RepMan

This is wrong in so many ways

Can you believe US Airways Flight 1549 Co-pilot Jeff Skiles is being represented by a speakers' bureau that is positioning him as a for-hire expert authority on training, teamwork and corporate culture?

It's unconscionable and yet another example of the shameless society in which we live.

Skiles deserves all the credit in the world for the heroic work he and good ol' Cap'n Sully did in landing the crippled airliner and achieving what New York Governor Patterson memorably coined as 'The miracle on the Hudson.' But, our hero quickly goes from mythological to moneygrubber status when he tries to cash in such a patently bogus way.

Leading Authorities, the bureau representing Skiles, is asking somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000 to $20,000 for an hour-long speech from this overnight management guru. And, you know what? A few clueless organizations will pony up the money. Skiles will rake in an extra hundred grand or so for the next year or so (or until he becomes yesterday's news.) And, Leading Authorities will collect a handsome commission.

The whole tawdry tale cheapens what occurred on the Hudson that day and, in the final analysis, is really sad to see.

But, Jeff Skiles isn't to blame. We are. We've allowed our standards of basic human decency to sink in the same precipitous way US Airways 1549 sank beneath the Hudson that fateful day.

Call me old fashioned, but heroes of the past simply didn't capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame. In our reality TV show world of 2009, though, Jeff Skiles is just the latest in a long line of get rich quick schemers and dreamers that includes Joe the Plumber and every single contestant to ever appear on “American Idol.”

It's almost enough to make me want to take the train the next time I travel. Almost.

How does 'RepMan History Month' sound to you?

I'm pleased to learn that March is ‘Women's History Month.’ How nice. And, how deserving.  But, it begs a question: are girls and grandmothers of historical note included in ‘Women's History Month?’ Or, do they have their own 30-day period set aside?

Is there a ‘Men's History Month? ‘Good, bad or ugly, men have made more history than women. Do they get a month? Do boys? Grandfathers? 

Is there a ‘Little People's Month?’ There should be. Ditto for seven-footers. Lots of them have made NBA history. Don't they deserve a month? 

And, what about dogs? Is there a ‘Dog's History Month?’ Lassie and Rin Tin Tin deserve one. How about cats? Mice? Aardvarks?

Who decides when a month is set aside to observe a group's accomplishments? Should they get a month as well? I'd call it the 'Month in History History Maker's Month.' 

Why do we overlook insects when we designate months of observation? According to what I've read, insects were here before we arrived and will be here long after we're gone. Shouldn't there be a 'Cockroach History Month?’ I'd tie it to peak infestation periods. August, perhaps? (And get this: The UK has a National Insect Week.)

I think this month thing has, like everything else, gotten completely out of control. There are so many special interest groups lobbying for their own, 'long overdue' recognition that I wouldn't be surprised to see Congress double or even triple the number of months in the year.  If they did, we could set aside the new, 36th month as 'The Congress Who Tripled the Size of the Calendar Month' and honor those historic legislators.

Carefully planned, launching a week or month to bring awareness to something can be a powerful way to get a message across and bring people together to discuss an issue.  However, I think we can all agree that it becomes a crutch when it's proposed without any thought behind it.  And that's how we've ended up with a month for any and every cause and group you can think of.

By the way. I've just decided to designate April as 'RepMan History Month.’ I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on the best way to observe it.

Diddy does Cannes sans Ciroc

Guest blog written by Nicole Lowe.

While partying in Cannes, Diddy was spotted at the Belvedere bash to launch the "Jagger Dagger," a new Belvedere drink designed by Jade Jagger.  No big deal, its Cannes, its another party, of course Diddy was there. My guess would be that the party also took place on a yacht since Diddy seems to frequent yacht parties in Cannes.  The problem is that Diddy has a multi-year deal to develop Ciroc Vodka.  Being seen at a competing vodka's party, where he and his entourage were allegedly enjoying many a Belvedere cocktail, cannot be good for the brand awareness Diddy is trying to generate in interviews and advertisements.  However, his appearance at the Belvedere party is keeping Ciroc in the news and on celebrity blogs. I personally had never heard of Ciroc before Diddy inked his deal, but Diddy endorsing the brand also has not prompted me to try Ciroc (but I did download Kanye's "Flashing Lights" after watching the Ciroc New Year's Eve commercial.)  So good or bad, Diddy's association with Ciroc has increased awareness of the brand, but has it increased sales?  And does Diddy's attendance at a Belvedere party hurt sales?  Well, if it does hurt sales, ultimately Diddy is the one who takes the hit - at least in his wallet, since his deal with Ciroc reportedly nets him 50 percent of the profits, and could be as lucrative as $100 million over the course of their relationship. 

Matt Waters run deep

Hats off to Matthew O. Waters of Doylestown, Pa. Matt read my blog about the dearth of hand-written letters from Gen X and Gen Y job seekers and, yes Virginia, sent me a lengthy, handwritten note with his resume.

Good for you, Matt. You've not only differentiated yourself, you've gotten a blog written about your iconoclastic ways.

Matt's a University of Vermont graduate who's seen me speak and visited Peppercom's office in Manhattan. That arguably gives him an advantage over, say, your average Drew University student. But, Matt took his game to a new level by writing to me about himself, his grandfather and his desire to work for Peppercom. His approach would have been commonplace in 1978. In 2008, it's downright revolutionary.

So, Matt, rest assured I will not only forward your materials to the appropriate people, I will also guarantee an interview if you can make your way to the Big Apple. After that, though, it's up to you.

It's nice to know people like Matthew O. Waters do exist. They do listen. And, they do do the right things to differentiate themselves and begin building their own brands. It's enough to make a jaded, middle-aged blogger stop and smell the roses.

An N.I.T. Sponsorship? Clueless

Imagine you're a 'me too' brand. You're Pepsi vs. Coke, Burger King vs. McDonald's or Avis vs. Hertz. Year after year, you struggle mightily to improve your quality and service to change the status quo. And, one would hope, you make damn sure your marketing strategy reflects your desired goal. As a result, you associate your brand with everything that Frank Sinatra might describe as, '...A number one, top of the heap.'

So, how do we account for MasterCard’s sponsorship of the N.I.T. College basketball tournament? Why would the perennial number two credit card company lend its name to an also-ran tourney that absolutely no one cares about? What were they thinking? Was the strategy to 'own' mediocrity? Did someone in MasterCard’s Purchase, NY, headquarters sigh and say, “You know what? We know we're second best. Everyone else knows we're second best, so why not strike a partnership with a second rate tournament?”

Thousand of dollars to underwrite target market golf events? Smart. Hundreds of thousands of dollars to 'own' category exclusivity at the upcoming Olympics? Strategic. Millions to sponsor a totally bogus college basketball tournament? Clueless.

I'm pretty jacked about 'Jacked up'

Bill Lane's kiss-and-tell book all about the lunacy and leadership of Jack Welch's GE is a 'must read' for anyone in public relations and anyone looking to lead a business.

In essence, the book distills Welch's methods for not only transforming GE's business model but, more to the point, how he totally changed the way company executives communicated.

Welch was absolutely ruthless in the way he coaxed, coerced and chastised company leadership as they'd present in front of him. He'd scream, throw papers at them or get up and simply walk out. And, if Jack walked out, the odds were good the presenter would be walking out of GE on a permanent basis.

Jack's presentation philosophy was as blunt as the man himself: give the audience something they can act on immediately. Don't bore them with minutia and pie charts. Don't wax poetic about the time and effort involved in putting the presentation together. And, by all means, DO share best practices fron within and without the company.

Lane goes on and on about Welch's egomaniacal ways but comes across as pretty self absorbed himself. In fact, the book jacket laughably calls Jacked up '.....the only book a leader or aspiring leader will ever need on effective communications.' It's excellent but, c'mon Bill, the BEST ever? What would Jack have to say about that?

Contrarian points of view can be cool. Except when they're wrong

I received an unsolicited e-mail the other day from TSE Sports and Entertainment proclaiming that not only will animosity towards Barry Bonds dissipate over time but, get this, he will actually be 'celebrated' by future marketers.

The TSE folks who '....work to lock (yes, lock) athlete and celebrity talent for endorsement and appearances,' must be injecting and applying some banned substances themselves if they actually believe Bonds' image can be resuscitated.

TSE President Robert Tuchman predicts: 'As we move further away from his playing career and the issues at hand he (Bonds) will find himself with a wealth of opportunities to change his image.' Yeah, right.

There is no way any sane marketer would touch 'Barroid' now or in the future. The guy is pure poison and has become the poster child for everything that's gone wrong in professional sports: drug use, selfish play and boorish behavior, to name just a few.

Bonds is a bad man. Why would any future marketer want his or her brand associated with such a destructive personality?

If Tuchman believes that time heals all wounds and American consumers will one day want to purchase an item because Barry Bonds is shilling for the manufacturer, he's borderline delusional.

Nor does he know his sports marketing history. Before he proclaims Barroid's future marketability, Mr. Tuchman might want to check with Pete Rose and OJ Simpson. Unless I've missed something, quite a few years have passed since their transgressions and both remain totally untouchable from a marketing standpoint.

Corporate Social Irresponsibility

There are great marketing ideas, not-so-great-marketing ideas and bad marketing ideas. Occasionally, though, there comes along a marketing idea so bad that is also qualifies as just plain wrong.

Krispy Kreme, the makers of those heart-stopping, calorie-laden donuts, has lent their name to an event so unique that it strains credulity. Naturally, it incorporates their ubiquitous product. But, after that, the idea goes straight to hell in a hand basket.

Called 'The Krispy Kreme Challenge,' the 'race' encourages joggers to run one mile to and from a Krispy Kreme store. Fair enough. But, the 'challenge' involves stopping at the KK store and downing a dozen donuts before completing the race.

The race was started as a fund raising event by a NC State University fraternity and is now sponsored by a local running supply store, a handful of local college hang-outs and a law firm.  Now in its second year, the KK Challenge attracted a record 1,400 runners whose race fees contributed more than $10,000 to the North Carolina Children's Hospital.

The donation is a good thing. But, everything else about the challenge is wrong.  Just plain wrong. What is Krispy Kreme thinking? I'm not a doctor, but consuming a dozen donuts and then running a mile has to put huge strains on the cardiovascular system. It can't be good for the stomach or other vital organs now that I think about it. Just thinking about the race makes me ill.

Why would KK lend its name to a race that does more harm than good? Will it take a few runner heart attacks before someone with some semblance of sense and responsibility wakes up and pulls the plug on this god-awful idea?

The Krispy Kreme Challenge is so bad and so absurd that I believe it should be entered in its own PR industry awards category: corporate social irresponsibility.

I think celebrity endorsements are a waste of money

A new study just published by a market research company called the NPD Group analyzed the effectiveness of 86 celebrity endorsements featured in ads last year. Ty Pennington, a home improvement guru, finished at the top of the list and Anna Nicole Smith, brought up the rear.

To me, this is a big ho hum. Who cares if Tiger Woods, James Earl Jones or Donald Trump are endorsing a watch, cell phone or credit card? The vast majority of research shows that celebrity endorsements rarely break through, nor do they influence a buying decision. Most critically, though, few consumers are able to make the connection between the endorser and the product he or she is shilling for. Case in point: the NPD study showed that only 17 percent of respondents correctly linked Trump with a Visa commercial he appeared in. Fourteen percent thought he was pushing American Express instead. Talk about pouring money down the drain.

In these days of information overload, scandals in every sector of society and a near total lack of role models, it's no surprise that celebrity endorsers aren't what they used to be. As consumer opinion gains increasing influence in the buying decision, he or she depends less and less on "star" power" to influence a decision. Today, it's all about word-of-mouth and credible third-party sources of information, the kind generated through public relations.

While I know some PR campaigns still depend on celebrities to create buzz, here's hoping digital technologies and the citizen blogger will continue to erode the once important spokesperson roles played by the Hollywood set.