Vox Optima

12/20/2024

For a model that took this long to release, the fact that it’s only marginally better than GPT-4 is not the huge win Google was aiming for.

OpenAI released GPT-4 in March. Google now releases Gemini, which outperforms but only by a few percentage points.

So, how long will it take for OpenAI to release an even bigger and better version? Judging by the last year, it probably won't be long.

For now, Gemini seems to be the better option but that won’t be clear until early 2024 when Ultra rolls out. ~ Martina Bretous via HubSpot

Google finally released its new AI model, Gemini, a rival to OpenAI's GPT-4. In their demo, they used some editing magic to enhance the model's WOW factor that garnered criticism.

12/20/2024

Is An Addiction Machine?

I don’t think I’m going to get a lot of argument when I say TikTok, more so than any other digital media, is crack for kids and adults alike.

I’ve written before about how TikTok’s creator algorithm allegedly tends to reward the lowest common denominator, thereby appealing to the widest audience while simultaneously shrinking the average attention span of its product base.

Again, I could provide a link here but just a web search will bring back more than enough evidence, including scholarly articles and state lawsuits, to back me up. Especially as it relates to kids’ mental health. ~ Joe Procpio via Inc. Magazine

12/19/2024

Tara McDonagh is host of the Communications Business Advisor podcast and President and Chief Communication Strategist at Tara McDonagh Communications. In this candid conversation, which forms the penultimate issue of Candid Comms for 2024, Tara and I discuss:

- what being a strategic internal communicator means
- what unites communicators globally
- communicators as business advisors
- the importance of teaching others how to treat you
- supporting other women

~ Rachel Miller with Tara McDonagh All Things IC

Podcast link:

This bonus episode of the Candid Comms podcast is a conversation between Rachel Miller and Tara McDonagh. Tara is the host of the Communications Business Advisor podcast and President and Chief Communication Strategist at Tara McDonagh Communications. In this candid conversation Rachel and Tara disc...

12/19/2024

Write in full, even if you end up speaking more freely

A key decision to make before any speech is whether you’re going to speak from a fully written script or summary bullet points that give you a structure and remind you what you plan to say. You can put much of your content on slides, as many people do, but keep in mind that your audience might find it duplicative for you to then read through the material.

I think it’s good to prepare a fully written speech because it forces you to identify exactly what you plan to say and helps you avoid saying anything else on the day. A well-considered, well-prepared speech is usually more valuable and enjoyable for audiences.

For detailed advice on crafting great speeches, I’d recommend The Art of Speeches and Presentations by Philip Collins. Collins was a speechwriter to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and says that any speech should have a ‘fulcrum’ or key point. He also suggests interviewing audience members before a speech to understand their interests and sensitivities. ~ Grant Butler via Editor Group

The secret to success is good preparation, both as you write a speech and as you consider the physical aspects of public speaking.

12/18/2024

Compelling Brand Story — A brand story zooms into the company’s core values, mission, and broader vision. Simply put, it tries to justify why a product exists in the first place and how it can add value or help solve a problem.

For instance, Tesla positions itself as not just an EV manufacturer but as a pioneer in sustainable energy solutions that can make a positive impact on nature. ~ Agnes Joseph via Agility PR Solutions

Have you ever wondered why some brands always seem to top your news feed? All that buzz around a particular company on the internet is like billboards, which are hard to miss, even if you

12/18/2024

The challenge isn’t just getting coverage; it’s about making that coverage work harder. This means amplifying it through the right channels and ensuring it’s aligned with your broader business goals – whether that’s generating leads, nurturing prospects, or building stronger client relationships.

As Stephen Kenwright, director of strategy and digital marketing at Ride Shotgun, shared with me: “Marketers are always under pressure to diversify, adding more and more channels to the mix but, since budgets are shrinking, this is seen as a nice-to-have.

“When we plan ahead, though, it doesn't have to be more expensive – we can repurpose assets and get more out of them. The excellent ROI Genome study by Analytic Partners demonstrates that ROI increases when more channels are used, even if the overall budget stays exactly the same. Put crudely, 1x PR output + 1x SEO output will usually outperform 2x as much PR in the same campaign.” ~ Louise Watson via The Drum

Propeller Group’s Louise Watson says that good coverage is good – but good coverage with smart strategy behind it is better.

12/17/2024

Ensure L Embodies The New Brand

Your leadership team plays a crucial role in making the successful. Employees and customers alike will look to leaders for cues on how committed the organization is to the change.

should:

- Actively and consistently communicate the rationale behind the rebrand.

- Share the brand story with passion and conviction.

- Model behaviors that align with the new brand promise.

The adage, “People respect what you inspect,” applies here. Leaders must set high expectations for all employees to embrace the new brand and hold teams accountable for delivering on its promise. ~ Jim Heininger via

Here are key priorities you’ll face after the rebrand is unveiled.

12/17/2024

AI’s rapid advancement has ignited enthusiasm about its potential to revolutionize corporate decision-making by substituting for expensive, fallible humans.

But it’s naïve to believe that by gathering ever more data and feeding it to ever more powerful algorithms alone, businesses can uncover the truth, make the right decisions, and create value. We call this false belief “dataism.”

Decisions are not merely exercises in data aggregation and algorithmic analysis. They necessarily involve many additional nuanced elements, such as selecting trustworthy data sources, employing imagination to envision possibilities beyond available facts, and judging the feasibility of solutions.

These are areas where humans have innate advantages over machines. Crucially, these involve implicit and often untrained human capabilities. ~ Martin Reeves, Mihnea Moldoveanu, and Adam Job via Harvard Business Review

The rise of AI presents an opportunity for humans to step up to the challenge of refining, emphasizing, and applying our own human strengths to differentiate corporate decision-making. However, human capabilities, like making moral judgments, and using imagination or intuition, are often untrained,....

12/16/2024

It’s not enough to just get featured in local media—you need to track and measure the impact of your coverage to refine your strategy and maximize results. Monitor reach and engagement, analyze website traffic, and assess how your media features translate into business outcomes like increased inquiries or sales.

Understanding these metrics will help you focus on what works best and continuously improve your media strategy. Are you seeing the results you want? If not, it’s time to adjust and optimize your approach.

🔍 Curious about how to leverage media insights for your business growth? Contact Vox Optima to get expert guidance on measuring and enhancing your media impact!

12/16/2024

Embrace a consistent cadence.

Employees crave guidance during a crisis—and communicators can provide it. Slupski told the audience that communicators should position the organization as a multifaceted resource for employees in a crisis.

Slupski provided an example from her own experience. After the events of October 7, Sheba sent out an alert to employees within 90 minutes. These quick, transparent communications helped build trust in a moment of turmoil.

“In times of crisis, an organization is more than an employer. It must be a protector, a guide, and a source of stability. Your employees need to hear from you frequently, clearly, and with purpose.” ~ Sean Devlin via Ragan Communications

Pressing scenarios ultimately teach valuable communications lessons.

12/16/2024

The clock is running out on TikTok and ByteDance.

Judge Douglas Ginsburg laid down the law in his ruling to uphold the TikTok divestiture. In the decision, he wrote, “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here, the government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.”

Translation: It’s complicated.

Of course, TikTok’s lawyers clapped back, saying the ban will “silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the U.S. and around the world on Jan. 19, 2025.”

And let’s be real — how will the world survive without endless cat videos and questionable life hacks?

First Amendment issues aside, TikTok has grown into a marketing, advertising, and e-commerce juggernaut. I’ve talked many times about how both B2C and B2B marketers see real engagement, real success, and real dollars using TikTok. ~ Content Marketing Institute

TikTok popped back in the news last week with a U.S. appellate court ruling on requiring China-owned ByteDance to divest itself of the app or face a ban. Will U.S. users lose access on Jan. 19? Should that change your content and marketing plans?

12/14/2024

Today's the 125th meeting of the U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen and the U.S. Military Academy Cadets for the Army-Navy football game. Enjoy the game!

Go Navy! Beat Army!

12/13/2024

Cost-effective

One of the biggest benefits of digital content is its cost-effectiveness. Many mediums use low — or no-cost tools such as blogging, SEO, and social media, making it accessible for businesses and teams of all sizes.

Yes, paying seasoned, skilled professionals to own and execute your digital content strategy can come at a pretty penny, but the barriers otherwise are quite low.

Plus, your work tends to compound. Once you build site authority and social media followings, quality digital content tends to deliver more without much more immediate attention. ~ Ramona Sukhraj via HubSpot

What does digital content look like in 2025? We unpack the basics, what experts predict, and how marketers can prepare for the next year.

12/13/2024

"More “no.” Public relations does not only equal earned media. There are so many options in our PR toolkits to be successful. I foresee that more earned media specialists are going to say pitching isn’t the right tactic to meet goal X and counsel clients on what else will be successful.

"I think we’ll continue to evaluate what the best route to success is and look to paid, social, and owned activations to get us there – often instead of earned. We’ll send less pitches, but have more coffee chats (with our target journalists)." ~ Lauren O’Neill via Allison Carter at PR Daily

It’s all about independent journalists in 2025. The number one media relations trend for 2025, according to the PR pros who answered our LinkedIn post? The rise of independent journalism. Dozens of responses pointed to the 2024 presidential election as marking the moment that podcasts, Substacks a...

12/12/2024

Making Your Data Tell Stories

Working with dozens of communications teams taught me that data without context is just numbers. You need to turn those numbers into stories that resonate with your leadership team.

Instead of saying, “Our content engagement increased by 35% this quarter,” try this:

“Remember that series of thought leadership pieces we developed about artificial intelligence? They’ve been read by 72 CTOs from our target account list, and 15 of them have requested sales conversations. Three are now in the final stages of contract negotiation.”

See the difference? The first statement is about what we did. The second is about business results. Plus, showing that kind of customer journey is much more fun! ~ Gini Dietrich via Spin Sucks

Are you tracking metrics that matter? Gini Dietrich describes how to align PR measurement with business outcomes and win your seat at the strategic table.

12/12/2024

No. 5. Harness the power of LinkedIn Newsletters

LinkedIn Newsletters can be an excellent tool for delivering long-form content directly to your audience. Set up your newsletter by navigating to your profile or company page, clicking on "Write an article," and selecting "Create a newsletter."

Choose a compelling name and description that reflects its content and value proposition. Develop a content calendar with topics that align with your audience's interests and industry trends.

Promote your newsletter across various platforms eg. send to your email subscribers and use LinkedIn smartlinks to track who opens and reads it — and engage with subscribers to build a community around your content. ~ Melanie Goodman via Entrepreneur Europe

Follow these six cutting-edge strategies for entrepreneurial success on the popular networking platform.

12/11/2024

Visual Storytelling

As if that’s not enough, we also have virtual storytelling to consider, which isn’t exactly new, but has cemented a place in strategic comms plans.

The shift toward visual and short-form content continues to accelerate, with audiences showing strong preferences for quick, engaging visual narratives over traditional long-form content.

This doesn’t mean abandoning substantive communication. Instead, it requires breaking complex messages into digestible, visually appealing segments (perhaps something I should consider with this article!). ~ Gini Dietrich via Spin Sucks

By 2025, earned media success will require mastering 12 distinct media ecosystems. Adapt your comms strategies with this comprehensive guide:

12/11/2024

In pouring over predictions I received this year, I had a simple observation: I disagreed with a lot of them. Indeed, if you peruse these entries, you’ll see a lot of conflicting views.

In other words, if this roundup is any indication, we don’t have a consensus about the future.

On the one hand, this seems logical. How can we gain consent over something that’s yet to happen? On the other hand, in years past, while there were some outliers, I thought many of the predictions had the same basic forecast. ~ Frank Strong via Sword and the Script

If these predictions are any indication, there’s little consensus across marketing and PR about what will happen next year; exciting times are ahead