Gracie Communications

Last week, I had a client, who wants to be better known in the market, pass on a sponsorship opportunity because they didn’t think they would get a whole lot of media mileage out of it. The sponsorship meant getting access to eight key companies, working in partnership with a major university and a handful of influential state and local agencies, and being included in a wide swath of social media strategies. But the client was right – they most likely were not going to get a major media mention from it. (more…)

On Thursday, I attended the Indiana Cultural Tourism Conference. I was disappointed about the sparse crowd, especially after keynote speaker Andrew Taylor, Director of the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the Wisconsin School of Business, shared his views about the concept of place in the Internet era.  (more…)

This Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is a period of 40 days that some Christians say represents the time Jesus spent wandering the desert, enduring temptations and reflecting on his life’s purpose. In modern times, it has become a time for Catholics and others to give up their own temptations or, better yet, add good habits to fulfill their own personal goals and purpose.

Most of my friends, when polled, have decided to give up their bad habits – everything from too much meat and Diet Coke to chocolate and alcohol. Two of my friends are giving up Facebook.  More on that in a minute…

This got me to thinking. What if we communications professionals gave up our bad habits for as well? (more…)

My husband is deaf in one ear. If I stand behind him, he knows I’m talking but he can’t tell what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter how loud I shout. It doesn’t matter how often I repeat myself.  I need to stand in front of him if I want him to understand what I’m trying to say.  The same is true for marketing communications. (more…)

Curiosity can take many forms. Curious people read books. They scan the internet for answers. They sit in coffee shops and people watch. They strike up conversations with complete strangers. They may even eavesdrop.  Why? Because they want to know – have to know – what makes other people tick and how the world works.

Sometimes curiosity requires an out-of-body experience. (more…)