THINKing

How Touching

Test drive a car, put on some cologne, sample a grande mocha choka double soy half sugar non-fat latte. Seems like someone is always trying to place you in touch with their product. Did you ever wonder why?

Quick Hits

A couple of quick PR-related items in which you may be interested:

MediaKitty is an online source for connecting with travel journalists. Sign up and follow them on Twitter.

Bill Stoller, who writes the Publicity Insider Newsletter, is on Twitter as well. Follow Bill onTwitter and sign up for his newsletter.

Listening: Marketing’s Secret Weapon

Customers know you and your business better than you think, and often better than you. In the many strategic planning projects I’ve done over nearly 30 years in the business, the customer always gives me the nugget that frames a client’s positioning.

2009: The Year Of Direct Marketing?

There has been a lot of talk about the death of direct marketing. I don’t buy it. Here’s why: Every time the economy softens, marketers are pressured by higher ups to utilize tactics that can be quantified. Direct marketing is on the list in all tough years. Is it on your list this year?

Media Update

Although I believe the main stream media are dying, there still are opportunities to receive media coverage that can benefit you and your organization. After all, the media is not dead quite yet. And you need to take advantage of these opportunities if your organization is cutting back its marketing budget because of a challenging economy.

Why Steve Jobs’ Health Is A Public Concern

Apple’s Steve Jobs and his PR firm are bucking the notion that the health of the ill CEO is of public concern. Ragan.com reports,

Problem is Jobs, and his PR machine, think his health should be kept private. To meet this goal, they have been—to put it kindly—less than straight-forward. For example, back in June, Apple’s PR pros blamed their boss’s notable weight loss on a “common bug.”

Out Of Work? Don’t Be That Guy

Now, this is not aimed at you, regular reader of THINKing. You are a smart, capable person who understands how the world works, and who understands digital personal branding. This is aimed at the hapless person who just happens to stumble by and who needs schooling on this particular topic. Regular reader, go do something else while I give “that guy” a piece of my mind.

Content Marketing Again

We talked recently about placing your content marketing on steroids. We need to finish the story. There are still other ways to move your content, as Jay Ehret and Rodger Johnson reminded me.

Content Marketing On Steroids

Photo By David Kitchenham

Content marketers often equate public relations techniques purely with media relations. They think distributing news releases is only to promote a product, make an executive announcement or discuss company financial matters. They forget that they can use PR to get their information about their content out to the most important audiences: the media and their own customers. Let’s review.

Links – 1/12/2009

Here are a few things THINKing is reading today:

Our friends at The Thinking Inbox are offering 52 email tips for 52 weeks.

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to brand your business, says our colleague Rodger Johnson over at Your PR Guy.