Tag Archives: social media

Carney Needs to Listen to Himself

BY B. JAY COOPER
Reprinted from BJayCooper.com

Jay Carney, White House press secretary is having, the worst of times.

With Benghazi talking points, IRS targeting right-wing groups and the Justice Department targeting AP reporters, ol’ Jay is getting LOTS of questions these days.
Politico put together what seems to be his standard answer to a question he doesn’t want to answer: “I appreciate the question.”

Having sat in the White House press office when the pressure hits, I have a good sense of what’s going on (even though the addition of 24/7 cable, the dimunition of the old get-it-right-first journalism and the pressure of the Internet didn’t exist back then and certainly has dramatically changed the dynamics). Still, there are principles for handling crisis that always come into play. For  example, don’t speak before you know the truth. Not always easy, I know. Continue reading →

The End

BY GARY JOHNSON
Reprinted from Loose Change (TCBMag.com)

The End is a 1978 flick in Burt Reynold’s prime (for whatever that’s worth) starring Dom DeLuise, Robby Benson, Carl Reiner, Joanne Woodward, Sally Field, Myrna Loy, Norman Fell, Strother Martin, Pat O’Brien, etc. It’s about a young-ish rich guy who has been given six months to live. His end will be horrible, he’s told, so he decides to put himself out of his misery early. After a few failed attempts, he ends up spending a few days in a mental hospital where he enlists the help of a fellow patient (Dom DeLuise). Continue reading →

Why Do Brands Think We Want to Talk?

BY GARY JOHNSON
Reprinted from Loose Change (TCBMag.com)

The head of strategy for a Fortune 25 corporation said recently: “Engagement is a two-way dialogue. Without a conversation, there is no engagement.” Corporate engagement seekers salivate over the iconic one-on-one relationships, grounded in conversation, likes, views, shares, and comments. Why are major talents at corporations so wrapped up in bright shinies and impossible goals?

It’s B.S. that without dialogue there is no engagement. Frankly, I would argue the opposite. True engagement between brands and consumers is mostly silent, happening in the quietude of interest, attention, information gathering, Continue reading →

Nothing New Under the Sun

BY GARY JOHNSON
Reprinted from Loose Change at TCBMag.com

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

When Groupon first burst on the scene, it was easy to get caught up in the excitement of what appeared to be the iTunes of couponing, the Facebook of discount seekers, and the Google of where to get a good deal. As copycat technologies started popping up, Groupon gained even more steam as the dominant icon in its field.

Aside from losing ground recently among investment banks and retailers, Groupon really was and is nothing new to the great retail universe. Consumers have been clipping coupons and rifling through the Sunday newspaper circulars for 100 years or more. Groupon offered an alternative platform that was no different from the myriad of coupon platforms that have existed for decades, i.e., direct mail, in-store, and newspapers. A recent lunch with the publisher of a daily newspaper indicated that the daily’s circular business has been their single strongest revenue source in spite of Groupon’s presence, but then, it always has been. Continue reading →