In Defense of Annoying Advertising

By Ann Smith | Nov 13, 2014

For decades, targeted advertising was limited. Men were cursed to see ads for women’s sanitary products and women had to tolerate ads targeted at men’s health. Many dollars have been spent on prospective consumers that were not going to be buying a company’s products. But today, the world of marketing has changed. No more are […]

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Campaign Ads of 2014

By Ann Smith | Nov 4, 2014

November 4th has arrived and after today you no longer have to listen to the campaign advertisements, at least for awhile. Although these advertisements address some of the issues with each campaign candidate or proposition measure, they can be overbearing, aggressive, and sometimes pushing the truth. NPR’s Alisa Chang, recently reported on the “2014 Campaign […]

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Newspaper Ad Revenue Down $40 Billion Since 2000

By Ann Smith | Oct 25, 2014

We blogged recently about the health of the magazine industry, which has experienced a 10% YOY growth in readership. The news came as a surprise to many of us, given the state of newspapers today. Unfortunately, there’s no corresponding happy news in the latest stats about the health of the newspaper industry, as measured by […]

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Monica Lewinsky's Back in the Media

By Ann Smith | Oct 22, 2014

Many know the name Monica Lewinsky. Over 16 years ago in 1998, the details of her affair with President Bill Clinton became public knowledge and she has since then lived in the public eye. Her name has even been mentioned in rap lyrics by Beyonce, Eminem, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne among others. At the […]

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Combating Health Miscommunication Takes Powerful Communication

By Ann Smith | Oct 8, 2014

Health agencies have been challenged for months with how best to communicate with the public and the media alike about the Ebola outbreak.  The news that Thomas Eric Duncan, the Dallas man infected with Ebola, has died is likely to add to Americans’ fears about the disease, and with that fear, we are likely to […]

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Sexism on Jeopardy?

By Ann Smith | Sep 30, 2014

Women’s rights are gaining focus in the media. Stories including Emma Watson’s United Nation speech, the #yesallwomen Twitter handle and the contraception debate in recent Supreme Court cases are drawing attention to the issue of equal rights for women. Adding to the touchy issue, Monday night’s Jeopardy episode included a questionable category that stirred up […]

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Addicted to Technology?

By Ann Smith | Sep 18, 2014

With the enormous amount of buzz surrounding the new iPhone, it’s worth the time to think about what life would be like if we weren’t so consumed with the newest technology, social media and the world online. Sometimes we spend too much time on our technological devices that we decide to create apps like Moment, […]

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No Such Thing As Bad Publicity?

By Ann Smith | Sep 15, 2014

Does the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity still hold true? Urban Outfitters is in the hot seat over a “vintage” Kent State sweatshirt that appeared as though it had blood splatters across it. The apology The company posted an apology on twitter shortly after the first media stories about backlash […]

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#WhyIStayed: A Social Movement of Domestic Violence Support

By Ann Smith | Sep 10, 2014

Last week marked the opening day of the NFL season and within a few days the national spotlight was shining an ugly beam on one of the league’s star players. On Monday the world was seeing the horrific altercation between Baltimore Raven’s star Ray Rice and his wife Janay in a casino elevator where he […]

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Spreading Awareness Through the #Icebucketchallenge

By Ann Smith | Aug 20, 2014

Unless you live under a rock, the ALS #icebucketchallenge has probably taken over your newsfeed at some point in the last few weeks. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. To #strikeoutALS, people post a […]

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Prepare for the Unexpected with a Crisis Communications Plan

By Ann Smith | Aug 6, 2014

Basic steps for your crisis communications plan The recent water contamination in Toledo, Ohio underscores the need for all types of organizations to have a plan for how they will handle communications in a crisis. Most of us won’t be facing a life-or-death situation, as the city of Toledo did, but nevertheless a bit of advance […]

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Networking made easier for Introverts

By Ann Smith | Aug 5, 2014

Does the thought of networking make you anxious? Nervous? As an introvert and recent college graduate I have experienced the anxieties that comes from networking with business professionals. I know the importance of gaining these valuable connections to grow in my career, but that never makes it easier to walk into a room full of […]

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