These days, branding is pervasive in just about all aspects of our lives. We see the way celebrities take advantage of self-branding. They get a lot of help from companies that want to leverage their products with celebrity branding equities. We all know that an endorsement from someone like Oprah when she was on air…

Dear American Democracy:
This week you will be exposed to vile falsehoods. Politicians who have taken oaths to uphold the constitution, will lie and lie and try to harm you only for their own gain. Hoping to pick up future votes of a population who has been lied to and may not see what is…

No Matter What the Rippling Impact, Communications Ethics Come First
Communications professionals know that ethics and integrity are critically important components to our work. But applying ethical guidelines can be very difficult. At times, as we grapple with specific circumstances, we must make difficult decisions about how to handle ethical challenges.
One thing is clear —…

The way a company manages crisis can be as important as the way it manages success. Over the years, communications professionals have learned from the wisdom of hindsight, that crisis management is the key to a company’s future health. Some very well known brand crises provide guidance.
The 1982 Tylenol murders and Johnson & Johnson’s…

This week there has been lots of press on the Apple Samsung case, particularly in the Bay Area. The discussion is not limited to SV insiders, because the case deals with issues many of us have confronted in our professional lives: how to deal with a company or person taking ideas without paying for them…

If you are a professional, you have had tough ethical decisions to make in your career. This is an inescapable aspect of being in the business world.
If this has not happened to you, you are new to your profession. And if it has, you are doing well because you are thinking through tough issues…