Thirty-six essays I wrote between 2010 and 2018 that defined AI Communications before AI had a name. Original publish dates preserved. The archive that predicted the answer-engine era — crisis cases, industry direction,
November 2011. Business Insider. Five rules for professional social media — written before Instagram had a business product, before TikTok existed. Fifteen years later, 5W's social and influencer practice still runs them
March 2011. Business Insider. I argued PR is a P&L line item, not a vanity expense — written for a CFO audience before "earned media ROI" was a category. The 5W AI Communications pricing model was built on that call.
The 24/7 rolling press conference. The BornFree BPA case. Education-first PR. Expert positioning. Getting out in front of the answer.
Why authenticity wins long-term. The Walmart 2006 chaos. Tourneau vs. Wempe. Why pretending gets caught faster now than ever.
Why the brands that win pick one clear position and defend it. Apple. Louis Vuitton. McDonald's. And what happens when a brand tries to be everything at once.
Pharma is the largest direct-to-consumer ad category in America. The AI engines are not impressed. New 5W research shows Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk own the answer — and Merck, maker of the best-selling drug on earth, ran
October 2011. Business Insider. I called the Kardashian brand enterprise-grade engineering when most of the financial press still treated her as a tabloid story. Fifteen years of compounding has proven the read.
September 2011. Business Insider quoted me on the UBS Grübel resignation after the Kweku Adoboli rogue-trader scandal. Fifteen years later, the crisis-PR playbook I named then still runs at 5W AI Communications.
Five from my 2011 Business Insider archive — representative samples of what would later become AI Communications. Crisis PR, celebrity PR, social media, brand strategy, and the case for PR itself.
How to work with reporters without being naive. Beware of stolen documents, leaks, and sensitive information. The Rules of Engagement for press relations.
The closing chapter. Fifty short, blunt rules for working in PR — irreverent, operational, and built from real campaigns. Plus the new rule for the AI Communications era.