blog

Clearly, Evernote Helps with Drowning the Noise

2012-01-28T16:00:19Z

I'm a huge Evernote fan. The desktop, mobile and tablet apps are used everyday -- personally and professionally. It's my number one GTD app -- get things done. I also am in love with their Clearly browser extension for Chrome. Instead of telling you what it does, I'll show you:

New Beginnings are Just That, New

2012-01-23T16:51:11Z

I started a new gig today at d50 Media as Senior Manager of Integrated Communications. New commute. New people. New routine. New everything for the most part. And I love it.

Some people get freaked out by change. Not me. I just roll with it, mostly because you can't control it. You either go with the tide or fight it.

I'm more of a tide roller type.

A new gig brings new challenges. Yes, there's the a slew of HR things to get through, but I'm talking about learning what your role will be; how you will work with others; and, how you will succeed in your new role.

At d50 Media, I'm going back to me roots in a PR sort of role. One that will take my journalism background and a skillset I've further honed as Exeuctive Editor of Technorati (and other positions) and put them to good use -- media, writing, team building, social, crisis, reputation management, etc. It's a daunting task and one that I'm looking forward to taking on.

So while this is just the beginning, I can feel comfort in the fact that I've been there done that, in a strange, comforting way.

Finding a Job isn't Hard; It Just Takes Work

2012-01-19T22:41:00Z

At the end of last year, I lost my job. It was a pretty big shock, but one that I was prepared for, sort of. You see, I'm a worker. I get things done. I keep things simple, organized and focused. It is the only way I know how to do things. So when I found myself with about two months to land a gig, I put the following in action.

Five Years, 32k Tweets Later

2012-01-19T15:26:23Z

I was killing time in a car dealership today and cruising through my Twitter stream when I came across this tweet from Todd Defren:

Apparently it's my FIVE YEAR Twitterversary. Wow. This thing's been on for 5 years? Can you envision it being around another 5?

Consequently, after the tweet, he wrote this about his twitterversary:

I read it and thought hey, I've been on Twitter nearly as long and I should probably reflect where I was five years ago today as opposed to today. Here are those random thoughts:

Brand Storytelling: H&R Block and Detroit

2012-01-18T15:35:20Z

Social media has forced brands to rethink their public relations and marketing strategies to focus on story telling. While consumers want their information quickly, it's as important to make sure that the message your "selling" truly resonates and hits a nerve.

This is what is called social marketing, or what is more commonly known as storytelling.

Brands have to develop creative ways to tell their story, their mission and their value proposition.

In this video, H&R Block is promoting one of their products that helps consumers look at previous year tax returns to see if there is any way to collect additional funds. However, instead of a steady stream of marketing messages, H&R Block told the story of Detroit — a story of economic hardship and cultural diversity, wrapped up in a warm blanket of hope and a prosperous future.

When is the Right Time to Have the Conversation…With Your Parents?

2012-01-11T21:43:15Z

One of the last projects I worked on at my former agency was a video segment about senior driving. Basically, society is aging with the automobile and we're outliving the decision to drive by years -- yes, years.

Here's the video the team and I put together that discusses the issue and helps adult children with having a conversation that no doubt, will be difficult.

No one wants to give up the car keys, but sometimes, it's necessary:

You Kids and Your Googly Docs

2012-01-10T14:37:22Z

Hilarious.

Source: seniorhealthmoment.com via Katelyn on Pinterest

Conceptualizing Integrated Communications

2012-01-10T13:44:01Z

If you have been reading my last few posts, you'll be familiar with the words in the title of this post -- integrated communications. It sounds like its been around a while, but it really hasn't. Simply put, it's a mash-up of PR, marketing, digital communications and product dev/sales and what a person's role would look like if he or she were in the middle of it all. That's where I want to be -- integrated.

This is what it may look like. Excuse the finger painting approach to this as I did it with an iPad app called "Draw."

The Integrated Communicator

2012-01-08T15:53:14Z

I've been writing a lot lately about the business I'm in -- the communications business. It's PR, marketing, social, advertising, creative, web, mobile, etc. It's everything in one. And over the course of the past month, I have been talking to various agencies and brands about what this means and how a guy with my background and experience fits into this new role -- VP of Integrated Communications (or director, manager, etc.).

Basically, I'd had my big paws in the cookie jar of each segment of this business. This is due largely in part to the fact that I feel that one component can't sail smoothly without the others. Together, they're an old clock, specifically, all the gears that run inside as well as the perception of time on the outside -- the numbers, arms, etc.

With that in mind, I started working on a MindNode that outlined what this clock might look like. As I said, it's a work in progress, but would love to get the feedback of my peers as well as those in the business.

My point: take a look at your job title. That role might not exist in the next five years. It might not even exist in a year. Who knows.

One thing I do know is that this collision of PR, marketing, social, mobile, advertising, etc. is at some point going to meld into one role for brands and will have a major impact on agencies of all shapes and sizes.

Here's the image:

You can download a PDF here.

Note: please excuse the "messiness" of the graphic. I did this fairly quickly as it's a work in progress.

Public Social Marketing Relations: Say It Twice

2012-01-06T21:27:03Z

December 2011 was an interesting month for me. I was closing out a pretty good year when I was slapped pretty hard by reality. I won't get into the gory details, but after 18 years of being in the communications business, I was back on the job market right before the holidays.

Needless to say, it was a tough pill to swallow.

However, everything happens for a reason, as the saying goes. And after the past two weeks, I truly believe that the saying is dead on.

Flash forward to today, and I find myself sitting on some very interesting opportunities -- all leading in different directions, yet with a very similar focus.

You see, I've built my career in order for me to be a generalist/specialist. This means, I'm good at a lot of things as it relates to Public Relations, Marketing, Digital Communications, Mobile Marketing and of course, Social Media.

I've worked for big, mid-sized and small agencies. I've worked on the client side. I've developed programs for big, mid-sized and small companies across a variety of industries.

This broad experience means that one day, I can be pitching trend stories to connections I have at the Wall Street Journal and later that hour, managing a client's social listening program in order to provide them with market intelligence via online chatter.

What this boils down to is that I'm good with people. I'm good at managing relationships. I'm good at connecting people with people, people with brands and brands with brands (in the case of B2B communications).

This leads me to my point:

The Only 2012 Prediction List You'll Ever Need to Read

2011-12-31T16:36:59Z

This is the time of year that predictions flood the web. I usually do a list of my own and was going to bail on it this year because I just didn't have the energy. However, over the past 24-hours, I've had a handful of people ask me where my list was.

So, in typical Big Guy fashion, here's the only 2012 prediction list you'll ever need to read:

The Only Tool a Dad Needs on Christmas

2011-12-25T13:15:11Z

Christmas morning for dads is all about opening and putting together the toys that Santa brought the kiddies. Dads need an assortment of tools to get the toys out of there packages (which have to be made by Homeland Security).

As you can see from the picture, I have a tool that does it all. It has a screwdriver, knife and a claw like cutter that can bust through the metal clips, wires and whatever else Santa's Elves throws at us dads.

Thank GOODNESS for this tool!

Dear PR Types, Please Don't Be Robots

2011-12-22T21:49:39Z

I receive anywhere between 100-150 pitches a day for my role at Technorati (exec editor). I also receive a slew of others for me to write content for Wired's GeekDad blog, Every Other Thursday as well as this blog.

About 90 percent of it is fluff. While it might be a subject that I'm interested in, there's really no meat to it. Those are pitches I'll hold on to and get to at some point. Most of the people that pitch me don't know from a hole in a wall. Some try and build relationships with me, which I totally appreciate and get (as a PR guy myself).

Others, however, like to spray and pray, i.e. blast out a bunch of pitches, hoping something -- anything -- sticks.

Check out the photo I posted. This is a shot of my Technorati inbox with the same pitch, from the same person, about roughly the same thing. I usually would let this slide, but I had to call this particular person out. I emailed her and said, thanks, but as you can see from the attached image, I'm going to pass because you didn't care to pitch me. You spammed me.

So Dear PR, please get your act together. Do your homework. Build relationships. Take pride in what you pitch. Represent your clients in a way that shines a positive light on them as well as your agency. It's really not brain surgery, but there is a science to it.

Elements of a Good Story

2011-12-21T22:24:37Z

As I eluded to in an earlier post today, the PR, advertising and marketing business has converged. Each segment is doing social media. Each segment is trying to do parts of other segments, i.e. PR agencies doing traditional marketing work, while advertisers are conducting PR exercises like messaging training.

It's a confusing, yet exciting time to be in this business considering where the job market is in relation to the industry.

Two elements I've enjoyed of my career has been the writing and communication aspects, i.e. telling stories. And, if you think about this industry in terms of the responsibilities, a lot of what we do is rooted in story-telling.

We create campaigns that tell the story of a brand. We create messaging that clearly communicates the value proposition of a company or non-profit. We develop personas that help bring brands to life online.

These are all elements of story telling, but there are more. Here are more:

2012 Should be the Year PR Types, Mad Men and Digital Marketers Come Clean

2011-12-21T13:57:09Z

I've been in the journalism/PR/digital marketing business for 18 years (in that order). If you've ever worked at an agency, you know that the lines between PR, advertising and marketing has become blurred because of online communications, i.e. social media.

The space is become very crowded. Guru's are a plenty. Books are being written at a feverish pace; books on Google+, Facebook, social media in general, location-based stuff, etc.

It's never ending and to be brutally honest, it's tiring.

Here's what I'd like to see from PR, advertising and marketers in 2012: