Words You Use Everyday Are Quietly Eroding Your Positivity I do a fair amount of spokesperson training and one bit of guidance that often comes as a surprise is my warning about sneaky negative words. The choice of the right words to express what we truly mean — Semantics — can be powerful. There are […]
When Mercury Public Affairs describes itself as, “A high-stakes public strategy firm,” I guess they aren’t kidding. I have always thought that the term, “high-stakes” suggests high risk and high rewards. Personally, I have always preferred low risk and high rewards. I think clients aren’t wild about high risk when it comes to PR. After all, […]
It seems like every month we have a new poster child that illustrates all that is wrong in corporate communications. A few months ago it was Netflix. Then Bank of America. Then Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Now, Best Buy is getting its turn in the spotlight. As everyone who pays attention to the […]
I don’t know many organizations seeking help from a public relations agency that are satisfied with the recommendation to shut up. But it is often the best advice — at least for a period of time. Instead, PR firms typically recommend programs designed to increase visibility through ubiquitous communications. They want you out there as […]
Crisis PR can help to protect an organization or encourage long-term change. I stumbled upon the story, “PR Students Learn How to Handle Crisis for Clients,” in the Cape May County Herald written by Al Campbell. I am not 100 percent sure where Cape May County is, but it appears to be in Pennsylvania. Regardless, […]
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I have recently started working with a new client in the data security space, so I am trying to refresh my understanding of this highly complex area of technology. I had previously done some work around information security for AT&T both prior to the acquisition by SBC and afterward. While only a few years have […]
It seems like almost every week I run into some situation involving a trademark. Today I had a new experience. One of my clients asked me to gather some information about one of their customers. The customer has a product that just so happens to have a name that is identical to the name of […]
Is your business active on Yelp? A number of my clients have experienced troubling online reviews that can unravel a lifetime of hard work establishing a positive reputation. For anyone who have sacrificed so much to build a business and succeeded against all odds to create jobs and provide essential services that customers gladly pay […]
Founder and president of DPK Public Relations, an independent public relations practice based in Texas. Specialties include managing issues, crisis communications planning and response, media relations and strategic guidance.
