For Immediate Release Archives

Apr 13, 2022

FIR #244: April Fool’s! Or Not.

Twitter tweeted a tweet on April 1, leading a lot of people to believe it was an April Fool’s prank. That got it more attention than it otherwise…

Apr 9, 2022

FIR #243: New Creator Tools from LinkedIn

LinkedIn has added a host of new tools for creators. Some look valuable, including better content analytics, profile video tools, and a subscriber bell for update notifications. Others,…

Apr 7, 2022

FIR #242: Can’t Brands All Just Get Along?

A new study suggests that saying nice things about your competitor (notably on social media) can lead consumers to spend more money on your brand’s products and services.…

Mar 29, 2022

FIR #241: Your Personal Brand, Journalist Edition

A public kerfuffle between two journalists on Twitter revolved around whether journalists need to establish a personal brand. The fact is, everybody already has a personal brand; the…

Mar 24, 2022

FIR #240: You’re Fired! Get Off Our Boat!

Radio Shack and Better.com can rest easier these days, now that P&O Ferries has established a new low for how to lay off employees. Outrage is evident everywhere…

Mar 22, 2022

FIR #239: Communicating Climate Risk

New U.S. regulations may require companies to disclose both the impact of their operations on climate change and the risk they face from global warming. With similar requirements…

Mar 21, 2022

FIR #238: Deepfakes and Other Weapons of War

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine tops the coverage in the March edition of The Hobson and Holtz Report, the long-form monthly “For Immediate Release” podcast, with a look at…

Mar 18, 2022

FIR #237: Are NFTs the New Social Layer?

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced, in somewhat cryptic fashion, that NFTs are coming to Instagram. Speculation about what that means is running rampant, with some proclaiming that NFTs…

Mar 17, 2022

FIR #236: Crafting the Right Message

It’s easy to fall into the assumption trap: assuming the right message is always about outcomes. In the case of research conducted about organizations dealing with the prevention…

Mar 10, 2022

FIR #235: Is It Tenable to Keep Doing Business in Russia?

Russia is experiencing a stampede of companies exiting the country, either permanently or temporarily, in support of Ukraine and in some cases under pressure from consumers and shareholders.…