kabbalah very loudly behind me in the bleachers every...

Making the most of relationships in a down time

Lee Odden makes a great argument why smart companies need to invest in PR and social media during a down time in the economy, echoing views we have expressed here. A recent story in BtoB Magazine, “Marketers stay in the conversation with PR“ tells the story of a company that relies on case studies as part of their PR efforts. Since many of their customers conduct research as part of the sales process, the case studies promoted via PR efforts...

Some good Twitter data points

The Pew research report embedded in this post came to me through Twitter this morning. This week, I've been particularly focused on helping clients create and curate their Twitter channels. With others, I've been asked for hard evidence on Twitter's use to help them know whether it's something they should think about. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways for me, which include some surprising numbers: Rapid growth. In December 2008, 11% of adults used Twitter or a similar...

Sustainable Enterprise Communications

This week I attended a Massachusetts Networking Communications Counsel event, The CleanTech Mandate: Opportunities for Network Technologies in the New Era of Energy Efficiency and Sustainability. With the Obama administration expected to provide significant funding in the area of renewable and alternative energy and potential regulations to further spur the development of this market it was a timely subject. As a communications professional, my takeaway from the event was how all organizations, not just producers of products and technologies for...

A Little Sunshine From Intel

Yes, I know many people might have issues with this headline, but I couldn't help it. Intel announced yesterday that it plans to invest $7 billion in factory upgrades in the U.S. Industry insiders argue that it's old news and this is more of a PR stunt than anything (plans were on the table for a long time). And AP reporter Jordan Robertson speculated that the news isn't that encouraging because the investment doesn't trigger the creation of new jobs...

Another country heard from on the Great PR Debate -- literally

Well, it must have been a slow news day at USA Today, as they ran a rather lengthy article about a new book on public relations written by two academics in the UK, one of whom was a long-time PR practitioner before becoming a university lecturer. I haven't read the book yet. I've just read the article, which was a "special to USA Today" (even more unusual), and it seemed to go beyond a book review to an analysis of...