About William Moss
Trans-Pacific spin doctor. Head of Global Media Relations at TSMC. Occasional writer of humor and PR analysis. This is a personal blog and opinions are my own. More information at “About Imagethief“.
Also on Substack (where full posts live now), Bluesky, the usual places.
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Tag Archives: Technology
The Life and Death of a Cool Phone
That time we tried to make the Moto X in the U.S.A. I’d been working for Burson-Marsteller in China for nearly six years when I got poached away by our client, Motorola. Jumping from agencies to clients can be tricky, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged China, Crisis Management, Motorola, Public Relations, Technology, USA
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The Endless PR Stunt
America’s superstar pro-natalist couple hacks the media Have you heard about Malcolm and Simone Collins? They’re the American couple that have made themselves the poster-family for the “pro-natal” movement, which is an actual thing we have in the U.S. now. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Business, Media, Politics, Public Relations, Technology
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Every Wolf Everywhere All at Once
A slick company is suddenly inescapable Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Did you hear about the company that brought dire wolves back from extinction? I sure did. Couldn’t miss it. The company is called Colossal Biosciences. On April 7th, Time Magazine dropped this cover story: Cool, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Business, Media, Public Relations, Science, Technology
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Adventures in audio tape
Yesterday Bloomberg ran what was essentially a PR piece for Ballfinger, a German maker of rarefied audio equipment, including reel-to-reel stereo tape decks that start at $11,000. The thesis: reel to reel is making a comeback. This is of course a bullshit … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Audio, Media, Music, Pop Culture, Radio, Technology
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Coverup? Huawei Should Send Its PR Bill to ZTE
I’ve never been much for conspiracy theories. Not that I don’t like a touch of the fantastic in my daily life (I live in China, after all). But when you think about the sheer logistics involved in most of the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Business, China, Politics, Public Relations, Rectified.name, Reputation, Technology
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Facebook + Instagram + China = Take a Deep Breath
So, Facebook bought Instagram for a billion bucks. Awesome for those guys. I, alas, did not get rich in either of the Internet startups I participated in. But you can’t put a price on experience, right? Deep sigh. Anyway, Instagram … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Censorship, China, Facebook, Internet, Politics, Technology
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Facebook’s China playbook
As you have undoubtedly heard by now, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his girlfriend* were spotted in Shanghai on Wednesday. This has lead to a completelypredictable round of speculation as to whether this signals some new development in Facebook + … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Censorship, China, Facebook, Internet, Politics, Rectified.name, Technology
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I Apologize if Anyone Felt Killed
Apologies are an under-appreciated art. Most apologies crafted in the name of public relations sound intrinsically weaselly, often because the people making them are preoccupied with saving their prior reputation rather than getting past the mistake and rebuilding trust. I … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged China, Crisis Management, Public Relations, Rectified.name, Technology
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China and the nature of Facebook
Reports have been percolating for a couple of weeks that Facebook will partner with Chinese search engine Baidu to launch Facebook China, or something similar. Anyone who has followed the history of foreign Internet firms in China knows that this … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Business, China, Ethics, Facebook, Google, Internet, Public Relations, Technology
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Could better PR have prevented Groupon’s China gaffe?
Unless you live on Pluto and you’re just in town for the temple fairs you probably know the situation with Groupon and their notorious Tibet ad. From within the China echo chamber it can be tricky to calibrate your reaction … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Business, China, Crisis Management, Public Relations, Technology
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