Rob Biesenbach 
The RFP process is a terrible way to start a business relationship. It signals from the outset that you’re looking for a vendor instead of a partner. It’s one of those things that communicates without you even being aware you’re communicating. Mostly it communicates that you’re going to be a major pain in the ass … Read more
Most of us know what goes into a compelling story. Relatable characters, dramatic conflict, high stakes. But sometimes the difference between a well-told story and one that puts listeners into a coma is not so much what you put into is as what you leave out. After all, God may be in the details, but not … Read more
The key to being interesting is to take an interest in other people. Years ago I was at a party in New York where I didn’t really know anybody but my then-girlfriend. At some point we each went our own way and I found myself next to the bar with one of her friend’s boyfriends. … Read more
Fear of standing out. Of looking different. Of being laughed at. That, I believe, is the source of most of the bland, uninspired websites and videos and other tactics we see. Several years ago I was working with a small law firm. The newer, younger attorneys wanted to step up the firm’s marketing efforts — … Read more
Madonna gave an acceptance speech at the Golden Globes the other night in which she used the word “my” six times in just a minute and thirty-nine seconds. * My writers. My co-producer. My leading lady. My film. My, my, my … I was taught by a very proper Southern Lady (the mother of a … Read more
What a small mess they’ve made of the Martin Luther King memorial. And all for the want of a good writer. If you haven’t been following the controversy, they botched the main inscription on the front of the statue — so badly, in fact, that Maya Angelou said it made King sound like “an arrogant … Read more
I tell you, the kids these days. They’ve got an entitlement mentality. They don’t believe they should have to pay their dues. They think if they’ve done something once they’ve learned it and shouldn’t have to do it again. They get bored too easily. They’re impatient and feel they shouldn’t have to wait in line … Read more
For years, “PR executive” has been listed high among the most stressful occupations — Number 2, in fact. Yes, I know — take that, neurosurgeons and air traffic controllers! This year, somehow, it dropped all the way down to Number 7, behind soldiers, firefighter, cops and, um, event planners. (One of those things is not … Read more
One indicator that you’ve come upon a subject that you’re passionate about is that in all the thinking and analyzing and dissecting, you constantly come up with new ways to talk about it. I’m doing a couple of PR industry speeches in the coming months, and this is what I hit on the other day: … Read more
You hear it all the time in speeches, announcements, Facebook posts and every awards presentation that’s ever occurred: “I’d like to thank …” “I’d like to introduce …” “I’d like to congratulate …” Practically everyone does it, which is reason enough to be suspicious of the phrase and want to purge it from our usage. … Read more