To paraphrase Shakespeare, what’s in a brand name? Pretty much everything! But the Dunkin’ Donuts brand you once knew is going. In its place is the newly reformed “Dunkin.” And loyal customers are upset. USA Today writes: We buy Cokes, not sodas; Starbucks, not coffee; iPhones, not mobile phones. Typically, brands make us feel like an item is of higher quality …
What’s in a Headline? Everything!
Print journalists know from the inverted pyramid that the lead paragraph requires the 5 W’s and H … What, When, Where, Who, Why and How. And a good headline tells the whole story. Like this: Trump treats politics like a knife fight. Democrats can’t pretend it’s a garden party. An effective headline says it all and this headline does just …
Pulling Strings!
Consistency is one of READY FOR MEDIA’s C’s of Communication. Consistent communication is crucial to both internal and external communications. Jingjing Hu, a music student at DePaul University School of Music, booked a round trip to Miami for a music festival in which she was performing. Her husband, Jay Tang, wrote on Facebook, “I purchased two round trip tickets for …
The Inside Story
With so much attention on social media, internal communication is often overlooked in today’s corporate America. But company executives are now facing a growing trend of activism among employees in Silicon Valley, where there is fierce competition for programming talent. Signed petitions are protesting the way technology products are used by the U.S. government. Bloomberg reports that San Francisco-based cloud firm, …
“All the World’s a Stage …
… and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances … ” Shakespeare wrote in his play, As You Like It. But why would veteran actor Robert De Niro use his entrance on the world’s stage at the 2018 Tony’s for an expletive-laced rant at President Trump, who was not part of the night at …
The Battle for Credibility
Presidential Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders further jeopardized her credibility with the news media by responding defensively when caught in a lie. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, and apologizing, Ms. Sanders chose to attack the reporters along with their credibility. “Frankly, I think my credibility is probably higher than the media’s … I think that if you spent a little bit more …
Shooting from the Hip
Defined as “reacting suddenly or without careful consideration of one’s words or actions,” is the most recent fault of too many tweeters who experience very serious consequences. Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne), for example, recently published a racist tweet toward former Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett, resulting in ABC’s cancellation of Ms. Barr’s No. 1-rated TV show, her reruns scrapped and her dismissal from the talent …
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 …
No Failure to Communicate
“What we got here is failure … to communicate.” was the iconic line from the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, starring Paul Newman. A petty criminal sentenced to two years on a Florida prison farm, Luke was a rebel with an unbreakable will. Even in the face of repeated stints in the prison’s dreaded solitary confinement cell, “the box,” his bravado …