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Steps to Good Health [facebook.com/groups/STGH1] offers these four steps:
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Courier Phan memories_ Good call 042311
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A must read…by Inquirer staff writer Daniella Wexler.
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http://articles.philly.com/2011-04-22/news/29463387_1_voice-mail-voice-mail-texts-or-e-mails
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.
As I have said in class so many times: “The future is now.” create your own QR code…
http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/
Scan this with your iPhone or BlackBerry…
Google QR codes and read up on the Quick Response — its visual and how it works.Try this one. Let me know your thoughts. No ad should be designed without a QR code.
Remember: To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
With Rowan University’s graduate comprehensive exams coming up this week, here is information vital to pubic relations practitioners when it comes to political and advocacy advertising. [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
IssueAdvocacyAds – These ads try to influence public perceptions of proposals being debated in Congress or state legislatures, often by putting public pressure on lawmakers. Like political ads that aim to defeat or elect a candidate, for the most part, issue ads are not regulated. Sponsors are neither subject to spending limits, nor must they disclose sources of funding.
Political Advertising – The purpose of political ads is to persuade people to vote for a candidate, or in some cases, an issue. While the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission and Federal Election Commission view political ads liberally when it comes to “truth in advertising” and “deceptive” practices, there are certain guidelines that must be followed:
• Political advertising does not have to adhere to truth in advertising as other types of ads do. They may use deception and misleading information (PR Play 11-21) in “The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook.”
• If a printed piece is mailed, the name and address of the candidate or representative must be on the ad.
• All printed pieces, brochures, fliers, and newspaper and magazine ads must indicate who is paying for them.
• Radio commercials must contain the candidate’s voice and television commercials must show the candidate’s face (even a still shot). They must also state who is paying for the commercial.
• Candidates for federal office must disclaim their radio and television ad – either at the beginning or end – stating their name and saying “I approve this message.” On TV, they must be shown saying it.
• Generally, both print and electronic media charge the lowest rate on a rate card for a section or page in the newspaper or magazine, or “day part” in radio or TV. (Congress is considering legislation related to political pricing charged by TV stations.)
• As a safety precaution, most media outlets require that payment is made at the time ads are placed.
Taken from: Ragan’s “PR Daily” By Michael Sebastian | Posted: March 23, 2011
If you have time…and want the full article — plus comments: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/7660.aspx
To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com
Last month, PR strategist Adam Sherk took 25 of the most overused buzzwords in marketing and PR—he compiled a list of the top 100 in June—and ran them through PRFilter, a website from RealWire that aggregates press releases.
The results: “Solution” led the pack with 243 appearances.
Shortly after he published the post, PRFilter set the record straight: “Solution” did not appear in press releases 243 times; it appeared 622 times—and it was the second most common buzzword.
The most common word is “leading,” which showed its face 776 times—in one 24-hour stretch.
Here’s the full list—compliments of Adam Sherk and PRFilter:
1. leading (776)
2. solution (622)
3. best (473)
4. innovate / innovative / innovator (452)
5. leader (410)
6. top (370)
7. unique (282)
8. great (245)
9. extensive (215)
10. leading provider (153)
11. exclusive (143)
12. premier (136)
13. flexible (119)
14. award winning / winner (106)
15. dynamic (95)
16. fastest (70)
17. smart (69)
18. state of the art (65)
19. cutting edge (54)
20. biggest (54)
21. easy to use (51)
22. largest (34)
23. real time (8)
UPDATE: As RealWire CEO Adam Parker noted in the comments, there are 23 (instead of 25) buzzwords because PRFilter treats some words (innovate, innovator, innovative) as single words.
A few comments…including one from that Litwin guy:
donmorberg · 2 days ago
The difference in number is because Adam had innovate, innovator and innovation as separate words on his list but in actual fact PRFilter treats them all the same within its relevance processes as it sees them as all relating to innovation – hence why they are grouped together above.
Synergy wasn’t on Adam’s original list but having looked at our data I can confirm it appeared 19 times on the day in question.
Thanks for your interest.
Adam Parker, Chief exec, RealWire
Robert Cole
Adam,
Apologies for the comment being longer than the post – bad habit of mine…
Love the analysis, but I am not really surprised. Fundamentally, what you are seeing is what I have frequently called “Synonym Syndrome” or “Thesaurus Theory” in action.
In essence, in an effort to differentiate their product and break through the clutter, marketers are using seven basic pillars to justify product superiority or noteworthiness:
– Bigger
– Faster
– Simpler
– Smarter
– Different
– Popular
To sum up, they all are actually applying one unifying construct as an umbrella,
– Better
Some concepts, like Bigger, Faster, Simpler, Smarter are product related and traditionally dominated the landscape in an effort to describe HOW a product is better.
The other two, Different & Popular are a bit more socially oriented, referencing aspects that relate to other competitive products or an earlier version. These tend to address the WHY a product deserves attention.
Finally, if the product features/benefits & differentiation present a challenge, one can always fall back on those good ‘ole non-specific superlatives like Better. Does it really matter who gave you that award (thanks Mom) as long as you are now award-winning? Didn’t think so.
What I find most interesting is how these specific terms stack up when aggregated into groupings of similar terms –
Popular:1339
1. leading (776)
5. leader (410)
10. leading provider (153)
Better:1330
3. best (473)
6. top (370)
8. great (245)
12. premier (136)
14. award winning / winner (106)
Simpler:887
2. solution (622)
13. flexible (119)
21. easy to use (51)
15. dynamic (95)
Different:425
7. unique (282)
11. exclusive (143)
Bigger:303
9. extensive (215)
20. biggest (54)
22. largest (34)
Smarter:188
4. innovate / innovative / innovator (452)
17. smart (69)
18. state of the art (65)
19. cutting edge (54)
Faster:78
16. fastest (70)
23. real time (8)
Now that we live in more complex times where branding often trumps product feature sets, popularity and simplicity has apparently become the dominant theme, with the impact of social media perhaps tilting the scales, as you note, from Solution (Simpler) to Leading (Popular) within the last year.
Of course, it could be worse. We can be thankful that we are not suffering the product marketing malaise of the 1960’s & ’70’s when the generic and typically unsubstantiated “New & Improved” were undoubtedly the most popular terms.
Great stuff – would love to see you semantically categorize the concepts as the context is what really makes the usage of these terms most intriguing.
[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
Recently, Rodale’s editors blogged, and received many comments and tips, at rodale.com/plastic-free. One way to begin the wean is to start amassing all the plastic you can in a week. Analyze it. There’s probably a lot of packaging you could eliminate.
Some tips:
Send your suggestions to larry@larrylitwin.com. We’ll post a follow up blog.
[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
Get the word out and tell people you are looking. Include former colleagues at every place you have ever worked, fellow members in clubs and business groups, former classmates, friends, neighbors and people at your house of worship.
Help others. Reach out if you learn of a job that might be a good match for someone else.
Press the flesh. Find ways to interact with other people at least five times a week. Attend meetings of professional groups. Go to parties. Hit the gym. Volunteer.
Print business cards with your name and contact information and hand them out to people you meet.
Set up a designated job search area in your home. You must have a phone with voice mail or an answering machine, a computer with Internet access and a good filing system.
Keep your energy up through exercise, healthy eating and meditation.
Ask other people for advice, even if they cannot offer you a job. Most folks genuinely want to help.
Set yourself apart from the pack. You might stop by to visit former clients and deliver a copy of your resume in person. Do not rely solely on the Internet to apply for jobs.
Use social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook to keep in touch. Show discretion, as prospective employers may be watching.
Follow up. Send thank you notes. If you do not get the job, ask what qualifications were the deciding factor for the person who was hired.
[To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. This piece ran on Sunday Feb. 13. [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.] Last week: what NOT to put on your resume.
Appropriate resumé length is a pretty consistent subject of debate among human resources professionals. Some will tell you that your resumé should be one page, max; others will say no longer than two pages — or that it doesn’t matter either way. But there’s one thing that most resumé experts can agree on. No matter the length, resumé real estate is valuable, and only the most important and relevant information should be privy to this prime locale.
While only you can decide what is important enough for your resumé, there are a few things that definitely don’t belong there.
1. Your interests: Your resumé is a professional document, bottom line. “While I always find it amusing that you like rollerblading and good red wine, please don’t tell me this (on your resumé),” says Elizabeth Lions, author of “Recession Proof Yourself.” “I want work-related experience only.” In addition to being off-topic, a long list of outside interests and hobbies may cause a potential employer to worry that you’re over-committed — a definite red flag.
2. An objective statement: Objective statements that outline what you’re looking for in a job or employer are a waste of space. “As a career coach I’m constantly counseling clients to remove this paragraph because it takes up critical real estate on your resumé and (this information is) better discussed in your cover letter,” says Lisa quays, president of Seattle-based career coaching firm Career Woman Inc. “Don’t waste valuable space on your resumé with what I call a ‘fluff’ paragraph.”
3. Salary history: Including a salary history on your resumé will turn any employer off, since you’ll give off the impression that money is your main concern. Plus, if the employer sees that you’re “too expensive” they may disqualify you, and if your salary is on the low side, you may end up with a lowball offer should you get the job.
“(It’s best to) discuss your salary history and expectations during your interview process,” says Sharon Abboud, author of “All Moms Work — Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success.”
4. Dates of anything you did more than 15 years ago: “You may be giving your resumé to someone who wasn’t even born when you had your first job. If you date yourself so far back, you may set yourself up for age discrimination,” says Kristen Fischer, a certified professional resumé writer from New Jersey.
Agrees abound, “Don’t include the dates of your college graduation if you graduated more than 15 years ago. Just list the name of the college and the degree that you received.”
5. A GPA below 3.25: Anything under that is considered to be average, so why waste space by including something that classifies you as such? Focus on the things that give you a leg up on the competition instead. Have you been out of college for more than 10 years? Take the GPA off altogether. “GPA after a certain level of experience and years in the work force is so unnecessary,” says Tiffani Murray, owner of career consulting firm PersonalityOnAPage.com. “If you have been working for 10-plus years and are now in middle management it is safe to assume that you either had a good GPA or have made up for it through hands-on work.”
6. An unprofessional e-mail address: “Don’t include an overly personalized e-mail address such as ‘atlhousewife2@gmail.com‘ or ‘ilovecats24@yahoo.com,’ ” Murray advises. “This can make recruiters take your resumé less seriously.”
7. Marital or family status: Besides being irrelevant, including this information on your resumé can actually make an employer uncomfortable, because it is illegal for them to take such information into account. “It is none of the employer’s business and it is illegal for an interviewer to ask you about your marital status or the number of or ages of your children during your interview (so why include it on your resumé?)” Abboud says.
8. Your references: “These are personal to you and you should control when an employer calls them,” Lions says. “Don’t give me your power.” There is also no need to specify that “references are available upon request.”
9. Activities with religious or political affiliations: These topics are polarizing, and while recruiters shouldn’t take them into account, it’s better to be on the safe side.
10. Your picture: This isn’t the Miss America pageant. Employers aren’t going to be more inclined to hire you because you included a glamour shot. In fact, they may even be more prone to not contact you. “Please don’t include a picture,” Lions says. “If I want to see what you look like, I can find it on LinkedIn.”
Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz.
Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. This piece runs on Sunday Feb. 13. [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com.] Next week: what NOT to put on your resume.
Appropriate resumé length is a pretty consistent subject of debate among human resources professionals. Some will tell you that your resumé should be one page, max; others will say no longer than two pages — or that it doesn’t matter either way. But there’s one thing that most resumé experts can agree on. No matter the length, resumé real estate is valuable, and only the most important and relevant information should be privy to this prime locale.
Don’t put these items on resumé
• Your interests
• Objective statement
• Salary history
• Anything older than 15 years
• GPA below 3.25
• Unprofessional e-mail address
• Marital or family status
• Your references
• Religious or political activities
• Your picture
Next week: In detail — What NOT to put on your resume. [To comment: larry@larrylitwin.com]
Kaitlin Madden is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz.
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