21 Jul, 2017

Last week, news emerged that U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington has circulated draft legislation to create a board that would provide advice to the federal government on a broad range of issues related to artificial intelligence (AI). This is the first legislative foray on the topic of AI and its aim is to initiate some form of government oversight of AI technologies, including analysis of their potential impact on the work force. According to the draft version of the bill, the advisory

11 Jul, 2017

At this point, almost everyone in legal technology should be aware of the recent global cyberattack known as “Petya.” In particular, they should be acutely aware of the fact that one of the world’s largest law firms, DLA Piper, was a target. DLA Piper is a multi-billion-dollar firm with one of the most impressive – and expansive – client rosters anywhere, including more than half of the Fortune 250 and almost half of the FTSE 350 or their subsidiaries. The attack, which occurred on June 27,

29 Jun, 2017

Public relations and journalism are two very separate disciplines and industries, yet they are inextricably intertwined. One could not exist without the other – although some on both sides may occasionally differ on that one. As a result, PR practitioners need to understand and remain informed on the constant changes happening in the media landscape. Just as the emergence of the internet and news sites changed the process of pitching and delivering stories, so too did the creation of social

19 Jun, 2017

This month, the Digital Citizens Alliance issued a report entitled Trouble in our Digital Mist: How Digital Platforms Are Being Overrun by Bad Actors and How the Internet Community Can Beat Them at Their Own Game. As the title suggests, the report’s findings point to a growing lack of faith in online platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter among the American public. According to the report: 64% said their trust in digital platforms has dropped in the last year 75% said digital platforms

05 Jun, 2017

A few months ago, I asked whether the gig economy could survive a renewed regulatory onslaught – something which has come to the fore in recent months as regulators take aim at the practices of companies like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and others. In a series of blogs, we talked about how the Governor of New York had signed restrictive rules on short-term apartment rentals in the state of New York into law in October last year – a move aimed directly at Airbnb. The new rules made it illegal to

18 May, 2017

Just a few weeks ago I blogged about United Airlines as an example of how a company can spectacularly mishandle an unfolding crisis, generating cycles of negative coverage and damaging the company’s bottom line. Today, I want to shine a light on a company – the Honest Company – that just last week found itself in the midst of a product recall, but executed a smart, swift and an on-point response strategy to stem a potential crisis.     The Honest Company is a consumer goods company, focused

19 Apr, 2017

It is only April and yet it seems like we have already witnessed several major brands flounder this year as our attention is repeatedly drawn from one high profile PR disaster to another. This month, United Airlines became a global punchline (pardon the pun) for its appalling response to the violent removal of a passenger from a flight.   For those of you who have somehow missed this story, a 69-year old doctor – Dr. David Dao – was asked to leave an overbooked United Airlines flight to

17 Jun, 2016

Last week I spoke about the basic marketing mistakes companies often make, and discussed the need to for them be more knowledgeable about the broader trends that can influence their industry.    After LegalTech West Coast this past week, it is a fitting time to discuss a few of those trends hitting the legal market. It’s clear from the conference that innovation is driving three key areas of change: 1) the acceleration of technology adoption, 2) debate around the broader policy and ethical

10 Jun, 2016

If I asked you to name a company that didn’t want more customers, more sales and more revenue, I’m betting it would be a tough challenge. And if I asked you to a name a company that wanted to make it harder to push prospects all the way through the consideration funnel, I suspect that would be a tough one, too. Yet many companies do not follow the marketing basics that transform a prospective lead into paying client, relying instead on the old adage, “Everyone knows marketing.” As both an