Andrew Walker, VP of Communications for the Women’s Tennis Association, talks about how communications is effectively utilized in the sporting industry.
Archive for April, 2009
Points of View is our blog dedicated to exploring the critical corporate communications issues of the day through insights and videos of Fortune 500 business and communications execs, industry insiders and our team.
It’s proxy season….do you have some explaining to do?
Jeff Hunt
April 23rd, 2009
It’s that time of year when many publicly held companies are getting out their proxy statements.
This year, the springtime ritual is complicated by last year’s sickening plunge in stock prices. Many companies find themselves sending proxies to anguished investors who lost retirement savings, employees who lost 401k plans and maybe even their jobs, and skeptical media people eager to find the next AIG-like bonus scandal.
Are you ready to explain to these people why the CEO is getting his multimillion dollar compensation package?
If you’re in corporate communications or investor relations for those firms, your task may be further complicated by the fact that the boss’s compensation probably isn’t primarily in the form of salary. Valuing restricted stock and stock options is governed by arcane SEC and FASB accounting rules that may result in proxy disclosures that bear little resemblance to current market values. (more…)
Positive reinforcement is a lasting gift for givers and receivers alike
Tom Martin
April 22nd, 2009
Originally Published PR Week
No matter what career stage we are in, we all benefit from a little encouragement. I was reminded of this in a powerful way by a student who had, in her own words, “dug herself a huge hole.” The lesson she taught me extends far beyond the classroom and applies to both the giver and recipient of positive reinforcement.
She had started the semester in good shape, but within a few weeks her classroom appearances became sporadic. She failed to turn in her initial assignment and then missed a second deadline. She became non-communicative, ignored several e-mails I sent her, and finally stopped coming to class altogether.
I had pretty much given up on her, but then out of the blue I received an e-mail in which she apologized for her negligence and disrespectful behavior. She also pledged to turn over a new leaf.
We agreed to meet and discuss how she could salvage the semester. (more…)
Michael Watras on trends in branding
PulsePoint Group
April 20th, 2009
Michael Watras, Chairman and CEO of New York branding consultancy Straightline, on major trends in branding.
Angela Buonocore on the communications function at ITT
PulsePoint Group
April 16th, 2009
Angela A. Buonocore, SVP & CCO at ITT Corporation, on how ITT’s communications function is structured to operate globally but exist close to and provide value to individual business units.
2M4M: ROFLMAO
Bill Feldman
April 15th, 2009
It may be the most embarrassing branding error since GM found out that the Chevy Nova meant “no go” in Latin America.
And it’s a reminder of what happens when clueless people try to use Web 2.0 language because they think it’s cool but have no idea what it means.
Last week, the National Organization for Marriage, a conservative organization opposed to gay marriage, launched a new $1.5 million “Two Million for Marriage” initiative that it dubbed “2M4M,” evidently in an effort to appeal to younger, web-savvy people. (For those of you who are interested, PR Place has the scoop on activist Maggie Gallagher, who is behind this group and a related “Institute.”)
NOM also launched Facebook, MySpace and Twitter accounts, urging supporters to “use those networks and invite your friends.” (more…)
How Twitter is helping FEMA avoid (PR) disasters
Joah Spearman
April 13th, 2009
In early September 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans and enacted similar damage on FEMA’s reputation, I moved from Austin to D.C. to heed a call from the White House to serve as the chief speechwriter for FEMA’s newly-appointed director.
Back then, social media was the last thing FEMA was prepared to handle. Today, FEMA is one of many federal agencies using Twitter and other social media channels to reach their customers: taxpayers.
Network World recently reported, “From NASA to the General Services Administration, more federal agencies are embracing Twitter as another Web-based channel to communicate news and engage in conversations with U.S. citizens.” The site also provided 10 tips for early-adopting federal staffers ranging (more…)
A place for niche media in your strategy?
Bill Feldman
April 9th, 2009
A few years ago, I was sitting in the regional office of a senior regulatory official with the FDA. At the time, I was the publisher of Food Chemical News, a regulatory information service that she and many other FDA and USDA officials subscribed to – and, I’m pretty sure, still do.
It wasn’t a sales call, exactly. About 1,000 miles from our home base in Washington, D.C., it was more one of those show-the-flag tours to solidify and, perhaps, expand our relationship with some of our biggest customers. So I asked her why she spent hundreds of dollars a year to subscribe.
“It’s the only way I can find out what’s really going on back at headquarters,” she said.
I was reminded of that conversation when I read media writer Howie Kurz’s recent column in the Washington Post on the (more…)
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At home sick? Immerse yourself in social media
Joah Spearman
April 29th, 2009
This swine flu stuff is seriously getting out of control. Yes, it’s gone viral.
On Twitter and Google that is. Everywhere you look online, there’s something about the swine flu. And every American with any semblance of a cold is now at home worried about having something far worse, spending all their time online…
Which leads me to today’s big Texas story. University Interscholastic League, UIL, which governs high school sports in the state, has officially postponed baseball, softball, track and other spring sports events until May 11. And here are some of the top search terms on Google Trends:
#2 – swine flu maine
#10 – texas uil (more…)
Tags: Commentary, Social Media
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