WebProWorld Marketing Forum |
Intel takes wrong turn
Here’s the cold, hard truth. Careful, it stings a bit. Intel, though seeming to finish first in the release of multicore processing, rushed itself to the market on the wrong racetrack.
It's All About Content
Public relations, PR, communications, marketing communications. No matter what term you use, it always comes down to one thing: content.
Is Podcasting For Real?
In less than an hour, Neville and I will record the next installment of For Immediate Release. One of the issues we'll discuss is a post from Darren Barefoot's blog...
|
|
| Recent
Articles |
It's not a blog but the BBC News editor's site is a good read
I wrote a critical commentary earlier last month about the BBC News website and how its editor, Peter Clifton, had started writing commentaries that "look back at the week in the newsroom - and tackle some of your questions."
Your Crisis Communication Plan Is Due For Maintenance
Any crisis communication plan that hasn't been updated in at least the last 18 months if fundamentally useless. If you haven't dusted off your plan lately, now's the time.
How PR Makes a Manager's Life Easier
Things are pleasant for many business, non-profit or association managers when their public relations people deliver newspaper and talk show mentions, informative brochures and videos, and special events that attract a lot of people.
A Conversation with Steve Rubel, Micro Persuasion
Steve is Vice President Client Solutions at CooperKatz, a New York PR firm, and author of the Micro Persuasion blog. He is arguably the most prominent and influential blogger in the PR profession either side of the Atlantic.
Creating
a Winning Staff Team
As a business owner, I've had staff come and go over the years: some have done
extremely well, and others not so well.
Which
PR? Judge for Yourself
You are a senior business, non-profit or association manager. So, chances are
you call the shots for your department, division or subsidiary.
How
Managers Can Help Retain Their Best Employees
A major problem for employers today is attracting the best talent, and then retaining
key employees. Research shows that the key ingredient for retention lies within
the manager's ability to understand what employees really want.
Can
Coporates Blog?
When it comes to the blogosphere, companies can be damned if they do and damned
if they don't, so what's the answer?
|
|
|
04.25.05
Can
Gmail Crack The Corporate Outlook Barrier?
 By
Nathan Weinberg
Adam Lasnik wonders what it would take for Gmail to challenge Outlook in the corporate
space.
First off, Google, would need to allow users to send email with their company
email address domain. Corporate Gmail would also possibly need a tiered structure
with companies paying and possibly getting rid of ads, plus extra features and
added security. Oddly, he goes so far as to list release dates:
When can we expect to see this new offering?
September 12, 2005 or April 1, 2006
The second one makes perfect sense, given that Gmail has always announced big
things on April 1, but where does 9/12/05 come from? Gotta always wonder if he
knows something...
Link: Private label Gmail
About the Author:
Nathan Weinberg writes the popular
InsideGoogle blog, offering the
latest news and insights about Google and search engines.
Visit the InsideGoogle
blog.
GM Blog Stays On Track
 By
Neville Hobson
Yesterday, General Motors announced its financial results for the first quarter
this year, reporting a net loss of $839 million compared to a net profit of $1.2
billion for the same period last year.
See
GM's financial results
It's interesting to see the focus in media
reporting about yesterday's announcement - "GM posts worst results in 13 years",
"GM girds for new cutbacks", "GM posts big loss, pulls forecast" and "Slow sales
batter GM" is a sampling.
Which, by the way, confirms my long-held belief that however you write a press
release, reporters and editors will always look for the bits in your announcement
that you don't prominently highlight, that don't follow the message flow you design.
While you hope that what you push to prominence in your story is what people will
pay attention to, reporters and editors are looking for the best angle for dramatic
headlines, especially with earnings releases. And now, that's what many
bloggers do as well.
Anyway, my thought turned to what's been happening recently in the GM
FastLane Blog, the place where Vice Chairman Bob
Lutz and other senior executives talk with customers about cars. Given commentary
in recent weeks about why GM isn't using the blog to address other issues, would
any of GM's exec bloggers talk about yesterday's financial results?
Perhaps Chairman and CEO Rick
Wagoner, who was the sole quoted spokesman in GM's earnings release, might
say a word or two?
Not a chance, which shouldn't surprise anyone not even the skeptics. As
I've said before, GM made it pretty clear when they started the blog that
it would be focused on talking about cars. They have consistently stuck with that
stated goal.
Yet isn't what GM announced yesterday everything to do with cars?
Indeed it is. But let's look at context. If you read any of the posts since the
blog started in January you'll see that all the conversations, from a post that
then leads to comments, are about the cars, their features, performance, driving
experience, wishlists, and so on.
It's about the cars as products and brands, not about the cars as part
of GM's business.
But, in a clear connection to the earnings announcement, Bob
Lutz posted commentary yesterday that talks directly about a key part of GM's
business - the sale of its cars:
Every so often, we all have to do a bit of a sense check, just to make sure
that the sun will indeed rise tomorrow. And, amidst all of the gloom and doom
surrounding GM lately, I'd like to give yet another alternative viewpoint. No,
it's not all bad; indeed, I'm seeing some good signs.
Lutz goes on to discuss product-related features and benefits surrounding a good
half dozen of GM's major car brands, with the conclusion:
[...] Even if you're not in the market for a new car, I urge you to get out
and try this latest generation of GM products and while you're there, press the
"Hot Button." Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky. Tell them I sent ya!
Is he a great sales ambassador, or what? Judging from the comments so far in Lutz'
post, people want this type of message. Some of the comments from car users offer
advice to Lutz on how to market and sell the cars. Priceless customer engagement!
And a priceless communication channel that's firmly on track.
About the Author:
Neville Hobson is the author of the popular NevOn
blog which focuses on business communication and technology.
Neville is currentlly an independent communication practitioner helping companies
build dynamic relationships with customers, employees, shareholders and other
key audiences and influencers. Visit Neville Hobson's blog: NevOn.
|
