First published on Brand Republic on 05/09/11
“We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist”. So, famously, said President Barack Obama at his Inaugural Address.
Once you have read this, you are no less guilty of turning a blind eye than the Germans to the holocaust under Hitler. Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 23 Aug 2011
Last week, I was invited by Edelman PR, to contribute to a podcast on ‘the silly season‘. Edelman use these podcasts to discuss issues of the day and place them on their website to broadcast to clients and staff.
My co-panellists were Jim Grice, who runs the Press Association video operation and John McEntee, Editor of Richard Kay column for the Daily Mail.
For me, I must admit the silly season has not been a subject I had given a great deal of thought to or, frankly, have felt I have had to consider much in my career.
Continue reading
First posted on Brand Republic on 16 Aug 2011
Next week, Martin Johnson, the manager of the England rugby team, has to cut his current squad of 40 players down to the final 30 who will travel to New Zealand for the forthcoming World Cup.
A few years ago, I attended a lunch at which Sir Clive Woodward was guest speaker. He was the England manager for the World Cups of 1999 and 2003 and was faced with the same decision then as Johnson faces next week.
Sir Clive spoke very eloquently on the subject of leadership, teamwork and human behaviour. Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 9 Aug 2011
In my post dated 29 October 2010, ‘The Conservatives may be doing the right thing but in the wrong way’, I predicted that Government policies would lead to ‘social chaos’ in this country (third last paragraph).
At the time, I thought long and hard about writing this because it was a brave call. There hadn’t been rioting on the streets of London for several years. Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 4 Aug 2011
In my post of 23 May, I wrote ‘Does Twitter set the news agenda or does the news agenda follow Twitter?’. This question is even more apposite today.
As I have discovered myself as @TheSalmonAgency, Twitter crosses the absolute extremes from the most serious to the extremely silly. This is what makes Twitter both important and fun.
This week, right across the media, in all the newspapers, on TV and the radio has been the story of Charlie Gilmour whose mum, novelist Polly Samson ‘has taken to Twitter to reveal details of her son’s incarceration’. I have some sympathy with her position, about which she feels very strongly and to which she has given much thought (and feeling). Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 29 July 2011
At last year’s General Election, I argued for the more intelligent use of social media in modern warfare.
With the application of a greater depth of human understanding in Libya, I have no doubt that a more successful outcome would have been achieved. It is now nearly August and the protesters are not back in Tripoli where they were on 27 February (as I Tweeted on the day).
Our leaders have blood on their hands. Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 21 July 2011
Never before has ‘the establishment’ – as defined by Politicians, Police and Press – been so derided, discredited, and utterly disgraced as they are today.
After his ‘performance’ in Parliament yesterday, those of us interested in current affairs – and human behaviour within that sphere – are entitled to review the position, and character, of the man at the top.
Let’s face it, our country is now in a worse state than David Cameron himself can ever have imagined when he became Prime Minister just over a year ago.
Frankly, his ‘reign’ has been a complete disaster. Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 27 June 2011
I never have enough time to read.
Often, I find myself scanning the newspaper without the time to read articles that I really want to read – and concentrate on reading.
One example is obituaries. I hate not reading about the lives of people who I have admired and respected – and I love reading about the lives of people about whom I knew nothing but whose lives, on reading about them, I find fascinating. Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 21 June 2011
Undoubtedly the most thought-provoking and much discussed media event last week was Sir Terry Pratchett’s BBC documentary ‘Choosing to Die’.
In 1978, a friend of mine called Roger broke his neck in a motor racing accident at Brands Hatch. In those less enlightened days, a race-track marshal rushed to the scene of the accident and yanked Roger’s helmet off, severing his spinal column and condemning him to life as a tetraplegic (paralysed from the neck down). Continue reading
First published on Brand Republic - 14 June 2011
Hypocrisy – ‘the practice of claiming to have more noble standards than is the case’.
This week, I have been thinking about people at each chronological end of their careers, the more worrying of which I will come to later.
First, our universities have started breaking up (sic) and parents have asked me to meet four students so as to advise them on whether marketing or marketing services might be an appropriate career move for their little darlings.
Either that or, faced with a summer of having them back at home (the ‘boomerang generation’), the parents just want their kids to get the house and do something – even if it is just come and see me. Continue reading
