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The Speed of the Crisis Communication Game

On Oct. 28 during the Tennessee-South Carolina football game, South Carolina’s All-SEC running back Marcus Lattimore suffered only what can be identified as a gruesome leg injury in the second quarter. For the sake of the squeamish, I have not included a link to this clip. You can…

It’s been a little spooky around here!

Greetings and Happy Halloween! If you’ve been following us via Facebook or Twitter lately, you’ve seen that some serious specter shenanigans have been brewing over here the last few weeks. Our Obsidian ghosts have been busy providing some afterlife advice. Here’s a recap of the messages they’ve left…

The XX Marks the Word-of-Mouth Spot

By now, many of us are very familiar with the phrase “word-of-mouth” and have been inundated with tons of mentions about what it is and isn’t. As a matter of fact, with the overuse of the term in marketing and communication circles, some have even predicted that the…

A lot can be learned from a mistake

During one of my recent training runs for the Dallas Half Marathon, I accidentally ran 10 miles. How, you may ask, can one accidentally run 10 miles? Well, folks, it happens if you encounter the sign “Trail closed ahead,” and you don’t check the handy-dandy GPS to determine…

Behind the Headline

If you’re a PR professional, you know that strategic media relations is one of the most well-known aspects of our discipline. What some clients may not know is the process we go through to help garner those news stories, radio interviews, blog mentions and TV segments. Well, it…

You talkin’ to me?

Tim Westergren, the founder of Pandora, emailed me the other day. Yep, that’s right. And today, just 30 minutes ago, I got a message from him on my cell phone. The above statements are absolutely true, but they might not mean exactly what you think they mean. No,…

Let’s keep it green, folks. Keep it green.

At the Obsidian office, we know how to recycle. We have two separate trash bins – one for cans only and one for other materials – and keep a mountain of newspapers and magazines that are all recycled or donated to the Humane Society of of Memphis &…

The Naughty List

Please read this sentence aloud: “You know, the restaurant we ate at on Friday was super luxurious, and the staff was wonderful. However, the dining area was outdated, and the tables were sort of tiny. We had a good meal though.” Now – and don’t cheat by glancing…

There’s no “I” in team

“No man is an island…and therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." In John Donne’s Meditation 17, he emphasizes the interconnectedness of mankind. It’s also a pretty accurate metaphor for our culture here at Obsidian PR. You see, although each client…