Businesses spend small fortunes on making their brands presentable.  They polish their message; media train the CEO; and give their website a shiny new look and feel. Everything’s very nice; very safe; very presentable. Ready to be the poster child for Industry X. And then they open their mouths. Polishing is great; training is great; shiny is great. But culture is where the real beauty lies. How beautiful is yours?  

Don’t wait to read case studies in your industry – be the case study instead.  

Whenever I used to meet with a potential new client that was interested in a social media program, I always used to take a piece of paper with a little drawing on it. The surprise on their faces was always entertaining when they’d ask for my ideas for them, and instead of presenting a huge multi-slide PowerPoint, I’d show them this piece of paper and the four words on it. The reason for keeping it simple was simplicity itself –…

Here’s a question for you. If you’re in business, how do you treat your clients? Or, to look at it another way, how do your clients treat you? Is it with respect and shared passion for doing the same work, or is it just having a need for each other and no more? When dealing with a client, do you meet your deadlines or do you constantly offer excuses why their project isn’t ready? Do you work closely together, listen to/make…

Children fear nothing. They may be scared of something, but it’s a different kind of fear. They want to check out everything around them. They look at things differently from us. They see unique and new; we see “been there, done that”. Children have that innocence that says everything has yet to be discovered. They don’t care about the safe, the boring – they want fresh and exciting. They see the world through the eyes of someone that doesn’t know…

It’s been a little quiet around here the last few days. And, for that matter, on Twitter as well (not so much Facebook, as that’s not one of my more popular haunts). Anyone that knows me will know this isn’t normal fare – I’m usually much more vocal (although the silence may be preferable to some!). The last week or so has been hectic, hence the silence. Here’s why. Following some conversations with both Shannon Boudjema and Maritz Canada, I’m…

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that one of the key mantras behind it is community spirit. From open comments policy to guest posts and interviews, I want you to be as big a part of it as possible. A home from home, if you like. It’s now time to take this one step further, and again I want you to be a big part of it. I’m currently drafting “Community Spirit – Making the Connection…

I’ve spoken before about how important it is to know what’s being said about you online. It doesn’t matter if it’s from a PR or branding perspective, or just from a personal point of view – hearing is the first step to responding. If there’s something negative being said, you need to respond and counter where necessary. If it’s positive, you can also respond and just say thanks for the kind words – it certainly won’t hurt to show someone…

Cover of Pyromania In 1983, the biggest-selling album in the US was Michael Jackson’s Thriller, still a pop classic more than 25 years later. The second biggest-selling album was from a relatively little-known (at the time) UK rock band called Def Leppard. The album was Pyromania. Selling more than 10 million copies in the US alone, Pyromania launched Def Leppard into the melodic rock stratosphere, and introduced music fans previously against rock into their brand of catchy hooks and excellent…