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    The “10 Commandments for Public Relations Professionals”

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Public Relations

    For your consideration, here are the thought-provoking “10 Commandments for Public Relations Professionals” offered by Paul Holmes, editor and publisher of Inside PR in a speech to Public Relations Society of America members in Pittsburgh. Thou shalt not be corporate communications. The current vogue of renaming public relations, particularly in-house, as corporate communications, is a […]

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    Discipline Problems in 1940s a Far Cry from the ‘80s

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Culture

    These lists resulting from statistics compiled by the California Department of Education came out at the end of the 1980s. The top discipline problems facing public schools in the 1940s and 1980s: 1940s Talking Chewing gum Making noise Running in the halls Getting out of turn in line Wearing improper clothing Not putting paper in […]

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    Information Overload a Fact of Modern Life

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Culture

    Communication saturation is a part of daily life in 21st century America. So many communications channels, so much information, so little time. Author Richard Saul Wurman laid the problem out clearly in the 1990s with his book, “Information Anxiety.” Wurman’s book was loaded with interesting facts and information that put the problem in context. For […]

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    “This Is Your Brain On Drugs” Ad Campaign Had Measurable Impact

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Communications Tools and Tactics

    Veterans of the communications business will remember the TV ad campaign that featured the line “This is your brain on drugs.” An egg frying in a pan was the accompanying visual of an ad that drew so much attention it became a part of almost every comedian’s routine. A creative approach, attention-grabbing visuals, an oft-repeated […]

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    Find Out if You are a Flack

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    A well known derogatory term for a public relations professional who works in media relations is “flack.” There is no precise definition of the term so we were pleased when Philadelphia Magazine ran a survey in a story headlined “Am I a Flack?” If you answer yes to at least four of the questions, according […]

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    Journalist Survey Showed How News People Really Feel about PR

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On News Media and Media Relations

    We have long enjoyed the revealing results of an international survey of journalists conducted in the 1990s by Jericho Promotions, Inc., of New York. Almost 2,500 journalists responded to the survey that sought to determine journalists’ views of public relations people and their relationship to the news media. Among the findings: When asked whether they […]

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    Edward Bernays on the State of Public Relations

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Public Relations

    The late Edward Bernays, who some folks call the “father of modern public relations,” once told the story of a phone call he received from a young woman seeking his PR advice. “She said she was in public relations,” Bernays told The New York Times. “I asked her what she did. She said she gave […]

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    Development is a Public Relations Function, Professor Says

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Public Relations

    We highly recommend Professor Kathleen Kelly’s important book on the relationship of public relations to development, “Fund Raising and Public Relations: A Critical Analysis,” published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Kelly redefines fundraising as “donor relations,” maintaining that it is “not simply about soliciting financial support. It is the management of relationships between the organization and […]

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    Points To Consider When Embarking on TV Advertising

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Communications Tools and Tactics

    Some facts about television advertising you need to consider when using this communications tactic. Research has shown more than 80 percent of viewers can’t remember a typical commercial one day after they’ve seen it. Memorability of ads continues to decline. Technology has given viewers the opportunity to bypass ads completely. The keys to successful ad […]

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    Famed Essayist Norman Cousins on Communication Breakdown

    by  • December 2, 2011 • On Culture

    Renowned American essayist Norman Cousins, who died in 1990 at the age of 75, wrote “The Communication Collapse” for Time magazine shortly before his death. Some excerpts from that thoughtful and provocative piece. “Much of the trouble we get into (as individuals or organizations or as government) is connected to sloppy communication. Our words too […]

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