Remember how hard it was to keep a secret when you were a kid, particularly if the news was something fun or exciting? We had that kind of day here at the office yesterday. The people who run the American Business Awards program – more commonly known as The Stevie Awards – shared their list of 2012 Finalists with those that had earned this honor, but asked us to hold the news until today, when…

I was intrigued by a piece that ran in PRWeek recently on the topic of corporate character.  The piece was prompted by a new report, “Building Belief: A New Model for Activating Corporate Character and Authentic Advocacy,” issued by the Arthur W. Page Society, a professional group for senior comms leaders. The report reflects insights and best practices from major brands such as Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Apple, FedEx and IBM. It describes a new…

When Alexander Graham Bell and his pal Watson achieved their breakthrough in voice communications 136 years ago, who could have imagined the role the humble telephone would one day play? Twelve years after Mr. Bell did his thing, only about 150,000 Americans had phones. Today, the phone, in mobile form, is an essential part of our everyday lives. According to the International Telecommunication Union, there are now some 5.9 billion cellular subscriptions worldwide. To support this…

What makes great Public Relations?  Ask this question at lunch at Tanis Communications, and you’re sure to create a lively debate.  How do the talking points, pitches, influencer contacts, research, social media tools, editorial calendars, speaking opportunities, etc. all fit together to generate coverage for the client? While other forms of marketing communications such as advertising and email marketing allow you to target a particular demographic, completely specify the content, determine the optimal location and…

As the Holiday Season is upon us and we look back on 2011, the Tanis team took a break to celebrate the year with some good food (and cheer!) and to give something back to our community.  San Jose has been a great location for our company and we found a couple of very worthwhile organizations to support. We had a lot of fun putting together breakfast bags for the homeless in Santa Clara for…