In a digital world where literally anyone can be a “publisher,” I’m often asked why (or if) public relations (PR) is still important for marketers. My answer:
Continue reading “Why Public Relations (PR) is Important for Marketers”
Tag: fake news
7 Tips for Working Effectively With the Media
It seems that more and more businesses—large and small—are looking to the media (including social media) to generate awareness for their businesses and their products. Makes sense. Media coverage, whether traditional or online, can be a great source of exposure, not only because of its cost-effectiveness but also because the things that others say about us tend to hold more credibility than the things we say about ourselves (e.g. our advertising messages).
Media coverage is not “free,” however. Continue reading “7 Tips for Working Effectively With the Media”
How Social Media is Changing Advertising and PR
(excerpted from 21st Century Secrets to Effective PR: Tips and Best Practices for Gaining Media Exposure)
In the “old days,” there was advertising and there was PR. Advertising was paid communication that we created about ourselves. PR was communication that we earned through creating relationships and clever pitches to the media gatekeepers who would then share information about us on our behalf. Social media represents a new communication option that has had, and will continue to have, a marked impact on both advertising and PR. Continue reading “How Social Media is Changing Advertising and PR”
Be Careful Out There! From Fake News to Fake Newsmakers—How to Best Protect Your Brand
In 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat character burst onto the big screen and became a huge success in the United States. Borat – a scruffy, socially awkward “journalist,” ostensibly from the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan – took a cross-country trip through the United States, mostly in the South, and interacted with and interviewed numerous unwitting participants who became fodder for Baron Cohen’s movie.
While Borat had been a staple of Baron Cohen’s Da Ali G show for years, the 2006 film marked the first time many Americans had been exposed to the character. From college students and driving instructors to rodeos and local news stations, many Americans were fooled into believing they were being interviewed for a cultural program for consumption in Kazakhstan, something that would not be seen in the United States.
Hilarity, embarrassment and lawsuits followed. Continue reading “Be Careful Out There! From Fake News to Fake Newsmakers—How to Best Protect Your Brand”