Communication Theory

I’ve used the hashtag girlboss, and folded the keywords in some of my articles but, you’ll never see me paying $16 dollars for a #girlboss mug. From a content marketing perspective, it makes sense to have this shorthand to promote stories about powerful women to other aspiring women. However, #girlboss and its derivatives are losing wind in 2020. I put effort into separating the need to connect with audiences from the actual substance of each female-led story. Ideally, I can find a way to tell stories about women that appeal to people other than — you know — women. This [...]

Say it with me, “Smokey The Bear”. His comic books, his origin story, even his very name, have all been blurred and befuddled with the passage of time. As one of the most well-known mascots, Smokey shaped generations of preservationist attitudes by encouraging simple fire safety rules. As a long time fan, I was surprised to find out that I actually knew very little of Smokey’s truth. So, I did a little research in an attempt to uncover why his message has lasted so long. Where There’s Smokey Growing up, we read the Smokey Bear comic almost nightly because [...]

It was a very low day when I lashed out at the contrivance of limited-time offers. My target was a burger of some kind and the restaurant was Applebee’s. It wasn’t just any Applebee’s. It was an airport Applebee’s, during a delayed layover as I traveled between business conventions for work. (I remember thinking something particularly dark about how sad it would be if my last meal was eaten at an airport Applebee’s bar.) My snap was mainly internal, as I swung my glare between the waiter’s flair pins, a damp menu, and a crusty table tent. He was trying to [...]

Who would have thought that a plastic straw ban could cause such a stir? That’s the problem. Americans use 500 million straws every day. Someone thought we should ban them to save the environment. No one asked if the catchy pollution solution would hurt anyone. Spoiler: It did. How It’s Supposed to Work The idea behind the plastic straw ban is a noble one. Environmentally conscious municipalities, and then companies, wanted to do something about pollution. While plastic straws only constitute a small part of our overall plastic waste, their ban is easy to conceptualize. It’s a concrete concept. People can understand it quickly. [...]

If you can’t find that specific market, or if it’s become really splintered in the digital world, you may need to look for a different mix for your media dollars.

No matter the scientific criticism that plagues the Discovery Channel’s programming, Shark Week has tapped into our animalistic identification with these dangers of the deep.