The New PR : Throw out P and add AE

Today’s lesson: There is no such thing as a public relations professional. Let me explain. Yesterday, our Boston office was fortunate to get a visit from John Graham, chairman of our parent company, Fleishman-Hillard, a global leader in marketing and communications and one of the industry’s most recognized public relations agencies. Graham (former president of FH for 32 years) is a walking testimony of how public relations originated, what it is now and where it is headed. Maybe that's why...

Big Bird for President - Tech Bloggers, Twitter and a Presidential Debate

Twitter Steals the Show During First Presidential Debate What happens when you mix technology bloggers, a Presidential debate and Twitter? Big Bird becomes a political figure (hilariously). How? Combine one mention of cutting PBS’ funding, a direct shout-out from Mitt Romney to our favorite oversized, avian childhood memory and 135,332 tweets per minute. Last night’s Presidential debate between President Barack Obama (@barackobama) and Mitt Romney (@mittromney) was the most tweeted live political event in history, amassing 10.3 million tweets in...

You Call It "Pivot," and We Call It "Bridge"

NPR ran an interesting story this morning, in advance of tonight's first presidential debate, about a technique called "the pivot." Political debate consultant Brett O'Donnell defines a pivot as "a way of taking a question that might be on a specific subject, and moving to answer it on your own terms." When we media train executives for interviews, we teach them a technique called "bridging," which helps the speaker "bridge" from an off-topic or difficult question back to their key...

Social Media: Good or Bad For Company Execs?

Image Source: ABA In May, President Obama used Twitter to promote his support of gay marriage. His tweet went viral, being retweeted 50,000 times within the span of eight hours. Not all tweets are created equal, however. And not all go viral, or are received as positively as the president’s was. For executives at high-profile companies, the use of social media can be a double-edged sword. The right tweet or Facebook post can drive attention to a company and its...