Blog
While We Slept…The Need For a Vigorous News Media
Dennis Culloton, President and CEOAt the risk of sound like my father, I told you so!I’ve bemoaned in this space before about the decline of newspapers and the media in general. While the media has certainly been a thorn in the side of various clients over the years, the value of journalism at it’s best
Celebrities for President
Steve Hamilton, Digital Media Director Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy mystifies me. His brash, often outrageous statements regularly make headline news, late night comedy sketches and keeps him almost constantly trending on Facebook. Even in Canada people are more interested in what the Donald has been up to than our own politicians and lawmakers. However, the
The Different Language of Populists and the Establishment
Patrick Skarr, Vice PresidentThe last Republican debate had fewer voices, but was nonetheless filled with jabs, interpolations, and rebuttals. There has been plenty of commentary about whether or not voters should base their decisions on who performs best in these reality TV contests. However, this critique appears to be an attempt to change the narrative
Trump
Andrew Touhy, Account Executive The GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump, just released his first television ad of the 2016 presidential campaign. Regardless of your political or personal opinion of Trump, his ad is entirely consistent with the brand he has cultivated and protected over many years. "I am very proud of this ad," Trump said in a statement. "I don’t know
9,860 Characters Too Many
Patrick Skarr, Vice President “…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.” Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapter XVIIIFor all of the politicians, consultants and operatives who have been planning to win the presidency from the moment President Obama won in 2008 - or during the Nixon inauguration -
Ronda Rousey: Keep your Eyes Forward, and your Chin Up
Andrew Touhy, Account Executive In Sunday’s highly anticipated UFC bantamweight title fight, one that saw Ronda Rousey boast about her sure victory over opponent Holly Holm before the fight, Rousey was knocked unconscious in the second round, shocking viewers world wide.ESPN said, “Former world boxing champion Holly Holm (10-0) scored the biggest upset in the sport's history Sunday,
When you are Ahead, Just Finish
Andrew Touhy, Account Executive As the common adage goes, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Florida Senator, Marco Rubio had another strong showing at Tuesday’s main GOP debate. It has become evident that his on-stage performances have begun to solidify the trust of both the GOP and potential voters in his ability to lead. Rubio’s
The Far Reaching Influence of American TV on Canadian Politics
Steve Hamilton, Digital Media Director Over here north of the border we just finished our big federal election, where Canada elected Justin Trudeau, son of legendary Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as the new Prime Minister of Canada. He ousted 10-year incumbent Conservative party leader Stephen Harper and beat NDP leader Tom Mulcair to claim a
All News is Good News for the NFL
Andrew Touhy, Account Executive In the most simplistic terms, Roger Goodell took Tom Brady to court based on an NFL report, picked the venue, and still lost. In today’s 40-page ruling, Goodell was criticized heavily by U.S. District Judge Richard Berman for dispensing “his own brand of industrial justice.” For the most powerful, yet most detested
Zurich One Step Closer to Completion: Future Success Remains in Details
Tracey Mendrek, Executive Vice PresidentOne year after breaking ground on the largest build-to-lease project currently in the United States, our client, Zurich North America, took one step closer to realizing their dream at a 'Topping Out' ceremony in Schaumburg, Illinois. Though the building is not complete, lifting the final beam to mark the structure's maximum
Weird is the New Black
Steve Hamilton – Digital Media Director In a world where Donald Trump is leading the Republican candidacy race, and Bruce Jenner’s sex change gets more air time than a massive explosion in China, things that are off the beaten path sometimes seem to get way more traction than they appear to warrant. In the world
The Main Bout on Thursday
Dennis Culloton, President and CEO Words, words, words. I am reasonably sure no one will be quoting Shakespeare in this week’s Fox News Republican Presidential Debate in Cleveland. We know Donald Trump and his adjectives, adverbs and insults will be there. The political media and the political junkies like me are spending a lot of
Face-to-face time still trumps “FaceTime”
Interns, Hannah Magnuson and Shannon O’Malley As members of the millennial generation, we often define “socializing” as synonymous with hunching over our smartphones. A day spent texting, tweeting, and FaceTiming friends from out-of-town is considered a day with heavy communication. However, when it comes to the workroom, we millennials may need to learn that in-person
Pure Chicago
Shannon O’Malley, Intern On June 29 GOP candidate Donald Trump spoke at the City Club of Chicago. Although Trump’s presidential candidacy may be a fluke to gain attention, polls show many still value the business mogul’s general opinion. He warned attendees that the city’s crime has gotten out of control and is damaging the city’s
Don’t fight the times
Hannah Magnuson, Intern The state of Indiana learned the hard way with its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that while adhering to one’s convictions is admirable, you can be painted as bigoted if you allow others to define you first, before you communicate your intent. In light of the major Supreme Court ruling in favor
FIFA: You Can't Cheat Your Way Out Of This One
Dennis Culloton By Grace Culloton Often times, when there is a scandal of a famous person or brand, friends will say “(Insert scandal plagued person or organization here) could really use you, what would you do to save them?” And sometimes, as we’ve discussed, you can tackle a mess with a take
Know Your Online Audience
In this “Online Age” we live in, companies are constantly trying to involve the Internet in fun little ways to enhance customer involvement in their products. However, time and time again this has proven to be a poor business decision, especially from a PR perspective. The anonymity of the Internet allows the pranksters and jokesters
Dugging a Hole
By Grace Culloton of Giant Talk and Culloton Strategies Art Director It should be no surprise that reality TV stars are living crisis communications case studies. Americans love reality TV precisely because stars are a hot mess. But when it comes to the networks that air them, they enjoy the ratings until the hot mess
Loose Lips Sink Digital Ships
Grace Culloton Steve Hamilton It is a refreshing change to see a company show that they care about passenger’s personal information—especially an airline routinely assailed by customers in consumer surveys. In this day and age where it seems like no one is safe from hackers of any background or motives, United Airlines has
Lumber Liquidators Plank
By Dennis Culloton, CEO and President and our intern, Shannon O'Malley It's great to have a positive, customer-friendly message when your company is under fire. It's even better when that message is accurate and holds up under scrutiny-- like "60 Minutes" scrutiny. Lumber Liquidators had its founder and Chairman Tom Sullivan go mano a mano
The Jenner News Network
By Dennis Culloton, CEO and President Way back in the 80s, media critic and author Neil Postman wrote a prophetic tome, "Amusing Ourselves to Death," which predicted mindless TV would infiltrate and dominate all public discourse and life. Though I had to read it way back in the last Century, it all came back to
Have You Looked Through Periscope Lately?
By Tracey Mendrek, Executive Vice President Flying below the radar, Twitter’s live-streaming app, Periscope, made its debut a week ago. If you know about Periscope you are likely the hippest person you know and a social media aficionado. So after watching for several hours some things come to mind: When the next world event or
On Persepolis
Dennis Culloton, CEO & President Two years ago, Marjane Starapi’s acclaimed graphic novel Persepolis was banned from Chicago Public Schools to the dismay of students and CPS staff alike. The novel regales the story of a young woman growing up in revolutionary Iran during the 1980s. Recently emails were released to a graduate student investigating
Politics and the Reddit Generation
By Dennis Culloton, President and CEO In preparation for last weeks election here in Chicago, politicians were doing whatever they could to secure the last minute vote. In the closing days, alderman and mayoral candidate Bob Fioretti took to the social media platform Reddit to reach out to Chicago's young people via an AMA. An
Fake News – Real Anchor
By Dennis Culloton, President and CEO It’s a sign of the times that there is more buzz in social and mainstream media about who will succeed “Fake news anchor” Jon Stewart now that he's leaving the Daily Show. The blogosphere has been flooding with articles mourning his departure and suggesting his replacement host. The number
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