Archive for August, 2010

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Posted: August 28, 2010 in University of Michigan
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It’s finally coming!! It’s almost here!  It’s almost fall.

Undoubtedly, fall is my absolute most favorite season.  In fact, I could be content to simply sit under the brilliant foliage of a tree at the cider mill, smelling the delicious concoction of apples, cider and donuts all season long without moving, if it weren’t for one thing. .  .University of Michigan football.

Now I’m particularly excited this year-they are unveiling the renovations at The Big House. Here’s a peek:

http://twitpic.com/2inx79.

I’m giddy like  a school girl. Missing your U of M Football fix? Maybe this will help tied you over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnkOkraJXK4&feature=related.  Go Blue!

Mealtime Fun To Go the Way of the Dinosaur?

Posted: August 21, 2010 in Branding, Marketing
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Some people simply have too much free time-or maybe have just misdirected their “good” intentions.

The hoopla surrounding toys served alongside children’s meals at a variety of popular fast food chains has been tough to ignore lately, even by me.  According to those pushing for regulations on toys served up in children’s meal orders, the toys entice children to  choose unhealthy lifestyles and companies use the toys to bait children into eating at their restaurants. If the restaurant would like to continue to market this way, they might be required to demonstrate superior nutritional value in their offerings. Read more about this here.

Now call me silly, but first of all, it seems to me it’s a parent’s decision where their children eat and how often. Little Johnny and Suzy aren’t driving themselves to lunch every day.  Fast food is fine in moderation and parents have the ability to tell their children “no.”  Surprising, isn’t it? Parents taking responsibility for their children and (wait for it). . . actually parenting!

By taking a stab at a small treat for a well-behaved child at the end of a shopping trip  and a tool to keep children occupied so mom and dad can finish their own meals, we are also telling fast food companies, “Ok. We’ll take the tax money you provide and the jobs you bring to our communities, but we need to have control over your marketing, because. . .well we don’t want you to market your products too well because most parents can’t handle the responsibility making decisions regarding what’s best for their own children.”

The restaurants sell a product, and have found a way to make it appealing, offer “added value” and it’s all legal. Parents should step up and be responsible for their own children. It’s not the government’s role to raise and care for their children. It’s also not right to regulate the marketing of a successful industry. What’s next? Do we start to penalize the auto industry because they sell too many cars and cars can get into accidents? People die in bed-maybe we should outlaw the marketing of mattresses and maybe mattresses all together? Hey, too much sun can cause an unintended tan. Let’s tell the sun it can only shine for a few minutes each day. . .Ok.  That may be a little much.

The take away is that people need to learn to be responsible for their own actions and those whose care they have been entrusted. It’s not up to the government to protect you. And if a product is legal to sell and government and community reaps the benefits, it’s marketing effort should not be blocked.

The Paper of Common Sense

Posted: August 20, 2010 in Uncategorized
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There is a relatively small newspaper that is distributed to members of a community near my home. I don’t receive the publication (unfortunately) delivered directly to my home each week, but usually wind up picking a copy during my travels.

The paper provides its readers with news value, certainly, but it also serves as a kind of PSA -delivering common sense to its readers.  A few weeks ago the headline read  something like “Wattles Road is Closed. Don’t Go There.”  Really, it did. Apparently, with all the orange signs posted that said “Road Closed,” many people were still having a problem grasping the general concept and were winding up in all kinds of awkward situations as a result.

The crime watch is another helpful place for readers.  Readers can read tales of victims who arrived to their vehicles the next morning only to be stunned to find their Cartier sunglasses, laptop computer, iPod and wallet filled with $5,000 cash missing from the front seat of their UNLOCKED car.

The editor will usually take the time to point out that if you leave the car unlocked, it’s likely your valuables will not be found when you return to your UNLOCKED car. She reminds people week after week. Yet, every week there is the expected crime brief which starts off with “A Main Street residents reporters his “Louis Vutton wallet, credit cards and cell phone were stolen. . ” Well, you get the idea.

If the sign says “Road Closed,” do you think that applies to everyone but you?  Isn’t keeping your valuables out of the sight of thieves simply common sense?  Apparently not (and that was a rhetorical question). Maybe they need to add a class in school. It really makes me scratch my head.

Global Reach Realized

Posted: August 20, 2010 in Media Relations
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For many years now, I’ve listened while people have talked about business “going global”. Admittedly, I never really grasped the concept – until I realized that I was translating a myriad of the articles and ad copy I was drafting with an increasing frequency into a variety of languages. My work no longer was simply impacting “my little corner of the universe,” but winding up on the other side of the great divide.

Now, we’ve always handled national accounts at our agency. In fact, that’s where I first learned to pitch media. But the other day I started taking inventory of my clients. I have a client who does work in China and we’ve had the opportunity to promote their success; our company has been retained by numerous online websites across the country for promotion purposes;  hired to do media relations efforts for a collection of nearly 20 entertainment venues spread across the country; and we have a client I’ve never met in who resides in the Caribbean. We’ve done work in Canada and Mexico for various projects too.

While the wrap up here may seem to be simple, I think it’s supposed to be. It’s amazing to think that one person or agency could have such a large reach, or that that reach could even be possible.

Flipping out

Posted: August 17, 2010 in Media Relations
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I’m a fan of HGTV, always up for a good episode of “House Hunters,” “Property Virgins,” etc. So when I stumbled upon a new show called “Flipping Out” on Bravo, I figured it was a must watch. Guy owns a company, flips houses. Sounds interesting, right?  Midway through my first show, I was ready to leap from the top of the nearest tall building.

The main designer (Jeff) is a pompous jerk, to put it mildly. It’s one thing to dislike a character on a television show because he/she creates functional conflict that drives the plot, but it’s another to dislike that character so much that the viewer changes the channel. One assumes the purpose Jeff did such a show was to help drive his business – in a positive direction. After watching his  , it’s difficult to imagine anyone who would want to do business with him.

Southwest Airlines had a successful reality show back in about 2005. It showed the trials and tribulations that Southwest Airlines employees went through in serving their customers – dealing with drunk passengers, crying children and lost baggage.  In the end, most viewers walked away with sympathies for those tasked with moving travelers across the country. The inside peek Southwest allowed its viewers  encouraged them to think twice before they acted up at the airport. They gained respect for the jobs those employed by Southwest perform. It helped people respect the work of the airline. Jeff and “Flipping Out” should take a lesson from Southwest. The show is doing nothing to improve his image.

Entertaining (But Really Not So Gracious) Departures

Posted: August 10, 2010 in Uncategorized
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In a scene that seemed like something out of a comedy blockbuster movie, Steven Slater parted ways with his employer (JetBlue) on Monday and went out in what some would call grand style. To read the article, click here.

Understandably, many people can relate to the frustration Slater must have felt when he responded to a “disruptive” passenger by simply calling it quits, summoning the emergency exit slide and grabbing a beer off the concession cart on his way down. He had been disrespected on the job for the last time.

A similar incident occurred in Atlanta several years ago when a radio personality felt she was being disrespected by her colleagues and quit on air after airing her grievances-literally. When the segment aired live, you could actually hear the radio personality walk out of the studio and slam the door behind her. The linked segment here was edited down.

I have to admit that in both cases, I giggled. The accounts were funny. But now – and this is about where I become a total killjoy – Slater is said to have remarked that he didn’t care if he ever worked in the airline industry ever again.

Apparently, he didn’t care if he ever worked in any industry again. While I’m sure there are people out there who will criticize what I’m about to say, that’s okay.  Most employers will think twice about hiring an employee, whether it’s in a different field – maybe Mr. Slater decides to become a welder or botantist- or another position in the airline industry, before hiring a “loose” cannon. In both cases, he’s done more harm to his own reputation than his employer’s reputation. . . and for what? That feeling of “NaNaNaNaNa,” that lasted all of a minute. For crying out loud, have a little pride.

I was taught long ago that the best revenge is success. Had Slater and his pioneering radio counterpart held their heads high and walked off the job, granted, I wouldn’t be talking about them now. And I would have missed a few good chuckles. In the end, their fifteen minutes of fame are not likely to get them very far. Hopefully, they land great book deals and maybe even that movie contract in the future. . .and then invest those funds wisely.

It Takes 500 Volunteers to Raise a Festival

Posted: August 7, 2010 in Festivals, Media Relations
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Five years ago, I became involved in managing media relations for one of Detroit’s greatest Labor Day Weekend traditions – Arts, Beats & Eats.  Now known as the Ford Arts, Beats & Eats Festival presented by Citizens Bank, the event is by all definitions a massive undertaking. It is an orchestrated effort, starting with the event producer and his immediate team to the restaurants, cultural and nonprofit organizations, throngs of musicians and companies with interactive displays. And, of course, there’s the public relations effort, coordination of advertising and more.

A behind-the-scenes look at the festival will reveal that in order to make the event the success it has been for the past 12 years, it takes volunteers – a lot. And not just 2 or 3 people. This year the festival is hoping 500 people step forward. They are the very backbone of the event.

These dedicated individuals often make themselves quietly available to help several events  run smoothly, be it Detroit’s Winter Blast, Detroit River Days or Arts, Beats & Eats. They exhibit a true sense of community by working hard to ensure the festival appears to  just “be,” springing up virtually overnight.

Historically, new volunteers have come to work at the festival by word-of-mouth. They had a friend who volunteered before and thought it sounded like an interesting experience. Today, for the first time ever, people potentially interested in volunteering their time for Arts, Beats & Eats on Labor Day Weekend (September 3-6, 2010) can come out to Art Van Furniture, 32301 Woodward Ave., south of 14 Mile Road to learn more about the opportunity.

Volunteers are being sought to welcome festival patrons at the gates, staff the information booth, assist with craft projects and general festival clean-up.  If you can’t make it out today, please contact event producer Jon Witz or volunteer coordinator Mary Flynn at 248-334-4600 for further information.

Creative Thinking and Crash Marketing

Posted: August 7, 2010 in Creative Thinking
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My job does require me to be creative on a fairly regular basis. Over the years I’ll developed my own brainstorming style. A little mental word play. Some doodling. And then we can kick around ideas as a group.

When I’m moving at a hectic pace, I forget that taking this time to just let my mind wander, attempt to make nonsense of the world around me and connect ideas that appear to have no apparent relationship can be a great stress reliever and beneficial inside and outside of the office, even if I’m not conceptualizing ideas for a specific project.

I had lunch with some friends the other day. We chatted amicably and we took some mental vacation time. In that brief hour, we launched an entire fictitious company (Crash Marketing?), complete with fantasy clients and a slew of zany campaigns. Our goal was to literally “break through the clutter.”  This group of friends decided it made sense to have a window glass replacement company as a client. They were seeking “aggressive” marketing tactics and so we conceptualized a flyer that said “Broken Window? Call XYZ Co.”  Distribution channels easily followed.  We’d wrap the flyer around a brick and toss it through the windows of nearby businesses. . . After all, if you have a broken window (and you do now), you need to know who to call to have it fixed, right?. Well, ok.  It seemed kind of funny at the time. . .

We were a little slap happy and took it to the extreme.  The point of all of this though-what the take home message for us was- is that public relations, advertising or digital media campaign messages have to be timely and relevant to audiences.

If I pitch a reporter in Detroit about a new snow shovel design in July, it has no relevance to their audience AT THAT TIME. People aren’t thinking snow shovels in a heatwave even though the shovel manufacturer may want to start selling some at that time. If the same city has just been hit with three feet of snow, BINGO, we might have something there.

People don’t generally keep flyers for glass repair shops kicking around. Why would they? They don’t have a broken window. Unfortunately, tossing the brick through the window wouldn’t exactly endear the repair company to the business with the broken glass, but again, good lesson reminder came from our nonsense. We all had a good laugh and could feel our creative juices flowing to take to the next real project.