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Talking Management with Jason Fried, 37signals

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management, Resources, Technology
If you aren't familiar yet with 37signals, and its founder, Jason Fried, do yourself a favor and check out this video from Crain's Chicago Business. Founded in 1999, the company designs web-based software for individuals and businesses. 37signals estimates that more than 1 million people use its products. To date, Jeff Bezos of Amazon is its only outside investor. Their products are simple and affordable, and as their Web site says, "they do everything you need and nothing you don't." Here are a few outtakes from the Crain's video, Talking Management: Leadership Lessons from Jason Fried. He offers an interesting perspective as the leader of a high-growth technology company that has become a media darling, and is sought after by investors:
- "We're not big into increasing our headcount. We're big on increasing our influence."
- "Interruption is the biggest enemy of productivity that there is."
- "We have free versions of all of our products. And that's actually the best way to get someone to pay for something."
- "We're focused on building things that provide way more value than they cost."
- "People are always willing to pay for something they find valuable."
- "I love the idea of building simple tools that work really well."
- "I don't think you need to be a big company anymore to do big things."
Screenshot from Basecamp, 37signals' project management and collaboration platform.
Logo Design Trends

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Brand Marketing, Business
Logo design can be both invigorating and infuriating for clients and agencies. Logos have the power to stir debate, create emotional connections and increase brand value. However, by its very nature, logo design is a subjective process.

While graphic designers take great pride in their ability to interpret and capture the essence of an organization through colors, fonts, icons and effects; clients, consumers, family and friends all have their opinions too. Sometimes designers are spot-on in their interpretation, and other times clients have something else in mind.

But, in the end, logos are the visual representation of a brand and an essential component of every organization.

Check out the LogoLounge.com 2007 logo design trends report for some excellent insight on what's hot in logo design, including: dos helix, rubber bands, radiance, eco smart, lit, pseudo crest, urban vinyl, hubs, descending dots, flora, half, overlap, 3D, opticaLine and ribbons.
Blog Bought by NY Times

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Social Media
The convergence of social media and traditional media took another leap forward today as the New York Times acquired the popular Freakonomics blog.

"This will be the first blog that the New York Times acquires and adds to its larger media family, but there’s word that the newspaper plans to acquire even more blogs in the not-too-distant future. . . ." Visit Mashable.com to read more.
Corporate Blogging Resource

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Marketing, Public Relations, Resources, Social Media
Corporate blogging is changing the public relations industry, and the business world, at an astonishing pace. Odds are that blogging is already impacting your business whether you know it or not.

Technorati, a leading blog search engine widely known for its quarterly State of the Blogosphere reports, is now tracking more than 70 million weblogs, and is seeing about 120,000 new weblogs being created worldwide each day. That's about 1.4 blogs created every second of every day.

This is the first of many posts to come about corporate blogging. At PR 20/20, we are constantly adapting our model and service offering to meet the growing demand from clients for blog consultation, services and resources.

Check out this excellent posting from blogger Robert Scoble for organizations looking to launch corporate blogs: The Corporate Weblog Manifesto

If you haven't considered how blogs are impacting your business, now is as good a time as any to get started!
What I Learned: Pour Your Heart Into It

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Management
PR 20/20 started out in February 2004 as a vision to evolve the PR industry. That vision, which 21 months later manifested into an upstart PR and marketing firm, was fueled by remarkable books that told inspirational stories of vision, passion and innovation. “What I Learned” is a series of blog postings about the books and experiences that continue to shape our agency, and our vision. My hope is that these insights will inspire others to pursue their dreams.

Some men see things as they are and say “Why?” I dream things that never were, and say “Why not?” - George Bernard Shaw

Pour Your Heart Into It by Starbuck’s Chairman Howard Schultz For this installment of What I Learned, I’ve included a selection of my favorite quotes from Pour Your Heart Into It. It’s a classic story about an entrepreneur with a vision, and the passion to make it a reality:
- “A company can grow big without losing the passion and personality that built it, but only if it’s driven not by profits but by values and people.”
- “If it captures your imagination, it will captivate others.”
- “Vision is what they call it when others can’t see what you see.”
- “Naysayers never built a great enterprise.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- “When you see the opportunity of a lifetime, move quickly.”
- “Don’t be threatened by people smarter than you.”
- “Everything matters.”
- “Strong brands create a powerful, personal connection.”
A PR Blog is Born

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business, Marketing, Public Relations
I’ve been considering joining the blogosphere for some time now, but it wasn’t until attending the T3 PR Conference in New York last week that I felt compelled to take action, and contribute to the social media phenomenon that is revolutionizing the PR industry, the business world and society.

So, here goes . . .

While not considered a profession until the early 1900s, thanks to the work of Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays, public relations has been widely practiced since the dawn of civilization.

Rulers, governments, religious institutions and businesses throughout history have recognized the power of informing and influencing their publics as a means to garner understanding and support.

As Bernays, PR pioneer and author, wrote, “The three main elements of public relations are practically as old as society: informing people, persuading people, or integrating people with people.”

The principles remain the same today. Our job is to effectively communicate and build relationships.

However, the rise of the Internet and social media has changed the rules, and the time has come for a mass-market revolution that makes PR (and marketing) simple, affordable and effective for businesses of all sizes.

The PR industry needs vision and innovation for the profession to continue advancing and gaining the respect (and budgets) it deserves as an integral part of every organization. It needs professionals who understand its history and its power to contribute to the advancement of business and society.

PR 20/20 Insights is a collaborative community to share, learn and grow our businesses together through collective intelligence and peer production. Let’s throw away traditional solutions and conventional wisdom. Let’s Look Beyond.

Stay tuned for consistent updates on the trends, news and technologies affecting us all.
Social Media Battles for Budget

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Marketing, Social Media
Despite the explosion of social media, many marketers still appear reluctant to invest significant resources in blogs, wikis, forums, social networking, podcasts and virtual reality worlds.

According to Coremetrics, "More than three-quarters of US marketing professionals surveyed think that social media marketing—also known as Web 2.0—can give them a competitive edge."

"Marketers are aware of the impact that social media marketing can have on their overall program but view it as uncharted territory, not worthy of their budget," said John Squire, senior vice president of product strategy at Coremetrics.

While many organizations sit on the sidelines waiting for social media best practices to emerge, the innovators and visionaries are venturing into the world of Web 2.0. It's not too late to integrate a social media budget into your 2008 marketing plan, and here are some ideas on how to get started:
- Build Wikipedia pages for your company and top executives.
- Join LinkedIn.
- Launch a corporate blog.
- Monitor industry news, trends, blogs and forums through RSS feeds.
- Read and comment on industry blogs and forums.
- Find out how wikis can make your organization more efficient and productive.
- Tap into the power of viral videos.
Need help with your social media strategy? Contact PR 20/20 today for a free 2-hour consultation.
How Not to Conduct a Press Conference

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Public Relations
When I first saw this on Digg.com, I thought it had to be a joke.

FEMA Apologizes for Fake News Conference on Fires

Not only did a government agency call a news conference 15 minutes before it was to be held, but they planted their own employees as "reporters" and then had them lob softball questions at Harvey Johnson, FEMA's deputy adminstrator. .

. . . But with no reporters on hand and an agency video camera providing a feed carried live by some television networks, FEMA press employees posed the questions for Johnson that included: "Are you happy with FEMA's response so far?"

According to Friday's Post account, which Walker confirmed, Johnson replied that he was "very happy with FEMA's response so far." . . . .

And here's another take from Al Kamen of The Washington Post:

FEMA Meets the Press, Which Happens to Be . . . FEMA

". . . . Johnson stood behind a lectern and began with an overview before saying he would take a few questions. The first questions were about the "commodities" being shipped to Southern California and how officials are dealing with people who refuse to evacuate. He responded eloquently.

He was apparently quite familiar with the reporters -- in one case, he appears to say "Mike" and points to a reporter -- and was asked an oddly in-house question about "what it means to have an emergency declaration as opposed to a major disaster declaration" signed by the president. He once again explained smoothly.

FEMA press secretary Aaron Walker interrupted at one point to caution he'd allow just "two more questions." Later, he called for a "last question.". . . ."
What Can Google Do For Your Business?

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, Technology
On the heels of surpassing the $200 billion mark in market value (which by the way is more than the combined value of News Corp, Disney, Viacom and CBS), Google amassed nearly 4 billion search queries in September, according to the latest report from Nielsen Online.

That's 54 percent of all online queries conducted at the top U.S. search providers. Yahoo! Search is second with 1.4 million (19.5 percent).

So, as Google's influence continues to expand, here are a few practical tips to help your business tap into the wealth of services offered by the search giant:
- Sign up to receive Google News Alerts for your company, competitors and industry.
- Create custom Google Maps of your headquarters to post online, and send in emails.
- Research and monitor discussions and trends in the social media world through Google Blog Search and Google Groups.
- Launch a pay-per-click campaign with Google AdWords.
- Submit your Website to be indexed by Googlebot.
To find even more uses for Google in your business, check out the Google Business Solutions site.
Affordable Online Press Release Distribution Services

By Paul | Posted Dec 30, 2007 | 0 Comment(s) | Filed in: Public Relations, Resources
Traditional PR that only targets mainstream media is a thing of the past. You now have to consider how to increase the reach and impact of your news by publishing to online distribution sites, such as PRzoom.com, PRWeb.com and PR.com.

These sites optimize the effectiveness of your press releases by distributing them to search engines and news sites, which generate links and traffic to your Website.

Getting Started

Major wire services, such as PRNewswire.com and BusinessWire.com offer online distribution as part of their packages, but there are also more affordable, and sometimes free, services available. From the endless resources of Mashable.com, comes the
"20+ Free Press Release Distribution Sites."