Category: Blog

  • What Makes Betty White, a Tailor and a Monster Super?

    Why do brands, year after year, spend upwards of $3.5 million on a 30-second Super Bowl spot? Because with those 30 seconds in the spotlight comes media coverage, instant social media buzz – sometimes positive, sometimes negative – and weeks of viral chatter. And for the brands that really do…

  • The Legends, the One-Hit Wonders & the Comeback Kings

    Beyond the actual game, the most heated debates in the aftermath of this Sunday’s Super Bowl will center on two expressions of creativity – the commercials and the halftime show.Super Bowl ads are our industry’s most widely viewed and closely scrutinized expressions of creativity. And with good reason. With investments…

  • How Twitter Has Changed Fan Interaction

    Slowly dying are the days of fans writing to their favorite athletes, then checking the mailbox for an autographed photo, ball or letter in return. Instead, Twitter, Facebook and myriad other social networks are giving fans the ability to connect instantly with sports teams and athletes. And now fans are…

  • It Was the Best of Times. It Was the Worst of Times.

    Who doesn’t like positive press? It’s generally good for business. Strokes the ego. Makes your employees feel good. Heck, you could even argue that even some bad press can be good for at least some of the above reasons. But positive media coverage isn’t always good for business. Yes, you…

  • Why Lockouts Are Bad PR

    The National Basketball Players Association announced this week it had rejected the latest offer regarding its collective bargaining agreement and now it will be up to the courts to decide the fate of this year’s NBA season. Like the NFL lockout earlier this year, the NBA and the Players Association…

  • Rocky Seas for Those Ignoring Social Media, Technology

    The Boston Globe recently spotlighted a practice that gave pause to fish eaters in this seafood mecca. It was about a literal “bait” and switch taking place at area restaurants and food stores. The stories exposed discrepancies between what fish is on a menu and what you’re actually eating. “The…

  • Lessons of an Anticipated Product Release

    It was a difficult week for one of the world’s most iconic companies. Obviously, the saddest news from Apple was that its visionary, Steve Jobs, died too young after years of failing health. While his legacy as an innovator, inventor and marketing genius is secure, some worry about the future…

  • Netflix to Its Customer: It’s Not You, It’s Me.

    The apology on Sunday by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings reminds me of a long overdrawn breakup. Two months ago, Netflix announced a change in its pricing and has been inundated with unhappy customer response since. Then on Monday, Hastings made another announcement that stunned the marketplace. Its well-branded DVD services…

  • Boston’s Radio Landscape Changes on Monday

    Just when listeners were getting over the fact that Star 93.7 FM is no longer on air, the 93.7 format will be changing once again. Only six years after the flip to Mike-FM, a DJ-free station that featured classic hits from the 60s through the 90s with a heavy 80s…

  • Is There Really Bad Press?

    With today’s fast-moving news cycles and a forgiving (or forgetful) public, some wonder if there really is such a thing as bad publicity. Michael Vick’s $100 million contract showed that you can recover from a storm of bad stories, not to mention PETA protests and prison time. Some even believe…