Innovation in medicine alone is not sufficient to meet the growing health needs of the world’s population. As healthcare communicators, our priority is to improve understanding and shape positive behaviours to achieve the best outcomes. Traditionally, communications have focused on individual groups; engaging patients and healthcare professionals to transfer information. However, the increasing power of…

Some eighteen months ago, the Firm Voice ran a piece highlighting resistance to social media and cautioning firms not to ignore conventional forms of communications outreach. It’s worth revisiting the point, not for the sake of prophesying doom and gloom, but with an eye to examining how we can make public relations activities even stronger….

How cool would it be to walk into a hardware store and see advertisements and coupons for exactly the plumbing fixture we’re seeking? Well, it could be cool. Sort of.

As a commentator for businessinsider.com recently reported, “SXSW Is Officially A Must-Attend Event Now.” This year, we at the Council had the pleasure of discovering that first hand as we sponsored a jam-packed panel discussion on the first day, entitled: “Marketing Budgets Have gone Social -  Is It Working.” With public relations increasingly at the…

In last week’s posting, we began a discussion about the evolving talent needs of public relations firms in the age of social media. Talking to two prominent industry leaders, we learned that firms were looking for well-rounded talent that combined digital skills with strong marketing knowledge and strategic thinking ability. This week, we explore what…

Austin is the “Silicon Valley” of social media. It is a hub of thought leadership, venture capital and resources for the burgeoning social marketing industry. It’s not surprising that the interactive conference at Austin’s hugely popular SXSW festival has become a “must-go” for both social marketing experts and those who want to learn more. This…

There’s no disputing that innovations in technology, and specifically those surrounding the Internet, have driven seismic shifts in the business of public relations.  So who better to address the 2010 Member Dinner of the Council of Public Relations Firms than Vinton (Vint) Cerf, popularly known as one of the ‘fathers’ of the Internet? Cerf, who…

We’re told that all the twittering and tweeting and googling and newsertainment is making us dumber, that we’re becoming shallower and more distracted in our thinking, that we take in more and remember less. Others contend that the Internet and related technologies broaden our horizons and improve productivity and happiness. Who’s right? And might not…

It may well be. For the past couple of years now, buzz has been building around “augmented reality (AR),” experiences that couple physical reality with computed generated imagery.  A number of consumer brands have jumped on the bandwagon, employing augmented reality executions to generate attention among consumers and in the media. In an AR campaign…

It’s spring again, time to interview and select the next crop of fresh-faced young employees recently graduated from America’s colleges. Agencies across our industry face a critical question: How can we best convince the talented, tech-savvy Millennials we want to hire that a career in PR and with our company is right for them? Given…