Tag Archives: Insights

Growing your Corporations Public Image Through Smart Social Responsibility

More corporations today recognize the link between business and social responsibility. How well a corporate image is publicly presented is the key to expanding business presence. Each year, corporations budget for public relations to help promote the image the companies hope to project to the public and their target markets. It’s difficult to imagine a corporation not understanding the value of a highly effective public relations plan and the impact on corporate public image. This includes embedded corporate visibility and attendance at social and business Read More +

McDonald’s ends critics’ beef with its chicken

Since 1955, when Ray Kroc bought the small McDonald’s burger chain from the brothers of the same name, the company has been a force to be reckoned with in the fast-food industry. But in recent years, the company has seen its profits continue to fall while being outpaced by competitors such as Five Guys and In-n-Out Burger; it has rolled out numerous products, referred to itself as Mickey D’s, and even tried a “Pay with Lovin” promotion that was met with a mild reception at Read More + Read More +

Battling Poverty in Silicon Valley

Reporters have written that the denizens of Silicon Valley are essentially “swimming in gold,” but is that true for everyone in America’s technology Promised Land? Ronn Torossian says, “no.” Less than five miles away from the place where computers and digital tech means massive fortunes, many people still live in abject poverty. Read More +

Android Profits Plummet – What next?

Apple might be smarting from its legal battles with Ericsson, but it’s not the only mobile provider suffering setbacks. Google’s Android mobile operating system continues to find it difficult to turn popularity into profits for its hardware marketers. In Q4 2014, Android only claimed 11.3 percent of the smartphone profits. That’s less than half its 29.5 percent share in the same period of the prior year. Worse for Android, Apple was up, from 70.5 percent to 88.7 percent. So, to find the market share it Read More + Read More +

Can This Department Store Make a Comeback?

Day before yesterday, the common wisdom was locked in: department stores were dying. Old news. The last vestiges of a bygone retail era. As “yesterday” as the Sears catalogue. The evidence had been mounting for years. Store closures, massive layoffs, profit slides and stock price drops. Sears bought Kmart and almost immediately wished it hadn’t. Macy’s expanded, then got slammed with one PR mess after another. JC Penney began a slow slide into retail irrelevance. Then it tried a “radical” new marketing method that nearly Read More + Read More +

Internal Communication: Improving the Conversation

The marketing perspective of a vast array of businesses have taken a major shift in recent years. Whether the entity is a small business, large corporation, or recruiting firm, retaining talent has become a great priority. By utilizing effective measures of internal marketing, employees are provided with a working environment that empowers them to take on the tasks of learning the ins and outs of their respective companies. It is a highly imperative necessity for employees to have a strong grasp on the know-hows of Read More +

Why Walmart is Winning in Canada

By January 2016, retail market watchers in Canada are predicting that the country will be home to nearly 400 Walmart stores…and exactly zero Target stores. Ronn Torossian explains this shift and what it means for big box retail public relations. First, the shift. Many U.S based retailers have a tough time gaining ground in Canada, but Sam Walton’s brand is moving forward with plans to add 29 more supercenter locations, just one year after adding 35 the prior year. Meanwhile, Target has chosen to succumb Read More +

When Ignorance and Assumption Drive PR

It’s a fair bet that, when people have a problem getting their tax return this year, there will be a number of them who immediately blame President Obama. People are always trying to blame someone – Because these folks don’t know the rules, and, because they have been getting a steady diet of Sky Is Falling rhetoric from their favorite crackpots, they expect all issues this tax season to be related to the changes made to the tax code because of the Affordable Care Act. Read More +

Nick goes Mobile, but are Customers Ready?

Perhaps sensing the changing consumer winds, Nickelodeon has become the latest major cable network to launch a direct-to-consumers paid cable channel. At this point, there are not too many other details to report, but parent company Viacom is expected to announce the launch and offer more details after meeting with advertisers in February. According to Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, the new service will be, “aimed at the mobile market” and “attractive for parents and children.” Some market watchers have called this one more defection from Read More +