• It Isn't Always the Brands to Blame for Social Media Screw Ups
    When a brand screws up in social media, critics are swift and often unforgiving, as is the current case with Toyota. But is it really the brand that we should be blaming? 
      http://dannybrown.me/2012/02/09/it-isnt-always-the-brands-to-blame-for-social-media-screw-ups/
  • Something Old, Something New, Something Blue
    In which I share details of the lull in activity on the blog, which includes a new arrival called Salem, and pointers on the finer points of cussing and dog poo. 
      http://dannybrown.me/2012/02/06/something-old-something-new-something-blue/
  • If LinkedIn.com Fails in the Social Network Forest, Will It Make a Sound?
    While LinkedIn is the professional social network of choice, it may not be all it's cracked up to be, as Kevin Green shows in this guest post. 
      http://dannybrown.me/2012/01/30/if-linkedin-com-fails-in-the-social-network-forest-will-it-make-a-sound/

You Know What’s Wrong With The PR Industry?

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You Know What’s Wrong With The PR Industry?

Nothing. Squat. Zilch. Nada. No, seriously – there is absolutely nothing wrong with the PR industry. There’s plenty wrong with some of the people in it, but is that the industry’s fault? No – it’s the person’s fault for being an asshat. An industry, by definition, is either a collection of businesses, or the building of an idea around something or someone. Not a living, breathing person – but a collective of many things. So blaming a whole industry for…read more

Kenneth Cole Is Just The Latest in a Long Line of Bad PR Decisions

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Kenneth Cole Is Just The Latest in a Long Line of Bad PR Decisions

There’s an old saying that any publicity is good publicity – but is it? Kenneth Cole might be questioning it, after the tweet in the image above – that tied his retail chain’s sale into the devastating events currently happening in Egypt – was picked up and discussed on various PR and marketing blogs and news sites. I’ve also written on here before about examples of bad PR and PR that takes advantage of tragic or upsetting situations, and questioned…read more

When PR Has Its Head Up Its Ass

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When PR Has Its Head Up Its Ass

I read a post over at Mom Blog Magazine that left me shaking my head the further I read, and reinforced why so many bloggers don’t like PR agencies. Entitled Why PR People Get Paid And You Don’t, it was a post by an anonymous PR professional (“Sarah”) who, in her own words, is “an actual employee at an actual PR company; one you’ve heard of if you’ve heard of any.” Basically, the post was an “explanation” of why bloggers…read more

Alexandra Kirsch and the Perfect Blogger Pitch

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Alexandra Kirsch and the Perfect Blogger Pitch

Yesterday I shared two posts I thought you should read over at the Spin Sucks blog. One of them was by Gini Dietrich and looked at how the PR industry is letting itself down when it comes to blogger outreach programs. This post in particular has sparked a great debate in the comments section on good PR, poor PR and more. It’s a great read and well worth checking out. Today, I want to share an example of a great…read more

Help a PR Pro Out Toronto – Job Listings #happo #happoTO

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Help a PR Pro Out Toronto – Job Listings #happo #happoTO

Today sees a very cool event called Help a PR Pro Out, or HAPPO. Initiated by Arik Hanson and Valerie Simon, its aim is simple – to connect PR jobseekers with agencies and businesses with PR positions available. I’m honoured to be part of the “team” that’s bringing HAPPO to Toronto, along with PR guy supreme Dave Fleet, of Thornley Fallis. Below you’ll find some current job listings in the Toronto and GTA area – please retweet on Twitter (there’s…read more

Never Mind the P, Just Get the Relations Part Right

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Never Mind the P, Just Get the Relations Part Right

There have been a lot of new definitions and suggestions coming to the fore over the last 12-18 months about what PR stands for. The traditional version is Public Relations, and has been since as long as anyone can remember. However, solid PR folks like David Mullen suggest it should be People Relations, as does online marketer and social media guy Ari Herzog in a post from earlier this year. Often it’s called Press Relations or Print Relations. I had…read more

You Are Not The Story

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You Are Not The Story

You are not the story. You never have been. Not even in the “bad old days” before social media were you ever the story. You may have thought so. You may have fooled your clients into thinking they were lucky to have you because everyone listens to you. You may have blinded them with newspaper clippings and media endorsements. But that could just mean you know one good contact at a publication or TV and radio station. Your name very…read more

Is There Room for Market Relations?

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Is There Room for Market Relations?

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock recently, you’ll know there’s been a whole host of blog posts written about where next for PR and marketing (and, to a degree, advertising). I’m guilty of discussing it, and there are some great points of view from a lot of great minds. I guess it’s only natural – we’re at a crossroads for information, after all, and the time is here to decide what path we want to take. Yet instead of…read more

Social Media is the Playground at Recess

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Social Media is the Playground at Recess

This is a guest post from PR professional David Mullen, whose insights into the industry always intrigue me. I read his blog often and ask why many of his suggestions on how PR can evolve aren’t standard practice yet, and I’m delighted he’s sharing his views here today. You remember those days. You would run straight to your favorite diversion and play with reckless abandon until the bell rang. Or you’d start there and then visit two or three other…read more

Acorns And Oak Trees

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Acorns And Oak Trees

Image by Chris Campbell via Flickr I had the good (?) fortune to sit down with the CEO of a PR agency in Toronto recently. He had been at a seminar I attended regarding converging technologies and mediums and how they fit into the role of the PR professional. We got chatting and decided to have lunch together. Now, I’m a pretty open guy to how businesses run themselves, but this lunch was an eye-opener. The conversation turned naturally to…read more

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