The Spin Within

You are about to hear the pen ultimate example of the beauty of keeping it simple in PR.

I’m not in the market for a new pen. I don’t collect pens. I couldn’t even tell you the brand of pen sitting on my desk as I type this blog. But thanks to the magic of a PR campaign that is absolutely beautiful in its simplicity, I happen to know that Paper Mate is selling a new InkJoy line of pens that deliver a revolutionary writing experience at an everyday price.

There’s just one reason I know about the InkJoy. The DJ’s on … Continue Reading

Facebook has been in the news a great deal lately, primarily focusing on its IPO filing and the fact that billionaires and millionaires seem to be dropping from the sky. 

I doubt that Mark Zuckerberg and his college buddies dreamed that Facebook would become such an integral part of society and that they would become the richest group of 20-somethings in the world. 

Even more, I’m sure they never dreamed their social networking/photo-sharing creation would also become the source of life-altering events…in a negative way.

In … Continue Reading

OK, this is one of the most bizarre PR stunts I’ve ever heard of, and I’m not surprised that it failed. In a big way.

Apparently, Germany’s Meteorology Institute allows companies to ‘sponsor’ weather systems through its ‘Adopt a Vortex’ program for the low, low price of what would be $393 American dollars. A steal, right? BMW thought so and paid to have a European cold front named after the Mini Cooper, thus having it called the ‘Cooper Cold Front.’

Well, as of last week, the Cooper Cold Front is now responsible … Continue Reading

This month’s circular from Target featured some seriously cute kids, hamming it up like seriously cute kids do.  One in particular might grab your attention: the little blond- haired, blue-eyed boy on the left, rocking an orange t-shirt like he’s been modeling his whole life.  (You know, all six years of it…)

His name is Ryan and the Target ad is actually his second high-profile modeling gig — he appeared in a Nordstrom catalog last year.  (I couldn’t love the little girl’s ruffled … Continue Reading

Apple Inc. posted its largest quarterly profit ever on Jan. 24. So good, in fact, that it places the iPhone maker among an elite group populated by very few, including oil companies.

Hearing the news, I suddenly wondered if Apple’s super-rich status would degrade its power-to-the-people reputation. This is a company built on the image of individuality, liberty, passion and innovation. A quarterly profit of $13 billion, compared with $6 billion a year ago, doesn’t officially make Apple a fat cat, but with shares hovering at $450, it isn’t exactly a stock … Continue Reading

Groupon is launching another weird marketing campaign.

It’s called ‘Clicky.’ Clicky is a Clickable Value-Wheel that lets you spin a wheel in hopes of getting some cool discounts, with a max of $100 (kind of like Shoe Carnival, no?) Your spins are limited per day, so you can’t just spin until you win (darn).

It’s a good idea, but Groupon can’t seem to touch anything without making it weird. I mean, look how ugly the thing is. And why is it frowning? One user on Twitter … Continue Reading

Here we go again with controversy over celebrity weight loss—is she losing too much or not enough? Is Weight Watchers alone responsible or was surgery involved? Has losing weight conflicted with her philosophy that talent is what counts, not size?

The media is soaking up Jennifer Hudson, the 30-year old Grammy winner (not to mention Oscar winner). They’re dutifully following her to book signings for the recently released I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down and applauding her strength in the face of … Continue Reading

Well folks, the world is getting smaller.  At least, according to Facebook – and if Facebook says it’s true…

Back in the early 90′s, the trivia game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon popularized the concept that all people were connected by an average of six or less steps.

According to Facebook, we’ve all gotten a little closer and are actually linked by an average of just under four degrees of separation.  3.74 degrees, if you want to be picky.  Using a super smart algorithm, researchers at the Universita degli Studi di Milano analyzed … Continue Reading

There were plenty of candidates for our list of the top PR blunders of 2011. In most cases the difference between a public relations blunder that irreparably damages your reputation and one that is just a blip on the radar hinges on how quickly, authentically and transparently the company (or the person) responds. The public is incredibly forgiving but their bullish&%t meters are high.

Netflix – Netflix ticked off millions of customers this fall when CEO Reed Hastings announced he was splitting the company in two, essentially doubling the monthly fees … Continue Reading

This is a stocking stuffer of a blog item, a posting that merely passes on some news to those of you who are not already aware. It’s intended simply to add mirth to the holiday season. So, if there are still gifts to be purchased, better tend to that.

It seems the Twitter world went into a twizzy a few days ago over the death of Lil’ Kim, the only female rapper outside of Missy Elliott to have at least three platinum albums. You know:

I got everybody rappin’ about jewelry and cars
Lil’ Kim give you a platinum sixteen bars
I’m the real … Continue Reading