With controversy facing the IOC at every step, what does the Olympic brand have to offer its sponsors in 2016?
Beyond the Horserace: What campaign teams really take from the polls
New Year, new Message House!
Why it pays to be curious in PR
Having run a series of training courses in PR evaluation over last year, I thought I would share some of the key things I’ve learned from the experience.
Obviously the industry is obsessing with measurement right now, and with good reason. First the economic downturn and then the rise of digital have forced the PR industry to think carefully about how it demonstrates ROI.
Why CEOs want to be explorers not rulers
There’s something very interesting happening with CEOs (and I don’t mean resignations and scandals). Many are turning their back on the classic CEO archetype – the Ruler – and building their leadership around a different model.
Archetypes are a fascinating way to analyse leadership styles. Drawing on ancient traditions of storytelling, psychologist Carl Jung developed 12 primary archetypes, some of which he believed can be found in each of us. For leaders, understanding your archetype is a key way of gaining insight into your style and source of motivation.
A new take on the Message House approach
The Message House is a long-established part of the PR toolbox. Its attractiveness for communicators is in its central purpose – to focus communications on simple, effective and structured messages. After first encountering the technique, I was immediately sold on it – so much so, it became the name of my business! Yet whilst still a much valued tool, I think there are ways the Message House method could be improved to ensure communications are even more effective.
Who are you again?
You have to feel for England women’s football team striker, Eniola Aluko. If the stresses of playing in the World Cup weren’t enough, she came off at half-time in the first game and high-fived the opposing French team’s manager, mistakenly thinking it was her own coach.
Fortunately, Eniola isn’t alone in forgetting who important people are.
Generation Y Don’t You?
I can remember as a kid spending what seemed like endless, sunny summer holidays staying with my gran, watching children’s TV programmes in the mornings on her old three channel TV. One of my favourite shows at that time was ‘Why Don’t You?’. Or to give it its full title, ‘Why Don’t You Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go Out and Do Something Less Boring Instead?
How to Become a Trusted Adviser
Most professional roles require you to give advice to others, often to people more senior to you. In the strategy document you write for your manager, the presentation you give to the Board, even in your verbal briefing to the CEO, at each point you are using your abilities to influence and persuade. Indeed many of us spend most of our professional lives trying to become effective and trusted advisers to our bosses or clients. For the consultant, particularly, there is probably no higher mark of success.
The Job Interview Questions You Need To Get Right
I often get asked to provide guidance to people looking for a career in PR and communications and many of their queries focus on how to handle job interviews.
Despite recruiting for very different organisations and roles, I find most interviewers tend to have a very similar approach to asking questions. Job interviews are a bit like exam papers – the same topics are always there, just sometimes dressed up in different ways.
