Folklore, Fakes and Magic

Folklore Phil

Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania marmot, saw his shadow this morning, thereby certifying that winter will persist for six more weeks. Let's hope the little guy's verdict is debunked. We don't know about you, but we're looking forward to storing away the snow shovels and enjoying some warm weather ASAP. Of course, Phil's magical powers are folklore. Pure fiction. We all know that groundhogs don't have the power to predict the weather.

And speaking of fiction, this issue offers our take on "fake news." We also conjured up some e-newsletter "magic."

We hope you find both articles useful and enjoyable. As always, thank you for your support, friendship and trust.

Fake News: It Could Happen to You.

Many hypotheses were and continue to be offered as to the “surprising results" of the US presidential election. Most revolve around media bias, Russian involvement and “fake news." On this last prognostication, claims continue to flourish that fake news posted on Facebook (and spread to other social media channels) influenced the election results. Given that well over 50% of those eligible to vote in the US obtain all or part of their news via social media, such claims are disturbing at a minimum when you consider that anyone can write “news” and post it for virtually anyone that chooses to read---and believe---it.

Make no mistake about it, fake news occurs at your company too. Although to a much smaller extent than a presidential election, the impact that fake news has on a company’s reputation, employee confidence, customer trust and bottom line can be substantial. Read More

E-Newsletter Magic

"Welcome to Our Newsletter!" How many times have your current or past employers welcomed customers to the first of what was touted to be a monthly or quarterly issue of your company’s premiere digital publication? It’s not a trick question, but it does make some of us think, “Oh yeah, whatever happened to it?”

You may recall there were promises made with expectations to deliver, “news you can use,” that would make your customers' lives easier and more profitable. However, just like the optimism and excitement of a first date, the second date often led to dashed hopes and disappointment. If published at all, subsequent issues were deployed whenever time permitted and communicated disappointing drumbeats of sell, sell, sell. To quote the legendary B.B. King, “The thrill is gone.” The promise to deliver value was squashed. Opportunity for engagement was one and done --- badly. Read More

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