Navigating the changing media landscape while simultaneously outsmarting the economy can be a challenge for PR professionals. It's important to share our experiences, knowledge and expertise so we can learn from the triumphs and tribulations of others and ultimately, emerge successful. Despite the myriad of social networking sites and the "always connected" lifestyle we all embrace, connecting with others in [...]
Today, RCR Wireless, one of the most well respected mobile and wireless publications in the industry announced it would cease publication of its print and online entities after 25 years. RCR Wireless is one of several publications who have recently made the decision to close down due to the current economic climate. A few weeks ago, the Rocky Mountain News [...]
As social mediums such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace continue to gain popularity, there's one thing that's very important to keep in mind - the line between personal and professional communication is disappearing. A recent incident involving a Ketchum employee exemplifies the importance of self-censorship when it comes to social media. According to PRWeek, a Ketchum staff member posted a [...]
As PR professionals with clients in the high-tech industry, we see first-hand, how technology impacts everyday lives. The evolution of mobile phones, Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile WiMAX has shifted our lifestyle to an "always-connected" culture. Given this, we are especially excited about helping Alaska Airlines launch the customer trial of its new satellite-based wireless Internet service. The service is called [...]
In January, Communiqué began working with the Washington Poison Center (WAPC) to help the organization raise awareness of the budget cuts proposed by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. Specifically, our goal was to inform key audiences - state residents, members of the legislature and the media - about the potential impact these budget cuts would have on the WAPC and [...]
Peter Shankman, host of the popular HARO service, recently hosted a call with a panel of journalists to share advice on how to pitch reporters effectively. On the call were journalists from NPR, Reuters, Crain's New York, the Indianapolis Business Journal and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The journalists unanimously confirmed that pitches remain a crucial source for story ideas [...]
The Obama Administration has done an amazing job of harnessing the power of the Internet to reach the public, communicate the president's position on important initiatives and gather personal stories of the American people. Through social media tools, e-mails and blogs, President Obama is encouraging open communication and asking his most important audience - you - to share your stories. [...]
How to Handle Crisis Communication the Right Way New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been under a lot of scrutiny lately as news that he took performance-enhancing substances was leaked to the public. In an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons, Rodriguez admitted to taking "banned substances" and expressed his regret and apologies for lying to his fans. However, [...]
A recent article in CIO Magazine describes a key aspect of Twitter: etiquette. The article says, "the Twitter community has its own set of unwritten guidelines - or etiquette - that dictates good (or bad) behavior on the service. Some people call it Twittequette." For newcomers, learning the right way to engage the Twitter community is an important first step. [...]
Last week we had the opportunity to sit down with a local broadcast reporter and secured her perspective on current trends within broadcast media and offered tips for working with broadcast reporters. Below I have outlined some of the information from that discussion. Trends The economy is affecting broadcast media. There has been wide coverage about print media feeling the [...]
Thinking about writing a book? This is a terrific way to establish thought leadership in your industry and share your ideas. A book builds credibility for yourself and your company, attracts broad publicity and provides opportunities to engage the media. But while writing a book can have some tremendous benefits, it is no small task and should be approached with [...]
Twitter, a microblogging and social media site, is continuing to gain popularity thanks to its open design and dedicated followers. A recent survey from Compete.com found that Twitter is the third largest social media site in the country when measured by total page views, and although it only has about six million unique visitors, it garners approximately 54 million views [...]
Today the Seattle Post-Intelligencer published an op-ed article by Dr. Thomas Hansen, CEO of Seattle Children's Hospital, which discusses how the steep rise in children with chronic illnesses over the last 50 years is pushing hospital executives to closely monitor and incorporate disease trajectories into the strategic planning. The article, located on page a13 of the editorial section, also examines [...]
Over the past few months, Communiqué has had the opportunity to work with Big Canvas Inc. to secure coverage of its iPhone applications. Big Canvas is a creative developer of applications for the Apple iPhone. Beginning with its flagship application PhotoShare, Big Canvas applications have been growing in popularity and generating buzz because they allow people to engage in "visual [...]
Every day we hear news about the recession: the current state of consumer confidence, how many people are being laid off and how the economy is impacting various industries. PR is certainly no exception. A recent PRWeek article reports that many companies are asking their PR agencies to go on hiatus this year in an effort to weather the financial [...]
We have all seen the news regarding our suffering economy, both nationally and locally. "Company now targets 20% workforce reduction; more layoffs are possible," "Boeing Layoffs Swell to 10,000," "Starbucks to lay off 6,700, Close 300 Stores." These are just a few of the headlines from recent news. While we will continue to be bombarded with bad news about the [...]
Marketing and public relations go hand in hand, and it is important to understand both disciplines when considering how to best reach your customers. Creating synergy between marketing and PR is one of the best ways to achieve business goals and communication objectives, and successful PR campaigns will often include some marketing aspects. As we work to build strategic PR [...]
A variety of elements determine the newsworthiness of an announcement. As many newspapers and magazines continue to see a decline in readership, they are increasingly looking to achieve relevance with their audience and are striving to publish articles that have a high news value and can capture the interest of their readers. In order to determine the value of your [...]
Over the past two months I have had the pleasure of working with Mobidia to increase the company's profile leading up to Mobile World Congress in February. Mobidia's technology provides mobile operators with a software platform that expands the capacity of their existing networks, and speeds the delivery of data to subscribers. It is a particularly exciting technology which provides [...]
As a best practice, we like to ask our clients a set of questions before we begin writing a press release on their behalf. We consider this a Communiqué PR best practice with three significant benefits. Shared Expectations First, the process of asking these questions ensures that we are on the same page with regard to key messages, objectives and [...]