SEP 4, 2008
Another Olympic Gold Medal for China
Steve 
0 comments
Vice President/Public Relations
I thought I knew how important a well-planned, superbly orchestrated PR event can be in strategic brand positioning.
But after watching the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, I now realize that the way China orchestrated the Games to articulate their national brand is the new standard for the use of events in strategic marketing. From the jaw-dropping theatrics of the opening ceremony, to the meticulous management of the logistics and infrastructure, to the seemingly genuine friendliness of the people of Beijing, the Olympic event (at least for those of us experiencing it via television and the Internet) was a perfectly packaged showcase of Chinese competence, capability, creative ingenuity and intriguing culture. Not a bad brand profile for a nation pinning the future of its 1.3 billion people on its ability to position itself as the product sourcing solution for the world.
AUG 11, 2008
The Discomfort of Thought
Steve 1 comments
Vice President/Public Relations
"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought."
John F. Kennedy made that observation nearly 50 years ago, decades before the advent of the Internet gave us all the opportunity to create blogs and anoint ourselves "citizen journalists." Today, JFK’s admonition about opinion unencumbered by the effort required for critical thinking aptly describes much of the "user generated content" that saturates the so-called blogosphere.
The all-too-prevalent intermingling of bloggers' opinions and objectives thought has direct application to contemporary public relations. PR people increasingly are using blogs and other social media to influence public attitudes about everything from voting booth decisions to corporate reputations. Much of the vast e-content universe lacks the discerning editors and skeptical reporters who, for traditional media outlets, serve as filters to separate spin and hype from documented, attributable fact. With such an unobstructed cyber pipeline to the online audience, there clearly is the opportunity for unfounded opinion to masquerade as thoughtful, reasoned insight.
The PR profession will be well-served to police ourselves and avoid this blurring of the line between blind sentiment and knowledgeable perspective. If blogging and social media interaction are ever to come of age as legitimate tools for conveying reliable information, communicators must accept the responsibility of consistently distinguishing between subjective and objective content.
