The Donald Trump Problem

Imagine a 2016 debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In ChicagoNow, I ask the question: Would Chicago vote for Trump over Clinton?

http://www.chicagonow.com/chicagonow-news-opinion/2015/07/would-chicago-vote-for-trump-over-clinton/

Goodbye Cable TV Bundle

Top cable channels now see streaming video customers as the future of the business. My Huffington Post Business blog this week explores consumer choices behind cable television cord cutting.

Two Strikes On NBC's Brian Williams

I am not ready to conclude, as some have, that the new media age offers a free pass on traditional media ethics and credibility. If anything, our social media age demands higher standards of transparency, authenticity and believability. Williams and NBC may have been listening to the uproar, but they missed numerous chances for social media engagement with the public.

Read more at The Huffington Post.

Social Media and PR Event Digital Marketing Success

Facebook-promoted posts helped Loessfest 2014 in Council Bluffs, Iowa beat attendance goals by driving website traffic, raising awareness and reinforcing messaging through traditional radio promotion. Read more at the Huffington Post business page.

Digital Marketing Will Define Social Media in 2015

Powerful forces at work within digital marketing are transforming the social media communication landscape. My recent visit to B2 Interactive offered insights into what the next 12 months will bring to media and public relations.  Read more at The Huffington Post.

Tracking PR and Communications Marketing in Social Media

The public relations shift into social media marketing is important. I wrote about this in my Huffington Post Media blog. Richard Edelman calls this brave new world "communications marketing" as a way to distinguish the work from traditional marketing communications. As one of 80 media professors and administrators at the #2014 Academic Summit, I am influenced by the ongoing development of social media and digital technologies.

My new book, Social Media Communication (2015), focuses on the evolution of social media across journalism, public relations, advertising and marketing. Beyond the need to understand social media data, we must be concerned about law, ethics and media literacy. As we move to the second decade of social media and the third decade of online life, I expect increasing maturity in the discussion about best practices.