A few years have passed since I had a go at faddish words that have already worn out their welcome. As we’re communicators, speaking in understandable language is the thing. But using clichés and hackneyed expressions and words may seem like an effective use of language, but, in truth, it grates on the ear. Using [...]

At a recent social media event, I was able to connect with several new colleagues over appetizers. At one point, I looked up from my plate of finger foods to find three out of five people furiously jabbing at their mobile devices between bites. The other two nervously glanced from the table to their briefcases [...]

As communications professionals, we are well aware of Awareness Months / Weeks / Days. This rings especially true if you work in health care. Considerable planning is done around these occasions and ultimately our campaigns depend on being seen during these times. Ironically, communications professionals are constantly fighting for awareness of their awareness. So imagine [...]

With the New Year comes all manner of “year in review” lists, articles and coverage across the media spectrum. Some of these will simply summarize the previous year’s highlights, while others will take a more nuanced and critical approach, attempting to learn from the year past and consider the lesson’s we can all take forward.
Amongst [...]

The world is still mourning the passing of Steve Jobs, the former leader of Apple Inc., especially communication professionals and technophiles who anxiously await the newest creations in technology that will advance our personal and business lives in both epic and subtle ways.
As a former Business Manager at Apple, Steve’s passing marks the loss of [...]

I’ve always had mixed feelings about Starbucks. On one hand, I can’t help but feel cynical about a company that has made buying a simple cup of coffee – surely the most egalitarian and accessible of all products – an expensive proposition that involves Italian code words and silly instructions. Whose green awnings and soft, [...]

The U.S. Hispanic population now exceeds 50-million, or 16.3 percent, according to the results of the 2010 U.S. Census Report. With Hispanics representing nearly 50 per cent of the country’s growth over the past 10 years, media and marketers alike are looking to capitalize on this dramatic demographic development.
The implications for PR are many. Here are [...]

Toronto is unveiling BIXI Toronto, a new bike-sharing service that will see 1,000 sturdy-looking bicycles located around the city at various public transit stations starting in spring 2011. Members in need of short-term human powered wheels simply swipe their card which releases a BIXI bike from its special dock and away they go. The bikes [...]

Apple’s Steve Jobs’ decision last week to pick out his competitors specifically was a surprising move. There seemed to be a strong element of “I’ve had enough and I’m not going to take it anymore!” to his news conference, which is understandable. Perhaps for the first time since the Newton, an Apple product was losing [...]

I attended the Monster Ball Tour concert in Toronto last night and enjoyed the spectacle. I’ve now seen wholesome country star Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga concerts within four months of each other. That’s quite a contrast.
As noted by others, Gaga (born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986) has taken the showmanship and [...]