Marketing and PR consultant Francine Hardaway makes our latest edition of NewsWatch for a blog entry that is just too true: a short-and-sweet commentary on our multi-tasking culture. Shouldn’t all great articles start with the line, “Bill Clinton talked on the phone while receiving his famous blowjob from Monica Lewinsky…”?

Of course, Hardaway is 100% right. Today’s NOW culture is about instantaneous information, and more recent communications technologies have been designed for just that purpose. Read the rest of this entry »

There were, at last count, over 9 million Google search results for “blog directory.” This speaks not only to the popularity of blogs themselves, but the mainstream, money-making possibilities associated with blogs. We’re talking “making money by NOT writing a blog” here - directories, listings, paid blogging, blog ads, etc. So what does it take to stand out from this crowd?

Unique selling points have always been the key to success in business, but that’s certainly not the only way; look at the millions of dot com copycats out there hawking the same or similar products (Wikipedia and eBay’s competitors come to mind, although we also freely acknowledge these guys were not necessarily “firsts” in their respective fields). But uniqueness DOES count for something too, as does connecting with an audience, and rssHugger - a blog directory and rss reader - accomplishes both. Read the rest of this entry »

This article from ABC News highlights an important study that came out this week, which found that bisexuality is neither a phase nor a myth, but rather a distinct sexual orientation. But look closer at the link provided and see if you can’t spot the problem.

ABC News’ title line for the article reads, “‘Lesbian Until Graduation?’ It’s a Myth”; meanwhile, the title within the article says, “Study Shatters ‘Bisexual Until Graduation’ Myth”.

So what exactly is the myth here? That ABC News will report a landmark study on the validity of bisexuality, whilst simultaneously confusing it with what the study confirms is a completely different sexuality (homosexuality)?

Clearly all the reporting in the world still won’t allow stereotypes and misconceptions to die that easily.

Over the past two months we’ve examined commercial airline branding and its impact on airline livery. We’ve seen some horrible, incongruous designs (China Southern Airlines), outdated looks (American Airlines) and liveries that were just plain bland and unimaginative (Air France). We’ve also come down pretty hard on airlines that disregard national identities (Lufthansa) and those that just, for whatever reason, never quite got the branding right, let alone the livery (All Nippon Airways).

Now that those sixteen featured airline liveries are behind us, what does work for distinctive, unique airline livery and airline branding? The four commercial airlines in the last part of our series offer a glimpse at how airline liveries and corporate identities can successfully merge to create a unique and unifying brand identity. Read the rest of this entry »

Every four years, much is made about fringe presidential candidates who are perceived as having no real chance of winning. Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich, Wesley Clark, John McCain - the list includes some high-profile names and, if you actually ask around, some pretty popular choices. Yet, when it comes down to voting, the candidates with the most exposure and the most cash ultimately get the prize.

With that in mind, consider Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, who famously tried to end the draft during the Vietnam War. Some have described him as too progressive to lead the United States; others simply think he’s crazy. But he has a growing, loyal fanbase of followers who love his no-nonsense, straight-talking approach to politics. He’s a politician who is far enough removed from the political machine, they say, that he can see the forest for the carbon-cutting trees.

But, as tends to be the case in American politics, Gravel isn’t polling well. Is he truly unpopular, or just unheard? Read the rest of this entry »