Jeff has hit on a big, big lesson coming out of Rathergate that’s applicable no matter where you fall on the political spectrum: Brand can get too strong.

(An overly strong brand) … makes Rather want to own the story — rather than get to the truth. You see, if he wanted to get to the truth, he’d quote (or in our world, link to) all the other reports and questions and fact-checking. But he and too many other journalists think they are the trusted ones — they have the standards and reputation, right? right? — and by going to all these others — even amateurs, even mere citizens — they dilute their brands; that’s how they delude themselves. Of course, the irony is that the exact opposite then occurs: By not linking to others, by “standing by our story” in the face of evidence and arguments they ignore, these guys only dilute their own trust and thus their brands. In the end, because their brand is too strong, they set themselves up for a fall; bigger the brand, bigger the fall (see: Howell Raines).

Whether you agree with Jeff’s analysis of this particular scenario isn’t the point; brands can be too strong — or, more accurately, so massive and fixed they become brittle under their own weight. Communications pros need to realize that nurturing a brand often means pruning and shaping, not just constantly applying more fertilizer.

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There’s a telling blog entry over at tech publisher O’Reilly from a journalist who had a truly awful experience with a flack.

There are a lot of good Media Relations 101 resources like this, as well as some of my own thoughts). But the first rule is still the one that matters most: Don’t make it difficult.

A nod to Matthew Podboy of Voce Communications for the tip.

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Hugh, the same smart (and yes, deparaved) brain who offered up wise words on how to be creative, has updated his “Hughtrain Manifesto.”

Pithy wisdom and plenty of funny, interesting (and sometimes shocking) illustrations. But here’s the thing that matters, and it’s right in the subtitle: “The market for something to believe in is infinite.”

Not marketing as ROI. Not marketing as strategicparadigmcustomerrelationship. Marketing as an interface to transformational — and ultimately spiritual — experience.

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The folks over at VentureBlog know a thing or two about technology and how to make money at it. So when they talk about what makes technology work — or fail — I look for insight that can help future marketing efforts.

On this front, Martin Tobias doesn’t disappoint. His premise: Over the last five to seven years, technology has decreased his personal productivity, increased his quality of life and weakened his interpersonal and family relationships (emphasis mine). It’s on that last point he is most eloquent:

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I sometimes think the only truly original insight I’ve ever had is what I call Brooks’ Law:

Brooks’ Law: Everything is small time. Some of the largest and most strategic decisions in business get made — and made badly — because someone got up on the wrong side of the bed, someone is cranky about office politics or someone gave it no more thought than “because that’s the way I want to.”

I want to believe there are Great Minds out there thinking of Big, Important Things broader than my field of comprehension… I really do. And then a story like this comes along.

The International Herald Tribune is reporting that Hewlett-Packard’s new iPod clone will hit the streets in September. Same price point. Same functionality. Hell, they licensed the “iPodness” from Apple.

If I was an HP stockholder (I ditched my stake before the merger, thanks very much), I’d be furious; if I was their marketing team, I’d be worried. Let’s review:

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Beyond Bullets has a great article — to call it a mere post would be a disservice — about using PowerPoint to test ideas. Since I’m usually first in line to rant about poor use of that medium, it seems only fair to point out where it really shines. An excerpt:

Tip: The next time you have a new idea, try field-testing it first in a PowerPoint presentation. If it’s a brief idea, present the idea on a single slide, and then ask other people what they think about it. Or if you have a much larger idea or a sequence of thoughts, put a single idea on each slide and develop it out in a storyboard… When you challenge yourself to do the counter-intuitive, like writing your slides first, you open yourself to new possibilities you may not have seen from a previously limited view.

Thanks to Steve Rubel over at Micro Persuasion for pointing out the site.

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