Latest posts from Danny Brown

Enjoy the latest posts from Danny Brown, and feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments after the post.

Rules of Business

Rules are the sticks of those in charge to beat us with.

Rules are the lines that are drawn to stop us overstepping the mark.

Rules are the barbed wire fences of self-important power mads.

Rules are the reason companies go bust and blue collar loses while executives move to the next golden handshake.

Rules, though, are made to be broken – just ask Adam and Eve.

If two tiny people can defy God, just imagine what you could do with a little imagination and a questioning of the rules.

Rules are only rules because we let them be. Sometimes it’s good to break them.

Asset Building

Your people are your assets. It doesn’t matter if you’re a business, a blogger, a non-profit or any mix of personal and professional outlet – your people are your assets.

Want to build a legacy? No-one’s going to know about anything you’re doing just from your voice alone; it’s what your people are saying about you that builds the legacy.

Want to create history? Your people are the ones that will share your stories down the ages.

Your people are your assets. Make sure you look after them.

Help a PR Pro Out Toronto ? Job Listings #happo #happoTO

Today sees a very cool event called Help a PR Pro Out, or HAPPO. Initiated by Arik Hanson and Valerie Simon, its aim is simple – to connect PR jobseekers with agencies and businesses with PR positions available.

I’m honoured to be part of the “team” that’s bringing HAPPO to Toronto, along with PR guy supreme Dave Fleet, of Thornley Fallis. Below you’ll find some current job listings in the Toronto and GTA area – please retweet on Twitter (there’s a dedicated #happo and #happoTO hashtag), share on Facebook and anywhere else you can (especially if you’re in the Toronto and GTA area), and let’s help connect everyone together!

– Note: If you’re an agency or PR company, or have a PR position open at your business, I have details of some great people for you – please feel free to email me for more information, or leave your details in the comments below. Same if you’re a jobseeker – feel free to leave your details in the comments and let’s see if we can help.

Thanks!

Listings (so far):

PR Event Intern (Toronto – Remote Stylist)
Corporate Comms Consultant (Mississauga – Purolator))
Comms Specialist (Toronto – Lang Michener LLP)
Manager, Corporate Comms (Toronto, one-year contract – Toronto Public Library)
PR Manager (Burlington, one-year contract – IKEA Canada)
PR Co-Ordinator (Toronto – Hays)
PR Rep (Toronto, one year-contract – Toyota Canada)
PR Assistant (Toronto – Stivers)
Media and Comms Co-Ordinator (Toronto – Cancer Care Ontario)
Business Communications Associate (Toronto – Google Canada)
Vice President, Consumer Comms (Toronto – Apex PR)
Head of External Comms, Global Advisory (Toronto – KPMG)
Senior Manager, Corporate and Public Affairs (Toronto – TD Bank)
Communications Specialist (Toronto – Bombardier)
Senior Corporate Comms Specialist (Mississauga – FedEx)
Corporate Comms Manager (Brampton – DynaCare)
Comms Manager – (Brampton – Loblaws)

An Invite to Pimp Your Blog

Mr Bling So this week’s been really quiet on here, due to a particularly busy project over at Maritz Canada. Now that project has at least resorted to more normal activity levels, I’ll be jumping back in here and reverting back to normal frequency.

First up will be the continuation and conclusion of the 7 Days to Turn Your Blog Into a Social Media Hub series, and this will be followed by some thoughts I’ve been having around operational social media and marketing differently. So, thanks for your patience during this recent quiet spell – really appreciate it.

But before all that, I’d like to ask you a favour – share your blog.

Leave the URL and a little info about it in the comments section (don’t worry if it doesn’t appear immediately – I use a filter for multiple links, but I will publish any filtered as soon as possible).

You kindly come here to read and maybe share a post or two with your community; now I’d like to do the same. The comments are yours to share your blog with us. And while you’re there, make sure you check out some of the blogs left there – you might just find some great new reads.

Thanks for being you, guys.

photo credit: nicora

Quality Assurance

You have a new product. You need to test it before it goes public. You hire an agency to carry out a focus group for you. You pay people to tell you what, essentially, you want to hear (many focus group participants won’t be completely honest since they want repeat invitations).

You’ve just spent five figures to find out just a tiny bit more than you knew before about your product.

Now. You have a new product. You need to test it before it goes public. You give it to your sales people; your marketing people; your customer service people. You know – the ones who have to live with its real value from the front line.

Who do you think will offer the real feedback?