The meaning behind my company name – Experiential Communications
My wife and I had the pleasure of naming our first child in 2012. Like all parents, we wanted something different and unique that would personify our son. We chose Luca Salvatore. The name reflects my Italian heritage and Salvatore is the name of my grandfather. Luca is also one of the most popular names […]
Why every academic needs to think about external communications
Most university models financially reward teaching and research. Press visibility may be considered a bonus or contribution towards “good citizenship” (whatever that means), while some institutions don’t look highly upon those doing media work as it takes away from research (a mindset that desperately needs changing, in my opinion). I have worked with many different […]
What bad content marketers and annoying people at social gatherings have in common
You are at a social gathering and don’t know many people in attendance. You are looking to engage in an interesting conversation. Finally, it happens – you connect with a new person and start to converse. However, after a few minutes, you feel trapped. The other person – let’s call him Joe – begins a […]
Public relations advice for Bashar al-Assad
Dear Mr. al-Assad, It is with the utmost sadness and frustration that I have been following the horrible war in your country over the years. I studied your Instagram account and other social media properties in detail on the same day that I learned about the destruction and grief that was brought upon your people by a […]
Disseminating research through earned and owned media
There is good news and bad news when it comes to academics disseminating research. On the negative side, traditional media relations is tougher than ever. The media industry is going through constant disruption. Print advertising continues to decrease, according to the latest State of the News Media 2013 Report. Many city newspapers that had been […]
The art of translating research findings into the mainstream media
Some 50 academics were asked if they had been trained to write for practitioner publications during a session at the Academy of Management in Orlando on Friday. Zero hands went up. At a similar session the next day, another 50 academics were asked if they had any friends or family members that didn’t understand their […]
How to organize a media roundtable
Experts and public relations professionals interested in building media relationships + a group of targeted journalists + good food and drink = successful media roundtable. This above formula is a rather simplistic way to go about organizing a media roundtable. This past week at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, we used this approach in […]
Networking 101 – Why It Should Be Required Learning, Particularly for Communicators
In today’s world of technology, ignorance is a choice. We have so much knowledge and information at our fingertips. News and analysis about the world around us are just clicks away. So too our potential contacts that can help us in our career interests. I want to share some thoughts about this latter area. The […]
Unpersonalized communication in our relational times
SPAM. Unsolicited emails. Unpersonalized invitations. Untargeted press releases. Odds are you received some of these types of communication in the last couple of hours. You may have received a message that might have the appearance of being personalized, yet a quick scan shows that it was the simple use of a mail merge. I receive […]
Integrating the university communications role into the student experience
Look at any university / school communicator job posting and odds are you won’t see any mention on how the role correlates to improving the student experience. Performance reviews doubtfully will highlight how communicators can actually help educate students. Often overlooked, I believe university communicators can play an important, direct role in students’ education. I […]