In recent weeks, the FTC has demonstrated that it is not fooling around when it comes to blogging ethics. We strongly encourage public relations agencies to consult with legal counsel and to adopt strong and clear policies regarding blogs and other forms of consumer-generated media.

Today, as recent news coverage has confirmed, we communications professionals find ourselves not merely in the trenches, but in the boardroom acting as valuable strategic counsel to corporate leadership. While our industry will continue to provide clients with the tactical help they need to execute communications programs, a real opportunity exists to add value by…

Would you sic your legal department on an avid fan who in a burst of enthusiasm sent your company a new product suggestion? What if that fan was a third grader who wrote the letter not to lay claim to your intellectual property, but to practice writing letters? In 2006, Apple CEO Steve Jobs received…

I spoke at the PR Agency Management Summit last week, where the focus of my speech was a roadmap for our industry.  This post is a distilled version of that speech.  I spoke on seeing the future with clearer vision through four “eyes”— interaction, integrity, integration and innovation.  Our industry continues to strengthen its position…

More companies, brands, and products than ever are cultivating environmentally friendly images. According to the environmental marketing firm TerraChoice, 79% of North American stores saw an increase in the number of green products between 2007/8 and 2009. Yet how true are the claims being made by product labeling and accompanying public relations? For years now,…

Our newsletter, the Firm Voice, has taken on new life – and become an open forum – in the form of a blog. On Wednesdays (mostly but not exclusively), we’ll take a forward look at emerging trends and other developments affecting our industry.  This isn’t a re-hash of stuff you can find elsewhere; rather, we’ll…