Engagement

Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

Mom always began the sell early. A casual word dropped around Thanksgiving, secret smiles directed my way in early December. Perhaps a few bars of “White Christmas” hummed under her breath. Next, holiday songs would ring through the air and the full-scale sale began. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

“That’s so you!” I love when people say this to me, good or bad. It means that they really know me, for better or worse. Everyone wants to be recognized for who they really are. People, businesses and organizations that “get” us truly understand our uniqueness. Communication, in this arena,
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

When my son was small he was fond of saying “why”. All of the time.  Over and over again. Many of you have been there, are there or will be there. I always tried to answer, but often found myself thinking, “because!” Consumers increasingly want to know the “why” behind
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

“Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere,” Linus Van Pelt famously says each Halloween. “He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one.” Every year Linus
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

Where do we go from here? It’s a question being asked by businesses and organizations throughout the entire world. While things have changed, much remains the same. Understanding these differences is vital when it comes to creating productive marketing and advertising campaigns moving forward. I’ve been thinking about current opportunities,
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

My roses have wilted, my violets are dead. Demons run circles round and round in my head. In my case, demons don’t sport pointy horns. They don’t hold pitchforks. No, they are businesses that simply won’t provide a way to talk to a real, live, person. We are all frustrated
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

I was recently invited to participate in a panel discussion regarding ethics and social media. I was asked to represent the field of public relations. While preparing I wondered, how many people really know what public relations is? Oddly enough, the public relations industry does a terrible job of public
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

Gary Shandling once observed, “I’m dating a woman who evidently is unaware of it.” Is this happening to your business or organization? It could be. Among certain circles I’m known as a matchmaker. While I don’t set people up on dates, and I’m certainly not responsible for any marriages that
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

Each year I resolve to become more involved with more worthy organizations and to actively support their causes. It’s a part of who I am. In fact, I’ve often joked that I work simply to support my volunteer habit. Over the years I’ve served on many, many boards of non-profit
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Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

Some say that marketing is like sex, everyone is good at it. If only that were true! Reality, however, is often quite different. To be good at marketing, or sex, you need to truly connect with your target. This isn’t new. Therefore, I was somewhat surprised by the amount of
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