Microsoft’s Coke Moment
For Microsoft, giving the Financial Times an exclusive interview with a senior executive to discuss Windows 8 must have seemed like a good idea at first. Then the story appeared.
The Boston Bombings and the New Media Normal
It is hard to recall a more dramatic week than the one just seen in Boston. And for the media, which reported the story and at times became the story, the episode shows how its world has changed forever.
The New New Business Media
Roya Wolverson, the global business editor at Time magazine, has just taken a new job as deputy global news editor at Quartz, a business news website. Never heard of it? That’s likely to change. Quartz and other digital upstarts are attracting top talent – and readers. No company or CEO can afford to ignore them.
Oh, Canada: Where Banks are Liked
There’s a lot to like about Canada: passionate hockey fans, abundant maple syrup, universal health insurance. Oh yes, and boring, very successful banks. Their winning formula is rooted in a consistent strategy, strong messages and solid execution. It’s enough to make us consider an office north of the border.
A Rogue Tweet Spoils George Oborne’s Party
You have to feel some sympathy for UK finance minister George Osborne. Not only is he dealing with a stubbornly weak economy, but his top-secret annual budget presentation to Parliament was spoiled by an errant tweet. The incident was widely covered and featured plenty of hand-wringing and finger-pointing. But it’s amazing this sort of blunder […]
A Good Day for Bad News
It’s the oldest trick in the PR playbook: get your bad news out on a Friday and leave early for the weekend. Strangely, this practice still holds, even in today’s continuous news environment. Just look at the news today from SAC Capital and J.P. Morgan.
Lessons from Matt Lauer’s Awkward Rerun
When you’re in the news business, it is wise to stay out of the news yourself. Because when you become the object of attention, competitors will gleefully exploit your missteps on every newspaper, web page and television channel they own. That’s exactly what happened to Matt Lauer, host of NBC’s Today show, when he and […]
Anheuser-Busch Keeps Watery Beer Issue Afloat
Did you miss the news about the lawsuit against Anheuser-Bush that claims the beer giant is watering its brews? I did. That is, until I saw the full-page ad in Sunday’s New York Times. It shows how advertising can turn a small problem into a bigger one.
The FT’s 19th-Century Smackdown
For those who decry the media’s harsh tone and yearn for a bygone age when civility ruled the land, it is useful to look at the 1888 debut edition of The Financial Times, reprinted today to mark the newspaper’s 125th anniversary. There, in a front-page article, the FT skewers its biggest rival to an extent […]
Barclays: When Not to be Different
Most banks work hard to say they’re different from the competition. But Barclays chief Antony Jenkins wants us to know his bank just like every other. It’s a clever communication strategy for deflecting attention from the bank’s woes. But what does he do after that?