Social media transformed the 2008 presidential campaign, and it’s set to play a major role in the 2012 race, too. It’s an example of how election campaigns are often early adopters of new marketing techniques that later become widespread in the corporate realm. What emerges from the 2012 campaign could be very interesting indeed.
Allegations in a lawsuit are not facts, but they still can dent a company’s reputation. So Kleiner Perkins likely has suffered from the media attention around the sex-discrimination suit filed by Ellen Pao, a partner at the firm. But its bad press is not a fatal blow.
In case you missed it, the FT’s Gillian Tett had a great piece yesterday on the emergence (or perhaps the re-emergence) of risks that are hard to quantify but have a very powerful effect on the markets:
Here is some advice for Eduardo Saverin and misunderstood billionaires everywhere: Just. Be. Quiet. Stung by criticism that he relinquished his U.S. citizenship to evade tax on his fortune, Mr. Saverin gave an interview to the New York Times. He no doubt believed that a sit-down with a Times reporter to “set the record straight” […]
Reuters can take a well-earned bow for its coverage of Chesapeake Energy and its CEO, Aubrey McClendon. The news service has broken several major stories in the past three weeks that brought to light McClendon’s questionable financial dealings, including his borrowings against stakes in the company’s wells and investments in a hedge fund. The reports […]
This is the season for tallying CEO compensation, and for shaming those who profited while shareholders suffered. I’m no defender of high CEO pay, but much of the reporting on it is inconsistent at best, and in many cases it’s highly misleading. The problem arises from combining two things that should be separate: pay granted […]
The Coca-Cola Company was compelled to release a short statement yesterday denying that it was “at this time, not in dicussionss” to acquire energy-drink maker Monster Beverage Corp. Monster shares spiked on a report in the Wall Street Journal that Coke was exploring a deal for the company, only to fall back once Coke issued […]
The question for Wal-Mart is how long its public statement about bribery allegations in Mexico will stand as pressure mounts on the company from several fronts. A report surfaced today that the U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the matter – news that likely was responsible for a further 2% slide in Wal-Mart […]
Kazuo Hirai just might have the toughest job in the corporate world. Named CEO of Sony in February, his task is to turn around the struggling electronics conglomerateafter years of strategic drift and financial losses. He’ll have to revive the brand, excite consumers with new products and revamp operations – all while competing with nimble […]
I attended a panel Wednesday night at The Columbia Journalism School that asked whether the financial press failed the public by overlooking issues that led to the financial crisis. (The event was co-sponsored by Public Business Media and the Columbia Journalism Review.) The genesis of the event was an article by Dean Starkman, a former […]