Andrew Lark

Earth To Google PR

Ouch... quite a story from Jon Udell. BTW, InfoWorld's use of tags is neat...

Technorati : PR...

Cool tools...

Another great list of Web2.0 productivity applications. Well worth a look. I also liked Giffy and Mayomi.

Job Applications...

I've just been working my way through a stack of emails for a range of positions we have open here at LogLogic. It got me thinking that I could probably help all you job seekers out with a few pointers on the things that drive us nuts:

1. Don't ask questions prior to sending a resume. For instance, "before I send my resume over, is this a newly created position?". It is unlikely you will get a response and those that do have a resume in the pipe now have a lead on you.
2. If you aren't clearly qualified, don't pretend to be and don't apply. Your application is a basic indicator of intelligence and comprehension. If a recruiter says "five years of technology sales experience required" they mean five years and technology and sales. Not five years and real estate and coordinator. We might be closed minded but we know what we want.
3. Don't just attach your resume. Give the five most relevant bullets in the body of the email and specifically flag time with relevant companies. Anything more than 2-3 paragraphs won't get read. If you don't think we will have the vaguest idea who your employer was, give us one line on them.
4. In delivering your resume, use the format specified in the ad and if nothing is specified put the body of the resume in the email and attach a .pdf. Avoid word.doc attachments if you can.
5. Name your resume with your name. myresume_2_draft.doc doesn't look professional and will get lost in the filing process.
6. I know it is tricky but when applying using personal email try to use a professional address. It is hard to take an email from "[email protected] seriously - if it even makes it through our spam filter.
7. Avoid puffery in your language. Nothing works better than good, plain English. This kind of thing won't work... "I know very clearly & absolutely before to submit my submissional application for the post-recruited requirements... I will prove my supreme liase abilities, hugely Graymatters-accessible triumphancies... & my superiorated talentedness to do my job at excellent." Ummm, really.
8. Check spelling!

As I said, this stuff drives us nuts. We will take the time to look at your resume despite what seem to be best attempts to cause us not to do so. But at the end of the day you want to be ahead on points before you walk in the door.

Good luck. There are wonderful opportunities out there. Don't start behind the pack with a lousy application.

Technorati : HR, PR

The Strange Death Of Modern Advertising

Maurice Saatchi has a piece in today's FT titled "The strange death of modern advertising". He observes that "At the age of only 50, advertising was cut down in its prime. Advertising holding companies used to boast about their share of the advertising market. Now they are proud of how much of their business is not in advertising. How did this happen?"

It is happening because creativity declined just when it should have exploded. Instead of treating consumers with respect advertisers chose to assault us with and endless tirade of irrelevant and shallow ads. And the media - the medium (for the most part) lost our respect.

He goes on to touch on message clutter. Marketers made this mess for themselves by zig-zagging on messages.

Each brand can only own one word. Each word can only be owned by one brand. Take great care before you pick your word. It is going to be the god of your brand.

Try this simple test on your own company's products or services.

Pick a brand. Any brand.

Maurice offers a pragmatic solution - "one word equity". I couldn't agree more. "In this new business model, companies seek to build one word equity - to define the one characteristic they most want instantly associated with their brand around the world, and then own it. That is one-word equity."

This act of distillation and focus should be a priority for every communicator. It might not solve the problems advertising has, but it would certainly improve communications effectiveness.

Technorati : Advertising, PR

Southwest CEO Contributes to SWA Blog...

I think it's a first but Southwest's CEO clarifies recent remarks on their seating policy on the "Nuts About Southwest" blog. This is a good move - gets the message out unfiltered, start's up a conversation with customers, and delivers more transparency.

disclosure: Southwest are a Group Lark client and did some consulting awhile back on the blog.

Congrats To The Team @ The Horn Group (& Lois Paul.. & Fleishman...)

The Horn Group hit the 15 year mark this week. Congrats to Sabrina and crew! Nice post here on how they got there. You know they're entrepreneurs just reading the blog. And because fellow tech entrepreneurs live in the basement!

And guess what, it's Lois Paul's 20th anniversary this week - and Fleishman-Hillard's 60th anniversary in September. Congrats to all.

Technorati : PR, Public Relations

NewsMap

Interesting Map of the news...

Technorati : Public Relations

Measurement Moves

Measurement leader Cymfony today launched its Influence 2.0 initiative with a new set of analytics - Market Influence Analytics:

Messages in the Influence 2.0 world must run the gauntlet of traditional and social media sources on the way to reach their intended target. Along the way they are amended, appended, extended and up-ended. Understanding the paths of influence and how this affects the audience's reception of the message requires a different kind of service than PR measurement or CGM monitoring.

Taking a quick look at what they are up to, Cymfony is making some strong moves toward understanding the power of recommendation (their measurement engine has a unique advantage here) that should make them attractive to any F1000 looking to track influence vs. opportunities to see. Here is what they have to say on the initiative:

Cymfony's goal is to kick off an industry-wide effort to fully understand the changes underway, and educate companies, brands, marketers, PR professionals and others who aren't as deeply immersed in these changes as we are.

This is a great initiative and I like what they are up to here. Igniting a dialog is as important as launching the ideas and solutions. Understanding recommendation and its relationship to OTS should be something that every communicator is looking at. Moreover, it extends the communications measurement mandate into the heart of product, brand and marketing management.

You can read more in the first chapter of their eBook and are encouraging you to contribute to the conversation via their wiki. And they've updated their site along with new blog.

Deb Eastman of Biz360 has also launched a blog.

Technorati : Marketing Measurement, PR, Public Relations

The Hightest Paid Person In PR?

Is Steve Parrish the highest paid person in PR? Perhaps. According to the NYTimes Magazine the senior vice president of corporate affairs at Altria (think Philip Morris and Malboro pulled in a cool $14m last year.

The revealing read points as much to his personal transformation as to the shift in position and message at Philip Morris - a company that has evolved from claiming that cigarettes weren't addictive and an individual choice to one in which they "area addictive and cause the disease and death of hundreds of thousands of people every year"; and, "when you set tobacco on fire and inhale it into your lungs, bad things happen".

Moreover, Nocera's piece points to the intrinsic link between communications strategy and business strategy. Philip Morris has shifted from a position vehemently opposed to the regulation of the industry to supporting it, for instance. In doing so the message has caused a shift in some of its opponents message.

"There is no question, then, that Parrish and Philip Morris USA are hoping that regulation could help lead the company to reclaim some legitimacy. From a business perspective, that could result in a higher stock price..."

This is arguably one of the most dramatic and socially significant shifts in message we have seen undertaken by a corporation.

Technorati : Message, PR, Public Relations

Tokyo Again...

I'll be posting light this week. Am back in Tokyo with LogLogic partners and customers.

If you are a frequent user of the AA San Jose to Tokyo flight make the most of it now through October. After that, it is canceled. American Airlines in all their wisdom believes that canceling a flight that is perpetually overbooked is smart. First dumb move. Second dumb move, thinking that we will fly through Las Angeles. AA has some great employees manning the desk in San Jose and on that flight. Loosing them - Third dumb move. Coupled with a mileage program which barely works and the meaninglessness of the Star Alliance this all makes for more reasons to fly with others. Perhaps their only saving grace is the absolute ineptitude of their long-haul competitors.

Still - nothing will make me fly through LAX...

Technorati : AA
Del.icio.us : travel