Inside the world of Rob Mclean, Author

A new CNN poll shows that Obama's approval ratings a mong Millenials (those age 30 or younger) has fallen off a cliff. The president once held a 76 per cent approval rating among Millenials, but currently holds only a 45 per cent approval rating (with a 17 per cent drop occurring just in the past month). The reason(s) for this isn't hard to deduce. Online News The primary reason is where Millenials are getting their news from. Most millennials are getting their news online - The HuffingtonPost, The Young Turks, DemocracyNow, Reddit, and the list goes on. These outlets are covering stories with very different narratives than NBC, CBS, FOX, and MSNBC. When it comes to Edward Snowden, the mainstream media uses terms like traitor, spy, criminal, cowardly, while the online media outlets tend to use terms like whistleblower, hero and courageous. Additionally, on outlets like Reddit misinformation is quickly corrected in the ongoing conversation that takes place in the

Obama's brand took a shellacking in Ireland last week...

CBC reports that Bill C-309 has passed and it is now law in Canada. According to the bill: "The bill creates a new Criminal Code offence that makes it illegal to wear a mask or otherwise conceal your identity during a riot or unlawful assembly. Exceptions can be made if someone can prove they have a "lawful excuse" for covering their face such as religious or medical reasons." From a PR perspective this limits the branding effectiveness that some protests can achieve. Both Anonymous and Occupy protesters are known for wearing Guy Fawkes masks... For those that don't know Guy Fawkes is most popularly known from the movie V for Vendetta Anyway, I can appreciate the need to be able to identify people during a riot, but the law is clearly too broad. It's absurd to put someone in jail for 10 years simply because they wore a mask to an unlawful gathering (which many protests, by the letter of the law, are).  Putting people in jai

For those of you who have an eccentric sense of humor...

Obama is going after Edward Snowden (the man who leaked NSA information) with the full force of the US Justice Department, c harging Snowden with espionage , a crime which could see Snowden serve 30 years in prison. Snowden is currently... somewhere. He has left Hong Kong and is currently in Russia on his way to ... somewhere (rumors say Iceland or Brazil). In the PR battle for the hearts and minds of the world, I'd have to say that right now Snowden is winning ( despite a recent poll showing that 53 per cent of Americans think he should be prosecuted - and yet at the same time 54 per cent say what he did was a 'good thing'). While Snowden may not have won over the public yet, the fact that 54 per cent approve of his actions gives him time to do so. The main reason Snowden is winning, in my opinion, is that the establishment is rallying around Obama. And while that may make for a consistent messaging strategy (which is usually a good thing), it also makes for ver

I've never been a huge fan of the Liberals, but Justin Trudeau might be changing my mind on that front. Trudeau came out with an announcement that all Liberal MPs will be posting their expenses online for the public to see starting in the fall. The announcement comes on the heels of a string of Conservative scandals with Conservative MPs gaming the system and claiming expenses they should not be allowed to claim. From a PR perspective this was a brilliant move by Trudeau. While it's not enough in-and-of itself to be elected Prime Minister one day, it definitely is a step in the right direction. The number one issue facing all governments (not just the Canadian government) is maintaining / regaining the trust of the people in their own governments. Governments continue to get caught up in spending and conflict-of-interest scandals on an almost weekly basis it feels like. As a result, the window of opportunity for all those seeking to present an alternative to the v

So if you haven't heard, the NSA (National Security Agency) recently got caught tapping all telephone, email and internet communications that transpire in the US. The revelations came as a result of a whistleblower, Edward Snowden , who provided The Guardian with proof that the US government was spying on its own population. Snowden has since fled the US to Honk Kong and currently his whereabouts are unknown (with rumors that Russia is open to offering him diplomatic immunity). State side the media is having a field day with this story. The public's view towards the government surveillance activities seems to be split - with half the population saying if it keeps them safe from terrorists they are ok with it and the other half saying the government is out of control. Similarly, senators and congressmen are split on their views as well - with a handful of them calling Snowden a hero and the rest calling him a traitor. What is playing out at this point is the PR behind