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Surely feeling the noose tightening around his neck as he greeted the gathering at JP Morgan Chase & Co.'s annual shareholders meeting in Tampa yesterday, CEO and chairman Jamie Dimon made sure to turn the occasion into as much of a formality as possible — in fact, the meeting was adjourned in under an hour. Even though the huge trading loss disclosed last week did not get much airtime at the event, worried investors were able to land a few well-deserved jabs during the brief presentation — Dimon accepted full responsibility for the bank's unexpected mini-meltdown, during which the company suffered more than $2 billion in trading losses. The CEO said he hoped to recoup the money, and that the "buck stops" with him. And although a proposal to diminish Dimon's power by separating the chairman and chief exec roles was defeated — which amounts to a mere ceremonial wrist-slapping for Dimon, especially in the wake of such a titanic failure — shareholders were not without some food for thought for the CEO. One shareholder summed it up pretty well: We "are weary of your mistakes," the investor said, MarketWatch reports. Dimon delivered the opening remarks on Tuesday, saying that the trading loss was self-inflicted but that all corrective action will be taken as necessary. Also, the chief exec appeared to reverse his perspective on the hot-button issue of financial regulation: "We are not against new regulations," he said, reiterating that the bank has supported 70% to 80% of the Dodd-Frank Act on Wall Street reform — this from a man who has been one of the most vocal opponents of tougher regulation for the financial industry. The key shareholder proposal considered at the meeting was submitted by the AFSCME Employees Pension Plan, which called for the appointment of an independent director as J.P. Morgan chairman. The proposal, which was defeated by investors, would prevent "an inherent conflict of interest" and maintain a system of checks and balances, since Dimon is now in charge of monitoring his own performance, according to AFSCME's Lisa Lindsley. The MarketWatch article reports.
In an effort to expand on its data practices this spring, as requested by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner, Facebook last week rolled out some new revisions to its privacy policy. With all the fanfare surrounding the social giant's high-profile initial public offering this week, Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan sought to get out in front of any concerns about the revisions by holding a question-and-answer session this week, which was streamed live on the company's website, to talk about the changes. "That's a big driver of our changes," Egan said regarding its data practices during the session. "Our goal here is to be really transparent with you about our practices," she said about the issue, which, along with feedback from users and the introduction of new products and services like Timeline, make up those "big drivers," she said, CNET reports. Meanwhile, in a new poll by the Associated Press and CNBC, half of the 1,000 people surveyed called Facebook a passing fad. A majority of those surveyed (51 percent) have a favorable impression of the company, while 23 percent have an unfavorable opinion. In light of the upcoming IPO, the survey focused more on Facebook's value as an investment — and half of those polled believe the initial asking price is too high, while just a third feel the value is appropriate — and that was before Facebook this week revised its SEC statement to price shares even higher than originally reported. Still, more than half of the people polled said that Facebook would make a good investment, while 17 percent said they're just not sure how the company will fare after it goes public, according to another CNET report.
Post-recession Americans remain worried, but are more thrifty and determined, and have redefined the American Dream to place far more importance on achieving softer goals — a happy marriage, a healthy retirement and environmentally responsible living, according to a national poll released this week by strategic communications, public affairs and crisis management firm Solomon McCown & Company. Although the vast majority of Americans said the Great Recession changed their outlook on life, nearly three quarters of respondents (74 percent) said they feel they have achieved the American Dream or are on their way to doing so, according to the poll of 1,009 adults conducted for Solomon McCown by Anderson Robbins Research. In the poll, 24 percent of Americans reported that their household had "mostly recovered" from the impact of the recession; 41 percent said they "still have a ways to go;" and 14 percent said they "might not ever fully recover." But even a majority — 56 percent — of those who feel they might not ever recover said they have already achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieving it. When asked to rate the importance of eight different aspects of the American Dream, 83 percent picked "a happy marriage" as very or extremely important; "a long and healthy retirement" ranked second with 77 percent; and "living in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way" ranked third with 72 percent. Home ownership and helping others also polled strongly; two-thirds said "owning a home" and "helping others through volunteer work or charitable giving" are very or extremely important to achieving the American Dream. "Being successful in a high-paying career" ranked dead last, considered very or extremely important by only 46 percent of those polled. "We have redefined what success looks like in the aftermath of the nation's economic hardship and the financial and ethical scandals that have dominated the past few years," said Ashley McCown, president of Solomon McCown & Company, in a news release. "Economic status and all the creature comforts it brings are less important in the New Normal."
Rebekah Brooks, the former head of News Corp.'s U.K. newspaper business and protégé to media titan Rupert Murdoch, has been formally charged in the phone-hacking scandal that took the popular UK tabloid News of the World down. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) this week announced that it has charged Brooks with three counts of "conspiracy to pervert the course of justice." CPS claims that last July, Brooks "conspired" with her husband, chauffeur and others to "conceal documents, computers and other electronic equipment from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service." CPS also charged Brooks and her assistant with "permanently" removing seven boxes from the News International archive, CNET reports. Aside from Brooks, her husband Charles Brooks, assistant Cheryl Carter, and her chauffeur Paul Edwards have all been charged. In total, six individuals have been cited in the CPS announcement. A seventh individual, who was not named, will not be charged, CPS said. All of those charged were ordered to answer their bail on Tuesday. "May I remind all concerned that these six individuals now will be charged with criminal offenses and that each has a right to a fair trial," Alison Levitt, principal legal advisor to the director of public prosecutions, said Tuesday in a statement. "It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons it would be inappropriate for me to comment further," she added, the CNET post reports.
Vovici, a provider of enterprise feedback management solutions, recently announced key findings from its Voice of the Customer (VoC) survey, Don't Be in the 4%: New Research Reveals That 96% of Companies are Leveraging the VoC to Improve Business Performance. The study was conducted in collaboration with customer strategy consultancy Peppers & Rogers Group and 1to1 Media to gauge the current state of Voice of the Customer initiatives. The survey reveals that small and large organizations, representing a wide range of industries, are catching on to the value of the VoC. Among the key findings is that a full 95% of respondents say their VoC initiatives are breaking even or generating positive value. In addition, data mining was by far found to be the highest priority among VoC initiatives, while budget is of lowest concern. Most relevant to our focus is the finding that marketing owns the VoC initiative by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, but the need for a dedicated VoC department continues to emerge. "These findings serve as further reinforcement to the power and strategic importance of voice of the customer programs and the undeniable impact they can have on customers, employees and businesses alike," said Nancy Treaster, general manager of strategic operations at Verint Enterprise Intelligence Solutions, in a news release. "The issue of customer loyalty and the need for organizations to understand how to best meet their customer needs is a strategic imperative for all organizations." As part of its conclusion, the study states: "As long as companies aim to enhance their customers' experiences, improve customer loyalty, and increase profitability, there will always be a demand for VoC programs and supporting tools."
Alex Sabbag
Special Events & Public Relations, Susan G Komen Chicago
PR University Master Class Webinar
Thursday, May 17, 2012
There are lots of ways you can reach out to a journalist or blogger nowadays—email, Facebook, LinkedIn, not to mention the phone. But that doesn't mean pitching is any easier. You still have to make the right move at the right time to score. So what if you could learn those tested hooks and lines that will grab attention? You will learn how to pitch with greater success, and in just 90 minutes, when you join PR University's Master Class webinar with Allison E. Rogers Furbish, Web Media Coordinator, King Arthur Flour, Alex Sabbag, Special Events & Public Relations, Susan G Komen Chicago, Brian Devenny, Director, Media Relations of DS Simon Productions, and Dan Beeson, Director, Media Relations, Mother Nature Network.
For more information go to event landing page, or call 1-800-959-1059.
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If you're the president of a PR firm and you're not generating consistent net profit of 20% per year, isn't it time to take control of your business once and for all? Isn't it time to give your people—and yourself—the benefits of prosperity and predictability that you deserve? If you're ready to run your PR agency using today's best practices of disciplined financial management, you'll want to own and use this fundamental guide, written by renowned PR agency financial guru Rick Gould. Discover inside strategies, techniques, ratios and hard-won wisdom that are certain to increase your PR agency's profitability to 20% or even 30%—no matter what the economic environment. Download Now!
By Erica Gies, Environment Reporter, Founder of ThisWeekInEarth.com
Hollywood's biggest stars mean blockbuster movies and big bucks for movie
executives, and that's why these stars are in such high demand. Is this how prospective
clients in your market view you or your company? If not, Andrew Sobel has a
few tips to help you become the "Bankable Star" of your industry.
Christine Young
Owner, Author, Mom Blog–"From Dates to Diapers and Beyond!"
PR University Meet the Editors Webinar
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Whether they are diapering dads or multitasking moms, parenting bloggers are among the Web media players getting the most interest—and attention. If you handle PR for consumer brands, wouldn't you love to hear directly from leading parenting bloggers about what gets their interest and attention, about how you can work with them and others to push your brand? Join us as PR University's new Meet the Editors webinar spotlights five of these hot bloggers—Christine Young, "From Dates to Diapers and Beyond!", Tésa Nicolanti, "2 Wired 2 Tired," Jenna Goodwin, "For the Love of Baby!", Kathleen Bunn, "Life with 4 Boys" and Dave Taylor, "GoFatherhood." Don't be left out.
For more information go to event landing page, or call 1-800-959-1059.
Dannette Veale
Digital Engagements and Technology Strategist, Sales Experience and Virtual Partner Summit, Cisco
PR University Master Class Webinar
Thursday, May 31, 2012
The "gamification" of marketing and public relations is here to stay. Adding game-like experiences and fun competition to branding and marketing campaigns is proving to be a winner and smart PR pros are adding these elements to their programs. If you're thinking of entering the world of game-based marketing, wouldn't it be great to have leading experts tell you all about the best techniques and practices they use? Join PR University's new Master Class webinar and let Dannette Veale, Digital Engagements and Technology Strategist at Cisco, Adena DeMonte, Director, Marketing at Badgeville, and Shel Holtz, Principal of Holtz Commnication + Technology show how games can snag new followers and customers for you.
For more information go to event landing page, or call 1-800-959-1059.
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Dorothy York, President and CEO of North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS)
North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS) is a service that distributes publicity in a variety of formats to 10,000+ newspapers, thousands of online publications, 6,500+ radio stations and 1,000+ TV stations nationwide. Formats include CDs, camera-ready repro proofs, postings on www.napsnet.com as dowloadable files for editors with RSS feeds by subject, e-mails, Twitter feeds @NAPSnews, Facebook posts, social media, blogs, tapes, the NAPS YouTube Channel, podcasting via iTunes and more. Expected results are 100 to 400 placements in print, 400+ placements in online publications with each print release, 300+ on-air placements for each Radio Feature Release and 100+ on-air placements for each Video Feature Release. NAPS guarantees complete satisfaction with each release or another one free! For information or a free proposal, e-mail info@napsnet.com, call (800) 222-5551 or visit www.napsinfo.com. |
5/16/2012
PerkettPR is excited to introduce another interview series, “Effective Executives,” showcasing business leaders from top companies across the globe. Our goal is to continue to share insights, tips, tricks and suggestions from those who have seen it all. How do they work? What keeps them up at night? What...
5/16/2012
BtoB marketers – journalists love social media just as much as you do. Ninety-two percent are on LinkedIn, 85 percent have Facebook accounts, and 84 percent use Twitter. Check out the infographic below to see how today’s most popular social media sites stack up. For more information about BtoB journalists...
5/16/2012
Many public speakers are reluctant to offer an overt “call to action” at the end of their speeches. For whatever reason, many speakers feel uncomfortable telling the audience precisely what they want them to do after their speeches end.
I’ve heard people tell me that they don’t want to...
5/16/2012
When you ask employees, they want to be able to connect with their leader—today more than ever before. Employees want to know what you have to say; they also want to know what you stand for.
Authenticity starts with self-awareness. You need to know yourself and be comfortable sharing who you are with your...
5/16/2012
Today’s guest post is written by Lisa Gerber.
I wrote the first draft of this post by hand.
I’m trying something new: I’m going to occasionally step away from the devices, limit distractions, and reflect.
This is much easier said than done and I”ll explain why in a minute.
But first, the reason...
5/16/2012
We all know that infographics are the in, cool thing to do.
Create a simple, compelling graphic and everybody will “get” your story. Customers love them. Marketers and PR folk love them. Media love infographics — sometimes so much that they’ll use whatever image that marketing/PR teams give...
5/16/2012
As you would expect from any major tech trade show, last week’s Interop event in Las Vegas generated quite a bit of buzz around new announcements, technology innovations and partnerships. But, one thing I didn’t expect to see so much coverage around was the continued use of “Booth Babes.” While...
5/16/2012
Guest post by Michael Dresner, CEO of Brand² Squared Licensing, the strategic licensing division at Peppercom
The argument is always the same. Anytime we’re preparing for a new business pitch, our team debates how many big ideas we introduce to a prospective client. If the ideas are too...
5/15/2012
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is all about catching Web users’ attention with a message that is highly relevant to what they are searching for. Of course, you only have 130 visible characters with which to work (that’s less than a Tweet), so it’s not always easy to fit everything you want to say...
5/15/2012
One more thing to do before declaring the school year finished: Apply for scholarships.
This is the scholarship application season, and I’ve heard that only a fraction of eligible students take the time to apply for scholarships–many of which don’t require much effort. I sponsor one of those...
5/15/2012
Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise. Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as...
5/15/2012
After recently reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, I finished with more than few thoughts about Jobs, Apple, the business, and of course, public relations. Isaacson, who authored books about Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger, took on the challenge of writing the Jobs...
5/15/2012
American workers are not taking all of their vacation time. And when they do, they are not 100% off-the-clock because they are distracted by the gadgets and gizmos that connect them to the world that they have planned to leave behind. But, there is a new trend emerging to truly disconnect us from our working world:...
5/15/2012
I espoused the virtues of the humble news release as a link-building tool to Mashable some time ago and continue to believe in this tactic.
We apply this thinking in cultivating our own brand.
For example, we distributed a news release on our new U.S. general manager last week that generated syndicated pickup in a...
5/14/2012
I attended the annual dinner of the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. this week. There are significant challenges facing government leaders as a result of ease of communications, which is politicizing the world’s people. People today believe they can make a difference.
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the...
5/14/2012
There are LOTS of good reasons for one or more members of company leadership to blog. These include:
• Humanizing the company
• Enhancing visibility
• Building credibility and trust
• Establishing industry expertise
• Promoting products and policies
• Addressing...
5/14/2012
Working extensively in entertainment PR, including extensive work as a crisis PR agency for celebrities, an interesting story is the Angelina Jolie Brand – and will she incorporate her soon to be husband’s last name into her name ?
And my 2 cents? Angelina Jolie shouldn’t change her name to Angelina...
5/11/2012
Here are my Top 10 tweets from this past week, great for retweeting! If you missed these, follow me on Twitter.
8 Ways to Get the Biggest Marketing Bang Out of SlideShare [Love Tip #4 for capturing leads] http://ow.ly/aLJGG
How to Use Facebook Ads to Get More Quality Leads and Attract More Blog Traffic. http://ow.ly/...
5/11/2012
New York Tech Meetup
Client obligations and travel took me away from the last couple of New York Tech meetups, so I was glad to be back at NYU Skirball Center to witness first-hand what the city's hot hot hot tech startup scene had up its collective sleeve. I wasn't...
5/11/2012
TO LINK TO POST: http://bit.ly/K6FM09
Doug Simon, President & CEO of D S Simon Productions, spoke with Elise Mitchell, President & CEO of Mitchell Communications Group, at the Counselors Academy 2012 Spring Conference about starting her own PR firm.
brightcove.createExperiences();
Elise...
5/10/2012
Back in the 1970s, there was a vision of a paperless office; whilst the futurist, Alvin Toffler predicted increased technology was creating information overload. The reality is that we’re using more paper than ever – alongside an ever exploding volume of online content. I’m sure I could find data to...
5/7/2012
[Originally posted on the Huffington Post.]
In this election year, I’ve been on fear watch. Folks are fearful of everything from 2012 theories to GMOs to student loans taking over as the No. 1 source of pain for college grads everywhere. A few years ago, I talked at length about the cult of anger our country...
5/7/2012
Source
Over the last 10 years, the line between journalists and readers has grown significantly shorter. From blogging to commenting to online sharing, the swift rise of the Internet and social media has allowed the consumer to be the producer in a way that was never before possible. The line between editorial...
5/4/2012
Get the PR Ball Rolling
Posted by Tom Gable
In the previous post, I introduced the concept of PR as a team sport. How to organize to deliver consistent, quality results for clients? How can you achieve your goals with the minimum possible resources? How to leverage time, so one hour of senior management can turn...
4/26/2012
Hating the Murdochs is a sport in some quarters. It is almost all the old British left has left. Socialism is not doing well, but loathing Thatcher and her biggest media supporters still resonates. In the case of culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, we have what looks like the perfect mirror-image foolishness from the...
4/23/2012
After considering why newsrooms need to change to stay relevant, I have three newsrooms that are changing, and a fourth that re-sets the bar completely. All of the newsrooms represent brands with big investments in owned media and media relations.
1) Starbucks: With 19,...
4/20/2012
Pitching a new media contact is a lot like an awkward first date. You don’t know enough about the other person to know what buttons not to push or what will score you major points. Just like when trying to start a relationship with a new reporter you may not know that they are more likely to give you a...