As the end of 2008 quickly approaches, the media will no doubt remind us of the top stories of 2008. From Obama fever and the economic crisis to Britney’s meltdown(s), you can be sure these items will make “the list.”
What about Canadian news? What will stand out to you? The October election or maybe the [...]

Did you catch Sarah Palin’s appearance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend? Were you as confused as I was?
I’m not sure what her handlers were thinking when they approved her Weekend Update skit. I’m not saying that political hopefuls shouldn’t appear on SNL. Hilary Clinton appeared earlier this year and showed that she could [...]

I remember every professor in university stressing the importance of creating your own material. Plagiarism was not tolerated - nor should it be. With website programs like Turnitin.com, many students shudder at the thought of “borrowing” any material without proper referencing.
Owen Lippert didn’t get the memo. Asked to write a speech for Stephen Harper in [...]

There was an advertorial in the financial pages of a national newspaper yesterday. I didn’t realize at first that it was paid space. The headline, font, photo and cut-line appeared consistent with the newspaper’s editorial pages. But by the end of the second paragraph, my spidey-senses were tingling. The writing didn’t seem quite right. Then [...]

The other day, someone asked me what I did for a living, and I mentioned that I work for a PR firm. Her response - oh, you mean like Samantha Jones? I cringed. Most Sex and the City fans will tell you public relations involves party planning, made infamous when Samantha Jones first held up [...]

I don’t know about other the language of other professions, but public relations seems to have its own dialect. Perhaps they’re heard in most areas of marketing, but here are a few words and phrases that make me grimace:
“On our radar” - it seems like this phrase is blurted out at least a few times [...]

A grew up watching / suffering through Andy Rooney’s “A Few Minutes With . . .” on 60 Minutes so . . . have you ever noticed that some public relations people (usually in the UK) use “PR” as a verb or a gerund?
 
“Let’s PR this,” they’ll say, or, “That was a good job of PRing [...]

A question clients ask quite often is in regards to sponsorships – are they worth the time and money? Sponsorships can be a great marketing tool if done correctly. The goals of the client need to be weighed to make sure a sponsorship opportunity will meet the intended goal.

A recent example is Vizada, one of [...]

Ah, what not to write . . . what not to write. There’s so much that can be said about the profession, science and art of public-relations that it’s difficult to know where to begin. Every time I turn around, I see something to write about.
This will be dangerous fun.
As one is prone to do [...]