A version of this article originally appeared on PR Breakfast Club on August 15, 2012. Digital marketing expert Mitch Joel wrote an interesting blog post last year called “The Art of Fake Familiarity.” In it, Joel criticized a public relations pitch he recently received that used information from his blog and Twitter feed in an attempt to garner a feeling of familiarity and get his attention. Instead, the pitch came off as creepy and...

The past several months have been trying for the $2 billion-a-year compounding pharmacy industry. First, it was a multi-state meningitis outbreak caused by contaminated steroid injections from the New England Compounding Center (NECC). The outbreak, due to unsanitary conditions at NECC, has sickened 730 people, killing more than 50 – and six months later, people continue to fall ill. Investigators examined foreign materials from unopened...

On March 9, 2013, my husband and I sailed on the Carnival Dream as we celebrated our honeymoon. We were treated to the usual cruise luxuries—hot meals, unlimited soft drinks and beautiful ocean views. Carnival treats its customers well, and we were confident that the company had learned from the Carnival Triumph engine room fire. Unfortunately, our high hopes were dashed as we found ourselves stuck in port with more than 5,000 passengers...

Spring’s motivating warm weather – and the fact that the year is a quarter over – makes now an excellent time to reflect on what’s working in your daily routine and what needs to be adjusted. For this blog post, I analyzed my day and identified five habits that typically underpin a successful day at the office. Whether you are a spokesperson, a CEO, a PR professional (or all of the above), these five habits can help you improve your...

Call me crazy, but I love March. It’s that time of year when the weather starts to warm up (at least in the South), the pollen count reaches epic proportions, baseball spring training begins and college basketball becomes THE topic of all water cooler chatter. Show of hands: how many of you will be filling out brackets and eagerly watching the NCAA tournament this year? I’ve got a serious case of hoops fever these days. Whether or not...

The public and media’s desire for the newest, latest and greatest information can put a tremendous amount of pressure on a brand, especially when it’s without news.  Most companies experience newsworthy events in a cyclical pattern—a peak when a product launches, but a valley when the product has entered the market and has lost its novelty. How does a company stay in the headlines when it’s business as usual? Many evaluate public...