How a “Fail Fast, Fail Often” Culture Can Sink Your Trade AssociationIf you are expecting this column to talk about how successful trade associations are member-driven, aligned with member objectives and “listen carefully” to their members, you can stop reading right now.I want to take...
A Clear View of Food Transparency Starts with an Honest Conversation “I want food companies to tell us the truth about what’s in our food and I can decide what is best for me.’’ Those were the words of a Louisiana food shopper at the recent...
Great Communicators Find a Way to “Slow the Game Down”In the 2014 major motion picture, Draft Day, Kevin Costner’s character, Sonny Weaver, the mythological general manager of the Cleveland Browns, is under pressure to make a slam dunk number one pick in the National Football...
"Selfish" Consumers & Ruthless Competition: Cause and Effect of Today's Unpredictable Food Landscape At home, at quick serve restaurants and fine dining establishments, Americans are changing the way we eat. Local, fresh and organic food and farm-to-table dining experiences are all the rage. After decades of shifting...
Intrepidness: The Foundation of Effective Strategic CommunicationsWhen it comes to strategic/crisis communications, I am often remided of a famous quote from theologian William Shedd, who said, "A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are made for."Most professionals realize that external...
Posture, People and Platforms: The Three P’s of Effective Communication Several times during my career, new employers asked me to re-build the organization’s communications function from scratch with little or no allegiance to the operating model of the past. That is an exciting proposition, but it...
Transparency and Consumer Trust: Success Hinges on Execution Far More than the Idea Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few years, you know a big part of the consumer-led food revolution is driven by shoppers who want to know more about their...
The Big Miss: Trade Association Branding & Reputation Management“Branding” is a word embedded in corporate culture. Companies seek to grow their brand identity to support sales and marketing, whether in a business-to-business environment or whether they are consumer-facing brands. There are many elements to brand...
Are you a “Ross Perot” or a “Problem Solving Sherpa” within Your Organization?In 1992, Texas business tycoon Ross Perot conducted one of the most successful independent third party campaigns for the White House in modern American history, gaining nearly 19% of the vote.There was a...