A.wordsmith and three of our clients brought home hardware from the Portland Business Journal’s Fastest-Growing Private 100 Companies event on Thursday, June 7. We were thrilled for our own #54 spot on the list, and proud to have supported UnoSquare, TerraFirma Foundation Systems and Propeller Consulting in earning their rankings on this year’s list, which […]
Read More
A press release doesn’t get a brand very far anymore. Newsrooms are taxed. Reporters are swamped. And quite simply, we’re all more drawn to an image or video than a long-form corporate release. Seventy-eight percent of CMOs now say that custom content is the future of marketing. In turn, many have started to build in-house […]
Read MoreTake a look at this picture of 2014’s most senior leaders at the top 13 PR agencies by revenue, and the top two agencies by revenue growth in 2013: Zero minorities. And just four women in a field where 65-70% of the workforce is female. A lack of diversity has plagued ad and PR agencies […]
Read More2016 has been hard. In this tumultuous political, cultural and financial climate the conversations and written dialogues have been HEAVY. Never have I so dreaded my Facebook feed. So I want to take a step back and offer some tips for engaging in these conversations in ways that make you appear smart and informed, but not offensive. Taken […]
Read MoreSince the 90’s consumers have been pushing back on advertising. We’re highly critical of traditional advertising — TV, print and radio — and highly skeptical of other forms of advertising. And for good reason. Coca-Cola sponsoring school events feels eerily similar to the way tobacco companies targeted members of the military during World War II. Free cigarettes! And […]
Read MoreIf you are reading this you likely already understand the value of thought leadership products. A thought leadership product is anything – written, video, multi-media – produced to help inform an audience on something you do really well. These products are especially critical for service organizations that rely on the smarts and unique capabilities of […]
Read MoreIn PR, many things are out of your control. It is the job of a PR person to maintain and manufacture as much control as possible. Control of the message, control of the spokesperson, control of the campaign, control over the competition. Because for the most part, losing control of any one of those things can […]
Read MoreThere is nothing more uncomfortable than watching bad improv comedy. Except perhaps watching someone crash and burn while pitching ideas during a business presentation. Especially if that person is you. As written up by Fast Co’s Joe Berkowitz, master improvisational comic Jason Mantzoukas has developed seven tips for avoid comedic, or boardroom, failure. In a […]
Read MoreWalter Palmer, who has officially become the world’s most hated dentist, catapulted to infamy this week after news of his illegal hunting trip in Zimbabwe, where he shot and killed a lion named Cecil, hit social media. While his dental practice quickly crumbled around him — he shut down his office this week, and chances […]
Read MoreThe Associated Press Stylebook isn’t just for journalists. For the best in clarity and consistency, corporations should use AP style in nearly all their written communications materials. The stylebook is updated year-round based on current usage and feedback from an annual survey. Some changes make headlines: in 2014 when AP said that “over” was an acceptable […]
Read MoreAmazon executives are typically a reclusive bunch. So its was a rare treat when Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s senior vice president of consumer business, took the stage this week at Seattle University as part of the Albers Executive Speaker Series. In an hour-long talk, Wilke laid out the core leadership principles that make up the tech […]
Read More