The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Being seen and heard.

IU Journalism. “Pros, students rank best on-the-job tech tools”

“Other than Gmail plug-ins, Chang said he can’t live without tools that allow him to stay connected on-the-go… “Losing the battle for free Wi-Fi is the kind of mistake most people have to learn the hard way at conventions, hotels and events,” he said.”

NBC Chicago. “Should Your Restaurant Go After Dark?”

“Chains are simply catching onto what restaurants downtown have already been doing… [but] chains hire consultants to create cocktail programs that can also be quickly and easily made.”

Be the One Light. “Demons. Philip Chang, Chicago”

“There’s a Tennessee Williams quote I rely on, and no, it’s not the one about strangers and gratitude. In 1973, Williams was interviewed by Playboy magazine, where he was quoted saying, “Kill all of my demons, and my angels might die too.”’

HR Communication. “Tear down those silos! Comms departments more united than ever”

A shift in a company’s business situation, a culture change or a new management style can be the trigger toward thinking about communicating in a different way, says Philip Chang, partner at Carbon, a Chicago-based PR firm. “In this scenario, everyone’s a customer,” he says.

Direct Marketing News, “Marketers Split on Impact of Mixed Postal Promotions”

Some marketers still see QR codes as unproven. Philip Chang, a partner at the strategic communications firm Carbon, has used QR codes in direct mail campaigns without seeing increased response rates. “Direct mail is a consumer experience you hold in your hand, whereas QR codes make more sense for customers at the point of sale,” he said.

Business Insider: 21 Big Names in PR Reveal the Most Disastrous Publicity Mistakes They’ve Seen

“Get out of your own way. Don’t create your own hurdles by spending too much time on who you want to be instead of who you are. Finding your own voice is so important because PR will broadcast that, so that people can find you. This is the reverse of what a lot of small businesses and publicists do, which is to go out and try to change minds. You run a business, not a charity. Sell nuts to squirrels.”

AmEx Open: How Much Pro Bono Work is Too Much?

“There is a fallacy that doing charity work will earn you the business of its board members,” says Philip Chang, a partner at Carbon, a Chicago-based PR firm. “Non-profits are a terrific networking opportunity, but not a new business opportunity.” Instead of trying to guess which charity will have the fullest coffers 12 months from now, go for pro bono projects you know will boost your exposure.

Investors Business Daily. ‘Work? Take it with You’

Forget being chained to a desk. Mobile applications make it possible to labor anywhere. How to handle data on the go: Fix it faster. Philip Chang knows what it’s like to solve on-the-spot problems.

Wall Street Journal. “For BP, The Crisis Has Become One of Leadership.”

Mr. Hayward could just keep doing what he’s doing, pretending it’s a bad dream, waiting for someone else to take control. “Tony Hayward can be seen as a man in action, or a man reputed for in-action,” said Philip Chang.