Longevity counts for something. Go deep into the 15th round against heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, as unheralded Chuck Wepner did 38 years ago yesterday, and become one of the most celebrated underdogs in the sport’s history. (It also doesn’t hurt your chances if a struggling actor named Sylvester Stallone, inspired by the fight, creates […]
Category Archives: Public Relations
When’s the best time to broach a potentially difficult conversation? As far in advance as possible–preferably days ahead of time, if not weeks, months or years. It’s proactive, pre-emptive and relationship-preserving. Every time I go through my bank’s drive-thru a proactive, pre-emptive, relationship-preserving message greets me. In essence, it plants the seed that they may […]
There’s nothing quite like returning a call or an email within a few minutes to communicate someone is a top priority. I try to do it in my personal life, likewise in my professional dealings. It’s something that helps distinguish you from the pack. When it comes to retaining PR support in Chicago or elsewhere, […]
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, so there’s no better time to get the word out about the importance of proper dental care for youngsters. Dr. Jerry Udelson, a successful pediatric dentist in Forest Park, is tying in the national awareness campaign with a mini-barnstorming tour on the local level here in the near […]
The year was 1992, and I had just written an investigative story laying out the failings of a landlord in Elgin. On the phone, his son was irate, arguing that I hadn’t given his dad a fair shake – that the piece that appeared on the front page of The Courier News wasn’t balanced. I […]
Working with Plunkett & Associates over the last six years, one of my most rewarding experiences has been helping tell stories about those served by Scheck & Siress, an orthotic and prosthetic company with a variety of locations throughout the Chicago area. And among those stories has been the developing one about Melissa Stockwell. She is […]
When it comes to re-purposing content, don’t just get on with it…get online with it. For a case in point, extending the PR moment for McAdam Landscaping via the “Ask the Plant Expert” columns over the past two years, see my Chicago Marketing & PR Examiner column from last week. It’s the one that bears the […]
About three months ago, I blogged about my public relations effort for Mickey Straub and his ambitious and unprecedented plan to visit all 50 state capitols in 50 days. Turns out, he couldn’t do it…he only needed 44 days. It’s a remarkable, and really cool, story that’s only getting better, as I just related in my […]
Felix Baumgartner’s amazing skydive a few days ago, from the cusp of outer space, could lead energy-drink company Red Bull to a public-relations frontier where no other brand has journeyed. Having handled the “before” and “during” aspects of the story, now comes the limitless “after,” as I touch on in my Examiner.com Marketing & PR […]