Theresa May failed because of her inability to talk Human
She is at rest, and no longer Prime Minister. At least after 7 June. What a relief. For her, no doubt. For her spaniel-like companion, Philip. For Tusk, Barnier, and Verhofstadt. For Macron, Merkel, and Conte. But most of all for the country – the one on whose side she claimed she was ON. The […]
Why it pays to talk Human
This article first appeared as a guest blog on the pages of Comms Leaders, here. Many thanks for the platform, Vicki and team. — Here’s a paradox of communications. Otherwise eloquent folks often adopt the most curious dialect when they’re thrust into the spotlight and asked to explain why they do what they do. The invitation […]
Corporate news releases bogged down by fuzzy language, jargon, and men
National Storytelling Week is the Society for Storytelling’s annual jamboree of all things story. And, as for each of the last four years, here at corporate and brand storytelling consultancy Insight Agents, we’re marking the week by publishing some new research. In our line of fire this year? The humble – and often overblown – […]
Reflections on the state of the art in media research
Bar the gala dinner this evening, the curtain has just fallen on the Media Research Group’s biennial overseas conference in Bratislava. Bringing together media agencies, media owners, and market researchers, the MRG is a tight-knit but very welcoming community, and I was honoured to deliver the keynote speech on the opening morning of the conference. […]
Learning from those you train
It was my privilege last week to train a baker’s dozen of some the brightest and best in market research. A new client for me, a household name well beyond the industry, and in a sector I’m really only now just starting to explore. As I have before with market researchers, I found a very […]
Is Magnum the new Flake?
Spoiler alert: this blog gives everything away about the new Magnum ad, so if you want to see it ‘au naturel’ and experience it as its writers and directors intended, you might want to watch it first. Here’s a link, with thanks to @Campaignmag. There are so many things to like about the new Magnum […]
Marc Pritchard: metaphorically speaking
Marc Pritchard is the chief brand officer of the world’s biggest advertiser, P&G. He – and his company – need little introduction. I singled him out in a blog last Friday for the genuine impact he is having in the digital advertising market. If only the PR measurement industry had such a potent force to shake […]
5 brilliant reasons why #ThisGirlCan
On Saturday, my gorgeous, gutsy, sassy wife took her Lewes Ladies veterans football team to Southampton to play in the first round of the FA People’s Cup. They played six, won four, drew one, lost one. Runners up on the day, and through to the next round in March. I couldn’t be more proud. Lewes […]
That overlooked dialect of business: “human”
This article originally appeared as a guest blog for PRmoment, here. — It’s a strange truism of corporate communications that, as soon as they’re required to write “for” or “as” the business, perfectly eloquent individuals adopt a register that’s never come out of any human mouth. It’s as if the spotlight paralyses people to start […]
Stronger stories seed success
This blog originally appeared as a guest blog on the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce website, here. — It may have escaped your notice, but last week was National Storytelling Week. Run for the past 17 years by the Society for Storytelling, the week is an annual focus for the Society to promote the […]
