How To Craft A Tagline
On a Sunday shopping trip to Fairway, I stopped in front of a stack of water bottles emblazoned with the words, “Overachieving H2O.” What possessed a water company to write that tagline? Is overachieving water better than “smart” water or healthier than “natural”...
When A Picture Says It All
It’s been almost a month and I haven’t been able to get that picture of the president throwing paper towels in Puerto Rico out of my head. This week's election didn't do it; neither did Amazon's new headquarters competition, or for that matter, the Harvey Weinstein...
How Starbucks Beat Adele And Beyonce at the Grammys
Last night Starbucks showed us how to do statistics right with a powerful commercial that aired during the Grammy Awards. It's a great lesson for nonprofit communications. Take a look to see how you can use data more effectivley to support your nonprofit...
New Year’s Resolutions for Strategic Communicators
As 2016 fades to black I’m taking a few minutes to focus on how to do strategic communications in 2017. Here are my five resolutions for more strategic communications. Unlike my previous resolutions—shed those extra five pounds, clean out the closets—I plan on keeping...
The High Cost of Not Listening
Like so many people I’ve been reflecting on the election since Tuesday night. From my position as a communicator committed to social good I can’t stop thinking about the missed opportunities for Americans to find common ground. Instead, we let partisan politics drive...
Follow These Five Steps Before You Rebrand Your Nonprofit
With the launch of a new website, name and logo, I just rebranded my company. I’ve gone from the purple logo that served me well for the past 15 years to a sleek forward-looking logo and design. The new website uses larger visuals and tighter copy. Even the name is...
Build a Story Bank to Seize The Power of Storytelling
How do you interest newspaper readers in a story about federal regulation of the cosmetics industry? With a story about an 11 year old girl who lost her hair—you use the power of storytelling The New York Times published this story, featuring a photo of...
Lessons in Nonprofit Communications Strategy From the Democratic National Convention
My twenty-year-old son volunteered at the Democratic National Convention, and, like savvy sons everywhere, he knew his mother would want a memento. Thanks to Andrew, I now have a stack of signs that were waved as speakers like Michelle Obama and Michael Bloomberg...
A Better Starting Point For Foundation Communications
In September, I helped facilitate a session a Philanthropy New York organized by Exponent Philanthropy’s Local Engagement Group that focused on Communications Strategies for Small-Staffed Foundations. Since PNY staff received good feedback from attendees about the...
New Resource for Social Impact Communicators
If you are a social impact communications geek like me, you are probably frustrated by the fact that the world lacks a stockpile of resources that are indexed, inspirational and up-to-date. Now a new webpage, Frankology, is aiming to fill that gap. Frankology is part...