A communications strategy company.
I must say I don’t feel the least bit gruesome for the subtle satisfaction I feel in acknowledging — dare I say, low key celebrating? — someone’s demise. But I don’t. I suppose it helps that Aunt Jemima isn’t actually a person. She’s a construct. An antiquated, racist construct that has now officially been rebranded. Out with …
You may have heard that Instagram is experimenting with its functionality. In July the popular social media platform began eliminating likes from posts in seven countries – the U.S. was not one of them – "claiming the feature will help to reduce its associated impacts on mental health and societal pressure." The experiment hasn’t been running for long. Digital …
Continue reading "To Like or Not to Like, the Eternal Social Media Question"
I worked a conference with one of my clients this week. It was a small show, not a ton of traffic, so I had an opportunity to chat with a few of our fellow vendors. As company representatives they were primarily in the sales and marketing field. One gentleman and I got into a detailed …
So, by now you’ve probably heard about Gucci and the case of the blackface sweater. The luxury brand has been taking a lot of heat, as I think it should. It’s paltry in the extreme that a storied fashion house like this would be so insensitive to a key segment of its customer base. Their …
Continue reading "50 Cent: Making Waves, Making Change and Burning Gucci"
Earlier this week former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick tweeted a black and white pic of his face along with the words, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” I was so happy when I realized it was Nike's 30th anniversary campaign announcement. We’re talking immediate ear-to-ear grin. It was like, yes! …
Continue reading "Colin Kaepernick and Nike Want You to Believe in Something"
Nicki Minaj is one of those celebrities that makes headlines as a matter of course. She doesn’t have to do much. Thanks to her enhanced curves, racy rap lyrics and unsmiling, unapologetically sexual visage, just standing there in one of her over-the-top costumes is usually enough. Case in point, her recent shoot for Elle, which …
Continue reading "Don’t Ever Under Estimate the Power of an Image to Create Controversy"
I was at the Javits Center working with a client last week when I noticed we were sharing the convention hall with the BookExpo. There was a huge banner advertising Bill Clinton’s new book with James Patterson. I thought, ‘Huh. That’s an interesting pairing. Marketable and attention grabbing, for sure.’ I’m not sure I’ve ever …
Continue reading "Bill Clinton: The President’s Apology Is Still Missing"
For weeks I’ve been trying to figure out a theme with which to resurrect my YouTube channel. I’ve literally been gone since November – the last time I posted a video – and it’s ridiculous. I’m in the content creation business, and video is huge. I’m seriously missing the boat. It’s likely I’m overthinking the …
Continue reading "When Communicating Tough or Divisive Topics, Employ a Little Finesse"
I create a lot of content in my work. That content is used for different media, platforms and purposes, whether they’re written, spoken or visual. However, no matter what form that content ultimately takes, it’s successful reception usually comes down to two things: how I deliver a message and who I’m delivering it to, or, …
Continue reading "How Does Your Company Handle Reports of Employee Harassment?"
For anyone in this day and age of viral messaging and live forever on the Internet culture to try and be deliberately shocking is just, kind of, boring. Being deliberately conscious of the power in your words and messages, on the other hand? That’s something. That’s powerful. That gets eyes, and it captures and holds …
Continue reading "Kanye, Being Deliberately Shocking Is Boring"
Kellye Media 