Author Archives: maslansky + partners

The one tool we use for every language strategy project

May 4, 2021

What’s the difference between a glass half full and a glass half empty? A school with the most graduates and a school with the largest alumni network? Plant-based protein and synthetic meat? In this week’s edition of HearSay, Michael and Lee are joined by colleagues Will Howard and Katie Cronen to talk about framing — the heart and soul of m+p’s language expertise.  Join us for some of our favorite framing examples and why it’s an important exercise for companies.

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The One Question Every Customer Experience Should Answer

April 27, 2021

maslansky + partners’ Senior Vice Presidents Maria Boos and Katie Cronen join Michael and Lee to talk about the language of customer experience and why it’s so important to get the language right. Especially now, what makes it harder? How can we do it right? We share what we have learned from companies in the marketplace today and work that we’ve done in the past.  They cover the one question all communicators should be able to answer, how to define success, and the importance of intuition and simplicity.

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Leading in times of crisis: learning when + how to communicate corporate beliefs

April 20, 2021

Michael and Lee are joined by colleague Sachi Pettit in a conversation about when companies should speak out and what it takes to be a leader, especially on difficult issues. They talk about confronting racism, equality, and how to find common ground even when it seems impossible. They talk about specific case studies from Proctor & Gamble and a project where they found a way to engage even the most skeptical audiences in the climate movement.

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Words with New Meaning in a Post-Pandemic World

April 13, 2021

What do the phrases white glove, high-touch, and clean have in common? They’ve changed meaning and use for safety precautions and standards in a global pandemic. But the language shifts we’ve seen go beyond safety: birthday parties, happy hour, weekend getaways, middle seats on airplanes, virtual banking. This week, Michael and Lee welcome colleagues Catherine Farr and Will Howard to talk about words that changed meaning over the past year. And the lifecycle of the pandemic lexicon.

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Communicating the COVID-19 Vaccine: Common Ground + Cognitive Biases

April 6, 2021

Is it possible to persuade folks to take the COVID-19 vaccine? In this week’s edition of HearSay, Michael and Lee talk to colleague and pharma expert Sarah Hendry about the unique challenges in getting people vaccinated. They touch on cognitive biases at play, past healthcare experience that may impact today’s hesitancy, missed opportunities at some key moments, and whether its even possible to find common ground with anti-vaxxers.

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Introducing HearSay, Our New Podcast

March 30, 2021

In this inaugural episode, CEO Michael Maslansky, President Lee Carter and Partner Keith Yazmir discuss how we need to communicate in a Post COVID world. They bring their experience with words, communication, and behavioral science to the table. They debate how the world has changed but agree on one thing: words have never mattered more. They offer a few essential tips on how to resonate now keeping in mind that it’s Not What You Say, It’s What They Hear.

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LANGUAGE OF ASIAN AMERICAN IDENTITY

January 19, 2021

As a term, “Asian American” has it’s roots in politics. Activists and academics trace its origins back to 1968 and University of California, Berkeley students Yuji Ichioka and Emma Gee, who “founded the Asian American Political Alliance as way to unite Japanese, Chinese and Filipino American students on campus.” Today, it’s an identifier that encompasses nearly 21 million Americans who trace their roots to more than 20 countries in East, Southeast, and Southern Asia, each carrying their own unique histories, cultures, languages and traditions. 

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Language of Hispanic + Latinx Identity

October 16, 2020

Yesterday marked the end of National Hispanic Heritage month, a month intended to “celebrate the countless contributions of more than 60 million Hispanic and Latin Americans to our culture and society.” So while events looked a little differently this year, at m+p, we wanted to use this time to reflect on what this heritage means to our Hispanic and Latinx colleagues and friends. How does it translate in their day-to-day, and the contributions they make beyond just this month?

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