Today’s barbaric and murderous attack on Charlie Hebdo, the satirical French weekly newsmagazine was the work of an imperialist movement that wants to impose one way of thinking on everyone else. One of the key elements of imposing your will on others is making sure that nobody is allowed to publicize an attractive alternative. There …
My new favourite handwriting tool: Adonit Jot Touch with Pixelpoint
I have terrible handwriting. Often, it is so bad that I have to spend significant amounts of time deciphering what I have scribbled during meetings or when I have written down personal observations. Recently, I discovered the joys and efficiencies of writing and drawing on my iPad with a stylus. I started with one of …
Continue reading "My new favourite handwriting tool: Adonit Jot Touch with Pixelpoint"
Effective analytics in PR: Track your value.
Metrics are the language an organization's department uses to represent its value to the rest of the organization. Metrics, when well chosen, serve as much a storytelling function as they do a benchmarking and performance evaluation one. That's why it is very important for public relations and communications management professionals to choose metrics that adequately …
Continue reading "Effective analytics in PR: Track your value."
Replacing fear with mindfulness
In our interactive era, you spend a lot of time with yourself and the internet. You ask yourself a lot of questions. I think it is important to listen to the questions that you are asking yourself and be mindful of why you are asking them. If you find yourself asking whether you spend enough time …
Marketing vs PR? More like marketing is BECOMING PR
The new world of social networks, ubiquitous smartphones and easy connectivity has made the relationship king of the marketing universe. The thing is, most marketers aren't trained to understand their consumers to foster a proper dialogical relationship that most people would recognize. Rather, they are good at doing research, understanding trends in the culture or …
Continue reading "Marketing vs PR? More like marketing is BECOMING PR"
Postmodern insomnia: how to make an internal comms smoothie
Well, here I am at 2:50am wide awake and watching an episode of The Mind of a Chef on Netflix. This bout with insomnia is the result of a lovely Turkish coffee enjoyed at Jerusalem Restaurant at a family New Year's Dinner. Amazing the power of caffeine in the evening. Anyhow, it called to mind …
Continue reading "Postmodern insomnia: how to make an internal comms smoothie"
New Year’s Resolutions 2015
Hmm... Another year has passed. A year of a few joys but many sorrows. I lost my beloved and Sainted aunt Dawn this year - much too early, in her early sixties - to cancer. It was a blow that marked me and made me truly reconsider what I feel to be important in life. The …
We should teach the principles of commerce to young kids
One of the greatest brakes on people's success is their lack of social capital. I have seen this in action at the university where I teach. The students who come in knowing how to start businesses, seek internships and network have a huge advantage over those who haven't been given those skills or exposed to …
Continue reading "We should teach the principles of commerce to young kids"
Breaking out of the internet echo chamber
We live in a culture that favours the similar. As the internet permeates all the corners of the many rooms of the palaces of our lives, a perverse thing appears to be happening: our worlds are becoming smaller and more homogenous. Facebook sends catered advertising and posts to our feeds, reinforcing what we already like. …
Continue reading "Breaking out of the internet echo chamber"
Charles Eames, “good design”, and communications strategy
I have been paying a lot of attention to the work of Ray and Charles Eames, the famous designers who built so many beautiful pieces of furniture, accessories and toys, mostly for Herman Miller. They had a remarkable career of innovation, designing such classics as the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, the Hang-it-All, the Eames …
Continue reading "Charles Eames, “good design”, and communications strategy"