Corporations Reimagined As The Media: A Look Ahead

**posted in full at www.naked-culture.com**

Despite the high-definition world that we live in, the role of corporations in our society is getting blurrier on many levels.

Not too long ago, corporations gave a few bucks to a non-profit and maybe sent a kid with cancer on the trip of a lifetime. Those acts were carefully filed away in their “corporate responsibility completed for the year” cabinet, not to be opened again until tax season. Today, companies are behind some of the most successful and thriving non-profit organizations.

There is another change that is happening before our eyes that society is seamlessly embracing. We are seeing the beginnings of corporations evolving to become influential content distributor—AKA the emergence of corporation-as-media. You can see it happening around us already (have you read an in-flight magazine, downloaded a book penned by a CEO, or visited nba.com lately?), but it is something that societal shifts and technological advancements will push at a much faster pace.

Yes, corporations are reinventing how they communicate with the consumer. This is not simply about content production; it is much greater. It is aboutbecoming the media. It is about putting USA Today to bed and awakening a new media. 

Where are we Now?

So why are we at an evolutionary point of corporation-as-media? 

While there are many factors, the two most important are:

1) We are in a technology golden-age (especially those technologies that foster communication), which has facilitated...to read the full post continue on here.

ASU/Diamondbacks PR Stunt

On 4/5, I spoke to a group of marketing students at Arizona State University. I gave a presentation on PR stutns with a special focus on baseball as my co-presenter was Karina Bohn, Senior Director of Marketing at the Arizona Diamondbacks.

At the end of the presentation, I asked students to come up with a PR stunt (as an excercise only) for a mid-season PR stunt/promotion to drive ticket sales.

If you are a student responding to the exercise:

1) Please post your idea in the comment section below

2) Please leave your group number/designation after your response

3) Please submit by  4/9/11

4) Karina and I will judge responses and award prizes

Real Life PR Lessons: Big O Tires

I love real life lessons in creating positive public perception and sentiment. Here's a real life tale from my experience at Big O tires. The Situation: For the past couple of months I've been getting into my car and seeing a "low tire pressure light." At first it would come on every couple of weeks (easily ignorable), but over the last week it was every day so off to find a tire store I go. The choice; a no brainer--The Big O Tires I see everyday driving on my way to work. Why? Convenience.

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PR and CEOs--What's to Know?

When it comes to CEOs, PR is a funny business. On one hand, a lot of people in middle to upper-middle management are like "what the hell does PR do?" and on the other hand we often find ourselves in direct contact and influence with CEOs on a pretty regular basis. So the question is, what do CEOs want/know of PR? Here is some of my experience and insight. Where we PR people win (or can win) and where we fail (or can fail).

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Biggest iPhone in London Video Game Stunt

Tech & Gadgets has a piece on how the video game Lara Croft and Guardian of Light used London's biggest iPhone to show off the game.

"Commuters in London St Pancras International station this morning were welcomed with a huge billboard in the shape of an iPhone.  The huge iPhone shape was formed of 56 iPads to help promote the new Lara Croft and Guardian of Light game.

Commuters at the station passing by were handed a iPad with Guardian of Light already preloaded to play with. The company who made the world’s largest iPhone is Square Enix, well so far its proven to be a good marketing campaign."

Read more at Tech & Gadgets here...