Comments for Catching Flack http://www.catchingflack.com Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:09:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 Comment on Tiger Should Go With His “New Hugh” Persona by jongreer http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/12/tiger-should-go-with-his-new-hugh-persona/comment-page-1/#comment-7570 jongreer Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:09:45 +0000 http://www.catchingflack.com/?p=1217#comment-7570 Thanks for the question Steve. PR is a subset of the marketing function in the corporate system. The term PR isn't even straight-forward: a lot of people use it as shorthand for "press agent" or "media relations" but it often also encompasses or overlaps with internal/employee communications, government relations and investor relations. It can also include marketing communications, ie., the materials that support the marketing effort. And then there's online/social networking marketing, which is changing and morphing all these elements. Marketing itself is the entire process of "bringing your products and services to the market," that is, letting potential customers know about you, while sales handles the actual transaction. Obviously, advertising is also a major part of the marketing mix. So there are a lot of ways an ex-journo can go once they come over to what I call "the beige side." So for starters, you might want to explore marketing and PR a bit through books (plug for Amazon in the right side bar) to see where your talents really fit in. For instance, I have an ex-editor friend in PR, and while I like to do mostly writing, he likes to do mostly media pitching. You might also want to take a short course through an executive training center at a b-school or for-profit learning center such as American Management Association. Once you sort out the landscape, there are a gazillion online and other resources on marketing and PR to further your knowledge. Hope that helps. Thanks for the question Steve. PR is a subset of the marketing function in the corporate system. The term PR isn’t even straight-forward: a lot of people use it as shorthand for “press agent” or “media relations” but it often also encompasses or overlaps with internal/employee communications, government relations and investor relations. It can also include marketing communications, ie., the materials that support the marketing effort. And then there’s online/social networking marketing, which is changing and morphing all these elements.

Marketing itself is the entire process of “bringing your products and services to the market,” that is, letting potential customers know about you, while sales handles the actual transaction. Obviously, advertising is also a major part of the marketing mix. So there are a lot of ways an ex-journo can go once they come over to what I call “the beige side.” So for starters, you might want to explore marketing and PR a bit through books (plug for Amazon in the right side bar) to see where your talents really fit in. For instance, I have an ex-editor friend in PR, and while I like to do mostly writing, he likes to do mostly media pitching. You might also want to take a short course through an executive training center at a b-school or for-profit learning center such as American Management Association. Once you sort out the landscape, there are a gazillion online and other resources on marketing and PR to further your knowledge. Hope that helps.

]]> Comment on Tiger Should Go With His “New Hugh” Persona by S. Pease http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/12/tiger-should-go-with-his-new-hugh-persona/comment-page-1/#comment-7568 S. Pease Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:31:51 +0000 http://www.catchingflack.com/?p=1217#comment-7568 Jon: Ex-journo seeking new career here. You mentioned in a blog post that former journalists should learn how to effectively market. Where/how do you suggest I start? Brief background: After being laid (lain?) off from a Minneapolis newspaper in late 2008, I began freelancing and quickly realized it wouldn't pay the bills. Since that epiphany, I've been selling pro-line golf clubs and occasionally freelancing. I love to write, love to talk with the people, and figure I'd be a p.r. natural. But how and where does marketing tie in to a future career move? Any career suggestions? Cheers, and keep up the great work. - SP. Jon:

Ex-journo seeking new career here. You mentioned in a blog post that former journalists should learn how to effectively market. Where/how do you suggest I start?
Brief background: After being laid (lain?) off from a Minneapolis newspaper in late 2008, I began freelancing and quickly realized it wouldn’t pay the bills. Since that epiphany, I’ve been selling pro-line golf clubs and occasionally freelancing.
I love to write, love to talk with the people, and figure I’d be a p.r. natural. But how and where does marketing tie in to a future career move? Any career suggestions?

Cheers, and keep up the great work.

- SP.

]]> Comment on Obama is Blowing the Health Care PR Battle by jeffrey greer http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/08/obama-is-blowing-the-health-care-pr-battle/comment-page-1/#comment-604 jeffrey greer Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:45:50 +0000 http://69.89.31.223/~catchin3/?p=1093#comment-604 Absolutely great points. Don't forget, however, that when one has so many establishment insiders in the White House these things tend to happen. Lack of force in a crusade can occur because people are rowing in directions that do not contemplate historical change. It's a similar situation with reform in the financial industry. It's as if Obama is almost intimidated by the world of high finance and feels a need to have the Larry Summerses and Tim Geitners in the world around him. So what kind of reform are you going to get?Same thing with health care. Run to Big Pharma and try to sign up Tom Daschle. What a way to reform. As they say, a spine is a terrible thing to waste. Absolutely great points. Don’t forget, however, that when one has so many establishment insiders in the White House these things tend to happen. Lack of force in a crusade can occur because people are rowing in directions that do not contemplate historical change. It’s a similar situation with reform in the financial industry. It’s as if Obama is almost intimidated by the world of high finance and feels a need to have the Larry Summerses and Tim Geitners in the world around him. So what kind of reform are you going to get?Same thing with health care. Run to Big Pharma and try to sign up Tom Daschle. What a way to reform. As they say, a spine is a terrible thing to waste.

]]> Comment on About by PR Pitching: Six Must-Read Posts | Fresh Ideas http://www.catchingflack.com/jongreerbio/comment-page-1/#comment-388 PR Pitching: Six Must-Read Posts | Fresh Ideas Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:11:07 +0000 http://69.89.31.223/~catchin3/?page_id=4#comment-388 [...] regard to business media, Jon Greer writes “… we can’t waste precious time pitching non-stories to over-worked [...] [...] regard to business media, Jon Greer writes “… we can’t waste precious time pitching non-stories to over-worked [...]

]]> Comment on Does Obama Need a Hail-Mary PR Pass on Health Care Reform? by jongreer http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/07/does-obama-need-a-hail-mary-pr-pass-on-health-care-reform/comment-page-1/#comment-253 jongreer Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:23:44 +0000 http://catchingflack.com/?p=1074#comment-253 Bush's plan to invade Iraq wasn't a good plan, but it sure had better PR. Bush’s plan to invade Iraq wasn’t a good plan, but it sure had better PR.

]]> Comment on Does Obama Need a Hail-Mary PR Pass on Health Care Reform? by TharpSter http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/07/does-obama-need-a-hail-mary-pr-pass-on-health-care-reform/comment-page-1/#comment-252 TharpSter Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:32:52 +0000 http://catchingflack.com/?p=1074#comment-252 Is it possible Obama can't close on the plan because it's a bad plan? Is it possible Obama can’t close on the plan because it’s a bad plan?

]]> Comment on Teens Don't Twitter, Do They? by WKPRAndrew http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/07/teens-dont-twitter-do-they/comment-page-1/#comment-250 WKPRAndrew Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:10:41 +0000 http://catchingflack.com/?p=1070#comment-250 One 15-year-old from the U.K. is not what I consider an expert source or even indicative of a trend. Here in the U.S., most people listen to radio in their cars. If you are under 16 you can't drive. Of course teens don't want to pay for music, they hardly have any money. News in general is pretty irrelevant to a teenager. Wait until they get older. Although I do agree in principle that printed newspapers are on their way out, magazines will be here for quite some time as will B2B pubs like Quality Magazine that a teenager has never heard of and would find incredible boring. Teens go to movies to make out in the dark. One 15-year-old from the U.K. is not what I consider an expert source or even indicative of a trend.

Here in the U.S., most people listen to radio in their cars. If you are under 16 you can’t drive.

Of course teens don’t want to pay for music, they hardly have any money.

News in general is pretty irrelevant to a teenager. Wait until they get older. Although I do agree in principle that printed newspapers are on their way out, magazines will be here for quite some time as will B2B pubs like Quality Magazine that a teenager has never heard of and would find incredible boring.

Teens go to movies to make out in the dark.

]]> Comment on If You Can't Measure the Effectiveness of Your PR Effort , You'll Never Get to the C-Suite by WKPRAndrew http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/07/if-you-cant-measure-the-effectiveness-of-your-pr-effort-youll-never-get-to-the-c-suite/comment-page-1/#comment-247 WKPRAndrew Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:20:02 +0000 http://catchingflack.com/?p=1055#comment-247 Great blog, and I think you have a valid point. I'm currently working on a whitepaper on the topic of PR measurement and this really got me thinking about it in a new light. Best, AEF Great blog, and I think you have a valid point. I’m currently working on a whitepaper on the topic of PR measurement and this really got me thinking about it in a new light.

Best,

AEF

]]> Comment on Having Some Fun With Your Web Site by Brad Feld http://www.catchingflack.com/2009/07/having-some-fun-with-your-web-site/comment-page-1/#comment-245 Brad Feld Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:41:50 +0000 http://catchingflack.com/?p=1026#comment-245 If only I was as talented and cool as Bono. One can dream. If only I was as talented and cool as Bono. One can dream.

]]> Comment on "Broooce!" by Having Some Fun With Your Web Site « Catching Flack http://www.catchingflack.com/broooce/comment-page-1/#comment-242 Having Some Fun With Your Web Site « Catching Flack Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:20:55 +0000 http://catchingflack.com/?page_id=969#comment-242 [...] “Broooce!” [...] [...] “Broooce!” [...]

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