News + Views
Posts: Rob Flaherty
A Few Final Pearls for Life and Career
by Rob Flaherty | June 15, 2021
Over the course of my life and career, I’ve gathered many pearls of wisdom from the brilliant colleagues, clients and thought leaders I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and learning from. On my last official day of work before retirement, I’d like to share a few in the hopes that they help guide new and […]
Achieving Our Full Potential in the Public Relations Field
by Rob Flaherty | May 21, 2021
As I approach retirement in three weeks, I think about the progress the public relations field has made in 40 years. Four decades ago, our industry had already branched out from a singular focus on media relations, but it was still dominated by media relations — specifically, relations between our clients and mass media. We […]
Reflections on Retirement After 32 Years
by Rob Flaherty | May 13, 2021
Gratitude, amazement, pride and excitement — these are the feelings I have as I announce my retirement after nearly 32 years at Ketchum and a career that spans more than 40 years. My last day of regular work is June 15. As that day approaches, I’m feeling a mix of emotions. Gratitude I cannot overstate […]
The Vital Need to Consider All Stakeholders in COVID-19 Communication
by Rob Flaherty | April 6, 2020
For many years now, experienced CCOs and agency counselors have appreciated that issuing segmented and conflicting messages to different stakeholders doesn’t work anymore. Fueled by the transparency of social media, what you say to employees had better be consistent with what you say to Wall Street and your customers, and vice versa. Everyone sees everything. […]
Leading Communicators Offer Perspectives on COVID Crisis Management
by Rob Flaherty | March 20, 2020
This post was originally published on the Page Society blog. I had the privilege today to moderate a discussion among more than 100 leading chief communications officers and agency leaders, all members of the Page Society. The topic was how companies are and should be responding to COVID-19. There was broad agreement that this unprecedented […]
Happy (Real) Birthday, Ketchum
by Rob Flaherty | February 13, 2019
Six years ago our agency celebrated our 90th birthday in a big way, including 90 pro bono brainstorm sessions for 90 non-profit organizations all over the world. The occasion dated our origins back to 1923, but that date — long the official date of our founding — obscured one inconvenient fact that is worth noting.
