For the past few days, I’ve been obsessed with the whole #gasp or #gaspfail debacle. I’m wondering when (or if) they’re going to get some communications advice?Ring, ring…ring, ringMe: “Hello, Lisa speaking.”Gasp: “Hi. I’m calling from a fashion outlet called Gasp. Have you heard of us?”Me: Gasp: “We were just wondering…what would you do if you were us?”Me: “You really want to know?”Gasp: … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2011
Big brands, take note…
Last week I witnessed a case study that illustrates perfectly why big brands must reconsider their traditional marketing and communications ‘rules of engagement’ if they are to successfully embrace the blogging phenomenon.By ‘rules of engagement’ I mean the controls brands put in place to ‘manage a message’ when they work with a third party. It’s the usual stuff – carefully crafted key messages … [Read more...]
What? Me nervous?!
When it comes to speech making, I’ve seen some of the toughest people in business turn into vulnerable heaps of quivering jelly. While it’s tempting to prod them to see just how much they wobble, it’s been my job to nourish them with constructive feedback and guidance so they can walk confidently on stage and grab their audience by the proverbials. So, you’d think that when I’m asked to speak … [Read more...]
Fly like a bird
Last week four-year-old ‘Boy-Who-Asks-Questions’ proudly handed me a Father’s Day ‘book’ he made for his daddy at preschool. Inside was a tale about riding trains and slaying dinosaurs; a typical day in father and son land. But it was the last line of his story that made me catch my breath: “I love my dad because: he lifts me up on the top of the cupboards and then he flies me down like a … [Read more...]
Separation anxiety – the adult type
I have a confession to make (apart from just scoffing an entire block of Green and Black’s chocolate). I can’t fly away from my children. By that I mean, I can’t leave my children with someone, go to the airport and take a flight to another city, whether it be for work or pleasure. Until now, I’ve kept this as my own dark and guilty secret. Guilty because I think it makes me look … [Read more...]