Think Inside The Box

Brainstorm It and Rent It: "Who Knew That Was PR?" Sets Sail

John Armato — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:10:37 +0000

ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT PR is that we tend to think if we can imagine it, it exists somewhere, someone specializes in it, there’s an organization for it, or it can be made for you. Case in point for the latest installment of our “Who Knew That Was PR?” series. Someone in a brainstorm had to have said “I know! Let’s rent a Tall Ship!”

Voila! "Who Knew That Was PR?" Loves a Good Milk Bath

John Armato — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:48:07 +0000

CELEBRITIES ARE PART AND PARCEL OF MANY BRANCHES OF PR. It wasn’t long in my own career before I was carrying Henry Bloch’s suitcase around New York City, having dinner with Frank “Catch me if You Can” Abagnale, and pissing off Martha Stewart.

"Who Knew That Was PR?" Heck, Who Knew That Was a Midge?

John Armato — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:16:36 +0000

OUR LOOK INTO A DAY IN THE LIFE OF PR CONTINUES. Installment No. 3 asks “What the heck IS a midge anyway?

"Who Knew That Was PR?" Continues

John Armato — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:41:43 +0000

WELL, THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN EVERY DAY. Our second installment from the “Who Knew That Was PR” files is a one-of-a-kind. My schedule this week looks awfully boring by comparison, but I think I like it like that. This incident made for a great cocktail party story, but a lousy day at work, I’m sure.

A Cup, a Swap, a Genius and More ...

John Armato — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:45:05 +0000

I WAS PART OF A GREAT PRESENTATION TO A CLIENT today that reminded me just how true it is that all ideas are new combinations of existing elements. As we presented our program concepts I made a few mental notes about our sources of inspiration. I found the list quirky, cool and kind of interesting and thought you might too. Here are the top five items on the list:

Introducing the "Who Knew That Was PR?" Files

John Armato — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:48:58 +0000

THE PROFESSION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS CAN BE HARD TO EXPLAIN to people. It’s a big field and people tend to think of it as being all about media relations or stunts or crisis communications. That’s certainly a big part of PR, but there’s a lot we do that people might find surprising. So, I recently asked several colleagues for examples of real moments in their careers that would shed a little light on what a day in the life in PR can include. What I got back ranges from silly to touching to surprising to fascinating.

The creative fun and power of questions

John Armato — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:41:21 +0000

I’M A BIG BELIEVER IN THE POWER OF QUESTIONS as tools to identify, break and create patterns, which can lead us to new ideas. I recently came across a video that’s been available on YouTube for the past year or so, but was new to me. I can’t swear that this delightful and creative idea began with a question, but it sure seems to me the underlying question is “How would monks who have sworn a vow of silence sing a song?”

Facebook: When the Invited Guests Bring a Soapbox

John Armato — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 04:04:40 +0000

I KNOW THE EVENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS yesterday were significant. And I know that that was good news for some and bad news for others. … But the past couple of days I’ve been inundated with intensely political Facebook posts that either assume I agree with them or don’t care if I don’t — which is thoughtless at best and callous at worst. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. Depending on the news of the day or the events in someone’s personal life, we’ve all seen spikes of this sort of thing on our walls. This time is was political. Another time it might have been religious. Yet another time, cultural, racial, sexual, who knows. I like all of my friends and respect their many, many differences. And I’m happy to entertain a point of view other than my own. But when occasional sharing turns into tedious proselytizing, it ceases to be an exchange of ideas and instead becomes a sort of intellectual harassment.

Preparing for constraints was part of recording jazz CD

John Armato — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:34:31 +0000

“CLAUDETTE” BY WONDERFUL JAZZ SINGER CLAUDETTE STONE is now available on CD Baby. If you like jazz standards, light Latin, and ballads, you should like this very much. Click over to CD Baby to preview. While you’re there, read the liner notes for an interesting story about how the recording grew. Unlike most recordings, drums (yours truly) were added last. Matching tempos was a challenge, but I’m pleased with the result. In fact, it was a real-life example of something I’ve written about frequently on this blog: creative constraints.

Answer: These are things that lead us to meaning. Question: What are questions?

John Armato — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:58:36 +0000

SECOND IN A SERIES
A Guest Essay by Jerry LaMartina, Freelance Journalist and Editor

DR. WALTER MURRISH WAS A KIND AND INSIGHTFUL SOUL. I owe my choice of a major in college in large part to him.

He taught the introductory class in Communication Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City the summer I took it. I’d been searching for a major — English? Psychology? Philosophy? — I didn’t know. I was interested in them all but fully seized by none of them.

Dr. Murrish was at the time an emeritus professor of Communication Studies at UMKC. … He cited a scholar in the field who’d said: We know ourselves to the degree we disclose ourselves to others.” … I knew instantly that this was my chosen major.