Marketing Briefs

Consider this premise: Every business problem in existence can be traced to a communication breakdown. Communication breakdowns might include lack of information, the wrong information, mixed messages, no response, slow-moving information, etc. I’ve tested this statement in my role as a corporate internal communicator and as a communications consultant to C-level executives. I’ve found it to be absolutely accurate.

Are you acting like Amazon? B2B companies need to evolve with their customers' expectations and that means you must improve your digital customer experience–just like Amazon does.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen by some as a magic solution to every business problem, by others as ineffective. IBM’s computer Watson may have won “Jeopardy!” (magic!) but Watson made some ridiculous errors (ineffective!). The IBM computer didn’t understand puns or irony. Humans do. AI is neither magic nor ineffective; it’s a technology that can augment human judgment not replace it. Understanding the strengths and limits of AI helps companies to implement it wisely.

As artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged in the last three decades, the effect on employment has not matched the public's fears. AI will be one of the transformative technologies of the next decade, but it will not be the only technology transforming our world. Predicting AI’s effects in a vacuum won’t get us anywhere. Companies and their employees need to make sure they can execute on the opportunities presented by AI and other technologies. That’s how to avoid obsolescence.

I teach classes for the Rutgers Business School Executive Education, so I cross paths with savvy digital marketers on a constant basis. I have been asking them the same question for the last three years, “If people are really getting creeped out by the way marketers are sneaking around with their data, how come no one has started a business around data privacy?” And I never really got an answer that I understood. Not once.

70% of corporate change initiatives fail—and the cause is often attributed to poor communication. To save their companies from becoming a statistic, it's up to communicators to advance a holistic strategy for ensuring employee understanding and buy-in. In-depth interviews with 32 internal communications executives reveal a vast and varied arsenal of potential techniques—from information guides and talking points, to employee ambassadors and challenge teams, to staff road trips and videos.

Is your brand ready to manage and survive an organizational crisis? Chances are your company will face a crisis soon, so be ready with some simple ABCs: Define your tipping point; Have a crisis plan; Monitor everything; Don't be dumb.

Why don't CEOs and communicators agree on the role and future of the function? The 2019 Global Communications Report from USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism highlights at least three disconnects between company leaders and the communicators who work for them: the purpose of communications, the point of communications, and how tech will contribute to the field.

Are you still using Ad Value Equivalency (AVEs) to measure the effectiveness of your PR? AVEs have been discredited and should never be used as a measure of anything, particularly not value. Here's why.

Too many events and experiential marketing campaigns are conducted without measurement designed into them and funded from the beginning, leading to misunderstanding of results. Budget for measurement doesn't have to be expensive, but it does need to be included, because leadership will also want to know the cost effectiveness of your results.