Do We Still Need Nobel Prizes?
The annual Nobel Prizes in Sweden are more sacred than Christmas, drawing out international royalty in the arts and sciences, and attracting an audience of millions to witness an annual event styled in the pomp typically reserved for the naming of a new Pope. The prizes are so important that the king of Sweden last year took an unprecedented step in cancelling the Nobel Prize in literature for 2018. Why? For the same reason Alfred Nobel founded the awards: public relations. Inventor and chemist Nobel was famously known as the “merchant of death”, thanks to his arms dealership’s role in “killing more people faster than ever before.” In an effort to restore the Nobel name, Alfred launched the prizes under…
Read MoreElon Musk adds to Tesla PR woes
Everyone’s favorite tech-ego Elon Musk has escalated his feud with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hitting back at accusations by regulators that he violated his settlement with the agency by posting “inaccurate and material information” about his firm on Twitter.
Read MoreThis Bud’s for Her: Beer Giant Celebrates Women with Updated Ads
In a tip of the hat to International Women’s Day, Budweiser dusted off some of its old-school advertising, recreated with a more modern sensibility. Many described the side-by-side adverts as “jarring” or “very telling.” But the end result for Budweiser was a strong wave of people congratulating the brand for taking the lead on this social issue in their industry.
Read MoreGE Hoping to Reset After Rough Road
The past few years have been very difficult for one of the most revered and successful companies in the history of the United States. General Electric (GE). Founded in 1892, GE has been a stalwart of American commerce and ingenuity for more than a century. Recently, though, the news has not been good for the company… and it’s not getting better any time soon. CEO Larry Culp recently confessed to investors that 2019 is going to be another rough road for GE, but he has promised to take on the issues facing his company “head on” and said that the future is bright. The simple, hard, economic truth is that many of the key products that helped GE remain strong…
Read MoreBrian Gefter: Entrepreneur of the Month
Brian Gefter is a name synonymous with hospitality within the Food and Beverage industry. Over a decade ago, Gefter along with business partner Michael Satsky understood the need to develop a truly private and selective Food and Beverage brand. It was then, Provocateur was born. The duo opened the first location in NY’s fashionable meatpacking district and have since expanded Provocateur into a global hospitality brand. Today, their vision can be experienced internationally with an expanding list of permanent and seasonal locations including Brazil, Dubai, France, and Spain.
Read MoreFour ways to save time on marketing efforts
Let’s face it – marketing can be time consuming, and if you don’t have a team working 24/7 dedicated to marketing efforts, it can take a away big chunk of your day. However, if you’re not spending enough time on marketing then it could affect your business prospects and stall growth. It’s a Catch-22 and a tough question for many businesses: should you spend more time developing and improving your product or more time marketing and selling it?
Read MoreArizona PR Scrutiny Reveals Good Reasons to Have a Plan in Place
Voters in Arizona, as well as some lawmakers and media representatives are currently asking the state charter board why it’s spending thousands of dollars each month on a single contractor for “ill-defined media relations” work. According to reports, the state hired PR representation back in 2017, when it faced “critical media reports” relative to “financial self-dealing and mismanagement” in the Arizona charter sector. The PR professional at the heart of this matter responded to the media critique by saying: “While I don’t speak for the Board, my recollection is that the Board and charter schools generally had become the subject of intense media focus back in 2017, including a significant number of negative stories…”
Read MoreStruggling to Compete, Hulu Drops Price Point
Sometimes, the best way to win goodwill and hang on to slipping market share is to employ an old-fashioned price drop. This is especially effective when the competition just raised their rates. At least, that seems to be the thinking behind the surprise announcement that Hulu would be dropping the price of its least-expensive subscription by two bucks. Now, Hulu’s basic plan, which still includes advertisements – a point of contention for streaming customers – will only cost $6 per month, at least, as of February 26. The on-demand streaming service without ads will remain $12.
Read MoreNewspapers Answer Concerns About Cyber Attack
Cyber attacks are a constant growing concern in the Digital Age. As nearly everyone is hooked into the web, and more offsite and cloud-based computing is becoming popular, especially when far too many consumers are not well-versed in online safety, weaknesses and vulnerabilities abound. Some of the biggest brands in the world have been hacked in recent years, suffering PR consequences and lost consumer confidence. But, when it comes to companies that might be vulnerable to computer-based attacks, print newspapers would not likely be at the top of anyone’s list of potential targets.
Read MoreJohnson & Johnson May Have Science on Their Side, but Will That Matter?
Through much of 2018, the venerable American retail brand Johnson & Johnson was on a tear. Stocks were up nearly 25 percent through mid-December, when a story came out that sent the stock price tumbling, down 9 percent year-to-date, and set Johnson & Johnson up for a major PR crisis. The troubling story came from Reuters, alleging that the company knew that its signature product, talcum powder, “contained small amounts of asbestos…” Worse, according to the story, Johnson & Johnson “knew this for years” but failed to disclose their findings.
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