Closing the STEM gap for at-risk youths through personal branding. We’re combining networking with polishing the basics like resumes and cover letters in this weekend’s workshop. Shout outs to all our amazing Spark mentors who put in over hundreds of hours as role models for our scholars: Jasmin , Muying , Nimalen , Akil , Bonnie , Edan , Lydia , Tracy , Erika , Allen , and Neil! …see more

My podcast, Write With Impact, is fast approaching its two-year anniversary. To mark the occasion, I'm pleased to invite Laura Brown, back onto the show. Laura was my very first guest on episode 1. In this episode, Laura shares exactly what you should put into a book proposal that will make publishers want to acquire your book. Laura recently sold her 2nd book on writing to her publisher, W.W. Norton. …see more

One of many such rankings of MBA programs -- here's US News & World Report's rankings. https://lnkd.in/gYra7cF

'Tis the season to catch up with people you haven't seen or spoken to for awhile, and chances are someone in your network is out of work. The best present you can give them this year isn't a gift card ... or your pity. Give them the gift of your time (and connections) instead. 1. Acknowledge how hard their situation is. Sugar coating doesn't help; your sympathy will. Try not to be afraid of their sorrow or anger, and by all means don't treat their unemployment as if it's contagious. 2. Offer to get together after the holidays. Treat them to a lunch or cup of coffee; when you're worried about money, this goes a long way. And don't talk exclusively about their job search. Have a real, human conversation. Make them laugh, if possible. 3. Ask them specifically what they're looking for and identify quality contacts in your network for introductions. Stay on the lookout for job openings, as well as new contacts who might offer the next step in the process. 4. Stay in touch. There's nothing lonelier than looking for a job. 5. Ask: "How can I help?" and then deliver. Ghosting is an exceptionally hurtful thing to do to a job seeker. …see more

Because nobody's perfect (even if you're big and powerful), we all need someone to check our work. Case in point with a very public blunder on Wall Street yesterday. The Big Board celebrated Spotify's listing on the New York Stock Exchange by flying Switzerland's red-and-white flag ... even though Spotify is a Swedish company. Oops. Sweden's blue-and-yellow banner is now fluttering in the NYC spring breeze, reminding us all that quality assurance is not a perk or a nice-to-have, but an essential business practice. …see more

When you're accepting a major award in front of a viewing audience of millions, think about what is meaningful to them when you prepare your speech. Once again most Oscar winners read a litany of meaningless names off a crumpled piece of paper (at top speed) when they went up to the mic on Sunday. I had no idea who the people named were or why they mattered to the winner. (I understand they were trying to check a lot of professional boxes, but without context it's hard to care.) Good speakers keep their audience in mind and have a clear goal: get more eyes on your product, in this case a movie. Will motivate viewers to pay for it, either in theaters or on a device? *What was the inspiration for the work you did? *What made it worth this recognition? *How did it change your life? *How might it change the life of someone in the audience? And, for God's sake, memorize your speech and throw the paper away. It's less than 120 seconds long, probably. Thank you. …see more

It's clear CPG brands have no idea what to do about DTC. -Ignore the whole thing as they are scared of retailers. -Invent new brands and only consider selling those DTC -Invent new products under brands and just sell those DTC -Let some regions go DTC as trials -Let some premium products be sold DTC -Let every brand/team/market make their own decisions. As it stands large brands owners have strategies that appear to make no sense, all use different platforms, different agencies. I'm not saying the decisions are easy, or that the risks are small, but someone should take control. …see more

I accidentally ran out of books on my site earlier. All sorted now. So feel free to buy it. It's the fastest book store you will ever use. One-click to buy. The book is quite good too. Delivers to over 150 countries for free ( Shipping can be slow) Jaigo & Isla still doing UK books, and some of Europe. https://lnkd.in/d-tbg8K …see more

This year CES should really just be In Shenzhen. Or at least if we really cared, that's where we should all go to see what's next.

Happy to be part of new research from Canvas8 on understanding allyship. An honor to be quoted among so many, including: “Allyship is not self-defined. Whatever action we take, the communities we seek to be in solidarity with must recognize our actions as an act of allyship. Only they get to decide which actions qualify as ‘allyship.’” – Michelle Kim (she-her) CEO of Awaken 62% of Americans think companies must address social justice issues by pushing for federal or state policy changes - Porter Novelli , 2020 If this is a topic you're unpacking, like so many brands, join their webinar 10/8 11:30am EDT. https://lnkd.in/evnXb4V …see more

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Color of Change, Common Sense, Free Press and Sleeping Giants are partners in the #StopHateforProfit campaign. They asked advertisers to pull their spending from #Facebook in July, and published recommendations on how the social network can address hate speech. #advertising …see more

I was lucky to fall into marketing at startups after college but it was never the path I envisioned. I wish I had been shown the incredible opportunity that startup marketing is. Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing—startups are a pressure cooker of high stakes and big wins (as well as big failures and bigger lessons.) I feel I am a more resilient human, more confident marketer, more collaborative colleague, and more trusting in my own abilities to make things happen against all odds because of my time working with startups. I also love Melissa Sciorra 's advice "Every “yes” opens the door to something new, and it’s okay to feel uncomfortable." …see more

This morning I had the chance to sit down with Katrina Munsell , US digital lead for Microsoft and head of the IMPRESSIVE #customerexperience center. I asked what made her team of 75 community managers so good at what they do - managing every #socialmedia touchpoint for Microsoft across thousands of daily interactions. She told me they are: 1. Digitally savvy 2. Great listeners 3. Creative (Setting a great example for all marketers, IMO.) Thanks for a great conversation, Katrina. I can’t wait to share the video! …see more

I featured this quote in my newsletter this week because it's laugh out loud funny and incredibly poignant.  (PS, get on the list https://lnkd.in/e9C4EKn ) "The American woman, if you go by commercials, is a bizarre creature. To write, she wants pink pens; to choose a soft drink, she wants to be assured she’ll be skinny afterward; when selecting makeup, she wants to create an entire new personality each time she applies lipstick; she considers cleaning floors a feminist, patriotic act akin to the work done by women who built American munitions during World War II — think of nearly every campaign Peggy Olson got stuck on. And, apparently, when a woman chooses to snack, she wants it Cheeto dust-free, library-quiet and compact enough to be tucked in a night-out-size clutch" - @ Heidi N. Moore https://lnkd.in/ej8NhEn …see more

"The problem is that data doesn’t win the hearts and minds of consumers, and contrary to the term data-driven, it doesn’t drive compelling messaging or campaigns though of course it plays an important role."

#CES2021 👀 Nearly a quarter-million stories are generated from a single week of media engagement during CES. How do you generate buzz and build your brand at the all-digital CES 2021? For the media, CES is a feeding frenzy—and that will be the same whether or not CES is digital. More than 6,300 media members from 75 countries lick their chops at the prospect of landing top headlines for their respective publications. For this reason, no matter the size of your brand, CES is a premier PR opportunity to generate massive buzz around your brand and scale your business. This is why at CES you’ll find global titans to fledgling startups alike, each and all in hot pursuit of the right media coverage, the right retailers, the right distributors, and the right partners to ensure a stratospheric product launch. Link in comments for full post. #pradvice #techpr #pr #techstartups #media #ces21 …see more

Even the strongest startups and savviest entrepreneurs can sometimes fall prey to mistakes that sabotage their success. Here's how to avoid nine of the most common and costly ones, along with strategies for effectively moving forward. #startups #startupadvice …see more

Right before I left Netflix, CEO Reed Hastings brought in Professor Hamilton Helmer to teach a mini-course on the 7 Powers: the foundation of Business Strategy (you should read his book). One of those powers was counter-positioning. At its core is the idea that if your competitors try to emulate your business they will eat themselves alive. Netflix was counter-positioned to Blockbuster (and the entire DVD rental industry). Sure enough, one of the reasons Blockbuster went under is that their business model wasn’t structured to allow them to emulate us. Fast forward to 2019 and this. Netflix has escalated the pay scale of creators significantly. Not to mess with those competing for talent, per se. It’s more of an extension of the high-performance culture. And it is possible because of the way they are structured to think about content cost and customer acquisition and retention. So, now studios are forced to pay these outsized salaries with no meaningful structural change in how they think about monetization. It is fascinating to think we may be watching history repeat itself. #business #strategy #counterpositioning #Netflix #Blockbuster #customeracquisition #customerretention #content #OTT #streaming #businessstrategy …see more

To all those people on LinkedIn who keep complaining that it’s becoming like Facebook / TikTok / Instagram etc. Get with the program. Of course it is! Social media is all about connection via content. Videos, pictures, comments, updates, opinions etc. B2B is no different. LinkedIn will keep evolving and rightly so. Let’s keep sharing interesting content and let’s make LinkedIn the platform that the majority want it to be, not what the minority think it should be... #linkedin #socialmedia #content …see more

Presentation is everything. So when someone asks you what you do give them the real story. Practice beforehand. For instance, when someone asks me what I do? My first response is: I'm a writer, an editor, and I help people enhance their use of the media. …see more