Bless you, Mr. Biden for deciding to run for President! As an old-time hands-on, “press the flesh and kiss the babes” politician, you must get media coaching. It’s a brave, new media world out here where every utterance and Tweet is diagnosed either for or against you. Your opponent is shrewd and cunning. He chips away at democracy daily on …
To Snap or Not to Snap
The once seemingly successful app that erases our pictures after ten seconds has been declining in popularity the past few years. Not only has Snapchat lost its uniqueness of story features to its competitors, Instagram and Facebook; CEO Evan Spiegel has negatively affected Snapchat’s public image with media mistakes. Let’s take a look at some examples of Snapchat getting it wrong. …
When is a customer not a customer?
Do you have to be a paying customer to receive customer service? Recently, two African American men were escorted out of a Starbucks in Philadelphia. They asked for the restroom and occupied a table in the store, although, they hadn’t made a purchase. Calling the police on them seemed extreme. Many questioned whether kicking these men out was simply company protocol or racial injustice. …
The “f” Word
The “f” word is in big trouble. And it’s classic! The once social media darling, Facebook, is now facing a crisis of unexpected proportions, complete with testimony before Congress: both the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committees and the House Energy and Commerce Committee! All, seemingly, without a plan. A crisis plan. Facing a weekend crash course in crisis communication skills coaching, CEO Mark …
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
There’s an old saying in journalism, the camera doesn’t lie, nor does it blink. But until recently, the camera has always been in the hands professionals. Not in the hands of citizens documenting police or airline brutality. Now everyone with a cell phone, and that’s pretty much everyone, is a documentarian, taking cameras and matters into his or her own hands. And …
Heat’s on!
In the aftermath of the NBA playoffs, one would imagine that the most talked about rivalry was between the Miami Heat and the victorious San Antonio Spurs! However, when a broken air conditioning system resulted in Game #1 taking place during 90-plus degree temperatures, it caused Basketball star Lebron James’ leg to cramp. That is when an unexpected battle between …
The Anatomy of a Good Apology
It seems like the past week has been one full of guilt and regrets. Pop-star Justin Bieber and Wolf of Wall Street star Jonah Hill found themselves in two different, yet very similar sticky situations. On the one hand we have Mr. Hill, who after being followed by paparazzi all day, finally snapped and said a “disgusting and hurtful” homophobic …
A Rose By Any Other Name
ABC’s newest Bachelor, Juan Pablo Galavis seemed to be homophobic with his remark that gay people are more “pervert in a sense.” And ABC did not give a rose to Mr. Galavis for his comment. Instead they stated that his, “comments were careless, thoughtless and insensitive, and in no way reflect the views of the network, the show’s producers …
Action Speaks Louder than Words
In mid-February, residents of Bobtown, Pennsylvania were awakened by the sound of a massive blast in the town’s Chevron-owned fracking well. The blast killed one worker and injured another. And although the fire is out, residents are still concerned about the gas and heat being emitted into the atmosphere. In response, Chevron’s Community Outreach Team compensated residents by …