Editorial Team

The Story of the Michelin Guide: How a Tire Company Wrote the World's Most Wanted Restaurant Book

In 1900 two tire makers gave away a red handbook to fewer than 3,000 French motorists. It became the most feared and wanted book in the restaurant world. The story of the Michelin Guide, and what it still teaches about giving customers a reason to buy.

How to Run a Successful Non-Deal Roadshow: What the SEC Cases and the Research Teach

A non-deal roadshow is the most private conversation a public company has with its investors. The SEC's case files, the filings of companies that run them well and a decade of research show how to plan one, what investors ask behind closed doors, and where the rules bite.

Activist Investor Defense: What Seventy Years of Proxy Fights Teach Public Companies

From a Chicago Shrine hall in 1955 to the towers of Procter & Gamble, Disney's 2024 vote and Southwest's settlement with Elliott, the biggest proxy fights show what actually decides an activist campaign, and what winning costs.

Who Cares Wins: The Rise and Retreat of ESG in Investor Relations

In 2004 a UN report asked companies to explain their environmental, social and governance risks through their investor relations channels. Seventeen years later a fund with 0.02% of Exxon won three board seats. Then came the backlash. The story of ESG in investor relations, and what it teaches.

IR Best Practices for Newly Public Companies: Lessons From Facebook's First Year

Facebook priced its IPO at $38 in May 2012, fell to $17.55 within four months and did not close above its offering price again until August 2013. Its filings from that year, and the regulators' findings around it, make a practical guide to investor relations in a company's first year on the market.

How Investor Relations Impacts Stock Valuation: Buffett's Warning and the Evidence Behind It

In 1996 Warren Buffett told buyers of his own stock that he would not buy it at that price. Thirty years of research explain why what a company says to investors, and to whom, changes what its shares are worth.

The Earnings Call: What Enron, Tesla and the Research Reveal About Investor Relations' Most Watched Hour

In 2001 an Enron chief executive insulted a fund manager who asked for a balance sheet. The quarterly earnings call has been investor relations' most revealing hour ever since, and the research shows what investors hear in it.

The 2026 Events Calendar: How the World's Biggest Shows Choose Their Dates and Cities

Every date on the 2026 events calendar was chosen by someone, for reasons of rivalry, hotel rooms, public money and venues. How CES, E3, Web Summit, MWC and SXSW set their dates and cities, what happened when those plans broke, and what it teaches anyone planning a year of events.

Selling the Fresh Start: What a Century of New Year's Resolutions Teaches Marketers in 2026

Every January, millions of people decide to change, and a whole industry is built to meet them. From a Queens living room in 1961 to a Wharton study of Google searches, the story of how businesses sell the fresh start, why it fades by spring, and what that means for marketers in 2026.

The Press Release Turns 120 in 2026: Ivy Lee, a Train Wreck and the Birth of Modern PR

On October 28, 1906, a new electric train plunged off a drawbridge near Atlantic City, and that night the Pennsylvania Railroad did something companies rarely did: it told the press what had happened. The story of Ivy Lee and the first press release, what it cost, and what it still asks of PR in 2026.

Event Planner vs Coordinator: Key Differences

Understand the differences between event planners and event coordinators, including responsibilities, costs, and when to hire each for your event.

PR Agency vs Publicist: Understanding the Key Differences (2026)

Learn the differences between PR agencies and publicists, including services, pricing, and which option is best for your public relations needs.