Television again showed its power and impact after the winners of the Iowa Caucus were announced, and the leading candidates made their election-results speeches. All major cable and broadcast networks covered the speeches of Senator Obama and Senator Huckabee, the Democratic and Republic winners, respectively, and in that instant, they became nationally known as never before.
As a regular follower of C-Span, I am following the more extensive and in-depth pronouncements and remarks of all the candidates, so I had been aware of Senator Obama’s gifts of oration and inspiration. C-Span, however, reaches a more limited, politically focused audience - and does not impact upon the national electorate in the way of the combined power of all the commercial news networks.
In one instant, Obama and Huckabee were on the national stage as never before - and became national celebrities as never before.
It made me realize, once again, the power of television - and the power it has not only to raise awareness, but the potential power to act as a force for raising consciousness.
In my previous posting, written days before the Iowa Caucus, I wrote about “That Vision Thing” - and acknowledged Senator Obama for his gift to inspire and unite. It appears a plurality of the electorate in Iowa felt something too - and put him over the top.
In an earlier posting, I acknowledged Senator Huckabee for my perception that he was a man of character. It appears that Iowans felt the decency of the man too. It’s also understood that some Conservatives, and Evangelical Christians in particular, have been looking for a candidate they can embrace in this campaign.
Clearly, both Obama and Huckabee speak to a deep desire for change in the country - in Obama’s case a change that represents a truly new paradigm envisioning a less divisive, confrontative approach with respect to both domestic and international issues; and in Huckabee’s case, it appears his call is for a return to truer Conservative values combined with “heart” for the needs of the common man, that also speaks to a disaffection with Bush-Republican policies as we’ve known them.
John Edwards speaks to this populist agenda, though in a more progressive vein. Hillary Clinton will probably now emphasize herself more as a change agent, and if she’s smart, also speak more to the needs of people and less about what “I” will do. She’s immensely talented and intelligent - as is her husband - and she still has plenty of determination in her. It will be interesting to see if she can gain the momentum again.
I was a bit saddened to see that Senator Biden had to pull out. He’s a man of enormous intelligence, wisdom and experience - and hopefully he will be called upon to serve the country by a smart next president, whoever he or she is.
But for now, the momentum is with Senator Obama - and Senator Huckabee - the former a man of true vision, and the latter a man of perceived character and someone able to connect with the people. Their politics and political philosophies are very different though, and there is plenty of work for the American voter in the days, weeks and months ahead.
Happy New Year everyone! May 2008 bring you closer to the realization of your Dreams!
As our planet continues its journey around the Sun, and as humanity continues to evolve, we must pray that the evolution of consciousness (Spirit, Heart, Wisdom and Awareness) keeps up with the evolution of technology. As I’ve written, the danger for the latter to outpace the former raises profound concerns, especially with the dangers of our weaponry and the harshness of certain ideologies in different places.
Every now and then, champions surface to the fore who uphold humanity’s highest and noblest values: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Robert F. Kennedy, Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama…and, a shining star whose Light was just recently dimmed on the physical plane - Mrs. Benazir Butto. She was a true champion of democracy, and her courage in the face of danger was of the stuff true martyrs to higher purpose are made. It deeply saddened me to learn of her assassination, and hopefully her death will find redemption in the struggle she fought for - to bring the voice of expression and power to the people.
The only strong voice I heard among politicians in this country regarding Mrs. Butto’s murder, was that of Senator Joseph Biden. He called for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf, and the appointment of an interim coalition government that would pave the way for meaningful and honest elections in Pakistan. That was a strong statement, and it reflects the views of a strong democrat (small “d”) whose experience in international affairs combined with a deep appreciation for democratic values shines through.
Every candidate has particular assets. With Joe Biden it is deep experience in international affairs. With Senator Hillary Clinton it is broad legislative experience and considerable experience with domestic and international issues based on her White House years as First Lady. With Rudy Guiliani it is finely honed and effective management skills as the once-Mayor of New York, and a steadfast focus on the issue of Islamic terrorism. With Senator Barack Obama it is “the vision thing.”
Listening to Obama on the stump, I’m frequently in awe of his amazing ability to inspire, to see the larger picture, to articulate a vision that contextualizes where as a democracy we come from, what we’ve inherited in vision and values from our Founding Fathers, how our struggle to achieve the ideals of the Declaration has evolved and must be ever-perfecting, and how our commitment as a nation to these values - the values of civil and human rights, freedom of expression, and unity in community, demands continuing commitment.
Obama, it seems to me, has captured some of the hopefulness of the late Senator Robert Kennedy, whose articulation of the vision of the American story as evolving and perfecting based on its founding principles, was truly inspirational. Senator Kennedy reminded us of who we were and who we can become - and his greatness, it seems to me, was forged out of tragedy (the deaths of his brother and Reverend King).
Obama carries that inspiration in his message, in his own unique and profoundly articulate way. I think only a few presidents have used the bully pupit of the Presidency as an inspirational pupit in such a way, to capture in energy the Spirit and potential of the Republic - Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. Whether one agrees with their politics or not, these men came in at points in time where the American public needed a certain “reminder” of who we are, where we come from and where we’re going. And they each articulated their messages in unique ways, and sometimes via a new paradigm of seeing. Senator Obama has that gift - and through the prism of a paradigm that is fresh, he seems to view political reality in a way that offers new approaches to old problems. This way includes a willingness to deal with our “enemies” with fresh eyes and an openness for dialogue.
I watched C-Span the other night, where Bill Clinton delivered a speech to Iowans in support of his wife Hillary as presidential material. The former president spoke extemporaneously for about an hour, without notes.
I was in awe of the man’s brilliance, his deep understanding and familiarity with the issues, his uncanny ability to present his knowledge in an almost folksy way - a way that reached people. I thought, this man is a genius - in his breadth of knowledge of domestic and international issues, and in his ability to communicate. He assured the audience that Hillary, in terms of her experience, her knowledge and her wisdom, was the best-equipped of the presidential candidates.
I came away listening to Mr. Clinton in true admiration for his knowledge and his communications skills. If he was accurately describing Hillary in terms of ability and competence, he was certainly describing someone who could measure up in spades to the awesome task of the presidency.
The one thing that I did not feel in listening to Bill, however, was that “vision thing”. I was deeply impressed with his ability, and his articulation of his wife’s ability, but I was not inspired to the extent that I have been by listening to Senator Obama. I think Oprah is right - Obama has something special.
This is not to say that the Illinois Senator has a claim on victory as of this moment. For the issue of his experience, or lack thereof, is one deserving debate and dialogue.
If only Mrs. Clinton can summon up a vision of equal force - or if only we the American public could benefit from a candidate who comprises both the adroitness of a Bill and Hillary Clinton, the experience of a Senator Joe Biden, the vision of a Senator Barack Obama - and perhaps a dash of the commanding focus and strength of Rudy Guiliani with respect to dealing with our adversaries.
If I were advising the Clintons, I would advise them to inspire more from a place of vision. If I were advising Senator Obama, I’d counsel more of the same with respect to vision and inspiration, but balancing that with greater immersion in concrete issues. Joe Biden, it seems to me, can benefit more with an articulation of the ”vision thing.” And Rudy? He ought to balance the bellicose stance with reminding us as Americans of who we are, and where we’re going.
A people who know who they are and where they’re headed is the nation’s greatest source of strength.
The anniversary of my late Dad’s birthday was just a few days ago. Though he was not a concentration camp inmate, Dad was nonetheless a Holocaust survivor and a decorated war hero.He was a strong man, and yet a kind man, and I learned from him that strength and kindness were not incompatible bedfellows.
I remember as a child watching a movie starring actor Bob Cummings.His character made a statement I never forgot: “Never mistake kindness for weakness.” He could have been speaking of my Dad.
My dad’s name was Owen, but he was born “Oskar” in a poor section of Dortmund, Germany – in the Ruhr Valley, in the north of the country.My mother Sonny, born as “Sophie,” was from the same city, though she lived in a wealthier community on the “opposite side of the tracks.”We are Jewish, but to have been Jewish in my father’s and mother’s time and place – in the 1930’s and 40’s in Germany - was perilous and often catastrophic for those whose only “crime” was their religion.
My father and his brother Ellis somehow escaped the wrath of the Nazis, and fled Germany through Holland and Belgium. They were often persued by the SS, and as they fled through the Belgian Forest, were chased by Nazis with growling German Shephards at their heels. Dad somehow got onto a ship in Antwerp headed for New York. He was a stowaway, as he had no money.
When the ship arrived in New York, Dad slept on benches in Central Park, as a hobo.He had no family in this country.He was penniless and he didn’t speak English. He had left behind his mother, father and six brothers and sisters.His intention was to earn money to bring them to the USA.But good intentions were not to be realized.
The first act of kindness my father experienced in this country was from the Salvation Army.Dad heard about a halfway house they ran at the time on Tenth Avenue and 23rd Street. There, he was provided room and board at no cost until he could find work. He did - in the Garment Center - where he made enough to survive.
Not much later, Dad received word that his mother had been murdered back in Germany. During a sweep of the Jewish sections of Dortmund by the Nazis, as Jews were rounded up into trucks to be transferred to the freight trains destined for places like Auschwitz and Treblinka, his beloved mother Henny had been bayoneted and killed in the street in front of her house.She refused to board the truck and tried to fight off the assailants.To a painful and tragic end.
Henny was a short woman, less than five feet tall.She was slightly plump, with black hair and strong shoulders and a cherubic face.She and her husband – my grandfather Sam – were poor people with a large family.Often, there wouldn’t be enough food on the table, but somehow Henny made food stretch, as the time when a skimpy chicken embellished with homegrown vegetables would constitute the evening meal for six days in a row.
My Dad loved his mother with all his heart – and it broke his heart to see his Mom work so hard in the kitchen and in the house, with so few resources. Henny was a feisty woman, but my Dad only remembers her kindness and her love for her family.
How devastating for her to bear witness not only to her own attempted capture, but the capture of her children on the same day.Four of them had been grabbed by the Nazis alongside her, and word came back that they perished in Auschwitz.No doubt that her attempt to fight off her attackers was motivated by a vain attempt to save her precious offspring.
But growing up, I rarely heard Dad speak of that time and of those events. Years later, in a place called Fleischmann’s, New York, a rural town in the Catskill mountains where my parents often vacationed during the summertime, I found myself sitting with Dad on the porch of the cottage that he and Mom rented each year.
It was early evening, about six o’clock.The sun was beginning to set.The sky was lit a pale orange with hints of faded blue.The air was still save the sound of birds chirping gleefully in the background.
I asked my father, “Tell me about your mother.How did she die?”
From nowhere, a wale erupted from inside him, as if the pain of what he had endured, and the deepest part of his grief around the loss of his mother, had suddenly released itself after more than thirty years.Dad was not a crier, but this cry encompassed a pain held for decades.After sobbing relentlessly for nearly ten minutes, Dad finally looked at me and said, “She refused to board the truck.So they bayoneted her in the street.”
I held Dad’s hand, and simply sat there with him as we looked out at the setting sun from that back porch.Just the song of birds filled the air now.Then, Dad said, suddenly, “I should have saved her.”
I realized in that moment that he carried a guilt, a guilt that had lived inside him for years. I continued to hold my father’s hand, and gently whispered into his ear, “It wasn’t your fault, Dad.You could not have saved her.You could not have foreseen what would happen.You have to know that.”
Dad whispered back, “Thank you son.”Then he held my hand harder, and declared out loud, as if not only to me, but to humanity:“Kindness, son.Kindness is the only answer.Kindness towards each other.Tolerance for each other.”
This declaration by my father had not only been shaped by the oppression of the Nazis, but by war.During World War II, as if what he endured in the Holocaust was not enough, Dad chose to serve in Patton’s Army and as a soldier in Darby’s First Ranger Battalion.He and his buddies hit the beaches of Anzio on the first wave assault (he was one of only a small number who survived that landing). Interestingly, Dad always used to talk about how The Salvation Army were the only ones who were in the foxholes with the GI’s at Anzio. “They were there,” he said. “For the second time in my life, “they were there to help.”
Dad knew that tyranny must be fought. He detested war, especially after his own experience, but he also knew that sometimes war was a regrettable but necessary option. He did once, however, say, “Wars must be chosen very carefully and only when there is no recourse.”
I once videotaped an interview of my father, asking him about his war experience. When he reminisced about that Anzio assault, he cried again. This time it was for his buddies, many of whom were killed at his side as the Rangers made their way up the beachhead. “They fell all around me, and I never understood why I was saved. I could even hear the bullets whiz by my ears,” he said. “There but for the grace of God…”.
With all this, Dad chose to see the glass of life as half full instead of half empty.He was always one with a deep appreciation for life, in spite of the horrific tragedies he personally suffered through.I remember him as a grateful man, who while he recognized and sometimes grappled with life’s bittersweetness, also viewed that same life as so very precious.
I never remember my Dad saying an unkind word to any person he ever met, irrespective of his or her race or religion. I actually even think he had ultimately forgiven his persecutors and the slayers of his family – and that would be a mastership that one can only view with awe.In my Dad I remember a man who bestowed his kindness and unconditional love and acceptance towards everyone he encountered.
That he inculcated these values in me is undeniable.And when it came time for my father to leave this Earth, I remember how hard he held onto the life he regarded as so precious.He fought the ravishes of a blood cancer that ultimately took him, which perhaps on a metaphysical level had transposed physically into the manifestation of all the cruelty he had borne witness to.For Dad, while strong, was also a deeply sensitive person.
In the hospital, on the last day I saw him alive, I recognized that he had surrendered to his fate, but I also remember that he was bathed in an aura and glow that I can only call sacred.He could not talk.I whispered to him in his ear, “I love you so much Dad.”He mouthed the words “I love you.”
I feel that my Dad departed this world with a deep reverence for Life, a reverence that had been deepened by his ordeal.I could see in his eyes a sadness, too, for he had lived through much, and seen much of man’s inhumanity to man – both during the Holocaust and then during war. Perhaps the most painful memory he held onto was the loss of his Mom and the cruelty that had been heaped upon her.
It was perhaps because of his losses, and his hard-earned lessons of life’s fragility, that he understood that this same life was a rare and utterly valuable gift:a gift worth embracing in a world that so desperately needs healing and deep reconciliation between its many peoples.
Media placement is an art. Practicing it often requires as much attention to approach and style as it does to the focus of your story.
Always tell the truth. Make sure your product or service does what it says it does and your information is accurate. If a question is put to you that you do not have an answer for, indicate to the reporter you’ll get back with the information. If you don’t, the info will come from someone else–and not necessarily from a source that will help your organization. Never “imagine” or “fudge” an answer. Remember, candor equals credibility. If your organization has taken an action that has reaped negative consequences, counsel your client to admit the mistake (unless the client is constrained from doing so by legal counsel). Negativity can also be mitigated if you can anticipate a reporter’s tough question, and frame an answer that puts the action into historical perspective; or by developing a positioning statement that lessens the harshness implied in the question. (For example, when a poisonous substance infiltrated Tylenol bottles, the company issued the statement that “we are victims too”).
Know your outlet before you call. Have you read the magazine or newspaper in advance? Have you watched the tv program? Have you listened to the radio show? With print media, do you know the specific beat of the editor or reporter you intend to make contact with? Have you read his/her stories? It’s fine to cold call but don’t cold call blindly (unless there really is vagueness about that person’s turf).
Attitude. There are some p.r. people whose emotional lives seem to count on an editor’s acceptance; and who feel like failures when the editor says “no.” “Unattachment” is the best attitude. ”Unattachment” doesn’t mean “detachment” or “apathy.” It means coming from a centered place, with self-confidence in yourself and your ability to communicate a story effectively - but without being attached to the outcome. You’ll find this a liberating approach, one that disallows you from becoming intimidated by an editor or producer, and one that enables you to return to the same person in the future with no regrets. When an editor perceives that you are not overly emotionally invested in a story, you may actually get a better hearing. Be warm & polite, professional…and clear. See that individual as a peer and colleague. If they’re brusque in the moment, they may be having a bad day. Simply ask if there’s a better time to get back to them.
That said, believe in your story and believe in yourself. The best p.r. people see themselves as resources of news and information who work with journalists to fill valuable time & print space.
Be more empathetic than sympathetic. Being empathetic enables you to build on what was said and respond with alternate approaches. Being sympathetic means you’ve agreed with the journalist’s conclusion and have foreclosed the possibility of an alternate approach.
Get out of the reporter’s way. When you’re providing a reporter, editor or producer information where the story is time-sensitive, relay the information and get out of the way. There’s a time for pitching an idea, and there’s a time for simply relaying information. In the case of the latter, act like an editorial assistant. Do your job and get out. You’ll earn the journalist’s respect when you do so.
Don’t waste their time. When you call, communicate in sharp and crystallized fashion, the essence of the story. Keep it brief, respect deadlines and ask in advance if the moment is ok for that editor/ producer. NEVER call when you know an editor is under deadline pressure. Keep your message on-point and as brief as possible, but craft it in a compelling and creative way that will earn attention.
Personalize. I’ve seen too many impersonal, photocopied pitch letters, whether via e-mail or snail mail. If you send something in advance to a call, or as a follow-up to a call, personalize. Don’t be overly chummy (unless you’ve been on good terms with that journalist for a long time). But keep sensitive to the fact that you’re a human being, and you’re communicating with another human being. For e-mails, craft a provocative phrase in the “subject” area. Too many e-mail messages get unread without a compelling lead.
Get out from behind your desk. If you’re in the same city as the journalist, take them out to breakfast, lunch or dinner, if they’re amenable. If not, make sure you acknowledge them anytime they give your placement coverage - minimally by e-mail, best by snail mail card. Occasionally, but sparingly, when you see them produce something not necessarily connected to your own client, but noteworthy, acknowledge them for the story as well. Cultivate the relationship in a friendly and professional way - but do not inundate them or make yourself obnoxious. Timing and tastefulness are key here.
Listen to the editor. It’s as important to listen as it is to talk. Be sensitive to any verbal feedback, cues or clues that can assist you in fine-tuning your pitch. Keep your antennae fully extended.
Respect the ‘no’ and be prepared for it. Ask quick, important questions: What is it about this story that doesn’t seem right for you? Is there anyone else for whom this story might work better? Suggest how the story can be adapted to the outlet’s needs. Best of all, suggest three to five different angles in advance. This reduces chances for rejection.
But when you get your final no, let it go and release it. YOU haven’t been rejected, just your story. And if you’ve handled the approach professionally and cordially, you’ll always be able to come back with another story at another time. Regard your list of cultivated contacts as resources and investments for the long-haul, not for quick fix purposes.
Contact another editor with a different beat within the same outlet.Sometimes, if you receive a “no” – you can pitch your story with another editor with a different beat at the same outlet, if the story you’re presenting has applicability to that person.
Occasionally, pass along an item of interest that lies outside your own sphere of self-interest. Be someone who’s not always out to get something. Also, supply your most important contacts with your home phone number.
Getting beyond voice mail. I like to try to reach a producer or editor directly, live, on the phone.If I’m able to reach them, I give myself less than 60 seconds to pitch the story. Skill in encapsulating the story in very brief but provocative terms is essential.Based on the feedback, if there is an opening, I then send an e-mail.If I get voicemail, I leave the same succinct, provocative, targeted message, then follow-up with e-mail. If I don’t hear from them in two days, I either send a forwarded e-mail back on top of the prior original e-mail pitch (“Tom: did this story interest you?”) or I call early.Sometimes I leave a message with an editorial assistant or colleague, live or by voicemail, and follow-up again in a day or two if the message was via voicemail. Call back that other person to learn if your message was received and if there’s a return message.
As some of you may have by now surmised, this is more than a public relations blog; for no human being is entirely circumscribed by his or her profession.We are all citizens of Life, and we all share the events of birth and death – and in between we each experience the light of the same sun, the same moon, and we breath the same air.Each of us partakes of life’s blessings and challenges, each of us strives to fulfill our uniqueness, learn the lessons we’ve come here to learn, and if we’re lucky, we learn about love – life’s greatest gift.
A long time ago, as I was walking down lower Fifth Avenue in New York City, it occurred to me that the two greatest blessings are love and freedom.It struck me that real “love” is a state of feeling and being that comes without condition, without attachment or obligation, without stress.Love comes freely and it comes through the heart. Inside love is a simple value: kindness and reverence for life.Not just my life, or the lives of the people I’m closest to, or people exclusively – but all life.Love reflects an understanding that we’re all connected – humans, trees, blades of grass, dogs, cats, elephants, ducks, insects, whales and swans.We’re all expressions of Life’s longing to express Itself.We’re all of the One, as individualized creative manifestations of that One.
So love is a state of being where I recognize myself, and of my essence in you, and in all living things.
Freedom is the gift of breath.Of breathing the breath of life easily and effortlessly.Freedom is the gift of being naturally and organically myself, of self-acceptance and self-love.It is the gift of tolerance for others, and their right to be their natural selves.Freedom is about savoring each moment as one in which I can make my own choices without control or constraint from others – as long as I respect others’ rights to make their own choices. Freedom lived is lived without worry.It is about complete and natural self-actualization, moment-to-moment.It is a completely organic creative joyous state of being.
I think that to be blessed with love and freedom, coming to us from the inside out, is a high state of being.Whatever your religion, it seems to me that in the essence of any spiritual practice are the messages of love, kindness and freedom as manifested by love for self, love for one’s fellows and all life, and the freedom to be our truest and most authentic unique selves as God made us. True love will spiral up to love of God and the sense of “His” presence everywhere.
Whether you’re Christian, or Jewish, or Buddhist, or Hindu, or Muslim – or walking your own unique path – to the extent that you live unconditional love in your heart, and in a state of freedom from the inside out – then you hold the Keys to the Kingdom.
Surely, the child born in the manger came to be the bearer of the good news that unconditional love is God’s gift to all of us along with the freedom to be the precious beings we each are.The essence of that same message must be at the heart of every religion, and to me that is the litmus test of authenticity.That is why this is a season we cherish, whatever our religious or cultural affiliation – because the messages of love, kindness and freedom are universal, and embraced and recognized deep in the hearts of all peoples – and all life – everywhere.
Publicity is an important and often overlooked tool of creative selling; and a more cost-effective way of reaching your target audience than advertising. With the inherent third-party endorsement of the media implied in every editorial story, a news or feature article in a newspaper, magazine, or on television or radio, is an infinitely more credibly-perceived communications message than an ad or commercial. Publicists less frequently are favored with hard news stories.They are more often tasked with getting “softer” news and feature stories on-air or in print.Here are some techniques involving creative conceptualization and application – what I call CREATIVE FORMATTING – and they work very effectively when carefully thought-through and constructed.
1 - Use News to Make News
When you prepare a press release or pitch letter, keep the following editorial criteria in mind:
* Relevance (how valid and appropriate is this story?)
* Impact (does this story affect a large number of people?)
* Timeliness/Immediacy (is the story current?)
* Novelty (does the story have an unusual or unique twist to it?)
Your topic should tie in with current news issues and/or subjects that concern the public. In my earlier p.r. days, I promoted one product by showing how it could be used to the advantage of a specific news item of the day. In this case, the issue was government waste. Revelations were surfacing that various federal agencies were buying products at absurd prices above retail: you may remember $500 toilet seats and $75 rulers. The American taxpayer was being seriously abused by bureaucratic waste.
Our client was a publishing house that had just come out with a directory for buyers at government agencies. The directory listed major manufacturers all over the country who were not in the business of ripping off Uncle Sam. The directory was distributed to the agencies free of charge. The publishing house made its money by selling ad pages to companies who wanted to attract the attention of these buying officials.
We attracted a significant amount of publicity by telling editors that the publishing company had come up with a partial solution to the problem of wasteful government spending. The story was picked up by the wire services and nationally syndicated TV newscasts.
2 - Seasonal Tie-ins
News editors are always looking for feature stories that tie in with holiday or seasonal happenings. I remember a very successful campaign for a manufacturer of postage meter equipment. Eight weeks before Christmas, we convinced the manufacturer to designate a Holiday Consumer Affairs Specialist who could talk about “everything you wanted to know about mailing gifts for the holidays.”
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we arranged dozens of phone interviews with reporters at large radio stations in major markets. The company was plugged in every interview and the entire campaign tied-in with a major catalogue and in-store p.o.p. merchandising campaign. Sometimes, a creative p.r. idea can pave the way for a strategic marketing campaign.
Another successful campaign tied in with the advent of winter and escalating fuel prices due to an international oil crisis. One of our clients manufactured a draft sealer, a simple rubber plug that fit into electrical wall outlets. The sealer kept cold outside air from coming into the home and kept warm air inside from leaking out. Consumers could save money on their fuel bills. We convinced the Today Show to do a live five minute segment on a new energy-saving device for the home.
3 - Products Are Newsworthy When They Are Evolutionary or Revolutionary
On Sunday, May 29, 1994, we generated a story in the Business Section of the New York Times on a new kind of paper that changed color upon the touch of the hand. We knew the story had merit, because the product represents a revolutionary leap forward in paper goods.
Several years ago, a new product created by a camera manufacturer, an instant slide processor that develops slides in seconds, represented an evolutionary step up in instant photography. We offered Good Morning a first exclusive on the announcement, and we convinced the show’s producers to have host Joan Lunden demonstrate the product live in a five minute segment. The product sold out nationally.
4 - Anniversaries
If the product is vital to the American way of life, the media might click with a suggestion for a story on a major anniversary of the product. This includes biggies like television, radio, refrigerators and cars all the way to such mundane indispensables as zippers and toothpaste.
Other kinds of anniversaries work too. During the centennial celebrations for the Statue of Liberty, we convinced Kelloggs to sponsor a campaign that publicized the closest living relative to the man who designed and built Lady Liberty. This included the scripting and shooting of a video news feature story for television newscasts around the country, and our pickup was enormous–including some very nice positive image reinforcement for Kelloggs.
5. Controlled Messages
A controlled message is a message that you prepare in advance and place with various media as a finished product. When we promoted a book that turned into a major bestseller called Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey Mackay, we employed a number of techniques that come under this category.
Three examples of this technique are the video news feature, matted columns for suburban newspapers, and by-lined articles for specialized trade publications.
A video news feature is simply a 90-second to two-minute news piece that gets scripted, shot and distributed to newscasts around the country. The local newscast incorporates the piece as part of its news coverage, and the average viewer has no idea these stories are supplied by outside sources.
A matted column is simply a one-column or two-column story that is sent to suburban news weeklies as camera-ready copy. They don’t have to edit it or prepare it for print. The column usually offers some kind of consumer advice, with a discreet yet effective plug within the story.
Vertical trade publications are magazines that are published for a specific audience or industry. Hundreds of them are published each month. Years ago, we ghosted by-lined articles for the president of a company that analyzed utility rates for other companies, showing them how to save thousands of dollars every year. These articles were placed with dozens of magazines that catered to a variety of industries. This campaign was the company’s sole marketing vehicle for many years.
6 - Trends
When one of our clients, a major photography magazine, needed to increase its exposure, we designed a segment on The Today Show in which one of the magazine’s editors brought the very latest camera equipment to the program. For seven minutes, he demonstrated the most current camera technology to millions of viewers. He also achieved some substantial awareness for his magazine.
Another client, the Magazine Publishers Association, was interested in increasing recognition. They wanted to establish the fact that magazines are at the leading edge of creative advertising communication. We designed a segment on The Today Show that displayed the latest in pop-up ads in various magazines.
In another situation, a German beer company wanted to increase sales in the USA. The company turned to us, asking us to increase their name recognition with a publicity program instead of advertising. The built-in challenge was that very little can be done editorially for alcoholic beverages. The solution was to look for secondary uses which would nonetheless position the beer in a meaningful and positive way.
We convinced a well-known German restaurant to develop dishes prepared with beer as an ingredient. We invited the entire national food press to a Cooking With Beer Festival. The food writers for every major magazine and newspaper attended. Media coverage was staggering. Many products can be used in special publicity events. By promoting indirectly, sponsors can reap media coverage.
POSITIVE PUBLICITY SELLS. A creative publicity program can be a powerful tool for selling your product or service. Publicity efforts can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising. Plus, they pack more power because the publicity comes from recognized media sources instead of from your company. This increases consumer confidence and promotes a positive public image. The end result of creative publicity is an increased awareness that attracts potential customers.
When Opportunity International, a non-profit organization came to me in 1999, they had been in existence for nearly 30 years, rendering great humanitarian service in the developing world.Yet, they were one of the world’s best-kept secrets, and the service they provided – microfinance – empowering poor men and women with low-interest business loans and training in basic business practices, which enabled them to become self-employed and freed from hunger and destitution, was virtually unheard-of by the media or the American public when I launched the campaign.
There are a wide variety of strategies I employ on behalf of clients, depending upon the nature of their services, products or issues.For Opportunity International, I determined that the Op-Ed piece – the commentary articles which appear in major newspapers – was a powerful communications tool for this client. Not only would the appearance of an Op-Ed have an immediate impact upon a publication’s readership.As thought pieces, the “reprint value” had perhaps even greater impact by leveraging the support of existing and potential donors and opinion leaders.
In the four years I represented OI, I conceived, ghost-wrote and placed a large number of Op-Eds in major newspapers, and generated as well important stories about this NGO’s work in newspapers and magazines.Virtually all of the Op-Eds were written on behalf of the two Chief Executive Officers I worked for during my tenure with Opportunity.
Not only did these placements generate significant donor support - they became the seeds for future major donor support, even after my tenure had elapsed.
The first Op-Ed listed, “Redeeming the Lives of the World’s Poorest Children,” was co-by-lined by television legend Art Linkletter, an acquaintance of mine and who I approached and who consented to enjoin his name with the CEO’s.Such notables as General Claudia Kennedy (the highest ranking woman in the U.S.Army) [“Creating Wealth at Grass-Roots Level”], Jack Kemp [“Compassionate Capitalism”] and famed television evangelist Rev. Robert Schuller [“Small Loans Pay Off”], also participated in Op-Eds written for them and Opportunity’s CEO.
Here is the list of placements ghost-written for the CEOs, along with other placement in major newspapers:
This is a peak time for charitable giving. I once represented a fine organization called Geneva Global, which represents wealthy donors by investigating and conducting due diligence of charitable projects in Third World countries, seeking out those with a successful track record of performance. Geneva then recommends an assortment of these proven projects to donors, who after choosing their favorites, subsequently have the philanthropic advisory group facilitate their donations directly to these grassroots charities, by-passing umbrella organizations or governments, and avoiding possible corruption and bureaucratic ineptitude.
The man who made Geneva Global what it is today, and who was CEO when I represented it, Eric Thurman, a brilliant and dedicated humanitarian, and who is soon launching an important Philadelphia-based non-profit called The Christian Community Network, co-authored a book with Phil Smith entitled, “A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking and the Business Solution for Ending Poverty” (McGraw-Hill). This is an important book providing an overview and thorough “soup to nuts” introduction to donors about “microcredit” - one of the most effective forms of charitable giving, especially in Third World countries.
Co-author Phil Smith, a former Oklahoma and Texas oilman, and very astute businessman, conducted in-depth research about the most effective forms of philanthropy - and came to the conclusion that microcredit was the most proven and bang-for-the-buck effective, above the many others he considered.
With microcredit, a donor provides a small business loan of anywhere between $25 to $2,000 to a poor working man or woman (usually woman) in a developing country, someone who has suffered impoverishment by either being unemployed or underemployed. By empowering such a person to start-up her own little business(perhaps a fruit and vendor stand in the marketplace, or little tailor shop, or canteen), the donor creates an entrepreneur who now becomes embarked on the path of self-sufficiency, dignity and economic freedom for herself and her family. The additional benefit of microcredit is that the loans, which are paid back at fair market value rates, are recycled, thus enabling a new fledgling entrepreneur to get started in a similar fashion.
“A Billion Bootstraps” is a book I have already recommended in this blog, and recommend again to those of you considering an effective and powerful way to make your donations effective. Bootstraps also has a chapter which recommends various humanitarian organizations that specialize in microcredit - or microfinance, as it is also known.
If your donations are smaller, but you wish for them nonetheless to have moxie, you might also consider providing microcredit support via a website called “www.kiva.org” - a wonderful way to target your giving to specific projects that have undergone due diligence.
All of this said, there are thousands of other charitable organizations doing magnificent work in the world, both domestically within the USA, and internationally. How do you know which of them are the most effective in terms of fulfilling their respective missions, and best-run?
An impressive website called “www.CharityNavigator.org” evalutes charities and assigns a rating to each, designating up to four stars for the best. I encourage you to explore this site. You can either enter a charity you are considering into their search engine, to discover if indeed they’re doing a good job. Or, you can hunt for an effective high-star-rated charity within a category that resonates with your interest.
For example, if supporting the work of homeless shelters appeals to you, you can discover four star organizations such as the Bay Area Rescue Mission in Richmond, Georgia; or Bridge Communities in Glen Ellyn, Illinois; or the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless in Chicago…and many others. My recommendation is to always look for those that have earned a four-star ranking.
You may be interested in helping the work of food banks. Organizations such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank in Atlanta, Georgia; or the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland, California; or Channel One Food Bank in Rochester, Minnesota - and many other food banks with four star ratings, could be worth your consideration. Perhaps you can start with the one right in your very own community.
If you wish to support non-profits that help and enhance the lives of the intellectually disabled, I can think of no better an organization than Best Buddies International (www.bestbuddies.org) in Miami - and of course it has earned four stars by Charity Navigators. That organization is headed by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, son of Sargent Shriver, the first Director of the Peace Corps, and Eunice Kennedy, founder of The Special Olympics. This would be a great way to support and embrace the life of an intellectually disabled individual - but always a human with great heart and the need to give and to grow.
Then, there are fine youth development and crisis non-profits like the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education organization in Philadelphia. There is also KidsPeace: The National Center for Kids Overcoming Crisis, in Orefield, Pennsylvania.
In terms of international development, both poverty alleviation, medical support and agricultural development, look for great four-star organizations like Americares; American Jewish World Service; ACCION International; HOPE International; FINCA International; World Vision; CURE International; Compassion International; Grassroots International; and Oxfam America.
Finally, if your heart is in the humane treatment of animals, Albert Schweitzer said: “Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” And Gandhi said: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” If your passion is to instill more respect and reverence for animals, especially the abandoned dogs and cats in our animal shelters, you may decide to support such four-star rated no-kill shelters like Animal Haven in Flushing, New York; or the Animal Rescue League of Boston. But there are many dozens more around the country that are no-kill, and need your help. Or, you may decide to start-up a committee of your own within your own community, and work to influence a no-kill policy at your own local shelter. You may wish, too, to support the work of the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C., which advocates no-kill as a policy for healthy and adoptable dogs and cats.
However you decide to give, do give - and give smartly…from the heart.
It seems as though communication as an industry is growing, but communication as genuine and spirit-filled interaction between people is declining.“Communication” as a means to an end – in journalistic reportage that appears in print or on-air with the scintillating, the gossipy and that which appeals to a lower common denominator of tastes in order to draw readers or viewers in in order to benefit from larger ad revenues – is on the upsurge.Communication as what appears in film that focuses on violence, or sex, is on the upsurge.Communication as to what some companies pay p.r. and advertising people to promote services or products that aren’t necessarily of quality, is on the upsurge as well.
Because big money is behind all these communications ventures, communications is booming; and sadly reflects that part of our culture that is all about bucks first, and reaching people’s minds and hearts with something worthwhile to say…a distant second.
Sadly, these values are reflected in the culture, and the culture reflects these values. I see less and less real communication and meaningful connection between people in our communities.I see, increasingly, more and more disconnection and fragmentation between people – even between neighbors.I see people less interested in getting to know their fellows, within their neighborhoods and wider communities, than ever before.I see more and more of people treating one another as a means to an end, and not as ends in themselves.I’ve been noticing more of this within the last 20 years, and I’ve seen it regrettably grow within the last ten.
I see less of “community” – of people reaching out and caring about one another.Less talking to one another. I see less “listening” to one another – and less real sharing of one another’s lives and stories.I see less caring and less heart.Less authentic acknowledgement.
I see the art of conversation at dinner tables declining, even evaporating, especially with neighbors inviting neighbors to dinner to share openly and with a feeling of comeraderie.
I see more disconnection, more apathy, more distrust.With every observation reflecting the above, there are hopefully notable exceptions – and people out there who do live in caring and connecting communities.Hopefully.
So I see technology becoming more sophisticated and advancing rapidly, large corporate interests which seem to encourage the lowering of tastes and values, a media too often bought into the delivery of mediocrity in programming, and less heart in communications on a grand scale – and in one-on-one personal interaction.The culture is declining not in technology, but in the quality of its humanity.More technology…less heart.
It seems as though, too, that the emergence of the Internet is a double-edged sword. Because while there is a revolutionary new opportunity for inter-human communication, it’s all electronic where the physical presence of others vanishes.
If only all this were not so, but this is what I see.Time for a cultural revolution of the heart, that reestablishes real communication about what’s important.What’s most important, it seems to me, is seeing each other, and acknowledging each other, and meeting each other in our mutual presences, for the unique and extraordinary beings each of us truly is, connected to one another by the Web of Life, our common humanity, our need for love and recognition of our own and others’ precious lives.
Such a revolution…of the heart…can create an increased demand within the culture for a higher and more humane standard of values.A culture so transformed would then reflect back on the quality of our individual lives.
Is this too much to count on?In the end, it’s up to us.
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