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Rocky Seas for Those Ignoring Social Media, Technology
The Boston Globe recently spotlighted a practice that gave pause to fish eaters in this seafood mecca. It was about a literal “bait” and switch taking place at area restaurants and food stores. The stories exposed discrepancies between what fish is on a menu and what you’re actually eating. “The…
Lessons of an Anticipated Product Release
It was a difficult week for one of the world’s most iconic companies. Obviously, the saddest news from Apple was that its visionary, Steve Jobs, died too young after years of failing health. While his legacy as an innovator, inventor and marketing genius is secure, some worry about the future…
Netflix to Its Customer: It’s Not You, It’s Me.
The apology on Sunday by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings reminds me of a long overdrawn breakup. Two months ago, Netflix announced a change in its pricing and has been inundated with unhappy customer response since. Then on Monday, Hastings made another announcement that stunned the marketplace. Its well-branded DVD services…
Boston’s Radio Landscape Changes on Monday
Just when listeners were getting over the fact that Star 93.7 FM is no longer on air, the 93.7 format will be changing once again. Only six years after the flip to Mike-FM, a DJ-free station that featured classic hits from the 60s through the 90s with a heavy 80s…
Is There Really Bad Press?
With today’s fast-moving news cycles and a forgiving (or forgetful) public, some wonder if there really is such a thing as bad publicity. Michael Vick’s $100 million contract showed that you can recover from a storm of bad stories, not to mention PETA protests and prison time. Some even believe…
Apple of His Eye
For obvious reasons, we most associate Steve Jobs with the products that have transformed our everyday lives. Heck, right now, I’m typing this on a MacBook, watching Apple’s stock fluctuations on my iPad and listening to a voicemail from my dad on my iPhone. But it’s easy to forget his…
Brands Can Score Associating With Today’s News
The day after Derek Jeter homered to become the first New York Yankee to record 3,000 hits, a couple of sports talk radio hosts and callers were ridiculing Christian Lopez, the fan who caught the ball. He was “an idiot” because he was going to give the ball to Jeter…
Why 7-Eleven Needed a Plan B
In the PR world, there is a saying, “expect the unexpected.” That’s especially true when you are doing an event or large-scale promotion. Monday’s “Free Slurpee Day” by 7-Eleven was a great idea, but a perfect example of why you should always have a plan B in place.The giveaway piggybacked…
Football Gods in Baseball Heaven
CTP launched an integrated marketing campaign to promote ticket sales for the revival of the Fenway Football Challenge, a match up of international professional soccer teams on Red Sox turf. The campaign includes print, online, TV and radio segments to raise awareness for the July 21 match between the Celtic Football…
Assumptions Can Kill a Brand
As a technology company prepared to launch its sleek new remote control in China, the CEO was asked a simple question. Why China? He reasoned that the Chinese love high tech stuff, many have the means to buy it and they love to show off the latest technology to family and friends. All…