As a follow-up to my press release about the demise of the press release, I have some closing thoughts. Talking about a tool, such as the press release, as if it is the crux of all PR woes, is misguided. In the end it is just that, a tool, and you either use it or don’t based on the situation. The core issues are the professionalism of those who practice PR, for which I think training and accreditation are good steps; and the other is the issue of distribution, as read more...

06-01-20-balancing Originally uploaded by hickoree23. A collegue of mine recently said, “I guess I see the value of blogging overall and for authors, speakers, etc., but [I] am interested to know how the ROI works for a consultant?” A good question and not simple to dissect; however, I am going to try and lay out a framework here to help you make a decision. I will use the principles of value-based thinking laid out by Ralph read more...

Yesterday, the Public Relations Society of America Advocacy Committee issued an statement about paid media endorsements, such as the one purported to have been made to Audrey Lewis (a freelance writer whose articles appeared in The Birmingham Times) by Richard M. Scrushy, the former chief executive of HealthSouth, through her public relations firm the Lewis Group. It says, among other things that: PRSA strongly objects to any paid endorsement that is not fully disclosed as such and is presented as objective news coverage. Such practices are clearly contrary to the PRSA Member Code of Ethics, which requires that public relations professionals read more...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Tongue Firmly Incheek, if-you-agree-or-disagree-leave-a-comment-at-the-end-of-diatribe (San Antonio, TX) January 24, 2006 - Let’s face it, journalists hate press releases but see them as a necessary evil. In that spirit, we would like to announce the widely speculated demise (almost) of the press release. Instead, companies will speak directly to the customer and bypass the “traditional” media. No matter that research shows that consumers find the message more credible when received through a third-party, such as a media organization. Or that most bloggers and other Social Media rely heavily on reporters read more...

Cliff Arnell, a health psychologist specializing in confidence building and stress management at the University of Cardiff in Wales, UK, has once again scored major international coverage with his formula explaining why today is the gloomiest day of 2006. According to the Boston Globe, the read more...