Real Communication vs. Alternative Facts

Crossroads is all about being real. When we launched in 2012, we were built on a foundation of 25 years of ethical and honest communications as Barkley Public Relations. Real seemed like a natural place for us to live when we were thinking about what our new…

Crisis Lessons from Apollo 13

I am a big movie buff and also have always been a big fan of all things outer space. So it stands to reason one of my favorite movies of all time is “Apollo 13.” But it is more than just a great film. The Ron Howard-directed movie starring Tom Hanks is one of the best dramatic…

Being Real is the Kryptonite to Fake News

Crisis communication managers have a big, new risk to monitor these days. It’s called fake news. It wasn’t enough that those of us who are in the business of helping our client organizations through all the bad, real things that can happen to them. Now, we must prepare for situations…

The Mic is Always On

I checked the calendar just now and the year is 2016. It would seem that by now people in the public eye would all know how to behave in front of the television camera. Once again, an assumption is proved wrong.

Making cause marketing work for your brand

Cause marketing is done right when companies celebrate who they are as a brand. Same goes for nonprofits: they should aim not only to raise needed donations but also to have their brand celebrated as well. I just did a podcast about Crossroads point of…

Can Cause Branding Go Bad?

In our work, we are always working to tell our clients’ stories. And one of the best stories we can tell is that of a brand with a purpose.

We believe in brands standing for something and having a POV on social issues. Brands shouldn’t be content with…

XD for PR

Experiential design is loosely defined as the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, and environments with a focus on user experience.

It’s an increasingly common methodology in the digital space but recently I started to think about it in the context of public…

Are You Earning Trust Today?

At Crossroads, we have invested more than a quarter-century making sure our clients’ reputations are the best they can be. After all, a reputation is the most important asset for any organization or individual. And we all know that a reputation is a moving target, never standing…