Author Archives: winterSmith

The Target/Minnesota Forward Debacle: Seven Principles for Corporate Giving

Posted on by

Target logoYou may have been following the ongoing controversy surrounding Target’s recent decision to donate $150,000 to Minnesota Forward, a political fund supporting the Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, Tom Emmer. Let’s begin by catching up on some of the relevant details.

Creativity across the entire enterprise

Posted on by

My colleague (and former roommate) Greg Stene is ramping up a new initiative. Greg has always been insanely bright and creative, but in framing his new business he’s asserting the importance of creativity in a way that I think doesn’t occur to most business people.

They’re still in the process of pulling the launch together, but here’s the first punch:

…the truth of being creative is deadly serious if you’re in business, government or the arts.

We’ve got to do more with less. And we’ve got to gain a competitive edge.

Creativity51 teaches organizations how to think more creatively, to gain that edge.

See that? Creativity = Resourcefulness. Budgets are tight, and conventional methods may lack efficiency and effectiveness. Continue reading →

Double-reverse brand whiplash hits Arizona Iced Tea: a lesson in crisis

Posted on by

Our consumer landscape is dotted by brands that invite us to immerse ourselves in the tastes, sights, sounds, smells and cultures of particular locations, which I suppose are deemed romantic or in some way aspirational. Like the exotic Australian adventure of Outback Steakhouse. A big favorite here in Colorado, of course, is Old Chicago. And a slew of Texas-themed restaurants, like Lone Star, suggests that consumers associate that state with an authentic steak experience.

As you probably know, though, Old Chicago isn’t from Chicago. Continue reading →

Qwest/CenturyTel merger: do you, Triceratops, take this Brontosaurus to be your lawfully wedded wife?

Posted on by

It was announced yesterday that Louisiana-based CenturyTel is buying Qwest, marking the second major takeover in ten years for the Denver telco. I have some history with the US West iteration of the company, having worked there from 1997 until the ill-fated Qwest “merger” in Summer 2000.

I was fortunate enough to be a part of USW’s PR group, which remains the best large corporate communication division I have ever seen (and in that role I got to do some interesting, groundbreaking work). I’ve continued to watch the company fairly closely through the years, especially as the unfortunate Nacchio affair unfolded. I have hoped for the best over at 1801 California for a number of reasons. Continue reading →

Of tigers and dogs and the howling jackals of the press: what the Woods trainwreck can teach us about public relations

Posted on by

Your Life May Belong to You, But Your Brand Belongs to the Public

In case you missed it, Eldrick Tont Woods, the world’s greatest golfer, has been up against some pressing PR issues of late. Pretty much nobody is arguing that he’s handled it well. Begin with the official record. While it’s not yet 100% clear what touched off the fateful events of November 27, 2009, there is the lingering suspicion that wife Elin was trying to neuter him with a long iron.

But think about the story we’re being sold: The National Enquirer pubs a story saying Tiger is stepping out on his wife. A couple nights later, at two or three in the morning, Tiger decides to leave the house for no apparent reason. While trying to back out of the driveway – stone sober, the reports insist – he manages to wrap the Escalade around a tree. With me so far? Good. Then his wife comes out and tries to “rescue” him by bashing out the windows with a club.

If none of this smells a tad overripe to you, call me. I’m working a sweet real estate deal – waterfront property in south-central Florida, as it turns out – and am looking for partners. Continue reading →

The Tap Tap Tap: add John Cavanaugh to your reading list

Posted on by

My longtime friend and colleague John Cavanaugh, who is truly one of the sharpest business guys I know, has launched a new blog. It’s called The Tap Tap Tap! (great name, and a great explanation of where it comes from at the site), and the latest post provides some solid insight into what Toyota is up against (from a guy who grew up around the car business).

I’ve added him to the blogroll, and encourage the rest of you to add him to your reading lists.

Do we really know what we think we know? How can we know?

Posted on by

Prediction is a big, big business these days, and even those of us who aren’t explicitly in the prediction business probably do all we can to make sense of the future. Does your company do marketing research? Do you track the financial pages? Do you keep abreast of the latest innovations in your industry (or any industry, for that matter)? If so – and most of you probably answered yes to at least one of these questions – then that’s all part of what I’m calling the prediction business. In a nutshell, the more we know about the future, the more likely we are to make decisions that succeed in the present and the future, and we all want that.

So, how good are we at predicting? How much of what we think we know is accurate, and how reliable are our techniques for predicting? Perhaps not as good as we’d hope. Consider a recent BBC story on efforts to detect terrorists. It starts out with a promising premise: what if you had a method that was 90% effective? Not bad, right? But then the analysis takes a nasty left turn. Continue reading →