Introducing a new measure of an employer’s brand strength that is more inclusive than Net Promoter Score.

Year-round, AB&Cers engage in individual volunteer activities, and the agency as a whole offers opportunities to support local causes through events such as community walks, donations drives and more. But as a marketing communications agency that is always focused on innovating stronger strategies, we decided in May 2023 that it was time to apply “strategy” to elevate our impact on our neighbors and neighborhoods.

On July 5, Meta launched its Twitter competitor: Threads, an Instagram App. Appearing in the App Store a day ahead of the announced launch date, Threads attracted at least 10 million signups—including celebrities, brands and political figures—within seven hours of launch, according to Meta. Billed as “a new app for sharing text updates and joining […]

Most of the marketing world is based on precedents. We base our metrics and budgets on prior years’ results. We schedule the same way — peak season and off-season, planning time, production time, media buying — it’s mostly based on what we did last year. Obviously, 2021 isn’t going to work that way. 2020 threw […]

In January 2016, I wrote a blog titled “Four Marketing Resolutions for 2016.” I cited research identifying that “people who write down their specific resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t make specific resolutions.”[1] So I made my marketing resolutions public: Contribute to the growth and success of […]

At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2019, the ball started dropping and decided to make a year of it. Like everyone else, I wish I could close the lid to this dumpster fire, but there are some things even a trash fire can illuminate. And those are the things that I never want to lose […]

By David Brond, Elizabeth Cohen and Linda McAleer Multiple articles have been written about the important role parents play in their child’s college decision. Most higher education marketers and enrollment professionals agree that a parent’s powerful influence in guiding high school students throughout the college application and admission process is often unmatched by any other […]

Current COVID-19 trends indicate that we are on the other side of the peak in most places in the U.S. States have lifted stay-at-home orders, and we’re all starting to experience what our new normal looks like. This means that while critical care units and emergency departments are still treating COVID-19 patients every day, the […]

Communicating that it is safe to get preventative care such as mammograms is essential to getting healthcare kick-started. With the advent of consumerism and the preponderance of healthcare information, we now have an “army” of informed healthcare consumers in our country. Where have they been during this pandemic? What happened to preventative medicine or annual […]

By David Brond and Kathleen Doyle The world as we knew it has changed. This is also true across the entire landscape of higher education. May 1 was National College Decision Day, the traditional deadline for high school seniors to pick their college or university. In 2020 unfortunately, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, this important […]

All the best brand managers revise their messaging platforms to reflect changes in the market. They do this to remain relevant to their consumers and their markets. Now is the time for healthcare marketers to look at their positioning and message platforms to determine if they need revisions. During this pandemic, two competing images of […]

Amid the current coronavirus situation, some organizations may be tempted to implement a “wait and see” approach to marcom. However, now is not the time to cut branding or market research efforts. For healthcare organizations there is an obvious need to focus short-term priorities on the Coronavirus pandemic and its day-to-day impact on human and […]

It’s in the news every day. This pandemic is crippling some hospitals’ resources, while others are ready and waiting. But all hospitals have stopped elective procedures and are experiencing that impact on their revenue. Some have even been forced to furlough employees and staff. But what can we as marketers do to help? Many of […]

We’ve heard a lot about the importance of thanking essential workers during this pandemic. At AB&C, we’d like to make this a little easier for you. We have designed a series of posters/ads that we will customize for you to use as a print ad or as a poster displayed in your hospitals. We will […]

Healthcare organizations have become pretty marketing savvy over the past several years. They tend to excel in having a strong brand promise, backed up by people-focused missions, visions and values. People entering the industry—especially those in direct clinical care roles—tend to be extremely mission-driven. They want to help and serve others. And that’s what they […]

Healthcare SEM in the midst of a pandemic. One thing that we can depend on is change. It’s a constant. But the massive change we’ve experienced over the past two weeks has been unsettling. Marketers are beginning to second-guess all their marketing strategies. Many are fielding nervous questions from executive teams and wondering if they […]

By Lenny Prosser, Account Services Intern As a recent college graduate, I often reflect on the lessons I’ve learned over the past 3 1/2 years. Aside from the many lectures I’ve sat through, late hours studying in the library and weekends spent with friends, I have one major takeaway: the value of relationships. College is […]

After 18 years, the unemployment scales have finally tipped, and we’re seeing more available jobs than unemployed individuals. According to the Wall Street Journal’s Eric Morath, “U.S. job openings rose to 6.7 million at the end of April [2018], compared with the 6.3 million Americans who were unemployed.” It’s the first time this has happened since […]

While many healthcare providers have been late adopters of digital marketing (as compared to other industries), it is fair to say that, as of 2018 it is now a cornerstone of most healthcare marketing programs. And that prominence comes from success and lessons learned—some good, some not so good—about both general and digital marketing. Just […]

Marketing dashboards are an essential deliverable for any marketing team. Senior leaders want to know what they are getting for their investment in marketing, and how marketing will advance their strategic plan. And for marketers, it is important to document how effective you were in achieving your stated goals. So, where to begin? In this […]

Inevitably at some point during your healthcare marketing career you will be faced with bringing a new brand to market. As you do, it is critical to stay focused on the strategic and business objectives of your organization, while also protecting the equity of your brand. The following scenarios describe bringing a new brand to […]

Over the past four-plus decades, AB&C has worked with some of the most premier healthcare systems across this country—large and small—and we greatly value those relationships. But great agency-client relationships just don’t happen; they take true commitment by both parties to be successful. And over the years, we have learned what makes a great working […]

Every once in a while, a campaign comes along, and you know that it’s special. Maybe it’s a cause that you strongly believe in, a story that needs to be told or the creative is just really unique. I guess that’s how I felt from the very beginning about MedStar Georgetown Transplant Institute’s “Living Donor” […]

In my experience as a hospital chief marketing officer (CMO) and in working at AB&C with healthcare CMOs, I’ve found a number of attributes that serve a person well in this role. On Innovation Enterprise, which provides leading-edge ideas and information on a variety of key business channels, Rose Johnstone identifies a number of these […]

Healthcare organizations have always struggled with measuring return on marketing investment (ROMI), mostly because of multiple systems of data collection that don’t speak to one another. But with the advent of new “tools,” that challenge is getting easier — if you have the building blocks in place. Here are some examples of how leading organizations […]

We know a few things to be true about popular brands. They exist. They tend to offer a product or service. They have a physical space or online presence. They have identifiable brand attributes. And they are vetted over time through consumer experiences and perception. Based on these truths, it seems safe to assume that […]

Most health systems/hospitals have an affiliated and/or employed medical group. The exception is California, where the corporate practice of medicine prohibits employment of physicians by systems or hospitals. Some medical groups are faculty models, while others are the result of groups that have merged under one umbrella, and can have primary care and specialty services […]

If you followed a systematic approach to build a new brand (or refreshed an existing one), you started with discovery research. You then developed a brand mantra to inform how your brand would be articulated to internal audiences and the outside world. Finally, you created or refined the outward expressions, such as the name, mark […]

In professional communications of any kind, proper punctuation is essential. But this is especially true for marketing communications, where the copy helps define a brand. Grammar and punctuation mistakes can result in a loss of credibility—for both the agency and its clients. Here are a few tips for avoiding common mistakes. The Comma The goal […]

As branding experts, we have developed our own vocabulary for what we do and how we help organizations define and present themselves to consumers. We use terminology like “brand architecture,” “platform,” “positioning,” “promise,” “proof point,” “personality,” “identity” and “tag line” to describe how we create, communicate and control the attributes of a brand. An important […]

Every healthcare marketing and communications (MarCom) leader has heard this question from a service line or physician leader. Somehow, a newsletter is going to put their program on the map, drive volume, attract new referring physicians and make them profitable. But isn’t this the same fantasy thinking that supports billboards as business drivers? At AB&C, we […]

By Maria Antonelli, Andrea Ferrino, Elizabeth Gluck, Jennifer Harris, Lauren Bentley, Amanda Kalbrosky and Elizabeth Howarth Earlier this month, the Philly Ad Club hosted its annual Women in Advertising event, where a panel of women in advertising and communications imparted their knowledge to a room of marketers (men and women). The panelists—each with a different […]

A new year is upon us, and I, for one, am more excited than ever because 2018 seems to finally be the year that social media has a seat at the big kids’ table. Social is here to stay, so brands need to make sure they’re doing everything they can to kill it with their […]

You’ve heard about it. You’ve seen the results. Maybe you’ve even been part of a rebranding effort. But do you really understand what branding means? Some people think a brand is a company’s logo and colors. Others say that it’s a vision statement and mission, or an advertising campaign. It’s actually all of these things—and […]

Behavior change marketing, also known as social marketing, is a term used by public health professionals to describe a marketing effort that aims to increase awareness of a social issue and change a behavior that is unhealthy. For example: Use sunscreen. Recycle. Be physically active. Wear a seat belt. Don’t smoke. But how exactly can […]

Nobody has to tell you that the B2B sales cycle differs greatly from that of a B2C. For one, a B2B sale typically involves a much larger expense. It’s also a highly vetted decision, and not often an impulsive one. Specifiers, designers, engineers and choosy purchasing agents rarely rush to buy your product or service […]

If you are a company that values collaboration, innovation and teamwork, then you might want to consider replacing the staff coffee break with something a little more mentally stimulating for your employees. The creators of Vine released a new game that is the perfect midday brain-break. HQ is a trending trivia app that users can […]

The holidays always elicit a flashback to the one thing that wasn’t so “joyous” for me as a kid: the thank-you notes. Many of us had parents who made us write to everyone who gave us presents—and not just during the holidays either. For us kids, it was a chore. In retrospect, I now see […]

As a managing director at AB&C, I often attend events on behalf of my firm, where I walk into a room and strike up a conversation with complete strangers, or give the opening remarks to a crowd of unfamiliar faces. Today, I get excited about these opportunities to promote our agency. But once upon a […]

It’s one thing to claim a diverse workforce or patient population. It’s another thing to nurture a genuine culture of inclusion — one in which everyone feels welcomed and valued, one in which everyone can contribute to his or her fullest potential to achieve organizational objectives. This is where the rubber meets the road. Organizations […]

Before reading further, please to do me a favor: Dismiss any notion you have that influencer marketing is just the latest buzz term for “celebrity endorsement.” Celebrity endorsements attach your brand to a big name (a Michael Jordan of the 1990s, if you will) in order to hit anyone and everyone. Influencer marketing is much […]

When it comes to new technology, marketers are often like a newborn playing with a set of keys. It’s new. It’s shiny. And we just need to have it and play with it. But, just because it is new and cool doesn’t mean that it’s the right fit, and often marketers adopt a new technology […]

By Megan Egan and Samantha Mueller There’s something uniquely empowering about sharing a room with 12,000 women (and a few brave men) at the largest annual gathering of women in the country. It was a day where the world’s most influential women—among them former First Lady Michelle Obama and writer, executive producer and creator of […]

That’s it. The world is ending. These millennials are going to ruin what is great about our businesses. You know, they’re lazy. They don’t communicate well. They’re completely self-absorbed. They’re… they’re… going to do amazing things if we allow them to! I’ve been helping national leaders recruit talent for more than 15 years, and I’ve […]

Gone are the days when the “newness” of a news item was ample motivation to get people interested and mobilized to support a cause, buy a product or develop brand loyalty. Think about it: When was the last time you saw a press conference—including those at the White House—that didn’t include at least one member […]

What is Google for Jobs? When posting open job opportunities on the web, you may find that the same job posting appears in the search results from multiple job sites, through an applicant tracking system (ATS) or on a corporate careers page. To remove these redundant and often confusing search results for job seekers, Google […]

Recently, I was reacquainted with The Art of Client Service, a must-read for any aspiring account executive eager to set his or her agency (and the ad world) on fire. Flipping through the pages, I wondered why there was never a companion piece, The Art of Being a Great Client. Looking back on the countless […]

So, your business needs a marketing communications agency. Where do you start? Common sense tells you to ask for recommendations, look up agencies that you’ve heard have a good reputation and do lots of internet research. Even if my intention for this blog was to offer you advice on starting an agency search, I couldn’t—not […]

Ever since there’s been the practice of marketing communications, there’s been a concept inseparable from it: the customer journey. If you understood your target audience and could communicate effectively at each stage of their purchasing journey, you’d do OK in the marcom profession. Historically, that journey was the equivalent of a Sunday drive. The customer […]

A client once told me, “I don’t need to be bothered with digital media reports.” For digital media professionals, this statement stops the music, and we refrain from asking the obvious question out loud: “If you don’t care about the results, why did you even bother to invest money in this campaign?” Of course this […]

After more than a decade of managing a marketing communications agency as a partner and chief creative director, making the step up to CEO shouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? I believed this as I prepared to step into the shoes of our retiring CEO, John Hawkins, the agency’s founder and my friend […]

More and more, job boards are publishing salary information. Should you include accurate salary information in your job postings? As “candidate-friendly” websites like Glassdoor, Indeed, kununu, CareerBliss and Google publish salary estimates, companies are feeling the pressure to release competitive salary information. When a nurse searches for jobs, and finds results with five levels of […]

One of the most important drivers of business for any organization — of any size — is referrals from satisfied customers. Meeting or exceeding customers’ expectations creates a long-term relationship and loyalty, which leads to referrals. And loyalty can pay off — loyal customers are worth up to 10 times their initial purchase value. Measuring satisfaction to […]

In a world full of noise, how do you get people to actually read what you write? It takes more than good content and design. The most important part of writing is the headline. My advice? Be bold. Be brief. Be relevant. Because without a great headline hook to pull people into your article or ad, they’ll […]

If you’ve found that your outbound marketing efforts are becoming less effective over time, then read on. You may have noticed that your email blasts to purchased lists of unqualified prospects, cold-calls and direct mailers are no longer generating the quantity and quality of leads needed to fill the top of your sales funnel—leaving your […]

“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.” This directive was identified by management consultant, educator and author Peter F. Drucker, whose writings contributed to the practical foundation of the modern business corporation. Today, marketing plays an ever-increasing role in creating and growing businesses and brands by connecting organizations with current and […]

If you’re Skyping into a live TV interview from your home office, make sure you lock the door! Robert Kelly, a professor of political science at South Korea’s Pusan National University, learned this lesson the hard way after his two children stole the spotlight during his March 2017 BBC interview. Professor Kelly was discussing the […]

This February, I represented PRSSA-UD at one of the Public Relations Student Society of America’s Delaware Chapter (PRSA-DE) networking events. As I sipped coffee and ate some of the provided refreshments, I listened to Dave Brond from Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) and Cortney Klein from WSFS Bank discuss the elements of an effective strategic […]

What Is Mindfulness? The word itself is straightforward. Mindfulness suggests that the mind is full with what is happening around us, inside our bodies or with the task at hand. Yet finding that intensely present and aware mind is hardly an easy task. It seems that when we are doing one thing, our mind is […]

By Megan Egan, Dayna Hawco, Elizabeth Howarth, Paige Miller and Caity Smith Earlier this month, the Philly Ad Club hosted its annual “Women in Advertising” event at the Courtyard Philadelphia Downtown. A panel composed of six successful women in advertising and communications imparted their knowledge to the female (and male) marketers in the room. The […]

Let’s pretend it’s 2010. Your friend asks, “Have you been listening to this podcast?” Everyone stares blankly at said individual because they’re thinking podcasts are those weird audio recordings that loners produce in their parents’ basement when they’re not crushing the high score in DDR at the local arcade. Fast-forward to 2017. Podcasts like Serial, […]

Twenty-four hours later, the dust is finally settling. This Super Bowl will, without a doubt, go down in the history books as one of the greatest games of all time. The dust is also settling on the Monday morning quarterback blitz of advertisers and creatives dissecting and ranking all our favorite ads. This year—and maybe […]

Whether your organization is large or small, it can benefit from greater awareness, more leads and higher sales by unleashing the power of your employees to serve as business-building brand ambassadors. Your employees have their own network of friends and potential referrals with whom they can share your brand and marketing messages and stories. Employees […]

By Erin Mulrooney, Ashley Shuey and Megan Egan No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, the 2016 presidential election has been entertaining, unconventional and thought-provoking, with much owed to online media—and social media in particular. And as we take a look at the election through the digital media lens, it begs the question: […]

As marketers, we’re pretty good at defining audience groups within our target market, identifying their pain points and developing messaging that addresses those points. On a good day, we even come up with unique messaging for each audience segment. But there’s one segment that most marketers forget, ignore or consider to be “not our problem”—existing […]

The 2016 Olympics are now history and for a short time this summer we were witness to amazing athletic feats demonstrating perseverance, competitiveness, national pride, raw talent, strength, agility, beauty and grace. Always a marketer, I will remember these Olympics for the athletic achievements of the individuals and teams that competed, and their stories, both […]

If you asked anyone during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games who would be the most talked about U.S. athlete come the end of the games, we can guarantee you no one would’ve answered Ryan Lochte. Yet, even with Michael Phelps swimming his final Olympic event, winning more gold medals than any […]

Congratulations! You’ve completed an exhaustive RFP process and have a shiny new agency that you can’t wait to take for a spin. I’m sure you asked all the necessary questions, so there shouldn’t be any surprises now that it’s time to get down to solving all of your marketing communications challenges. The only question that […]

During my undergraduate years as a geography and economics major, a professor shared his belief that everything in the world can be related to geography, because geography is the spatial science focused on where things are and why they occur there. Geographers seek to answer questions related to location, place, spatial pattern and interaction when […]

Inspiration is defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary as “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” Motivation, stimulation and encouragement are powerful forces for human beings. Together they lead to inspiration, which spurs creativity, inventiveness and brilliance. In my opinion, inspiration can motivate individuals to […]

By Amanda Kalbrosky, Paige Miller and Caity Smith On June 30th, the 7th annual Social Media Day—a global day of recognition for the growing collection of social platforms—was held at our favorite middle school field trip destination: The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Speakers from more than 30 organizations shared their insights on everything from the […]

By David Brond and Samantha Oscar Content marketing—the business process focused on creating and distributing relevant and valuable information to attract and engage target audiences with the objective of driving action—is one of today’s business-growth strategies getting a lot of attention from marketers in many organizations, including those in healthcare. And with good reason. According […]

June 1 marks the 119th anniversary of Mark Twain’s well-known quote: “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” It seems an appropriate time then to report that any rumor suggesting that marketing is dead (and branding is meaningless) is also an exaggeration. Last month, SSRS, a full-service market and survey research firm (www.ssrs.com), completed […]

“We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” —Tom Peters The term “personal branding” was first coined in 1997 by leading business-management thinker Tom Peters. A personal brand is formed by an individual’s professional reputation […]

Congratulations. Your organization’s leaders have decided to establish a new positioning statement, brand platform, externally facing mission statement and even a new slogan. And they want you to come up with concepts and copy to get the message out. Now what? Before you jump in head first, put together a work plan to collect marketplace […]

Facebook has heard its users’ feedback loud and clear. For years, the networking conglomerate has been receiving requests for a “Dislike” button in addition to the “Like” button (I submitted one of those requests). On February 24, after many months of user testing in a number of countries, Facebook delivered so much more than a […]

Let’s say you run a successful organization, and you’re asked to co-brand your business with another business. There are several good reasons for doing this, and a few things to consider to ensure you do it right. Co-branding makes sense when the two brands can promote a unified message to achieve the following goals: Responding […]

Companies use social media as a way to receive feedback, engage with consumers, and market new products or ideas. But they share a common challenge when communicating on such a content-rich platform: It’s hard to stand out. Until now. Twitter has introduced a new way to view your timeline by showing you tweets you’re “most […]

I’m here to say, it’s 2016 and marketing has changed. A lot. Marketing is no longer centered around your product, but your customer. Now’s a good time to update your marketing plan (you have a marketing plan, right?). Make it your road map for this year’s marketing initiatives. Use it to set goals that you […]

In the end, designating an advertising Agency of Record (AOR) for your organization should be a decision based on the strategic, long-term marketing and communication needs of your stakeholders in your marketplace. I know what you’re thinking. My conclusion may sound biased, since I am employed by a full-service ad agency, I can also offer […]

How do you use social media in public relations? I’m not asking how you write a social media strategy for your clients, or how you adapt social messaging across different platforms, or how you’ve run a social contest, or how you’ve leveraged Periscope at an event. I’m asking if you, as a PR professional, are […]

The New Year gives us a clean slate and an opportunity to make resolutions to improve our lives. Typical goals and resolutions include losing weight, exercising more, improving finances, getting a new job or procrastinating less. Which, I’m sure we’ll all fully accomplish this year. Yeah, right. According to recent research published in the University […]

As a public relations professional working in the 21st century, I am reminded every day about the importance of combining traditional tactics with (the ever-growing in popularity) practices from the wonderful world of technology. Social media, search engine optimization and big data analysis—to name a few—are not going away any time soon, but many of […]

Reorganization. If your organization is going through it, you’re also going to have to deal with reorganizing a very important marketing function: media buying. You have three approaches to choose from, each with merits and disadvantages: centralized, decentralized or a hybrid. With the centralized approach, you consolidate all media buying for each division and service […]

PR professionals have gotten a bad rap, stereotyped as cutthroat, competitive communicators who are constantly stressing out, skating around the truth and drinking excessive amounts of coffee (well, we do drink a lot of coffee). But despite the generalization, PR pros can actually do good. Did I say that loud enough? We can do good. Recently, […]

I’m no writer. Which might become evident as you make your way through this. When I was in college, nobody told me how important writing would be once I landed a marketing job. Maybe they didn’t think it was important because of how fast everything in marketing and advertising changes. But I’ve come to accept […]

Almost 400 people took the Business and Labor Resources Employment Branding Survey this past June. The results highlight the importance of marketing and human resources professionals working together to build and maintain an employment brand. Slightly more than one quarter (26.6%) of survey respondents said their organization has an employment brand program—i.e., “a program directed […]

If you scour our website and blog, you’ll see the words “brand” and “branding” popping up all over the place. It’s at the very core of what we do, so naturally we like to talk about it. What makes our jobs more fun is when our clients adopt that same love and appreciation for branding […]

  by: Kathleen Doyle and Michael English While we’ve heard rumblings in the industry about the demise of Flash for some time, it has become a reality only recently. Here’s a quick history of the rocky relationship between the Internet and Flash. Back in 2007, Apple chose not to allow a Flash player plugin on […]

In my career I have built, enhanced and even created numerous brands for multiple organizations in healthcare, higher education, and other industries. And people always ask me, “How long does it take to establish a brand?” My answer: five years. In the first phase, you’ll develop your brand. This requires qualitative and quantitative marketplace, stakeholder […]

The term “diversity” is popping up more and more in in the news and within our organizations. Why? Diversity is great for business—it’s a key driver of innovation, and it’s crucial for companies that want to attract top talent. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) is no longer just “training” that your employer requires you to complete—it’s […]

While business owners keep the doors open, change agents do that and more. They constantly challenge the status quo and find new ways to achieve greater success—and then work tirelessly to ensure that success. These driven people share four traits: They invest in good people. Success hinges upon the people you surround yourself with. Change […]

If you’re not a millennial, you probably have a mental image of how we behave—we can’t put our phones down, we can’t pay attention to anything for more than a few seconds, we aren’t following the traditional 9–5 workday and we can be kind of difficult. It’s all true. But we’re also an important demographic—and […]

Whether you have separate teams dedicated to marketing and new business development, or you have one person responsible for both, you need to start an inbound marketing program. What makes inbound so important? Let’s start with something everyone (especially our b2b clients) realizes: The buyer’s journey has changed. There’s now this Zero Moment of Truth—the moment […]

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is stirring up conversations and sparking new ideas in the minds of advertising and business professionals. A breeding ground for networking opportunities and business partnerships, the weeklong advertising festival can be seen as “the SXSW for the international set,” complete with celebrity appearances and musical performances. According to […]

What is a color scheme? As Dictionary.com defines it: an arrangement or pattern of colors or colored objects conceived of as forming an integrated whole As designers, we are trained to seek out color schemes to communicate an idea and to justify its use in our work, whether it’s a graphic logo, a painting or […]

If you’re asking the question, the answer is probably yes. If you’re in a position to speak on behalf of your company or organization in front of the “fourth estate,” you should have some understanding of how the media operates and how to get your messages across effectively. Good media training can get you there. […]

I would be wealthy if I had a nickel for every time a member of the faculty, staff, administration or board said, “I didn’t realize you could help with that.” Far too often, the marcom (marketing/communications) and public relations office is brought into a situation requiring communication to internal and external stakeholders late in the […]

Twenty years ago, I crammed into the Philadelphia Civic Center with more than 6,000 of my fellow Temple University classmates to receive my journalism degree. After a few years spent working for a newspaper, I came over to the “dark side” and joined the agency world. I’ve never looked back. I’ve been thinking a lot […]

“TheSkimm,” a free email newsletter skimming three to five top stories in the world geared toward female millennials, recently announced it would start pairing up with other companies to bring in advertising revenue. It will do this through strategic “partnerships” rather than typical ads. Approaching its third anniversary, theSkimm has grown exponentially in popularity and […]

Many have heard me talk about how lucky I was to “fall into” the advertising business. Not sure it was pure luck—my dad owned an advertising/PR shop for many years that was located, coincidentally, about two blocks from my office today. My entry into this business was pretty much accidental. I had given notice at […]

This year I attended my fifth ASPR (Association of Staff Physician Recruiters) conference. My biggest takeaway: The physician shortage has truly become a real, living, breathing thing that, understandably, has a lot of recruiters terrified. Rewind to 2011. Chicago. The conference was smaller with fewer attendees and vendors.  You would hear “The physician shortage is […]

As a staff recruiter, you have to target physicians precisely, and then differentiate yourself from your competition — and do it all on time and on budget. That budget may be tight. You may be a team of one. And the physician shortage sure doesn’t help. But you press on. Because your bottom line relies […]

Who is your person? Your most trusted source of information and support? Who is the person you look to for guidance? For me it’s my husband. He’s smart, he’s usually right, and I trust him. (Not so much when it comes to grumpy teenagers or what shoes go with what outfit, but that’s another story.) […]

If you’re a B2B company and aren’t blogging on the reg yet, what in the world are you waiting for? While your competitors are blogging to generate new leads, you’re going to become a victim of falling behind. But I get it – you’re busy – and in charge of everything from strategic planning, running […]

As a communication major at the University of Delaware, I have endured endless lectures and read countless chapters about the importance of crisis communication. Any public figure, organization, or institution is vulnerable to a “crisis,” whether a serious threat to people or property or a blow to their reputation. Public relations professionals know that the […]

Indiana could learn something from California, or at least from a member of the Oakland Athletics. Diversity has been on the minds of everyone in the country this week. Obviously, we have all heard about the religious-freedom law that Indiana just “secretly” not-so-secretly passed. I am positive that if you did not have an opinion […]

When I first started as a media intern here at AB&C, one of my most frequent tasks was analyzing different media vendors for plans. This included vendors servicing print and digital magazines, websites, outdoor media ventures, out of home media, social media vendors — you name it. I would research and analyze different organizations to […]

A baseball player from Bloomsburg University tweeted a shocking and unforgivable comment. The tweet was about Mo’ne Davis, the amazing young athlete who became an instant sensation during last year’s Little League World Series. In case you missed it: If you didn’t know, one of our Aloysius Butler & Clark offices is located in Bloomsburg, […]

Whether you’re the old pro bringing in a new client or you’re the newbie at your agency, you quickly realize how important relationships are. How do you build trust quickly? And how do you sustain and strengthen the client/agency relationship? Who better to ask than AB&C’s CEO John Hawkins and Director of Client Services Mike […]

Earlier this week I received the following email, and because of their confidentiality notice I’m just going to paste the copy: Subject: Additional Sales Leads Hi, Are you currently in need of help in generating leads or appointments for your business? We can help you through our Multichannel Marketing Solutions. I’d be happy to talk […]

Hospitals and healthcare systems that promote rewarding team-oriented work environments surely get their fair share of physician candidates. But those who champion inclusion and diversity in their workplaces often fare even better. That’s because a more diverse group of people can offer varied perspectives on issues from patient care and treatment to harmony in the […]

The short answer is yes. According to an article in Social Media Today: 72% of Internet users look for health information online. 77% of Internet users read blogs. 81% of U.S. consumers trust advice and information from blogs. Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links. OK, you say, this makes sense for a larger […]

Remember summer reading lists? If you were like me, you procrastinated until late August then hustled through all of the books — barely finishing before the first day of school or even later (don’t tell Mrs. Holden). But there was one summer reading book that I couldn’t put down — To Kill a Mockingbird. I […]

Inbound or content marketing is nothing new. As marketers, we’ve been creating content — e-books, white papers, webinars, infographics, blogs — for years. What’s new is using inbound to build business. Here’s how: We create content that potential buyers want and need, optimize the website, build trust with the prospect through personalized lead nurturing, and […]

Budgets. There, I said it. I’ve never been a fan of surprises. There’s a silly little dance that takes place in most client-agency relationships around the subject of budgets. I call it the budget tango. Clients want to know what the plan is for the year and how much it’s going to cost. Agencies want […]

It’s no secret why organizations that focus on having a diverse workplace solve problems with a unique perspective and develop cultural competencies that help them with their bottom line. Diversity and inclusion messaging targeted at specific groups is being seen more and more in advertising and employee recruitment messaging. Our own Tara Moore realizes how […]

I finally hit my one-year anniversary at AB&C — and every day I still wake up as excited as I was on my first day of work here. I know, sounds totally cheesy — but whatever. I refuse to get into a rut. Because once things get stagnant, I quit pushing myself to become better. […]

Know what drives your prospects. As marketers, we need to help our sales teams with longer sales cycles face one of their biggest challenges: staying top-of-mind during a decision-making process that can drag on for months or years. At AB&C, we’ve come up with a process that uses strategy and technology to meet this challenge […]

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already plunged headfirst into planning for 2015. But with the marketing industry in a constant state of change, you have to hustle to keep up with the latest ways to reach your customers. What will your most effective marketing efforts look like in the New Year? I’m glad you […]

On January 15, Facebook users are going to see a cleaned-up newsfeed with less clutter and more controls for promotional posts. Facebook decided to make these changes after surveying users and learning they want less promotional content and more stories from friends and posts from pages they opted in to see. Facebook decided to crack […]

Really? What an intriguing thought. But whose happiness are we talking about? Employees’? Management’s? The entire company’s? I’ve heard a lot of sentences begin with the words “happiness is.” Most of the definitions are so simple and “inspirational” that I don’t give them a second thought. But this one made me stop and click through […]

When the Department of Public Health asked us to promote HealthyDelaware.org — a resource to help Delawareans learn about cancer prevention, screening and treatment programs — we knew social media would play a key role. We partnered social media with paid media to run promoted posts and kick-start engagement. To capture the spirit of a […]

Great — now that I have your attention, it’s time for the ol’ bait-and-switch. Instead of offering 10 ways to stop scope creep, I’ll describe the five things you need to prevent and adapt to scope creep. If you’re a project or account manager who has worked in an agency, you’re very familiar with scope […]

I’m a PR professional. But my real job is storyteller. I use press releases, feature articles, social media and grassroots outreach to get our clients’ messages across. But sometimes, the client needs to be the storyteller. The AB&C PR team offers a variety of training modules to help our clients communicate clearly and effectively. Maybe […]

The advertising industry has evolved since the days of the Mad Men. Full-service agencies have given way to specialty shops. These shops usually focus on one marketing tactic — PR, SEO, website design or maybe inbound marketing. And they tend to concentrate on only one or two industries. I heard this line over and over […]

Social media is a powerful way to build brand awareness and get your message out to millions. Three-quarters of the adult world is on social media every day! Here are some essential tips: Develop a strategic plan. Before engaging on social media, you need to answer two questions: Who are you trying to reach, and […]

A website portal is an excellent way to brand your organization and offer members something more specific then the general information on your website. We recently updated one of our client’s physician recruitment portals by asking these three simple, strategic questions: What do your clients want? Make your site easy to navigate so visitors can […]

Conferences come in all forms and sizes. They can be cheap or expensive, close or far away, worthwhile or totally pointless. As a marketer, should you still attend? AB&C exhibits at seven or eight conferences a year — this doesn’t include the ones we attend to simply gain insight and industry knowledge for our respective […]

What began as freelance project to illustrate a book cover turned into an opportunity to design the entire book. The owner of a small start-up publishing house, who is familiar with my work and has also bought a few of my paintings, asked me to illustrate a cover for a book she was putting together. […]

I spent all of last week in Boston at Inbound 2014. The conference was full of ridiculously smart speakers — Martha Stewart, Malcolm Gladwell and Simon Sinek were all wonderful keynotes. It was impossible to leave a session without being fired up. But I don’t want to go on about how awesome every session was […]

The best physicians deliver better care. But what’s the best way to find those physicians? Investing in locum tenens to fill vacancies can certainly deliver the physicians your patients need, and there will always be a need for them. But at what cost? The physicians’ longevity and loyalty are uncertain, and they’re only a short-term […]

This week, the folks at Facebook have released some major updates to their algorithm that will affect us as marketers. Click-baiting First, they’re targeting click-bait posts. As defined in their official release, “Click-baiting” is when a publisher posts a link with a headline that encourages people to click to see more, without telling them much […]

Each year it seems that marketing budgets get smaller. But your boss wants a higher return on everything you do, right? You have to be careful with your budget — and show how your marketing dollars lead directly to an increase in company revenue. As a marketer, you may feel overwhelmed staying on top of […]

We know you. You’re a hospital or a healthcare system looking to increase your brand awareness or service-line volumes in your noisy city. You’re one of many hospitals patients can choose from when they have an emergency, need a doctor or are looking for preventive programs. And you’ve probably noticed that when patients come in […]

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has taken social media by storm! We have witnessed friends, family, celebrities and organizations from across the nation dumping buckets of freezing-cold ice water on their heads! Our very own PR team grabbed their buckets, donated to the cause and called out the Creative department and our Philly office. No, […]

This reassuring advice was offered early in my career, as I sweated over every word of a telephone-banking ad. Fast-forward to Aloysius Butler & Clark. Since joining the agency, I’ve transitioned from a purely b2b writer to also being involved in healthcare and life science accounts. I’ve gone from promoting electronics, trucks, doors, chemicals and […]

This has always been a pet peeve of mine. When someone utters this phrase, I think, “You should try harder.” I could care less vs. I couldn’t care less The point of the statement is that the speaker doesn’t care at all. But to say s/he could care less literally means that there is potential […]

We needed to face the problem. Whether enjoying our famous beaches, working outside or just relaxing in the summer sun, Delawareans spend a lot of time outside. So what’s the big deal? Well, ultraviolet radiation from the sun — and indoor tanning — have done some serious damage in the First State. The most recent […]

Our client partners at Sartomer, a business unit of Arkema Inc., wanted to take a step back and look at their position in their industry — chemical ingredients for adhesives, inks, packaging, etc. As any good agency should, we started with research and in-depth interviews with Sartomer managers and customers in the United States, Asia […]

Sometimes when people ask me what I do, I say, “I order pens.” That’s a simplification, but an accurate one. I manage the “outside” items AB&C buys for our clients: printing, billboards, displays, giveaways — that sort of thing. I’m that annoying person who insists on facts: when, where, how much, what color, what size. […]

How does an ad agency not become the shoemaker’s child? By doing its own advertising and marketing. As a 43-year-old agency that expanded into the city of Philadelphia — known for cheesesteaks, relentless sports fans and a statue of Rocky at the steps of the Art Museum — AB&C wanted to be noticed. And kick-ass print ads […]

Nobody has to tell you times are tough. Budgets are tight. And senior execs at your hospital or health system likely believe your efforts to attract physicians and advance practitioners are getting more expensive. And to an extent, they’re right — because they only look at recruitment as an expense. It’s our job to show […]

When it comes to media outlets our ever-increasing demand for interaction has forced certain traditional forms of advertising to evolve — or risk the fate of the eight-track player. What comes to mind when you picture taxicab advertising — probably a small billboard atop a yellow car, right? Well think again. Taxi cab advertising is now […]

It’s been said that good fences make good neighbors. On the flip side of that, particularly in the advertising industry, open doors create an atmosphere where misunderstandings are prevented and teamwork can flourish. It’s strange how many misinterpretations of fact and rumors start because we don’t communicate. Well, we’re in the advertising industry and we […]

No, not really. It’s a common question and a tough one to answer. What does a graphic designer do? Webster’s defines graphic design as “the art or profession of using design elements (as typography and images) to convey information or create an effect.” To understand what graphic design is, think about how it affects your […]

Tourism advertising has changed with the times. Even though people still read magazines and news publications to “think” about where they might want to spend their hard-earned dollars, they do their actual booking and planning online. Consumers today tune out TV commercials with their DVRs and TiVo’s, opting instead to listen to satellite or Pandora […]

# 11 – I can write my blog with pen and paper if I want to.

The hashtag #agencylife has come into the advertising scene with a clear purpose — to let our friends who chose a profession in finance, medicine or law know that we’re having more fun at work than they are. Being quirky, spontaneous and fun breeds creative intelligence here at AB&C, and it’s important to showcase that. […]

Let’s say that you own a grocery store with several aisles of frozen food. Now let’s say that your freezer’s compressor — which works hard to keep your food frozen — breaks down. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll try to fix the compressor yourself. But more than likely you’ll need to call an electrician — an […]

By textbook and tradition, we in PR are in the business of influencing, and frequently, outright changing perceptions.  We try to inform and educate. Sometimes we are given great stories to tell; more commonly we’re asked to elevate the mundane or, perhaps too often, gild the less positive aspects of a situation. Frequently, however, it […]

Back in November 2013, Google replaced its Google Certification Program with its Google Partners Program. Originally, if you worked in the paid search space you would take Google AdWords exams to achieve Google Certification. This meant you were deemed an expert in Google AdWords, making you a more attractive employee and giving your company a […]

To steal a line from one of the best songs ever written, it’s been a long time coming — but a change has finally come to advertising. While the country generally has grown more socially liberal, advertising has lagged behind. According to a recent Ad Age article, advertising has proved to be the last frontier […]

Just like work happy hours, work outings are a great way to connect with your coworkers and create a friendlier working environment. And in the middle of a brutal winter, Aloysius Butler & Clark knew how to bring a little sunshine and color: with a work outing. When I walked into work on a chilly […]

Advertising optimism is on the rise again, and for good reason. Industry segments are hiring again, advertisers and their agencies are regaining budgets, consumer confidence is growing, and the mass adoption of advanced television and entertainment consoles may very well yield the next great surge of creative advertising and media marketing. We’re heading into uncharted […]

I’m writing this blog post on Monday, April 21 — Boston Marathon Monday. Last year, the marathon was held on my birthday. As a runner who couldn’t be there, I took that as a kind of consolation prize. But that particular birthday — April 15, 2013 — will be etched in my heart and mind […]

Now that we’ve gone over some basics in Part 1, let’s look at how the Agile methodology can work in your agency. As with any project, your team members are your most important assets. Agile doesn’t call for the smartest, fastest or most specialized team members available. Instead, it works best with T-shaped people. I […]

Reality’s fine for the everyday world, but sometimes you need something a little more stimulating and rewarding. Well, you’re in luck. Now you can experience a type of hyperreality — a mixture of physical and virtual reality that enables you to expand your mind while exploring unattainable vistas. Hyperreality was just the next logical step […]

Some fashion trends stick around for way, way too long. And some stuff just stays in your closet way, way too long. You know what I’m talking about: that loud pair of platforms and that mohair turtleneck sweater you just had to have when you were 17. But somewhere in all that mess, you have […]

We write stuff to give information or opinions or feelings or whatever to someone else. We need that someone to understand what we’re putting out. So it’s important to be clear. Now, you may say, it’s tough to be clear, because English is a language with a lot of tricky rules. And they’re always changing. […]

The short answer is yes. According to a recent article in Social Media Today: 81% of U.S. consumers trust advice and information from blogs. Small businesses with blogs generate 126% more leads. 61% of U.S. consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post. So how do you write a good one? Determine your […]

Has it been a while since you’ve gotten any killer ideas from your agency? Is the creative they give you an echo of the suggestions you gave them? Do you feel like they’re not giving you their best? You can do something about it. Give your agency a report card. Everyone that works for someone […]

My wife and I are expecting our third child in about a month and the pressure is on to pick a name for “baby girl.” When we tell people we don’t have a name yet, some of them think we’re just trying to keep it a secret so no one else picks the name. If […]

Depends on whom you ask. Google Glass will either be the biggest game changer in wearable technology, or a creepy Big Brother bust that sends people running for the exits. For those who’ve been living under a rock, Google Glass is essentially a smartphone worn as glasses. It’s got 13 functions including hands-free camera/video/phone, Internet […]

When it comes to St. Patrick’s Day, I’m somewhat out of the loop (mostly by heritage). But I was curious: Why do so many people love to participate in this celebration? Ask anyone, “What’s the first thing that comes to your mind about St. Patrick’s Day?” and you get a lot of different answers. Some […]

In the world of analytics, there’s this one, single dirty word that never fails to grate on an analyst’s nerves: “hit.” As in: “How many hits did we get?” “Did we get any hits on our landing page?” “Can you check the hits for me on that campaign?” I’ll let you in on a secret: […]

You’ve probably heard about “responsive web design” by now. Hopefully you’ve been able to incorporate this into any new web projects you’re working on, and you’ve already converted — or plan to convert — your existing high-value or high-traffic websites. While responsive web design has been universally accepted and adopted, it does have a dark […]

Every day on my way to work I witness an amazing number of people who put their lives and the lives of others in jeopardy. People eating, reading the newspaper, smoking, putting on makeup, talking on their cell phones and — worst of all — texting. For what? They swerve, drive too slow, run off […]

On February 13, social media giant Facebook took a courageous step forward by improving its gender identity feature. Previously it only offered “male” or “female” as a user’s choices. It now lists over 50 possibilities, along with pronouns the user can choose to let friends know how they would like to be referred to publicly. […]

Though we all know about color — the ones we like and the ones we don’t like — color is often misunderstood. In certain combinations, colors can scream or whisper. This is because colors are influenced by adjacent colors. In our industry, designers understand how important color choices are. To the untrained eye, color choice […]

Agile marketing is a relatively new term being thrown around by marketers and project managers to help us adapt to the ever-changing landscape of marketing. In the late 1990s, software developers created agile methodology, which focuses on iterative and incremental goals when developing large programs, to help streamline the development process. Agile is pretty new […]

Five observations on getting the most out of the people you depend on for breakthrough marketing communications, or what 10 years on the client side and 35 years on the agency side has taught me. Among other things. Creativity isn’t a commodity. And you won’t get it out of your agency team by saying, “This […]

Yesterday’s six-hour rain delay of the Daytona 500 could have been a huge letdown for NASCAR fans. Instead, they spent the afternoon joking with their favorite drivers, getting updates on track conditions from race officials, and having a “fireside chat” with at least one driver (Clint Bowyer), who told track reporters that he was having […]

Breaking news: This has been one horrible winter for any one living in the eastern third of the country. Let’s be honest, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois — even parts of Ohio and New York — you expect to get hit like this. But the South is wholly unprepared (according to my friends in Atlanta), and […]

Most people, including those of us in the communications business, tend to picnic in the spring, summer or fall when the warm weather soothes the body and mind. Often, this includes family and friends, a cookout in a park, good food, and a bit of libation — with the objective of just plain fun and […]

Growing up I remember every weekend watching ABC’s “The Wide World of Sports.” It was 1961 when Wimbledon was broadcast for the first time. I decided then tennis would be my sport. I’ve played since high school and have been playing competitive team tennis for the last 20-plus years. About a year ago I was given […]

Ding! New email comes in. Subject line: “Who needs a drink?!” You waver a little bit before responding. On the one hand, it’s been a long day and you really need to unwind. And there’s nothing important that you had to do after work. On the other hand, you just don’t know if you feel […]

We all know that good advertising and branding are important parts of selling products. But did you ever wonder what that really fancy logo and packaging are hiding? I’m talking about the major brands we trust to feed ourselves and our children. They say they use all-natural ingredients: whole grains, organic vegetables — you know, […]

When it comes to social media, LinkedIn often gets overlooked. Think about it like siblings from TV’s most famous sitcoms. I’ll go with shows from three eras — The Brady Bunch, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Modern Family. Facebook is the pretty and popular older sibling (Marcia Brady, Hilary Banks, or Haley Dunphy). Twitter […]

Gotcha! I know why you’re here. Pervert. Let me be straight with you: There isn’t any hot free XXX content here. So if that was what you were looking for, the browser back button is located in the upper left-hand corner of this window. Now that we’ve lost 90% of the visitors to this page, […]

For years we’ve been studying Millennials. We know their mindset, values and technographics. We know where to find them online and offline. We know the best ways marketing can gain their brand loyalty and how to entice them to become advocates for our brands. Except, most Millennials are now 18 to 34 years old. Millennials […]

I’m about to place a national brand in a positive light. But in the interest of full disclosure, our agency has not, and never has had, any relationship with this brand. In other words, we have nothing to gain by pumping up this brand within the hallowed halls of the AB&C blog-a-teria. So now that […]

It’s January, and everyone’s fancy turns to predicting the future. Okay, maybe not everyone’s, but that’s what you’ll hear a lot about this time of year. December is for looking backwards and January is the forward-looking month. JWT, a division WPP Group (formerly known as J. Walter Thompson), always makes predictions about marketing communications in […]

I had the TV on Sunday morning as I sat down to write about an Advertising Age article claiming that 80% of Super Bowl ads flop. In the background I hear Charles Osgood, host of CBS Sunday Morning, mention that this week marks the 30th anniversary of Apple’s famous “1984” Super Bowl commercial. A commercial that […]

Just when it seems as though the world could not be more obsessed with Beyoncé, the singer has found a way to prove us wrong. On December 13, Queen B shocked the world with the unexpected release of her self-titled “visual album.” When the 14-track, 17-video album suddenly dropped on iTunes at midnight, social media […]

Working in the media department, I’ve been learning how to put together digital media reports. And I’ve learned that, while there is great power in facts and figures, a well-told story can move mountains. Numbers are forgotten over time. To engage our clients, we need to shape those numbers into stories. In our reporting, we […]

Unless you’ve been tucked away in an alternate dimension for the past decade or so, you know about social media. But are you aware of a social media phenomenon I’ve come to think of as adult creep? Social media was originated and initially populated mostly by young people looking for a way to connect with each […]

Last June, Bank of America’s Small Business Community asked me about setting benchmarks for digital campaigns. There’s no denying benchmarks have a lot of value. We use them to see how our campaigns perform based on the industry standard. Having a hard and fast number definitely draws the line in the sand between what is […]

If you’re a marketer or small-business owner, you should be creating high-quality content that gets shared and ranks high in search engines. But with more than 750 million websites competing for people’s attention, how can you make sure your online audience is receiving your message? The answer is effective distribution. Most of us have heard […]

I’m a gym rat. I love lifting weights, yoga, you name it. The days when I leave feeling less than exhausted, I realize it’s because I didn’t have a plan walking into the gym. So I always try to enter the gym with a specific goal — is it a cardio day or a weight […]

In 2009, there was a terrific documentary on advertising called Art & Copy. It’s an inspirational film that celebrates the most influential creative professionals of the past five decades. And there is something very telling in the title. Most of today’s creative directors rose out of the ranks of art director and copywriter — art […]

POTUS, along with some other ruling “buddies,” decided to take a selfie at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service this week. Wow. This is one of the craziest displays of bad judgment of this news cycle — if not this year. Or is it? Statistics tell us that photos are the thing to share, so is it […]

Long before LeSean McCoy rushed into the record books in Sunday’s Eagles-Lions game in Philadelphia, the game itself was already a legend in the making. A surprise snowstorm and a second-half comeback by the home team made a captivating story for sports fans across the country. Now that I have thawed out from hours spent […]

It’s no wonder that broadcasters and some advertisers see Twitter as the ideal promotional partner. The Media Audit reports that nearly 15% of consumers who watch TV during prime time on a typical day have also used Twitter in the past 30 days. That’s an increase of more than 60% compared to 9.2% just two […]

  Lack of diversity affects our lives personally and professionally. In this country, equality for everyone — minority, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender — seems like a simple concept. Sadly, I struggle every day to understand why it is not. Challenges such as marriage equality and feeling safe in the workplace (Employment Non-Discrimination Act) are […]

Welcome to the wildest of times in the history of American healthcare. Consumers, physicians and advanced practitioners, administrators, insurers, and government bureaucrats are caught up in a systematic change that’s as manageable as a tornado in a mailbox. Since 2010, we’ve all been loosely aware of the guidelines of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care […]

Your online presence is bigger than you think. It’s certainly bigger than your website. People are talking about your business all over the Internet — whether you like it or not. Maybe you’ve never visited a review or social media site, but guess what? They’ve probably visited you. Someone stopped in for a bite, bought […]

Not so long ago, a company would lure a potential employee with a competitive salary and medical benefits. These days, companies have new ammunition — perks. Perks represent the “value” employers put on their employees. But they also have a potentially darker side. Salary.com recently posted an article about 14 companies that offer incredible employee […]

The Internet has made it easy to complain about anything at the drop of a hat. Whether or not the complaints are justified, it’s important to know how to handle them without offending the complainer or the rest of your customer base. So here’s what not to do: 1. Make the person feel like an […]

If you missed Part I, get caught up before you read any further.  Dawn guessed that whoever was haunting the first floor might have been alive during the 1930s. She began to play a ’30s hymn on the piano in an attempt to rile up the spirit. No response. Perhaps the ghost was more of […]

Aloysius Butler & Clark has a full house these days. We’ve been steadily adding new clients, which means we’ve been taking on additional employees to handle our ever-increasing workload. So it’s time to kick out a wall or two — we want to keep everyone happy, right? And by everyone, we mean the living and […]

The Highlights Combo of Venison sausage and steak tips Sauté onions celery & peppers in bacon fat 3 types of peppers Cocoa powder and a bit of cinnamon

The Ingredients 85/15 Ground Beef 1 can petite tomatoes 1 can diced chilies 1 can light red kidney beans 1 cup salsa sautéd diced white onion and green pepper chili powder cayan red pepper ground cumin salt and pepper crushed red chili pepper flakes 1 package taco seasoning Hot sauce Triple X habanero sauce And […]

Well, you can — if you don’t mind it ending or taking on an entirely different tone when the next semester starts. Social media has become the latest stepchild in the world of digital marketing campaigns. At least it has good company. When Quark and Pagemaker came out in the ’90s, everyone was an instant […]

Serves 8-12 (party size) 1 lb. dried navy beans 2 large white onions, chopped 3 tbs garlic, chopped 2 sticks unsalted butter 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 4 cups half-and-half 2 teaspoons Tabasco, or to taste 1 tbs chili powder 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons salt 1 teaspoon white […]

Sports marketing has been around at least since the 1870s, when a tobacco company started making baseball cards and sticking them in cigarette packs. Any sports fan will tell you that there is a special level of respect for those advertisers that sponsor their favorite team. Nowhere is this respect more evident than within the […]

Once again, a study has confirmed that there are significantly more risks associated with not vaccinating children than there are with vaccinating them. The study — published on September 30 in Pediatrics — looked at rates of pertussis (whooping cough) in California, and compared them to rates in areas where parents withheld vaccines from their […]

So, I’m driving along an unfamiliar country road enjoying the scenery when I approach a crossroads with a red octagonal sign but no words. What’s a guy to do? Instinct tells me to take my foot off the gas and come to a stop. This may seem like a no-brainer but there’s a reason for […]

We’re proud to be partnering with our friends from MedStar Health and Scripps Health to present an Idea Workshop at SHSMD’s Annual Conference. Our workshop will tackle seven of the most common healthcare marketing challenges faced by our colleagues around the country. We identified these challenges through a brainstorming session with MedStar and Scripps, a poll of […]

If you’re anything like me, a 30-something year old parent who’s typically in bed by 9:30 most nights, you probably weren’t up to watch this year’s MTV’s VMAs. But like most people today, the first thing we go for when we wake up is our mobile device, so the previous night’s big topics are all […]

With all the modern ways of communicating, it still comes down to good writing. Tweets, blogs, web copy and infographics still require dynamic writing that engages your audience. The rules for good PR writing still apply in the social media era. Some say the demands of sound bites and 140 characters make good writing next […]

It’s so easy to fall into certain work habits. Some can help us be very productive, while others merely turn into … well, bad habits. As a young account executive sitting at metallic desk in a not-so-semi-private cubicle, I aspired to one day have my own office, with a wooden desk and a fine leather […]

What is a stronger employment brand really worth? If you want to recruit and retain top talent, visit our recruitment marketing page. 

An interesting collection of statistics showing the current state of physician recruitment If you want to recruit and retain top talent, visit our recruitment marketing page. 

Every weight-loss TV ad worth its salt has a “results not typical” disclaimer at the end of it. You know what I mean. You see a newly svelte man or woman standing inside a pair of giant jeans that once housed their enormous frames — with the disclaimer, “Results not typical.” If these “results” aren’t […]

Analyze analyze analyze, buy buy buy — that’s the credo of today’s media department. But it wasn’t always so. When I first started, my first boss told me that the way to “buy” was to look at the rate cards (yes, we had them then), determine which programs had the highest rates and put the […]

It’s been a long day. I just want to come home and chill out. After having some dinner and getting everything squared away for the next day, I plop down on my comfy couch for my prime time show of the night that I’ve waited all day to watch. Who cares that I’ve changed into […]

Despite massive success in 2012, Red Frog Events wanted to keep things fresh when promoting their 2nd annual Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware. To reach their core audience, social media was a must. What evolved was one of the most successful Twitter campaigns I’ve seen to date (not counting Oreo’s brilliant moment with a […]

When I tell people I’m in recruitment marketing, they ask, “So you recruit doctors?” Or they nod knowingly, assuming I’m in traditional marketing. The words “recruitment” and “marketing” together have that effect. People find the concept challenging. Unlike most of our colleagues on the services or B2B side, we work in a fickle climate. Job […]

The creative process is constantly evolving. From the beginning of my career in the ’70s to today, it has kept up with — or kept ahead of — the ever-changing world we live in. But one aspect has proven to be steadfast over time: creative intelligence. It’s the most important part of the process. When […]

Recently, while I was on hold with Comcast for more time than it would have taken to buy a new TV, I was reminded of the “old days” when you spoke with a person — a real person. A new website, GetHuman.com, has become quite popular. On it, you can find tips on how to […]

Numbers. Lots and lots of numbers. Sometimes facts and data can be really intimidating. That’s why infographics are so valuable: When we see complex data represented visually, we’re better able to decipher and retain it, and therefore better able to share it with others. In this video, designer Francesco Franchi explains what he calls “infographic […]

Trade shows are an important component of most companies’ marketing initiatives. While participating in the show expo can be a valuable way to connect with customers and prospects at local and national levels, the promotional opportunities afforded by the event extend way beyond the exhibit booth. Boost your company’s return on investment and marketing success […]

In August, I’m headed to sunny Tucson, AZ, for the annual Association of Physician Recruiters (ASPR) Conference. Along with my friend and colleague Emerson Moses of One Medical Group, I’ll present on how technology is changing recruitment. Thanks to our partnership with MDLinx.com, we’ll have great data from our 2013 market research survey on physicians […]

Those of us in PR know that social media is a force to be reckoned with. We use it for the good of mankind, quickly (and inexpensively) getting important messages out there to millions of people and creating a sense of community. Other folks, not so much. Cyberspace is being polluted more and more with […]

There’s a new TV format looming on the horizon. It’s called 4K TV. You may have seen a commercial for a Sony 4K TV last night, as I did while in the middle of composing this post. 4K, you say. What the heck is that? Well, in this case it refers to video resolution. More […]

Business-to-business publishers have embraced the digital world. The trend among them is to put an exact copy of their print version online. The only change most of them make is to add hotlinks to their advertisers’ websites. While digital does not yet make up the majority of the total circulation of most magazines, we need […]

On June 10, Apple confirmed rumors that they will be entering into the world of Internet radio. iTunes Radio is expected to launch in fall of 2013 when Apple releases its iOS7 upgrade to its mobile devices. With 120 million people listening to Internet radio, the playing field is highly competitive, occupied by several providers […]

Starting with the 2014 NBA season, teams will be allowed to sell advertising space on their home courts and backboards. No values have been set yet, but, according to Business Insider, the NBA believes this could be a $100+ million income-generator. Just think, the next time Kobe’s sitting on the bench with a towel over […]

In a world where advertisements hawking everything from cars to cleaning products bombard our oversaturated brains at every waking hour, a little shock can go a long way towards driving a company’s message home. Witness Kmart’s most recent YouTube ads entitled “Big Gas Savings” and “Ship My Pants.” If you say the names of the […]

One of the most interesting new business pitches I was ever involved in was when a prospective B2B client, a large and well-known electronics company, was trying to introduce a new product line. The problem was, these new products were very different from those that the company was well known for. The client had spent […]

It’s not easy staying cool — just ask the Fonz, the Rolling Stones and the CB radio. Since dethroning MySpace five years ago, Facebook has reigned supreme in the social media world. But don’t look back, Facebook — something might be gaining on you. Many teens, twenty-somethings and even thirty-somethings are turning to Twitter. If […]

On Tuesday, March 26, social media experienced a huge surge from Facebook page owners across the globe. In reaction to the Supreme Court’s discussion of DOMA (The Defense of Marriage Act) and California’s Proposition 8, which recognizes only opposite-sex marriages, The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) asked its followers to change their Facebook profile pictures to […]

“If journalists are gloomy about the outlook of their industry, printers are despondent.” That was a 2013 keynote speaker’s headline for his topic, “The Future of Printers.” Subtitle? “Printers Sink.” In the U.S. in 2001 there were 50,000 traditional commercial printing companies (not including phone book and newspaper and magazine publishers). Today there are fewer […]

Over my nearly (ahem) four decades in the ad business, I’ve written tons of jingles. Presided over original music sessions from Nashville to New York. And spent hundreds of hours listening to and selecting stock music and sound effects — all to create that elusive emotional connection between our clients’ brands and their consumers. Boy, […]

Ecstatic, thrilled and maybe even a little overwhelmed — that pretty much sums up how people are feeling here at AB&C after learning that we won Best in Show, 11 gold, two silvers, one bronze and four merit award at the 30th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards. Those numbers alone are pretty impressive, but what’s even […]

Have you ever said, “Wow! I just had an amazing experience with this here QR code!” It’s safe to say you’ve come across many “Quick Response” codes over the past few years, whether you knew what they were at the time or not. And if you’re in the marketing business, you’ve been asked, “Do you think we should add […]

Shari Short, president of Short Answer Consulting, and I were privileged to present at the recent 2013 National Association of Physician Recruiters Annual Conference. We spoke about communicating with different generations and what it means to physician and advanced practitioner recruiters. Our observations on the differences between communicating with the silent generation (66+), Baby Boomers […]

I’ve been to all kinds of conferences and trade shows — big and small, East Coast and West. They provide an ideal opportunity to stay abreast of trends in rapidly changing industries. They’re also a great place to network and attract new clients, if you make the most of your time. These tips will help: […]

Much to my wife’s dismay, every time we walk into a building, whether it’s a restaurant, hospital or office, I look up. The reason: For the past 20 years, I’ve handled public relations for the Ceilings Division of Armstrong, the country’s largest manufacturer of acoustical ceiling systems. If you’re reading this at work, take a look up. Chances […]

In a recent article on FierceHealthcare, the editors compiled four videos from health care providers that encourage staff—everyone from custodians to physicians—to wash their hands. These videos had been posted on YouTube, and one of the points of the article is that hospitals and other institutions are turning to social media to cut down on hospital-acquired infections. […]

You see them all the time. Predictable, cliché, meaningless words that just fill space. They’re in nine out of ten health care ads. As a writer, they drive me insane. Here’s an irritating eight we can all do without. State of the art: What exactly does that mean? Whose state are we talking about? And what […]

This little city has its problems. But the biggest problem is that too many people have given up. Not everyone — there are plenty of people who are committed to making Wilmington vital and vibrant. They open small businesses and restaurants. They bend over backwards to nurture an arts scene. They need your support. Maybe […]

Digital outdoor displays are quickly becoming one of the best mediums for cost-effective, high-impact advertising. With the ability to change a client’s creative frequently and immediately, digital outdoor displays allow you to target your consumer with the most time-relevant message. Another advantage of digital displays over traditional static displays is consumer retention. Research shows that while […]

Boosting your success up to 40% via predictive modeling With traditional and electronic media costs constantly on the rise, casting a wide net to reach B-to-B prospects can become prohibitively expensive. Though these media do reach many people, using them to find the right people — your best prospects — is often inefficient. But what […]

Since its inception, I have seen Facebook used in many ways: for self-expression, debating, celebration and, of course, connecting with friends and family. But I never imagined it as a way to remember a lost loved one or cope with death. I have dealt with a lot of death in my life. I have lost […]

The list of brands that have gone through a massive rebranding effort — only to cave into online peer pressure and revert back to their old identities (Tropicana, The Gap, University of California) — continues to grow. As someone who makes a living rebranding companies, this troubles me. Foremost, people who comment on Internet threads […]

After enough pushing, prodding and hearing the “But everybody’s on Facebook” argument, you finally decided your business needed a page. About 90 percent of small businesses are on it, so welcome to the club. Whether your page is brand-spanking new or a couple of years old, you want to know how you’re doing. As with […]

I worked in an advertising agency back in the early ‘90s when a new business win mushroomed into half of our agency business—cell phone advertising. I still remember a creative director asking me what it would take to get me to purchase a cell phone. He was looking for ad concept ideas. The big selling […]

I’ve recently become obsessed with where my food comes from. And I don’t think I’m alone. There are farmers’ markets and Whole Foods popping up all over the place. Whole Foods’ labels don’t just give you the “Best Before” date on your New York strip, they tell you where the cow lived, his name and […]

To anyone who’s faced with a cable bill in excess of $200 every month, news that Intel is planning on “blowing up the cable industry” with its own set-top box and unbundled cable service is big stuff. Instead of paying a fortune for 500 channels you rarely watch, Intel says they’ll allow you to subscribe […]

You’re in a concept meeting. Your client, a skin cancer organization, has asked you to come up with an advertisement that will convince young women to stop using tanning beds. Your coworker, the mother of a teenage daughter, speaks up. “My daughter Kelly had no idea that tanning beds can cause cancer until I told […]

Google Analytics is a data source powerhouse. It can measure almost everything, so it can be pretty overwhelming. Here are a few key metrics any small business, blogger or marketer just starting out should focus on. Where is my target audience? In Google Analytics, if you look at your demographics by location, you can get […]

Waiting an entire week to watch the next episode of your favorite TV show is beginning to seem as outdated as watching a show in real time. The DVR liberated millions of people from having to be in front of the television at a certain time on a certain day of the week. And now […]

It can sometimes be intimidating to come up with the perfect blog post. Here are 5 tips for creating a blog post that will leave ‘em wanting more:

In this country we are blessed with the opportunities of the free enterprise system that can richly reward the hard work and singular focus of driven entrepreneurs. However, the free enterprise economic model can be a fickle lover. It is devoid of emotion and will turn on the unwary. Today’s success is tomorrow’s Rubicon for […]

For as long as I’ve been in the business of planning and purchasing digital media, we have been buying display ads by impressions served. That means that when the server serving up the banner ad to the site records that an impression has been served, it is counted as an impression. When you buy display […]

The Internet is everywhere — seeping into conversations, bulging out of jean pockets and trembling in the hands of nearly half of the American population. Never in history has access to information been so readily available; never has the information itself been so torrential. One side effect of all this interconnectivity: It has left the […]

Come Sunday, I — along with millions of other Americans — will be sitting on my couch surrounded by good friends, ice-cold beer and wings. My eyes will be glued to the nearest flat-screen to watch (and criticize) the Super Bowl halftime show. Aside from the advertisements, this spectacle is one of the main reasons […]

I’m not an early adopter. I let other folks experience first-generation electronics to pave the way for me. I wait to hear a little more, watch the products and read reviews to make completely sure of any new purchase. But this past Christmas, I was starting to feel left behind. Young children were walking around […]

We like to think of ourselves as excellent communicators; we’re in the business, right? But, according to a recent article in Ragan’s Health Care Communication News, we as communicators are really in sales. To be successful, we have to “focus on what [we] can give to others, and not what [we] can get.” Author Susan […]

My wish for print design is for it to stick around for years and years to come. In my short seven years out of college, the print design world has changed dramatically. I long for the days when I used expensive papers, die-cuts and special printing techniques on every project. I miss trips to the […]

Move to Nevada. That’s where you can get behind the wheel of a self-automated car. On March 1, 2012, Nevada legalized the use of automated cars on its roads — the first state to do so. Nevada has also given Google the first-ever self-driven car license in the country. Google’s self-driven cars rely on video […]

Like most American men, I’m a huge football fan. Specifically, my allegiance is to the Philadelphia Eagles (you can now officially feel sorry for me). This year has been rough, as we’ve seen draft picks underperform, free agents take large contracts and contribute very little and, after all was said and done, our coach get […]

Everyone blogs—kids, cats, Starbucks, even an accused criminal. But in the world of hospital communications, blogging is not nearly as prevalent. In fact, fewer than four percent of hospitals have them—185 to be exact, according to the Mayo Clinic’s Health Care Social Media List. It’s a little surprising that more hospitals haven’t embraced the blog as a way to […]

I suspect many other people in business face in the same dilemma I face nearly every workday. My inbox is filled with opportunities to participate in classes, seminars, conferences, webinars and more. Each of these is led by world-renowned experts, proven professionals in their field and industry-recognized leaders. Like me, you may find it very […]

At some point, your boss or client has probably asked for a social media report. Unfortunately, there is no quick way to create one. Like many other communications efforts, the evaluation stage is the first to fall victim to the mortal enemies of a PR team—tight deadlines and even tighter budgets. In an ideal world, […]

To win over top physician candidates, you have to stay ahead of the pack. Sounds simple enough. But before you begin your recruitment push, make sure you’ve got the goods to attract them — and not just great pay and benefits. Is your organization a model of medical efficiency and quality patient care? If so, […]

Let’s face it: Physicians looking for a new position can easily find a ton of options. They make a couple of calls, check a couple of websites, and bam — a shiny new career opportunity. The challenge is, how do you get them to select your shiny new career opportunity? Ladies and gentlemen, let me […]

My father was a family medicine doctor for more than 40 years. Running a single-doctor practice, he wore many hats. Not only did he need to be a healthcare expert, he was also a small-business owner, accountant, HR director and IT person—roles he was never trained for. All while facing the challenges of practicing medicine: […]

I know you don’t need me to tell you, but I’m going to anyway. The Internet is amazing. Let me take a step back. One of our clients came to us a few months ago asking us to do a focus group on new webpage layouts for their online payment flow. Very quickly we realized […]

AB&C recently teamed with MDLinx to conduct a survey of 500 general practitioners, medical specialists and surgical specialists at different stages of their careers. Our research revealed similarities and surprises regarding their professional priorities and the best ways to reach them. First, “show me the money”—financial rewards—still ranked as their number-one priority, followed by autonomy/independence, […]

The days of doctors making house calls may be making a full circle as the new focus for insurance companies is promoting the importance of the primary care physician. In a world where people change doctors like they change their socks, how do marketers make patients “brand” loyal to their PCP? I suggest starting with […]

Someone posted a negative comment on my business’ social media page. Should I delete it? No. Deleting negative comments does more harm than good. Instead, think about the most common customer complaints towards your business and develop a general response to each. If a negative post appears, take the appropriate general response and tailor it […]

So you think you’re ready to take the plunge. No, not marriage, kids or swimming with those Polar Bear guys. We’re talking about social media here. Like those other plunges, you might not quite be sure what you’re getting yourself into. There’s no denying it: Social media has become a powerful marketing tool. Whether your […]

A powerful new weapon has been added to your crisis communications arsenal: social media. Like all weapons, it can be used for good or evil. It can assure you of a swift victory over those who would defame your reputation. Or it can blow up in your face. Because social media can change public opinion […]

No doubt you — like millions of others — are an avid follower of my posts on this site. Cast your memory back about a year ago. In “Feeding the thing with two brains,” I blogged about the attraction to life sciences marketing, likening it to balancing the “needs” of the two sides of the […]

You have a paid search engine campaign for your client right? Of course you do. It’s 2012 — how could your client not be present in paid search results? More and more often, online advertising has come to mean search engine advertising or, more simply, paid text ads that appear in search results. While this […]

So, you have marketing tactics driving people to your website. Great! The next question most marketers ask is, “How can I make the site work harder for me?” 1. Identify business goals. Before you can figure out how to make a landing page work harder, ask yourself, “What was the business need behind the campaign?” […]

While on their way to the Super Bowl parade on Tuesday morning, Giants fans in New York City were being reminded of one of the most dangerous diseases of our time — diabetes. It is among the most common health conditions in the United States, with 20 million Americans diagnosed to date. The cost to […]

What about the Xers? So much of the healthcare marketing we see now is geared towards the Boomers. Boomer this, Boomer that—Boomers even have their own health conditions named for them, like “Boomeritis.”  How old do the members of the Breakfast Club have to be before they become a target audience for your hospital service […]

On February 5 NBC will broadcast the epic rematch between the Giants and Patriots. But maybe your team didn’t make it to the big game. Will you still watch Super Bowl XLVI? Of course you will. You’ll watch for the same reason about 54% of viewers do — the commercials. On one night each year […]

2011 saw increased demand for a limited supply of physicians in hospitals and primary care practices. 2012 will be even more competitive. Here are the top four issues we predict will have the greatest impact on recruiting success: 4. We’ll recruit through mobile devices. Doctors are on the go and using smart phones more than […]

On the cartoon show The Jetsons, Jane Jetson is a full-time housewife (although the show was set in the future, it was written in the ’60s). She would push a button, and a robot vacuum cleaner would pop out to clean the rug or mechanical arms would place a fully cooked meal onto the table. […]

Like Alec Baldwin, I’m addicted to Words with Friends. I can’t help myself. When I see a row of jumbled letters I get a rush of excitement and a compulsion to create the best words I can out of those letters. I’ll challenge people on Facebook that I don’t normally talk to just so I […]

The top 35 banks on Facebook reach a mere 0.6% of their base, according to a study by Retail Bank International. “If you exclude the three top-performing banks, the average drops to one in every 525 customers – only 0.2% of their base.” The numbers point to three interesting challenges financial institutions face in crafting […]

At the 2011 PRSSA National Conference in October, 1,200 students came together in Orlando, Florida, for a weekend full of learning about public relations, professionalism, social media, creative design and much more. In the midst of all of our sessions and events, one topic stood out above the rest — and no, it wasn’t about how to […]

Picture this. You’re standing in a room with a thousand aspiring young public relations professionals. On your left, there are students eagerly tweeting away. On your right, there are students impatiently waiting to hear from the keynote speaker of the day. You move from room to room to hear more amazing speakers educate you on […]

You know that “aha!” moment? You’re brushing your teeth when a great new pitch idea suddenly pops into your brain, or luxuriating in a bubble bath when the perfect event is fully realized in your mind. Imagine how it would feel if these sparks of genius lasted two hours: complete euphoria. Mind-blowing. Life-changing. Welcome to […]

If you had told me a year ago that I would have been presenting at the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) National Conference, I wouldn’t have believed you. Two years ago PRSSA was not what it is today. Frankly, it was a pretty ineffective organization, filled with inactive, uncommitted members. People knew so […]

When the Baltimore Colts moved out of town under the cover of darkness in 1984, the team pretty much cemented its place in the Bad PR Moves Hall of Fame. But last week, Bally Total Fitness took a page out of the Colts’ playbook anyway, completing a sale of 171 of its clubs to competitor […]

As a guy who works in advertising I often get asked by family, friends, acquaintances and perfect strangers to offer my opinion on current ads in the marketplace. I find this funny because, unlike most people, when I meet doctors, lawyers and auto mechanics, I don’t find a way to wedge questions related to lumps […]

As a Technical Director at AB&C, I’m mainly involved in the technical production for our web projects — from landing pages for specific campaigns to websites for hospital systems. For the last few years, we’ve been doing much of this production in a content management system (CMS), a web-based application that enables us to give […]

  “In many ways, individuals and institutions get measured by their capacity to deal with change, surprise and the unexpected.” — Bob Woodward Many crisis situations entail change, surprise or the unexpected. How do we as public relations professionals respond effectively? How do we blend the proper doses of textbook theory, gut instinct and level-headed […]

Full disclosure: I have worked on Tobacco Prevention and Control social marketing campaigns for more than 10 years. As you may have heard, beginning September 2012 the FDA will require cigarette companies to place very large and graphic warning labels on the packaging of their cigarette products. These labels will have to cover the top […]

  You get on an elevator, and the chirpy woman with the same show badge asks, “So, what do you do?”   Concentrating on nothing in particular on the way down to the convention hall was the game plan, but you answer, “I’m president of a bank.” “Wow,” Chirpy says. “What bank? That one they […]

In all communications with consumers, whether it’s online, in print or over the airwaves, it’s easy to forget that we’re just talking to people. Usually that’s because there’s a laundry list of information that “needs” to go into each ad. In fact, in healthcare advertising there’s a well-known dance: Step 1: Mention skilled doctors, latest […]

This is the coolest advertising I’ve seen since the stunt for Lynx (we know it in the United States as Axe) with virtual angels falling from the sky into the London Victoria railway station. What Warner Bros. Pictures Canada did to promote its new movie “Contagion” could also be considered interactive, on a microscopic level. […]

Generally no. But exceptional customer service can get you pretty close. Baby boomers have the cash and need wealth management advice; families need homes or car loans and college tuition money; Gen X and the Millennials want…well, who really knows, but they own the future. You want them all, right? If your teller lines at […]

Abercrombie & Fitch released a press statement two weeks ago entitled, “A Win-Win Situation,” in which they offered to pay Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino and his Jersey Shore castmates a “substantial” amount of money to stop wearing their clothes in public. A&F’s statement said, “We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand […]

Have you ever posted something you regret on your Facebook or Twitter? Maybe you posted an inside joke on someone’s wall that was supposed to be for their inbox. Or you tweeted a quote after a long night out that wasn’t as funny in the morning. Or — my personal favorite — you searched for […]

I remember when you first came out. You sent me unlimited DVDs in the mail each month, three at a time. Then you offered cheaper plans with fewer DVDs. Then came streaming videos — for free! — to compete with Redbox, free online streaming websites like Hulu and Fancast, On Demand content that comes with […]

Nine different brands of chips, four types of M&Ms, six different kinds of granola bars, a few bottles of wine and an unlimited supple of coffee. A college kid’s kitchen? No — the kitchen at AB&C. The grocery bill for AB&C has to be outrageous. The kitchen is stocked with a ridiculous supply of snacks, […]

The first three posts in my Facebook news feed this morning were: A video of my neighbor’s new puppy (cute!) A picture of the beach in Greece where my best friend is vacationing (jealous!) A rant on the morning commute from a high school classmate (unintentionally hilarious!) On the surface, these posts have nothing in […]

Kohl’s department store has more than 4.8 million Facebook “likes,” a following largely built during a 2010 campaign that let fans vote for which 20 schools should receive $500,000 each. The company gave away $10 million, but gained a groundswell of good feelings and a legion of new fans who now receive the company’s updates […]

Facebook. One out of every 13 people on earth is on it. More than half of all social media traffic in the United States comes from it. It’s no wonder that it has become a component of every good PR strategy. But unlike traditional media outlets, with their long histories of best practices and protocols […]

After more than a decade as a marketer for major health systems, I crossed over to the dark side: the agency world. The world where you live and die by your client’s needs and deadlines. Where you stress over timesheets and sales reports. Where you become — gasp — a “salesperson.” It was the right […]

I think Ke$ha’s pretty hot. And if my wife were to approve of it, I’m pretty sure Ke$ha and I would make a smokin’ couple. We’re both party-hearty rockers with a penchant for strong profanity. And we both brush our teeth nightly with top-shelf spirits (make mine Tanqueray 10 over Ke$ha’s Jack Daniels preference, though). […]

Not for jingle bells, but for events — royal weddings, grand openings, fundraisers and community fairs. Whether you’re hosting a small group of friends or the entire town, planning is key to event success. Here are some tips to get you started: 1.      Start early. The more time you have, the better your event will […]

What makes someone choose to work in life sciences marketing? Maybe it’s a case of feeding the two brains we’re blessed with — our left and right brains. Almost 30 years ago, I read Robert Ornstein’s The Psychology of Consciousness. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by how we can approach the world on different planes, […]

Genius marketing or genuine sympathy? Soap operas took their name from the cleaning products being advertised during commercial breaks. So it’s only fitting that Hoover take advantage of the opportunity to engage with one of the most loyal fan bases in television. ABC recently announced the cancellation of long-running daytime soaps, All My Children and […]

Advertising used to have one goal: to make you buy a product. But recent campaigns from big names like Miracle Whip and Domino’s are taking the opposite path. They are spending big chunks of time, space and money to tell us that lots of people hate them. Jay Sinha, a marketing professor at Temple University’s […]

Techno-changes in banking are coming at the industry with breathtaking speed. Just when you think you know what you should invest in to gear up for one trend, it is leapfrogged by another. As soon as you got done optimizing your website for online banking, mobile came along and required another round of investment and […]

Social networking recruitment has become the “must do” sourcing activity across all of HR. Whether it’s using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – the pressure to use these channels is greater now than ever. And without knowing it, recruiters and talent evaluators are falling into some significant legal traps. Using social networks is an excellent way to […]

OK, I’m not embarrassed to admit it. I enjoy watching Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb with my 7- and 10-year-old. There, I said it. I’m a grown woman and I still like watching cartoons. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, it follows two stepbrothers on summer vacation. Each day the boys embark […]

Some hospitals are early adopters; others are still waiting on the sidelines. Some are high-tech, while others are high-touch. I’m not talking about whether or not a hospital has the latest robot or a brand personality, I’m talking about a social media presence. At AB&C, our healthcare clients range all across the social media spectrum. […]

As more and more people do their banking technologically rather than in person, banks will need to adjust their branch strategy. They will need to morph into more consultative centers for personal and small business customers – with a human touch. Personal and business banking is more complicated these days. Banks that can adjust to […]

How can a PR agency help you in your quest for the gold? How can they understand the constraints of hospital PR and the competitive, ego-rich environment you have to navigate every day? 1. Use an agency with proven experience in healthcare public relations and media relations. You need someone who has been there and […]

So whatever happened to Dr. McDreamy? The world’s news cameras are at your door and you can’t wait to show off the medical miracles happening in your hospital. Here’s where the level head comes in. With the needs of the patients and family, the media, and the executives in mind, you need a well-oiled PR […]

You’re a hospital public relations professional and you want to get on the evening news. And you will — because you have Dr. McDreamy saving lives in your OR and Elmo visiting patients in your cancer ward. And yet, at the end of every news-crew-coordinating day, your executives demand a completely different level of recognition. […]

Barb and I spent an amazing weekend in New York last month. We saw a lot of shows, including one at Carnegie Hall. Later, while enjoying dinner across the street, we realized our camera had slipped out of Barb’s purse while we were watching the show. We called Carnegie Hall and they told us they’d […]

The AB&C Twitter team recently went to the #deltweet event at Firestone, a quarterly (ideally) networking event for Delaware tweeters. Nine of our tweeters attended the event, one of whom attended virtually via tweets, following the team and the deltweet hashtag. We kept @ChrisMarts updated and entertained while he lay sick in bed. “Oh @ABCadvertising […]

Talk about a summer of discontent. It seems that almost every week, another Toyota vehicle recall is announced. And it feels like no make or model year has dodged (pardon the pun) the recall bullet. For instance, in April 2010, 50,000 Toyota Sequoias were recalled to reprogram the stability control system. In July, more than […]

“How did Facebook advertisers know I think James Franco is hot?” Have you ever wondered if Google employees read your email? You’re not alone. Audience targeting in online advertising may seem creepy when you don’t understand how it works. And it’s even more threatening when the investigation of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! by data-protection agencies […]

What commercials stick out the most in your memory? Maybe it’s “Keep your hands off my Doritos!” Maybe it’s the Geico cavemen spots. What makes them memorable? That’s easy — they’re funny. Now, when’s the last time you told a friend, “Oh, man, you should see this hospital commercial!” Exactly. Healthcare-related ads are typically very […]

  According to a recent report from NielsenWire, advertisers focus on reaching consumers 18–34 or 18–49. While these consumers spend billions of dollars every year, the report states that advertisers and consumer goods manufacturers are overlooking a group that has tremendous buying power — the 78 million Baby Boomers. Born between the years 1946 and […]

Clear concise data visualization can truly be a game-changer. The difficulty comes in finding the best way to present your KPIs in a way that is quickly and easily digested. To celebrate 50 years of motoring mayhem, MINI has introduced Mission Control as part of its limited-edition Camden package. In their words: “By bringing the […]

Have you seen the trailer for The Social Network, the movie about the founding of Facebook? Not only is the premise intriguing, the marketing prowess of the producers is awesome: This film is a three-hour product placement. And it made me a little nostalgic for some other product placement movies. If your favorite is missing […]

Think there’s a typo in that headline? Wrong. TAAN stands for Transworld Advertising Agency Network. TAAN is the oldest worldwide agency network and has member agencies in 47 markets around the world. From South Africa to St. Louis, members meet and share openly and willingly. Often they will partner on projects when the blend of […]

Delaware-based Dogfish Head has a recipe for success both in the kettle and in the marketplace. According to Nielsen Co., the brewery spent a mere $2,000 on traditional media in 2008, and nothing in 2009. So what are they doing? Founder Sam Calagione has found a nice mix of limited-release beers, such as the Miles […]

Some months ago, scientists sent samples of the same DNA to several direct-to- consumer (DTC) genetic testing services. When the reports came back the interpretations of the findings were wildly different. This has just been confirmed by the General Accounting Office and was reported on this week in Washington. So if you want to know […]

I have to admit — from the moment I saw the original commercial my inner geek shouted with joy. Not only was the original iPhone the answer to what I had been dreaming about for five years — since walking around with a Palm Pilot and a rather large, uncomfortable cell phone tucked into my […]

I heard that there’s a LeBron jersey burning party in a small neighborhood in Columbus tonight. If I were a Cavs fan, I’d be the first in line. Not only has the basketball star left his hometown for the sun and sand in Miami, but he broke their hearts during an hour-long nationally televised infomercial. […]

It seems like only yesterday. I wanted to catch the attention of that special person and I knew the perfect way to go about doing it — the mix tape! A combination of all those songs that would tell her exactly how I felt and why she should want my company as much as I […]

I’m not going to lie. When I was asked to attend the 2010 TWTRCON Twitter for Business conference in NYC, I thought, “Seriously? A conference for Twitter?” I mean, how hard is it to string together 140 characters as an update? Why on earth is there a full conference on this stuff? What’s the big […]

Ben Roethlisberger. Michael Phelps. Tiger Woods. When these sports celebrities submerged themselves in various depths of hot water, did the brands they endorse feel the heat? Not as much as you might suspect, according to a recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll. It left researchers wondering if survey respondents were understating the degree to which scandals grab […]

Fear is a terrible thing. Especially when it causes healthcare systems to back away from using a potentially powerful communications tool. When it comes to using social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, healthcare systems tend to fall into two categories. The first suffers from significant fear regarding negative feedback that may come from […]

Another car brand is on the chopping block. Ford has announced that it intends to discontinue the venerable Mercury brand.  Mercury’s recent ad campaign—a bad one—didn’t help the cause.  My apologies to Jill Wagner…it really wasn’t your fault.  Instead, a weak value proposition and bad execution did in the campaign. You gotta put Mercury on […]

Successful recruitment is more than simply putting together a job description and posting it out to the industry’s dominant job board. In your struggle to find top talent you need to understand two essential truths: 1.) You are different; and 2.) Your differences are what make your organization attractive. What makes you different is your […]

There I’ve said it. The fact that I have 20-plus years of writing experience and never learned to type with any more than two fingers is hardly a point of pride. To me, watching someone type with ten fingers (without looking down at the keyboard) is like witnessing someone spinning a basketball on a fingertip. […]

The week of May 10th was not a good one for Pathway Genomics. That’s when the FDA sent a letter saying it was looking into Pathway’s genetic test offering. And it’s not the only interested party. According to Genome Web, the House Energy and Commerce Committee wants more information about Pathway’s test,  and about similar […]

  So how do you get a cardiovascular campaign to stand out above the clutter when there are more than 50 hospitals flooding the market with similar messages? How do you engage consumers to come to your website and sign up for your marketing materials? How do you get people to realize that they’re at […]

The strange story of drug store–based genetic tests. It was a quick trip on and off the shelves at several thousand Walgreens drug stores for Pathway Genomics direct-to-consumer genetic testing kit. Less than 48 hours after announcing the availability of the test kits, Walgreens pulled back due to an intervention by the Food and Drug […]

Recently I found myself consoling a coworker who was bothered because a reporter wouldn’t return her phone calls or emails or agree to go to lunch with her. Suddenly it occurred to me that entering the world of media relations is a lot like diving into the dating pool. Both involve unwritten rules, lots of […]

These days, it seems like everyone is asking whether something is about to kill something else: “Will html5 kill flash?” “Will the iPad kill Kindle?” So, with tongue firmly in cheek, I thought, “I gotta get in on this killing spree.” In my daily romp through my normal news sites, I stumbled upon an article […]

A while ago, my friend Eric and his family came for a visit. When he pulled into our driveway, he asked, “Hey, Shari, does every homeowner get a Subaru Outback with the house?” I looked around the cul de sac and up the street. As far as the eye could see, driveways hosted different-colored Subaru […]

My six-year-old son asks a lot of questions. More questions than I ever knew one human could possibly ask. If I am lucky, I can answer maybe a third of them. Sometimes the questions are about Star Wars or subjects he learned in school, but there is always one common thread with his questions that […]

My husband is a carpenter, so he’s into tools. As a social media guru, so am I. Whenever we come up with a project, we immediately start thinking about what tools we have and what we may need to buy. We’ll scour yard sales, flea markets and the Internet to find just the right compound […]

You may have seen the latest campaign promoting the new compostable bag from Sun Chips. I myself started a compost bin last year, which literally cut our landfill contributions in half — not to mention the effect it had on my new garden. As an avid tree hugger I applaud this effort by our Frito-Lay […]

Every once in a while you’ll see an article asking “Is Twitter Dead?” even suggesting that if you’ve been avoiding Twitter as part of a “non-strategy,” it may be paying off! The problem with that perspective is that Twitter is not a strategy. It’s not even a tactic. It’s a channel! The strategy (and ultimately […]

Remember the premise of what was arguably the grandaddy of all reality TV shows? “This is the true story… of seven strangers… picked to live in a house…work together and have their lives taped… to find out what happens… when people stop being polite… and start getting real…The Real World.” New web reality series If […]

The 50-plus doll was once limited to traditionally “feminine” career choices such as ballerina, model, teacher or nurse. As times changed and women threw off their shackles (did Barbie ever even have a bra to burn?), her options expanded: paratrooper, paleontologist, pilot and even President of the United States. Now, for the first time ever, […]

Good news for our clients who utilize radio. A new RAB survey shows that radio advertising grows online brand browsing by 52%. Twenty-three brand campaigns were measured in the research. Not only were 52% of respondents more likely to include that brand name in their browsing, but 58% of all browsing stimulated by radio took […]

This is the second in a series of case studies for those who read our blog. I think it’s a nice opportunity to share examples of our work. Promoting Corporate Event Planning in Wilmington, DE Client: Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau (GWCVB) Situation For the first half of 2009, the GWCVB asked AB&C to […]

Below is the first in a series of case studies that we wanted to share with those of you who read our blog. We think it’s a great opportunity to share examples of our work and capabilities. The case study below, for our client Southern Delaware Tourism, showcases our online media capabilities, specifically paid search […]

So I am beginning to get it—this whole social media thing. I threatened to quit Facebook earlier this year…but didn’t. It’s still too intriguing to me. And yes, it is fun to connect with old friends and business associates…even some distant relatives have touched base. So here is my commitment to myself and my company […]

If you missed the first part, check it out here. Now for the good: a coworker in our PR department had an experience in which FedEx missed a next-day delivery. She decided to voice her frustration by tweeting, “FedEx really expletive deleted on me today.” Within 30 minutes, she got a retweet from FedexAl asking […]

Everyone seems to be buzzing about Social Networks and how to take advantage of them for marketing purposes. It is a great opportunity for companies to join a conversation that’s already taking place rather than trying to start a new one. As with any conversation, you have to listen. Imagine walking into a crowded party […]

  99 ways to use Twitter? There are plenty of articles on the Internet that outline the 17 ways to use Twitter or the 32 ways to use Facebook. If your approach to social media has been to start with these types of articles, you may be focusing too quickly on tactics without an appropriate […]

We can get overwhelmed sifting through blogs and online discussions. That’s why we turn to our social circle for recommendations. But our friends also have several social network accounts and each one has a lot of information. So how do we keep track of it all? Don’t fret, fellow social butterflies: Google is developing Social […]

There was a very interesting study released by Harris Interactive showing that web users are online an average of 13 hours per week. This is a slight dip from the same observed period in 2008 where they saw average users online for 14 hours per week. The major change? In 2008, 43% of users were […]

By: Kelly Hocutt and David Michaluk Are you still reluctant to advertise your hospital on the web? Maybe you’re bound by tradition. Or maybe you think healthcare is too private for the web — and people seek information only from people they can trust. But research by OTX and Google shows that adding search and […]

Yammer is a simple way for employees to connect and share by posting messages. As more employees participate, it becomes a corporate social network, discussion board and knowledge base. Yammer is like a combination of Facebook and Twitter. Your company can create a profile that mimics the look of Facebook: picture, wall posts/messages, an information […]

I’ve become a big fan of the publication Mediaweek, despite the fact that I’ve never planned nor bought any media — ever. Yet, for some reason, I’m sent a copy of this magazine every week, so who am I not to read it? It’s funny how certain publications find their way to your mailbox. For […]

The “Contributors” feature from your friends at Twitter, currently in beta testing, will enable your company to have multiple contributors to its Twitter feed. Each Tweet will include the writer’s byline. In addition, “Contributors” promises two different levels of access: Enhanced and Partial. Enhanced Access will allow contributors to view the account dashboard and it […]

Looking for an easy way to gauge your client’s driving forces? Ask what’s on his or her dashboard. Dashboards are a businessperson’s CliffsNotes®, condensing tomes of information into readily digestible nuggets. Where do overall profits stand? Any new leads from the northeast territory? Is maternity patient volume up? Dashboards provide a snapshot of the key […]

Everyone wants to reach the top. Mountain climbers have always set their sights on conquering Mt. Everest. Baseball players have always aimed for the World Series. Big companies have always budgeted to advertise during the Super Bowl. Until now. Pepsi is ending its 23-year run as an advertising staple during the most watched television event […]

The holiday season may seem a little less jolly for some of us this year. Stress levels are high and there are plenty of reasons to feel a bit like a scrooge — lousy economy, job pressures, family needs, etc. It doesn’t help that we’re constantly receiving or sending electronic communications every minute of every […]

About to plan your social media marketing strategy? Wondering about the return you’ll get on your investment? Check out Socialnomics: Social Media ROI. This short video showcases success stories, plus some interesting facts. For example: More than 300,000 businesses have a presence on Facebook; about a third of these are small businesses. A Wetpaint/Altimeter Study […]

Everybody’s weighing in on how Tiger Woods should have handled his recent scandal. Public relations professionals argue that he should have gotten ahead of the tabloids and issued a statement right after his accident. Lawyers and agents maintain that the man has the right to keep his personal life private and is not obligated to […]

As part of its legendary holiday display, Saks Fifth Avenue has partnered with Microsoft to put video screens, hooked up to computers, in its windows. The screens will display real-time tweets. When people use the #holidaywindows hash-tag on Twitter, their beaming tweets about Windows 7 (and their holiday wishes) will pop up in the Saks […]

If your communications department has been enlisted to shore up compliance with hand hygiene requirements (pre- and post-patient contact), take a lesson from Denver Health. As reported in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Communication in Healthcare, Colorado’s primary “safety net” institution tried humor, incentives, prizes — but nothing worked until they got […]

The old adage in New York City is never watch the road while being driven in a cab (I use the word “driven” loosely). Well, over the past year, that advice has become a bit easier to follow — LCD screens have been added to the backseats of NYC yellow cabs! Now, the once white-knuckled […]

Authors: Kathleen Dunn and Peter Gordon Part V. Now is it a crane? It is if you can take each of your different edges and planes and decide that they meet at well-defined creases, and that the combination of folds results in a recognizable final offering and a structure to support it. This structure is […]

  Physician recruiters have fallen on hard times. Once viewed as heroes who deliver agents of change to organizations in need, they now find themselves constrained by ever-growing demands on their time and budgetary resources. As a result, recruiters are finding it harder to compete — they can only do so much with their list […]

Recruitment marketing is a simple balancing act, right? Place your message on one side of the scale, and your communication medium on the other. If your message clearly illustrates the value of the position you are trying to fill, great. But if you don’t balance your strong message with an effective way to get it […]

Remember “The Telephone Hour” from the early 1960s Broadway show and movie Bye Bye Birdie? The song depicted a teenager talking to a friend on the phone, then that friend talking to another, and so on. This was — and may still be for many Boomers — the quintessential method of communicating. One friend tells […]

It’s one of my favorite performances: George C. Scott as General George S. Patton. Love the attitude. But, most of all, I relate to what Patton was all about. This is a guy who knew what he had to do. He wasn’t popular because of it. He knew a thing or two about strategy. In […]

Authors: Kathleen Dunn and Peter Gordon Part IV. Is it a crane yet? Marketers need to keep in mind that each prospective audience comes to the party with its own set of contextual variables, as well as its own set of conceptions — and misconceptions. Obviously, you begin with a thorough analysis of the needs […]

Fuel Lines is a blog for ad agency new business, and every month it features the best ad agency blog. Each month’s winner is featured on Fuel Lines throughout the following month and is included in the voting for ad agency blog of the year. So click here and vote for AB&C’s blog as the […]

Have you heard about Paranormal Activity, the low-budget horror movie that has been terrifying audiences over the past few weeks? It was reportedly produced for $15,000! But the very strategic marketing paid off as well as a multimillion-dollar campaign. First came very scary trailers, followed by updated trailers with footage of terrified moviegoers at a […]

Yeah, yeah — we know all about Facebook, Twitter and all the other types of social media. But where does that leave traditional media? Where does that leave the billboard? It’s hard not to feel bad for traditional media trying to keep up with all of the new technology. But you don’t have to worry […]

Instant gratification is nothing new. For years, we’ve had instant coffee, microwave ovens and FedEx. Today’s attention-deficit-disordered generation has taken this institutionalized impatience even further with iPhones and BlackBerrys — the information superhighway is right at our fingertips. With iTunes we can find any song, movie or TV show as soon as we want it […]

Authors: Kathleen Dunn and Peter Gordon Part III. Origami marketing – folding the messages It is not critical to understand how all of these scientific disciplines function. However, it is necessary to know where the hinges are — those areas of convergence that connect you with the disciplines that will further the efforts of all. […]

It’s all the buzz. Social media has exploded. It’s everywhere. Some might say there is a revolution going on. Have you seen the YouTube video about this very topic? It has some very interesting statistics, such as: By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers. 96% of them have joined a social network. Social Media […]

We’ve all seen the Geico commercials with people being stalked by the little stack of money with eyes, reminding them of the money they could have saved by switching to Geico. Have you noticed a certain change in the reception that “Kash” has received from the person being followed? I have and, frankly, I’m not […]

Authors: Kathleen Dunn and Peter Gordon. Part II. From quantum leap to fold change. Diagnostic and genomic tests are now being applied to pharmaceutical decisions. Today, the use of genomic data can optimize the ability to identify discrete subpopulations in clinical trials, leading to the development of highly targeted drug therapies, such as Her-2/Neu measurements […]

There’s going to be an ad revenue recovery for the beleaguered industry, and it’s coming soon. Yes, the decline is about to end, according to a new forecast that projects print ad revenue will actually rebound 2.4% next year. Beyond 2010, ad research firm Borrell Associates forecasts that by 2014 newspaper income will be up […]

When I’m at a social gathering, and people ask what I do for a living, I say I’m in advertising. And the standard response is, “Oh, really? Have you done anything I may have seen?” It’s tough knowing how to answer that one. But I’ve never felt ashamed of my chosen profession — until now. […]

Authors: Kathleen Dunn and Peter Gordon Part 1. A head-on collision. Over the last several years, marketing the Life Sciences has meant different things to different people, encompassing pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, molecular diagnostics, molecular imaging, medical devices, bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, to name the major players. Ironically, as the disciplines named above have become more defined, […]

According to Media Life, digital out-of-home spending will leap 13.2% from 2008 to 2013 — total spending will reach $4.53 billion, up from $2.6 billion this year. Video ad networks (screens in office buildings, health clubs, fast food chains and gas stations) will make up the largest portion, but the fastest growth in the category […]

  Tourism. It’s vital for many countries and many island nations. It’s also important for the economic development of the State of Delaware and its neighboring states. Millions of dollars are brought into these states through businesses that serve both tourists and locals, and thousands of jobs are created in service industries associated with tourism. […]

So it’s no secret — I’m well into my 50s. I learned the basics using pencils with portable erasers that were the size of small Volkswagens. Eventually I graduated to relying on secretaries who used carbon paper. These same secretarial resources also made my thoughtful presentations come to life using some low-cost overhead projections. Then […]

Of all the new media, texting has exploded in the last year and, together with its sibling, twittering, it may now come with a caution label attached. While many of us are accustomed to listening to the radio in the car, very few of us watch television in the driver’s seat. The logic is obvious, […]

Much of what you read here in AB&C Blogland relates to technology. We offer our thoughts on the latest developments, trends and leaps forward in the rapidly advancing world of web connectivity. Things have reached the point where you can’t go too many places without spotting someone staring down at some sort of handheld device. […]

After getting hopelessly lost in Washington, DC, a few weeks back, I decided to buy a GPS navigation device to make sure that it never happens again. My new friend “Mindy” now guides me through each turn and makes sure I reach my destination regardless of road closures and detours. As I was loading Mindy […]

Remember the browser wars of the late nineties? Half the online population thought “Netscape” actually was the Internet and Microsoft was just starting to take the Internet seriously. Of course, Internet Explorer emerged the victor and whether you’re in the camp that faults Microsoft’s heavy-handed tactics or the camp that recognizes Netscape’s failure to innovate, […]

No matter what you design — from blue jeans to loveseats to SUVs — you have to strike a balance between form and function. Thanks to the patient counsel of my interactive colleagues over the years, I’ve learned that I can’t approach web design the same way I approach print and other media. The scales […]

  Celebrity is potent. We’ve seen the power of celebrity recently with the death of a certain music icon — how it takes over the news and, in his case, a city budget. The power comes from celebrities’ ability to generate awareness — whether it’s fashion, diet or a cause, if they are affiliated with […]

Ten years ago a hospital system in New York City opened several public diabetes clinics to help people better manage their disease. From insulin injection assistance to nutrition education, diabetic consumers could gain the knowledge they needed to change their behaviors. Within seven years, these clinics closed. Did the public need the clinics? Of course. […]