Monday December 29, 2008
Mark Taylor - 11:54 PM AST
A new year is almost upon us and I am quite certain that 2009 will reveal some interesting news stories.
The collapse of the economy has to be one of the biggest news stories of 2008 and I'm sure that it will continue to be a gripping news story in 2009. I'm also sure there will be many other fascinating stories at home and abroad ranging from event coverage to the actions of certain celeberties. One of the most interesting things about watching these news stories will be observing how the people in these stories handle the media and media attention.
The media and media attention can be a very difficult thing for people to handle well but it must be done. A negative experience with the news media or negative media attention can inflict severe damage on a person's well-being or that person's business. Therefore, a person who takes the time to prepare for future encounters with reporters will benefit from this effort.
Reporters are people who are always looking for a good story that will interest the audience of the news media organization they work with. The organizations they work with are also businesses who are looking to make their audience happy and grow that audience.
One of the best things you can do is pay close attention to the media you consume. Look for the stories that are covered in the news and how those stories are protrayed. This will give you the knowledge you need for encounters with the news media. It's also good to establish relationships with reporters so that you can get to know them better.
I also encourage you to seek the advice of a communications or media relations professional.
All of this work will pay off when your turn to be in the public spotlight comes.
Mark Taylor is a former journalist, public relations specialist and founder of Delora Media. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Sunday December 7, 2008
Mark Taylor - 10:57 PM AST
The foolishness of this past week in Ottawa was tough to watch and one of the worst moments was the televised address by Mr. Dion.
Let me make it clear that I am not a member of any political party. I am a political observer.
I have to say that I don't understand what the Liberals and Mr. Dion's office were thinking when they decided to go to air with that pathetic tape. They should have sent nothing in instead of that piece of garbage. It really looked like it was thrown together by a high school student and it only hurt Mr. Dion's ability to connect with Canadians.
The Liberals talk about rebuilding the party. It is clear that the first thing they need to do is get their communications under control. It has been horrible since Paul Martin entered the election campaign of late 2005-early 2006. Once the party's communications team is replaced and the system is repaired, then maybe the Liberals will have a chance of forming government again.
The incident also highlights the need for any organization or company to take communications seriously and act accordingly as not doing so will only hurt the fortunes of that organization or company and the people who lead them.
Mark Taylor is a veteran journalist, columnist and communications specialist. Mr. Taylor is also founder of Delora Media. Based in Fredericton, this marketing and communications company offers eveything from media relations training to communications strategies. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Monday November 24, 2008
Mark Taylor - 11:10 PM AST
I am turning things over to you this week.
Newspapers are going through a time of change as the Internet grows in popularity and many media organizations decide to end the print editions of their publications.
I believe newspapers will decrease in numbers with the best newspapers surviving by changing their content to meet the new demands of the reader. I also believe that the electronic editions of newspapers will continue to improve as media organizations better understand the public.
What do you think newspapers will look like in the future?
Mark Taylor is a veteran journalist, communications specialist and founder of Delora Media. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Wednesday November 12, 2008
Mark Taylor - 3:01 PM AST
I came across this interesting blog post made by another blogger regarding what she thought President-Elect Obama did right in his election campaign:
http://www.mangomediacaribbean.com/blog/index.cfm/2008/11/5/Top-Five-PR-Reasons-for-the-Obama-Victory
I'd be interesting in knowing whether or not you agree with this view. It is an interesting view and it highlights key areas everyone should focus on when trying to connect with the public through the media.
Mark Taylor is a veteran journalist, communications specialist and founder of the Delora Media marketing and communications company based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media will hold communications and marketing seminars in November and December in various New Brunswick communities.
Monday November 10, 2008
Mark Taylor - 10:35 PM AST
This week I thought i would direct your attention to an interesting article in The Globe and Mail about Oprah's role in the election of President-Elect Obama.
Here is the link to the article:
How Oprah elected a president
There is no question that the media can have a huge influence on the public. There are many examples of this fact.
However, I'd like to know what your thoughts are about the this article. Did Oprah have as much of an impact on the election as the author suggests?
Mark Taylor is a veteran journalist, communications specialist, former freelance reporter for The Globe and Mail and founder of the Delora Media marketing and communications company based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media will hold a seminar in Moncton on Monday, November 24th that will show businesses and organizations how to market well with no money. Contact Delora Media at info@deloramedia.com for more details.
Sunday October 19, 2008
Mark Taylor - 6:47 PM AST
As you probably now know, David Alward is the new leader of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party.
Mr. Alward won the job on Saturday in front of a large crowd at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton. The leadership convention was full of energy and enthusiasm about the party's future and its chances of winning the 2010 provincial election. Many in the party believe the Tories can pull off an election victory in two years. However, there is one thing the party can't overlook if they want to meet that goal. This would be the need to have better communications tools and an improved communications strategy.
The outgoing interim party leader seems to understand this. In a Telegraph Journal article published on June 23rd, Jeannot Volpé complained about his party's " inability to control the message and frame debate - and the Liberals' apparent ease in doing just that."
Mr. Volpe is correct.
Being able to control the message and frame debate is essential in any success a party will have and one only has to look at the recent Liberal election failure to see what will happen when you are not able to control the message and frame debate. But the provincial Tories have not been able to control the message and frame debate in recent years. The Tories have to change this if the party really wants to win in 2010.
There is no question that the Tories have many things in their favour right now as they move towards 2010 such as a new leader, a good seat standing in the legislature and the fact that many New Brunswickers are unhappy with the current Liberal government. There is also the fact that the news media is always interested in holding a government's feat to the fire. The Tories must take advantage of this, control the message and frame the debate in order to win in 2010. The party must also effectively take advantage of all the communications tools that are available today in order to connect with voters.
I'm sure the Liberal communications staff are confident they will be ready for 2010. Will the Tories be ready?
Mark Taylor is a veteran journalist, communications specialist and founder of Fredericton-based marketing and communications firm Delora Media. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media is hosting several seminars this autumn on effective marketing and communications. Visit www.deloramedia.com for more details.
Friday October 17, 2008
Mark Taylor - 12:33 AM AST
Another federal election is over and we now know what our next Parliament will look like.
One of the biggest stories from the election has to be the failure of the Liberal Party of Canada to connect with voters.
There is no question that the Liberals took a beating in the election and poor communications is a big reason why. Good communications is crucial today. You have to be able to frame how the media will cover your message. You also must be able to articulate your message in a way that makes it very easy to understand and easy for people to connect with. I don't think any of the federal parties pulled this off as well as they could have but the Liberals did a very poor job and that is a big reason why the election ended in the way it did for them.
How the Liberal Party of Canada handled the election of 2008 is truly a lesson in what will happen when you don't know how to communicate with the public.
Mark Taylor is a columnist, former freelance correspondent for The Globe and Mail, communications specialist and founder of Fredericton-based communications and marketing firm Delora Media. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media will co-host a Marketing Well with Little or No Money seminar on Oct. 27th in Moncton and a Crisis Communications seminar on Oct. 28th in St. George for food and beverage companies.
Sunday October 5, 2008
Mark Taylor - 12:13 PM AST
We are about one week away from the night of the federal election. This night will mark the end of some political careers and the start of a bright future for others. As we enter into the final leg of the campaign, I encourage you to closely observe how well each party is getting their message out through the media as there is no question that the effectiveness of communicating a message is essential to winning votes.
Getting a message out to the public can be a challenge, especially in a world that consists of an abundance of media. The key is to understand the reach of each media and its bias. You then want to target the right media with a message that is tailored to move easily through the filter of that media you choose to relate with. Some organizations get this and some don't. The organizations that do understand and will implement their communications actions based on this fact are the organizations that will succeed in communicating with the public.
Many communications lessons can be learned from observing a political campaign. For example, take a closer look at how each party is protrayed the next time you consume media and decide on what you think each party is trying to tell you. Then take some time to either visit the websites of those parties or talk to their candidates to see if the perceived message matches the actual message. You will likely be surprised.
The 2008 federal election will leave us with many lessons about dealing with the media. I can think of a few right now. Why is Elizabeth May so popular with media and how will that popularity influence voting for the Green Party? How will the media's rather negative protrayal of Stephane Dion influence the Liberal Party's election results? How will the Conservative Party's tightly-controlled communications strategy influence voting for that party? How will the NDP's communications focus on protraying Jack Layton as a valid choice for Prime Minister influence that party's election fortunes?
There is also the question of how the Internet will affect voting habits. Many major networks have jumped on this issue and some of the parties have put together excellent Internet communications strategies. The Internet will likely not have the same influence as in the United States but it is likely that it will indeed have an influence.
Yes, there are many lessons to be learned from this election. I encourage you to pay close attention.
Mark Taylor is a columnist, former correspodent for the Globe and Mail, communications specialist and founder of Fredericton-based communications firm Delora Media. You can visit the company's website at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media will hold many communications and media relations training opportunities this fall such as a 'Marketing Well With Little or No Money' seminar in Moncton on Oct. 27th and a seminar for organizations in the food processing business on Oct. 20th in St. George. Visit www.deloramedia.com for more details.
Sunday September 28, 2008
Mark Taylor - 10:35 PM AST
CBC News publisher John Cruickshank said Sunday that CBC News 'erred' in its editorial judgement regarding the controversial Heather Mallick column recently posted on CBCNews.ca.
Stating that a mistake was made is not easy for any news media organization as demonstrated by the fact that most newspapers publish their corrections on the page of the newspaper which people pay the least attention to. I'm sure the CBC didn't find it easy to admit the error they made.
What are your thoughts on what Mr. Cruickshank had to say?
For anyone who hasn't read the letter, click on this link http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_cruickshank/20080928.html
Mark Taylor is a columnist, former freelance correspondent for The Globe and Mail and founder of Fredericton-based communications company Delora Media. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media is holding communications and media relations seminars throughout the autumn. Visit www.deloramedia.com for more information.
Saturday September 20, 2008
Mark Taylor - 9:34 PM AST
I've been reading all the recent news stories and blogs regarding Heather Mallick's attack on Sarah Palin with interest.
I have to admit that I had never paid much attention to Ms. Mallick before her recent CBC.ca blog on Ms. Palin and the Republican convention. However, a visit to her website at www.heathermallick.ca really opened my eyes to what she wants to achieve with her writings. You should visit the website yourself.
No. I'm not going to attack Ms. Mallick and her blog nor am I going to agree with what she says. This is not a blog about politics.
What I do want to point out is that it is always important to realize how bias media can be.
In journalism school, some professors will preach the need to be objective when a journalist is doing his or her job. This is a noble goal but obviously something that is unrealistic and becoming even more out of reach. Case in point, the attack on Ms. Mallick by Fox News shows how the distinction between 'news' and 'opinion' is becoming even more blurred today. There is no question about the fact that presenting Ms. Mallick's column as news Americans should care about only exposes how Fox News wants to encourage people to have sympathy for the Republican Party and its leaders. Allowing Ms. Mallick to rant also only underscores how left wing the CBC is.
News media organizations are businesses and every business wants to connect with what it believes to be its customer. This truth will always influence who news media organizations allow to contribute to their product, how they presents themselves and how they relate with the public.
The news media definitely has bias and the Heather Mallick controversy proves that point.
Mark Taylor is a columnist, former freelance correspondent for The Globe and Mail and founder of Fredericton-based communications company Delora Media. Visit Delora Media at www.deloramedia.com
Delora Media is hosting a variety of seminars this fall starting with a 'Marketing with little or no money' seminar taking place on September 22nd.
