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Award-winning blogger, brand marketer, public relations executive and social media innovator As featured on CNN, "60 Minutes" and "Good Morning America," and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph (U.K.), The Times (London) and more

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Read Marian's award-winning four-part series from the Huffington Post about the brain (including creativity, collaboration, the information onslaught and the new definition of braininess) here.
April 11, 2013, 10:54 pm

What CEOs Can Learn from Social Media About Building Their Brands

by Marian in: Social Media | brands

Originally posted on the blog of Havas PR North America.

Now that social media is clearly a permanent disruption (i.e., here to stay, and making organizations and individuals reinvent themselves if they don’t want to get left behind), it’s worth paying attention to the various ways its precepts can inform professional development, … [continue reading... ]

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March 18, 2013, 10:55 pm

Branding the Pope

by Marian in: Change | Social Media | brands

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

I’m writing this just after the conclave of cardinals announced the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, who last month became the first modern-day pontiff to abdicate the throne. They charted some new ground, choosing 76-year-old Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first non-European to fill the role … [continue reading... ]

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March 5, 2013, 9:01 am

The Deal Is Off! What to Learn from the Fall of Groupon CEO Andrew Mason

by Marian in: Mass Media | Social Media | brands

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

Andrew Mason’s unsurprising ouster from Groupon last week wasn’t entirely about his personal brand. As anyone who has been paying attention knows, the group-discount company has been performing spectacularly badly. Its fourth-quarter earnings report was awful, with a GAAP loss of 12 cents per share—that’s 10 cents more (or … [continue reading... ]

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February 27, 2013, 9:01 am

Would Mindy McCready Have Agreed with Her Final Branding Statements?

by Marian in: Mass Media | Social Media | Trends | brands

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

A colleague of mine recalls a time when a new boss had taken over her department and everyone was anxious. One of his first acts: handing out New York Times obituaries of distinguished people. “Read these,” he said, “and think about what your obituaries would say.”

His gambit worked. The … [continue reading... ]

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February 19, 2013, 9:01 am

2013 Will Be Brutal for CEOs

by Marian in: Social Media | The Economy | brands

Originally posted on CNBC.com.

I recently came across some survey data that suggests 2013 will be a tough year for CEOs—or, at least, many of them believe that it will be. Now that the economy’s “green shoots” of recovery are starting to bud into potential blossoms, expectations are up in terms of … [continue reading... ]

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November 13, 2012, 1:21 pm

Is There a Future for the Brand Who Bashes? (Or, What’s Next for Greg Smith?)

by Marian in: Insights | brands

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

Greg Smith, the disillusioned Goldman Sachs employee who left the firm in March with a scorched-earth op-ed in The New York Times, is back in the news as his tell-all book hit shelves last week. Whether he really pulled back the curtain on the Goldman brand or he’s just a … [continue reading... ]

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November 1, 2012, 9:01 am

When Brands Need a Reboot (Think Lance)

by Marian in: CSR | Public Relations | Social Media | brands | health and wellness

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

It used to be that if you were famous and you screwed up, the path to redemption was clear: Hire an old-school, big-name publicist to keep yourself out of the news for a while, then orchestrate a high-profile comeback (think a self-deprecating turn on “Saturday Night Live”) to … [continue reading... ]

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October 25, 2012, 9:01 am

Making Places and Brands

by Marian in: Change | Public Relations | Social Media | Trends | brands

Originally posted on PRWeek.com.

This is the second in a series of three posts that will discuss what I see as a PR émigré managing in a world where evolution meets revolution.

Some cities always attract the limelight. New York and Paris have rich pasts full of historic events and interesting people that will always … [continue reading... ]

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October 17, 2012, 10:11 am

You Are the Company You Keep

by Marian in: Politics | Public Relations | Social Media | brands

Originally posted on Forbes.com.

Personal branding is the name of the game these days, and in our age of radical transparency it is informed not just by how you present yourself but also by the people you associate with. Just as product- and service-based brands have to choose their celebrity ambassadors carefully, individuals looking to up … [continue reading... ]

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January 7, 2012, 10:10 pm

What Transparency Means in Local Markets

by Marian in: American Life | CSR

Originally published on the blog of the Fairfield County Public Relations Association.

From Exxon to BP to Madoff, from Anthony Weiner to Herman Cain to Kim Kardashian—and, of course, the Penn State nightmare—we are in a totalitarian transparent state of being (meaning zero tolerance for not being transparent).

In this most social of social ages online and … [continue reading... ]

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