When I was a Venue Media manager with the Commonwealth Games, I received some of the best coverage of the venues that I was looking after. I had some people ask me what was my secret.

I first inquired what they were doing and found out that some of them had an attitude of seeing the media as something to be suspicious of, to keep at bay and give as little as possible. In turn, the media had little regard for them as well.
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In the past few years, the anti-corporate movement (including those opposed to globalization) has gained a bit of steam.  What many people in the movement promote now is called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the idea that corporations should be responsible to all of society and the environment, as well as to shareholders.

It’s a shame they’ve gained momentum. After all, without modern corporations we would all be poorer, and in particular, few of us could expect to retire comfortably. More than anything else, modern corporations exist to provide pension income. (more…)

Question: What do many new spokespeople at technology companies have in common? Answer: they make similar mistakes and fall into similar traps.
Based on my experience as a media trainer, the most common ones include:

1. Misunderstanding the Media. Too many spokespeople confuse PR opportunities with free advertising. Ouch! No reporter, editor, or host wants to be a billboard for your products or service; their job is to provide interesting and useful information to their readers or audience. And if you help them do so, you’ll maximize your chances of positive coverage. (more…)