When You Learn How To Lead Me There Gerry Riskin, who is undoubtedly one of the anointed few among clear thinkers, recently sent out a small video (www.gerryriskin.com/law-firm-leadership-law-firm-leaders-heres-3-minutes-53-seconds-from-tom-peters.html) of Tom Peters on the subject of leadership. It was an important piece, and certainly worth the few moments it takes to view it. …

Every election campaign produces, among other things, media myths and bad language. During the elections of the last decade, the language was infected by a new myth called spin control. The phrase, which broke a speed record in becoming a clich' after the 1988 election, implies that a good media relations practitioner can control the nature and texture of a story in the press ' can put the right spin on it to get the journalist to tell it the spinner's way.

Every election campaign produces, among other things, media myths and bad language. During the elections of the last decade, the language was infected by a new myth called spin control. The phrase, which broke a speed record in becoming a clich' after the 1988 election, implies that a good media relations practitioner can control the nature and texture of a story in the press ' can put the right spin on it to get the journalist to tell it the spinner's way.

Every election campaign produces, among other things, media myths and bad language. During the elections of the last decade, the language was infected by a new myth called spin control. The phrase, which broke a speed record in becoming a clich' after the 1988 election, implies that a good media relations practitioner can control the nature and texture of a story in the press ' can put the right spin on it to get the journalist to tell it the spinner's way.

Every election campaign produces, among other things, media myths and bad language. During the elections of the last decade, the language was infected by a new myth called spin control. The phrase, which broke a speed record in becoming a clich' after the 1988 election, implies that a good media relations practitioner can control the nature and texture of a story in the press ' can put the right spin on it to get the journalist to tell it the spinner's way.

In legal marketing, we are now like two men on a bridge. We are all equally armed, with the same professional skills (or an inability to project superior professional skill), and most significantly, with the same marketing tools. The seminars. The articles. The brochures. The networking. The Web site. The press release. Who wins the competitive battle, then?

If, as a marketer, you've ever been involved in a political campaign, then you know that a political campaign is simply another form of marketing. An analysis of the first Clinton campaign for the presidency, with James Carville's core message of '<I>It's the economy, stupid</I>,' made that point very clearly. It was a classic case of <I>positioning</I>. But even that battle was merely a prelude to the campaign that elected Barack Obama ' which was, as well, an inspiring use of positioning.

Many years ago, I worked at an ad agency whose creative director boasted of his ability to generate good advertising ideas. The problem was that his ideas weren't very good. His ad campaigns usually fell short of objectives, or at least, generated no excitement; nor were they very competitive. They rarely were the right ideas for the campaigns involved. After a while, I figured out what was wrong. The problem was that he wasn't creating, or even thinking. He was remembering.