A Great Spokesperson at a Difficult Time

I have written many "What were they thinking?" posts over the years about various spokespeople or brand representatives who have said or done ridiculous things. I would be remiss, however, if I didn't commend a really good spokesperson's calm, clear and direct communication here in Boston this week -- Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. If you listen to his press conference remarks following the horrific Boston Marathon bombing incident, you get information and the messages all of us in...

Clients Say the Darndest Things

Now that Mad Men is returning, I began to revisit some of my favorite quotes from seasons past. For those of us that work at an agency - where client service is an obsession, not just a profession - you can't help yourself. Which made me think back to the more memorable quotes I've heard from those I've had the privilege of working with on the client side over time. No worries, the names and faces have been deleted to...

Work friends can be real friends…. and nine other things I learned at LPP

Ten years ago, I started at Lois Paul and Partners in Austin as a bright eyed, yet terrified, account rep. One of my first assignments was to fax a press release and keep track of “clippings” to build a clip book for the client. The list of trade publications was endless, and I remember tracking speaking opportunities kept me busy all week. How things have changed! While we might not be faxing anymore, I learned so much in those first...

More Water in the Watering Hole Please

It’s been a sad few days for any bourbon aficionado. Ever since Maker’s Mark announced the watering down of their trademark red-wax whisky, fans have not shied away from expressing their anger, and media outlets have not stopped criticizing. Initially, Maker’s Mark Chief Operating Officer Rob Samuels made the announcement via email to all brand ambassadors. Due to product shortages from high demand, the new plan was to water down their famous whisky without having to increase the price. This...

Carnival Shows a Crisis Plan is a "Need to Have," not a "Nice to Have"

As I write this, more than 4,000 poor souls have finally arrived on land after being trapped on a broken cruise ship with minimal food, water, and sanitation and no air conditioning for days after they were supposed to dock. The Carnival Triumph towing of this ship to Mobile, Alabama was on the 24-hour news stations daily. The media gathered at the pier in Mobile waiting for them to arrive, which finally came late last night. Any news reporter who...

Joe Kennedy and Technorati Know Where it's At

For the past few months, I've been reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys - sad, but I work and have two toddlers, so getting through a lengthy book can take years! Joe P. Kennedy, Sr. was a fascinating and truly brilliant businessman. He no doubt laid the foundation for his famous offspring. Joe Kennedy had incredible instinct and foresight and always placed himself in the right industry at the right time. During World War II, he...

Vatican Misses Opportunity to Announce Pope's Resignation

For just the second time in the last 600 years a sitting pope has resigned, yet the Vatican’s PR staff was practicing PR tactics from the year 1412 in terms of communicating that news to the more than 1 billion Roman Catholics worldwide. This morning in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of cardinals that his health was failing and therefore preventing him from adequately exercising the duties of the pope and serving practicing Roman Catholics throughout the world....

Penn State's THON Is #FTK

Allison Kreider is a 2012 graduate of Penn State University and current intern at Lois Paul & Partners. This is the fourth part of a four-part series covering the many angles of the sex scandal at Penn State from a first-person account and PR perspective. From how the football team, the same football program that was at the heart of the scandal, surpassed all expectations during the 2012 season in light of a new coaching staff and shaken up starting...

Penn State PR - One Year Later Part III

Allison Kreider is a 2012 graduate of Penn State University and current intern at Lois Paul & Partners. This is the third part of a four-part series covering the many angles of the sex scandal at Penn State from a first-person account and PR perspective. From how the football team, the same football program that was at the heart of the scandal, surpassed all expectations during the 2012 season in light of a new coaching staff and shaken up starting...

How to Leverage Social Media to Enhance Everyday PR Activities

Last week I had the opportunity to lead a peer training session at our agency where we discussed, what you will come to realize is one of my favorite things – social media. This was especially significant for me because for one, it’s only been four months since I started working at Lois Paul & Partners and our agency’s culture of creating opportunities for co-workers to learn from each other manifested itself in yet another way. As a new employee,...