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Insights and How-Tos

Note from My Desk: The Midbrow American Project of Hating America

This is why communications matter. 1.) We create a story that explains our own choices: I did not merely move abroad; I escaped a crude country for a more enlightened life. 2.) We repeat that story publicly until it becomes part of our identity.

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jul 181 min read

Note from My Desk: Collaboration is part of market competition

The lesson for policy organizations is distribution is not just publishing more of your own content. You must be an active participant in an intellectual ecosystem.

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jul 171 min read

Note from My Desk: Fighting Antisemitism Has a Credibility Problem, and It Is the Jews’ Fault

Jews in America have lived with more freedom, security, and opportunity than almost any Jewish community in history. That does not mean antisemitism is imaginary. It means our communications should be accurate enough to distinguish genuine threats from ordinary disagreement.

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jul 162 min read

Note from My Desk: The more I listen to debates about climate change and immigration, the more they begin to sound like policy Mad Libs

Good policy communications is not about frightening people until they surrender their judgment. It is about persuading them that your preferred solution is proportionate, workable and grounded in reality.

Ellie K

Jul 132 min read

Note from My Desk: When Americans think of France, especially Paris, they imagine high culture: philosophy, art, refined cuisine and serious political debate.

From a communications perspective, it is a useful reminder that symbols travel badly. The same object can signal status in one country and ordinariness and middle class in another.

Ellie K

Jul 111 min read

I’m … Proud to Be an American?

What is the American story? A few weeks ago, I attended a workshop for female business owners. It is a wonderful group filled with kind, helpful women who run successful businesses. One of the questions the facilitator asks during introductions, because we are from all over the world, is: “Tell us your name, where you feel you are from, and your biggest superpower.” People often say things like, “I grew up in London, but I feel I am from China because my parents are Chinese,

Ellie K

Jul 23 min read

Note from My Desk: Is there any issue in America where the government actively fought simple, practical solutions because of vibes?

As I sweat through this heatwave, I’ve been thinking about one of my favorite policy communications questions: Is there any issue in America where the government actively fought simple, practical solutions because of vibes? For decades, the French public has been told that air conditioning is unhealthy, immoral, and way too American. Much of this comes from the Green/Socialist policy imagination, where A/C is like both a character flaw and the leading cause of global warming.

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jun 251 min read

Note from My Desk: The World Cup is some of the best PR America could imagine.

The World Cup is some of the best PR America could imagine. From a strategic communications perspective, it works because it does something no tourism board, embassy campaign, or glossy “Visit America” ad can do: it lets people experience the country directly. Person by person, game by game, one packed stadium, national anthem, and air-conditioned Hampton Inn at a time. My husband was watching France v. Senegal and was struck by how the game opened: the ceremony, the anthem,

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jun 232 min read

Note from my Desk: People know when their daily experience does not match the official narrative

People know when their daily experience does not match the official narrative. I work in strategic communications for nonpartisan policy organizations, legal groups, and advocacy campaigns. One of the biggest mistakes I see elected officials, activists, and commentators make is pretending something isn’t happening when people can see it with their own eyes. Europe is in the middle of a major heat wave, and France is suffering through some of the highest temperatures seen in y

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jun 221 min read

Note from My Desk: Your opponents’ past statements are often more persuasive than your own current arguments

For years, France’s anti-growth, anti-human Green politics treated air conditioning as the enemy: bad for the planet, bad for cities, and dangerous for your health. And now? France faces one of its most serious heat waves in years — with officials invoking the memory of 2003, when nearly 15,000 people died in France during the summer heat wave. Lo and behold, the message has shifted. Now the line is: air conditioning is not “the only solution.” Air conditioning is something t

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jun 201 min read

Note from My Desk: Not everything urgent is actually important

When I moved to Paris, I was unsure where my career would go. I was open to almost anything while I got my bearings: teaching English, volunteer work, consulting projects, even a modest retail job if that was what the transition required. But, I soon discovered something useful: working from Europe can be an advantage for U.S.-based policy and legal organizations. Paris is six hours ahead of Washington, D.C. So, 5:00 a.m. in D.C. is 11:00 a.m. for me. By the time an American

Notes from My Desk

Ellie K

Jun 192 min read

$700 Is a Lot of Money

Clients hire you because they believe you can solve their business problem. Your pricing is a combination of how you perceive your value, market rates, and what someone is willing to pay.

Insights

Ellie K

Apr 292 min read

Don’t Let the Sound of Your Own Wheels Drive You Crazy

Working harder doesn't always make your brand better! Next time you’re working on a story pitch, brainstorming a hook, or workshopping a tagline, ask yourself: What rolls off the tongue? How would you explain this to your aunt or niece?

Strategic Communications

Ellie K

Apr 222 min read

We Don’t Need No Stinking Takes! What will you and your brand spring clean?

Spring cleaning is more than tidying up—it’s assessing who we are, who we want to be, and what we want to leave behind. This is the case for indivuduals, brands, and founders.

Strategic Communications

Ellie K

Apr 63 min read

The Tell-Tale Website: 5 Ways Marketing Tells on Itself

And some brands will try to bury their sins under the floorboards of social media clout and splashy websites. But a lucky few of us, including and especially you, dear reader, will see right through after reading this.

Strategic Communications

Ellie K

Mar 43 min read

I Got Stuck in the Bathroom at My Paris Business School — 5 Lessons Learned

Last week, right before the class I teach, I got locked in the bathroom at a business school in Paris. As in: I closed the door, used the restroom, and when I tried to open it… it was completely jammed.

Insights

Ellie K

Feb 232 min read

8 Media & Communications Myths I’m Tired of Debunking

Marketing and communications myths cost organizations time, money, and credibility. I advise advocacy groups, think tanks, and impact-litigation organizations on how media relations, press strategy, and brand building actually work. This piece breaks down common misconceptions about PR, media placement, social media growth, and press releases, and explains what drives real results in today’s communications landscape.

Strategic Communications

Ellie K

Feb 74 min read