Today’s guest post is by Peppercommer Lia LoBello.

From March-July of this year, one of my 30-something colleagues led Peppercomm through one of its largest new business pitches in recent memory. The pitch was an opportunity she uncovered from a combination of strategic reading of the business press and good old fashioned detective work. Thanks to her tenacity, Peppercomm was invited to join the RFP in its latest stages, and my colleague spearheaded a team of six people through the entire pitch process. We ultimately did not win the business – we were one of two finalists - but we’re using the lessons learned to pitch several new opportunities just as large.

In July, Peppercomm learned that we had won one of the automotive world’s coolest accounts, MINI Cooper. Adding an account of this genre to the client roster is a banner moment for any communications agency, and this win is a direct result of the efforts of one female director at our firm. Recognizing that a non-traditional approach to brainstorming, pitching, and the presentation was needed, she set about engaging nearly the entire agency to uncover new ways to ideate, package and deliver our thinking. Not only did we win the account, but as an added benefit, this process became the catalyst to re-vamping the way we approach new business and organic growth of accounts thanks to the lessons in creativity and account planning learned.

In the last few months, I’ve also seen female colleagues of all ages ace the bread and butter of PR work – media relations. These colleagues have secured placements for our clients in US News & World Report, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and dozens of other top-tier media outlets.

And I don’t just want to show love to the females I work with. My male colleagues are experts on SEO, Web development and coding, social media, and crisis communications, just to name a few. Yet another may be one of the most talented graphic designers with whom I’ve ever had the pleasure to work. And don’t even get me started on two male interns currently wrapping up their work with us this summer, both of whom have secured national media placements, contributed incredible ideas to brainstorms and basically kept their teams running, but now have to leave us so they can, um…graduate from college.

And these are just a handful of examples that I see week in and week out of the types of work my strategic communications firm does.

So why, I ask, when I say that I work in public relations to someone who isn’t in the industry – am I STILL fighting the stereotype that I work with a bunch entitled brats, living for $300 high heels, in apartments paid for by their parents, and clamoring to simply hold the guest list at the next big red carpet event? It’s a stereotype my colleagues and I are tired of fighting, but I think the bigger problem is – why does it even still exist? Peppercomm, while a unique workplace, is among many hundreds of public relations firms across the nation that conducts important, strategic business and communications work for our clients day in and day out. And yet, this work remains almost invisible to those not connected to the industry.

I’ve thought a lot about this and hit upon a possible answer that seems ironic at best, but contains more nuggets of truth than I’d like to admit. Perhaps the reason public relations and strategic communications work remains such a mystery is that we’re so busy doing the work for our clients, we’re forgetting to do it for ourselves.

How many public relations and communications executives – Steve Cody’s Inc. column notwithstanding – can you name that have regular appearances in business press, either print or broadcast? I can’t name one save for maybe Donny Deutsch, and he’s technically an advertising guy.

Now compare this to the executives at your firm who contribute regularly to the PR trades. At the major mid-size and large agencies, regular contribution to the trades is a must – but the problem is, we’re violating one of the main tenets of public relations – stop talking to yourself and expand your potential audience.

It doesn’t help that television has also painted a grossly incorrect stereotype of the profession. Though no longer on air, shows like ‘Kell on Earth’ and ‘PoweR Girls’ did nothing to advance notions of what public relations actually entails. Neither did Samantha Jones of ‘Sex and the City.’ (And while the type of PR portrayed on these shows certainly have a place in the industry, it’s simply not representative of whole.) Even worse, despite an above-average amount of television consumption, I’m hard pressed to think of any more recent or relevant examples than these three of any PR professionals even on television.

So what can we do to change the tide? Just about everything. It’s time we started treating our industry and its thought leaders like we do our clients.

1.) Conduct Proactive, Strategic Media Relations. In every agency, and every organization, there are executives that are smart, strategic, and relatable. We need to place those people front and center in the media. So when Chick-Fil-A announces it doesn’t support gay marriage or an Abercrombie + Fitch is seen as fat-shaming customers, agency thought leaders should be pitched to every television show, newspaper and radio program to discuss how this affects those organizations’ image, reputation, short-term gains and long-term profits. This will show audiences the type of strategic thinking the communications function brings to the table.
2.) Find Speaking Opportunities. Why aren’t more Chief Communications Officers and Chief Marketing Officers speaking at major venues like CGI or TED? Perhaps more so than any other function in the C-suite, these thought leaders have incredible insight into what consumers want, how they are digesting information, and how the business world can respond in disruptive and innovative ways. We need these executives rubbing elbows with other creative thinkers and sharing their unique insights. We need to elevate these executives to the same level of respect received by Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers. Simply put, if a CCO or CMO isn’t doing their job well, a CFO or CEO won’t be doing theirs well either.
3.) Utilize Social Media. Many PR executives have blogs and/or Twitter handles, but how many are using these platforms to capture the attention of the larger business community? We’re living in an age where at any moment, any corporation, brand name, or celebrity can encounter a communications or public relations crisis. Are we using our platforms to offer advice, strategic counsel or engage journalists in thoughtful dialog on fall out as they happen? Or are we Monday morning quarter backing “what it all means?” It’s time to use real-time platforms in actual real-time and become a driver of conversation and ideas – not just making case studies of them.

Every day I get to come to work with people, of all ages, genders and races, who inspire me to bring my A-game, who blow me away with their creativity, and who wow me with their incredible ideas and business acumen. I offer the above suggestions and critiques on the industry not with derision, but from an absolutely genuine desire to want others in the business community to see what I get to see on a daily basis – smart people doing great work.

Today’s guest post is by Peppercommer Sarah Hopkins

Due to the overly transparent, accessible nature of today’s media, we often watch good guys struggle to gain a well-deserved, positive presence among a rising pool of “bad boys” famous for unacceptable actions, particularly in politics. But good guys can still spread better messages… all it takes is a little street cred with Millennials.

So, what you do get when you take good guy candidate Scott Stringer and pit him against bad boy, Eliot Spitzer in a race for the unglamorous role of city comptroller? The answer is an audience of New York’s young, trendy (and broke,) gathering to tweet pictures of New York’s young, trendy, and not-so-broke… both groups supporting Stringer.

Until last month, Stringer’s record of passionate leadership and devotion as New York’s Manhattan Borough President made him the favorite. However, the race for comptroller became more complicated with the last minute ballot registration of Spitzer. But, Stringer won’t let Spitzer snag the title he deserves… at least not without a fair fight, and an army of hipsters.

I attended a campaign rally last Tuesday for Stringer titled, “Young New York for Scott Stringer.” It was a casual-chic gathering of Millennials, at a roof top cocktail party hoping to snap Instagrams of various young New York celebrity supporters, including Lena Dunham. “No one ever thought municipal finance could be sexy!” he told the audience. (But on this night, it was super sexy indeed.)

In her speech, Lena Dunham outlined financial and social hardships that young New Yorkers face, relating them to the comptroller’s responsibilities. Ms. Dunham hooked listeners by confessing, that after meeting Stringer for the first time, she Googled the word comptroller. The audience caught on quickly, and it was on to the next question: How can this comptroller hopeful help us in the big city?

Dunham had answers in the form of witty anecdotes, and Stringer had sincere, good-guy evidence to back them up (#Teamwork.) Addressing the City’s need for a rent stabilization plan that Stringer promises to provide, Dunham announced the population faces an inevitable threat of losing its recent college graduates to more affordable cities. “We can’t have our generation’s Patti Smith moving to Tampa!” She said. Amen.

Stringer took a chance by allowing Dunham to slip a few swear-words and provocative jokes into her speech, but his tactic to gain publicity seems successful and sincere. For instance, Stringer’s team was able to define and reach stylish, resourceful communities in the fashion-blogosphere by informing them of his plans to protect the garment district, gaining prominent supporters such as Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller Blog, and fashion photographer Terry Richardson.

Politicians have something to learn from Stringer: Don’t forget the young people, for they are the ones who will spearhead the launch of your message, free of charge. If you give an energetic/tech-savvy/media-injected audience something fresh, current, and cool to talk about, you’ll gain a cult of new best friends with iPhones, who are willing to defend your honor in the face of an opponent who has to dig through skeletons in his closet to find a clean shirt.

The PR lesson: To earn the eyes and ears of Generation Y, appoint Millennial figureheads to translate the message to their audience. This method has been important in Stringer’s campaign, while also showing his dedication to become an accessible and relatable leader to the City’s diverse population.
“It is cool to be in a comptroller’s campaign now,” said Stringer to the Wall Street Journal. “That has never happened in the history of the United States, I recognize that.”

Congrats Stringer, you’re dubbing comptroller the hippest role in city government, a title you def’ deserve.

RepMan is taking some time off to go climb some mountain- you know how he is… so this week will be full of guest posts. Today’s is by Peppercommer Cat Cody. (signed, The Danderoo)

I love drama. I also love books. So, when I perused a Time Magazine feature about Reza Aslan’s, “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth,” and the positive uproar it had caused in Christian circles, I simply had to buy it.

I’m only 30 pages in so far, but am absolutely absorbed by all things Jesus, the villages of Bethlehem and Nazareth and ancient Jerusalem itself. So, when Rep Man clued me in to Fox’s Lauren Green embarrassingly biased attack interview of Aslan, I had to watch the crucifixion myself.

Green’s first, and pretty much only, question during Aslan’s 10 minute interview was, “Why would a Muslim write about the founder of Christianity?” Despite her patronizing badgering, Aslan never once lost his cool, and continually repeated his key message: “I am a scholar of religion with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, who has been studying the origin of Christianity for two decades, who just happens to be writing about Jesus.”

Had Lauren Green bothered to read even the first few pages, nay paragraphs, of the book, she would have known of Aslan’s impressive religious knowledge. In fact, Aslan actually converted to Christianity at age 15, and spread his new found love for Jesus to his mother. Only after realizing the inaccuracies in the bible did Aslan decide to study religion. He’s now a Muslim but, as he told Green, ‘I’m a religion scholar writing a book about Jesus who just happens to be a Muslim. I’ve also written books about many other major religions. It’s my job.’

How positively amateurish for Lauren Green to criticize an author, and his book, on national television before even reading it!

I’m a lapsed Catholic with no strong feelings about any organized religion, but I do respect Aslan’s impeccable credentials.

Clearly, the critics who are bashing Aslan for being a Muslim who is writing about Christianity are narrow-minded to the Nth degree. Such myopia would be akin to bashing Margaret Mitchell for being a New Yorker who had the gall to write about the antebellum South in “Gone with the Wind.”

It doesn’t matter where an author calls home or what god he chooses to worship (or not worship at all). What matters is the academic integrity of the manuscript. You can’t judge a book by its cover (or an author by someone else’s reviews).

Today’s guest post is by Peppercomm director, Courtney Ellul.

The strangest thing happened to me when I interviewed at Peppercomm five+ years ago. Ed and Steve, Peppercomm’s co-founders, didn’t ask me any questions. Not a single one.

To this day, it’s one of my greatest success stories – not only because I landed my dream job but because I somehow averted being interrogated for an hour by two senior executives, while still demonstrating my creds. For someone who hates talking about themselves (I’m a modest Canadian after all)*, this was a real coup.

If you’re looking to land a job at Peppercomm, or anywhere else for that matter, I offer the following five tips:

1. Act like it’s the most important test of your life. Oftentimes, people who prep for an interview will tell you all about the “research” they did. They spent 90 minutes on the website reading the company’s press releases, case studies and products/services pages. They looked at the company’s social channels. And, time permitting, they glanced at the competitors’ sites, too. That’s not research. You need to get out the cue cards, people!

When I was prepping for my interview, I created an entire binder that included: information on Peppercomm’s key clients, trends impacting their sectors, deep research on their competitors and information on the senior management team plucked from LinkedIn profiles, bylines, blogs, personal social channels and other sources. I had note cards and cheat sheets all around my apartment so I could remember stats, facts and other vital information that I could pepper throughout my interview (my husband joked that I looked like I was studying for my PhD). I also spoke to a few Peppercomm employees to find out what kept them there, as well as industry leaders to understand the market’s perception of the firm. I probably clocked about 40 hours, a full work week, by the time I was done but, boy, was I prepared.

2. Make it easy for the employer. I’ve interviewed hundreds of people and I know how draining it can be. As an employer, it takes a lot of energy to ask the same old questions and even more energy to listen to the same old answers. I decided to make it easy for Ed and Steve. I took it upon myself to lead the conversation and proactively set the stage for why I was there (before they could get their first—or any—question in) and then I asked smart questions that tied back to my extensive research and knowledge. I also painted the picture early on of where I could add value and what my role might look like so they didn’t need to connect the dots themselves. This was critical because there was no specific job opening at the time of my interview. I can’t stress enough how important it is to take the heavy lifting – questioning, listening, figuring out where the employee fits in, etc. – away from the employer. It’s really up to you, the prospect, to take control of the conversation and make yourself relevant to the needs of the organization.

3. Flatter. Then repeat. I listened to every single podcast and read every single blog and byline (no small feat) that Ed and Steve had ever produced. So I knew the topics they were passionate about and tried to connect with them on a personal level. I then asked specific questions that I thought would flatter and excite them (“In your terrific blog post #46, Ed, you talk about the impact measurement will have on our industry going forward, can you elaborate…”). And I complimented them on their communications style (“Steve, I loved the witty banter and use of humor in podcast #79 on Britney Spears and our obsession with pop culture. How important is the use of comedy in communications?”). A delicate dose of flattery really will get you anywhere.

4. And then shut up. People love to talk about themselves so if you’re talking more than the employer in the first 10 minutes, you probably won’t get the gig. It’s so important to look for ways to meaningfully engage with the employer and to listen to their responses intently and thoughtfully. Because I had done quite a bit of research, I knew how Steve, in particular, felt about candidates who talked too much during interviews (in a podcast from 2007, entitled “Ted’s talking tips trigger tempest,” he and Peppercomm president Ted Birkhahn debated the notion that talking too much in an interview will kill your chances of getting hired). I paid attention to this and stopped talking.

5. If you’re not “in it to win it”… don’t apply for it. I had a great job before Peppercomm and had no real reason to leave except, well, I wanted to work at Peppercomm and only Peppercomm. I stressed that my decision to interview with the firm was less about wanting to leave my former agency (which was excellent, by the way) and more about wanting to join Peppercomm. I was passionate, effusive and energetic because I really, really wanted the job. And it showed. So if you’re not “in it to win it,” don’t waste your time – or the employer’s time.

If you’re interested in joining Peppercomm, I suggest you try these tips out. A note of caution: when I interviewed in 2007, Steve’s Repman blog was two years old and so I only had to read a few hundred posts. There must be thousands (maybe millions) now and, as an agency, we have generated a ton more content across every conceivable channel. Happy reading!

*So why would this modest Canadian write a blog about how great their interview skills are? The boss who hired me asked me to.

Did my misspelling of the word spelling grab your attention? Good. I’m glad, because It’s an important issue that Peppercommers Kristin Davie and Sarah Sanzari are tackling in today’s guest blog. Ladies: take it away…

This week, there has been heated discussion online and off involving Alex Trebek, the Emancipation Proclamation, and a twelve-year-old boy. The debate concerns a controversial “Jeopardy!” decision during the July 31st Kids Week tournament in which contestant Thomas Hurley III misspelled “emancipation” within his answer in the final round of the game show. The judges ruled against him, and he lost the competition. Adding fuel to the fire, the young student said he felt “cheated” in an interview in a local newspaper following the show.

Kristin’s View
Was it the right call?
Yes, absolutely. I know human error exists. In fact, I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that I rely on an extra pair of eyes when writing client correspondence, drafting important documents, or even after wrapping up this post. However, when considering the context of the situation, the judges made the correct decision. Another contestant also wrote down the right answer, and he spelled it correctly. Plain and simple, he won the round. I can understand the personal frustration, disappointment, or embarrassment that Thomas must feel, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that he misspelled the word- a word that Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, called a “great” spelling bee word for a fourth-, fifth-, or sixth-grader.

Whose fault is it?
In the same USA Today article that featured Kimble, J. Richard Gentry, an expert in reading and spelling education, suggested that spelling is no longer a priority in the classroom. I find this disheartening- do students today no longer take spelling quizzes in English class? I vividly remember my fourth grade spelling bee, and the word that ultimately tripped me up and landed me in second place. Personal defeat aside, I would never place the blame fully on my English teacher’s shoulders. The responsibility is with the student to study. No matter your career, spelling will always be necessary. After all, you certainly wouldn’t want a doctor to misspell a prescription or a tattoo artist to make a permanent mistake- and I doubt you would point the first finger at their teacher if they did.

Sarah’s view
Was it the right call?
It was an innocent mistake; the viewer clearly knew what he was trying to write and he was probably nervous being in front of a live audience, feeling the pressure to perform.
In the grand scheme of things, an extra “t” isn’t so bad. But, Alex Trebek not only deemed the response incorrect, he went as far as to embarrass Thomas, who probably felt bad enough, by stating that opponent Skyler Hornback’s winning answer was “spelled correctly also.”

Whose fault is it?
I know people will disagree with my opinion. They will blame technology for making us lazy, or Thomas for not spending enough time on his spelling homework. But, before we pin all of the blame on a child, I think we need to look at our education system and teachers.

Throughout elementary school students are told to sound words out, break them out into syllables. This style of teaching goes on for a few years and one day the student is just expected to master the art of spelling. It doesn’t always work like that; the English language can be tricky.

In an interview with education magazine TES, professor and academic researcher Sugata Mitra suggested that he no longer thinks it’s entirely necessary for kids to learn spelling and grammar, in part due to technologies like texting and autocorrect. Mitra went on to say, “This emphasis on grammar and spelling, I find it a bit unnecessary because they are skills that were very essential maybe a hundred years ago but they are not right now.”

We cannot leave spelling and grammar lessons to be taught by mobile phones. I don’t really agree with this approach. If a teacher notices that a student is struggling with spelling, it is their responsibility to spend one-on-one time working with the student or giving them extra assignments to help improve their skills.

Conclusion
While Kristin and I might not agree on how the situation was handled, we can agree on the fact that the proliferation of technology has allowed spelling and grammar to take a backseat. Abbreviations have become part of our everyday language, “brb,” “lol,” “idk.” Autocorrect has crippled our ability to retain spelling knowledge. From classrooms to conference rooms this is a very real problem, and this little game has brought this issue to light-thanks to technology, spelling is in Jeopardy indeed.

Don Spetner’s superb column is far, and away, the best and most relevant read in PR Week’s monthly issue.

Spetner’s most recent effort concerns a long-ago job, and his desire to rise within the company’s management ranks. When it didn’t happen, he went to his boss to complain. The latter went ballistic, telling Spetner, “I’m tempted to deny you the promotion entirely.”

Spetner thought about it, and realized his boss was right. He counsels readers to “…never forget that your boss has a lot more on his or her plate than you.” Amen, Don. Amen.

Spetner’s tale evoked two immediate, personal memories from both sides of the promotion table:

- The first involved my pulling a Don Spetner, deciding I was ready for both a promotion and raise, and walking right into my direct report’s office to plead my case. I couldn’t have picked a worse time. Unbeknownst to me, he’d just been beaten up by a client, was on a deadline to submit quarterly numbers to our holding company parent AND was dealing with a sick wife. My boss screamed at me. He told me I should be ashamed of the salary I WAS earning. He ordered me to go home, look in the mirror and come back the next morning to explain why I deserved to even keep my job!

Needless to say, I ate humble pie for breakfast the next day.

- The second incident involved a Peppercomm account executive from long ago who, at the apex of the dotcom boom, strolled into my office, sat down, crossed his legs and sighed, “Steve, I’m working on three of the hottest BtoB dotcom accounts in the world right now. I’d like to renegotiate my contract and get a pay raise immediately.” I inhaled deeply, suggested he follow Peppercomm’s chain of command, and speak to his direct report. As he walked out of my office, I picked up the phone to call his direct report. We agreed that ‘Tommy’ wasn’t cut out for Peppercomm. We fired him that very afternoon.

Like Don Spetner, I’ve learned to try and put myself in other people’s shoes before I ask for anything.

This is especially true in the case of client/agency relationships. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to calm down a junior staffer who cannot possibly fathom why a client had just turned down a Wall Street Journal interview. I always ask our publicist to try to step back and understand that the client has many, many responsibilities and being a media spokesperson is just one.

So, take heed of Mr. Spetner’s advice. The young Repman (and the young Spetner) both dodged bullets when they made the mistake of asking for a raise without first understanding their direct report’s world. And, we both lived to see another day. But, like the late and not-so-great Peppercommer I described above, your asking for a pay raise could, instead, end up with your execution.

How refreshing to see a fast food chain finally step up to the counter and do the right thing! Recently, Taco Bell announced it would remove ALL kids’ meals from their menus.

That’s right, Virginia, we’ve lived long enough to see bad food do good.

Acknowledging the overwhelming evidence linking fast food (and its evil cousin, sugar-loaded soda) to childhood obesity, Taco Bell has outflanked, outsmarted and out ‘niced’ McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and other competitors who aggressively market, and sell, their artery-clogging fare to little kids as soon as the latter are able to pronounce the words trans-fatty acids.

The Taco Bell move preceded a report yesterday linking soda and diet soda to childhood diabetes.

Make no mistake, though: Taco Bell plans to continue to fatten-up the rest of us. They recently introduced a horrific, 24×7 concoction called The Fourth Meal, that is aimed at late night partying, exam-cramming college students.

Still, I salute TB for laying off our nation’s little kids.

Meanwhile, global market leader Mickey D continues its cradle-to-grave policy of luring tykes into a lifetime of lard by handing out toys, building playground-equipped restaurants and, of course, using a clown as its corporate mascot.

Let’s call it like it is: A Happy Meal is like heroin to an unsuspecting kid.

So, you go, Taco Bell. Hopefully, other fast food chains will follow your lead. But, I have no hope for the soulless folks at McDonald’s. I’m only surprised they haven’t already developed an infant’s formula that mixes fries, burgers and milkshakes:

“So, let me repeat your order. That’s five Big Macs, five large fries, five supersized Cokes and a McTyke for that adorable baby of yours, correct?”

And a tip o’ RepMan’s Met’s cap to Peppercommer Ray Carroll for suggesting this topic.

I consider myself blessed to say the late John Palmer was a friend and colleague. I first met the legendary NBC White House correspondent, and Today Show newscaster, when I was admitted to what I still consider to be the best kept secret in the public relations industry: the advisory board of the College of Charleston’s Department of Communications. Then, as now, the board was composed of a Who’s Who from the worlds of journalism, advertising, digital and PR.

I can remember my first board meeting in 2007 like it was yesterday. I scanned a private room in a Charleston restaurant that was jammed with one legendary figure after another. It was simultaneously awe-inspiring and intimidating (and I wondered how, and why, they allowed me to join in the first place).

John must have spotted my deer-in-the-headlights look, and walked right up to introduce himself. He couldn’t have been nicer, and immediately engaged me in conversation. Once I’d gotten past my thrill at merely sharing the same room with this contemporary of Huntley, Brinkley and Cronkite, I began peppering him with questions about his past achievements. That sparked what would become a treasured friendship that continued until John’s passing this weekend.

While I’m sure John Palmer touched many people in many ways, I have two distinct, personal memories:
1.) After Peppercomm’s Deb Brown had arranged for my daughter, Catharine, to land a gig at Dateline NBC, I asked John how my little news junkie might parlay the job into a permanent spot on the reporting side of the ledger. John asked for Cat’s resume, jumped on the phone with her to discuss her career goals and arranged an interview with an MSNBC producer. Catharine did very well in her interviews, but heard nothing for several days. So, this doting dad sent John a quick e-mail. He, in turn, copied me on a subsequent note he sent to the weekend anchor. It carried Palmer’s personal endorsement. Catharine was hired the very next day.

2.) A year ago this May, I was fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year campaign. In a frenzied attempt to raise $25,000 in 10-weeks, I pulled out every conceivable stop up to, and including, emceeing a stand-up comedy event at the Broadway Comedy Club. At the show’s conclusion, we held a raffle. One of the items was a so-so bottle of red wine. I asked for an opening bid of $50. It was greeted by a prolonged period of silence. Then, from the back of the room, came an unmistakable voice. John Palmer shouted: “$250!” I immediately stammered, “Sold to the man with the voice of god.” After the show, I walked over to John to thank him for coming to the show AND writing a $250 check for a bottle of wine that was probably worth a tenth the amount. He pooh-poohed my thanks, but turned as he was leaving and said, “You know, Steve, I only have the voice of a demi-god.” That was the last time I saw him.

I’ve already read countless, moving tributes to John Palmer. Each reinforced the same, central theme: despite his incredible lifetime of accomplishments, Palmer’s number one priority was always his three daughters.

I’d like to think that, long after I’m gone, people might remember me in the same way. And, while my accomplishments may pale in comparison to John’s, I’d like to think my devotion to my son and daughter would equal that of my friend and colleague, John Palmer’s, to his three daughters.

You’ll be missed, John.

Today’s guest post is by Peppercomm interns Nick Gilyard and Taylor Hatch.

Tuesday night marked the third annual Intern Queen Party, hosted by the “Intern Queen” herself, Lauren Berger, a well-known career and internships expert. The event was both a celebration and a chance to network with a panel of top intern coordinators and executives from companies such as Mashable, Cosmopolitan, and US Weekly.

At least, that’s how the event was advertised.

We were very excited to be Peppercomm’s intern representatives at this much anticipated event. But, most unfortunately, it was a disappointing evening. The event was billed as a fun and exciting venue for interns to network and obtain career advice from professionals. But in reality it was a party to promote the Intern Queen’s personal brand..

The problems began in the line outside the Ann Taylor Flagship Store, where the Intern Queen Party was held. Since the first 100 guests inside were promised a gift bag, we arrived an hour before doors were scheduled to open and were surprised to see a line of 50 interns had already formed.
It seemed we were waiting to enter a club rather than an event with professionals. Many of our fellow interns—almost entirely female—were dressed in tight clothing with short skirts and sky-high heels. After about 45 minutes, a bouncer came through the line, rejecting numerous fake ID (yes, hopeful interns actually tried to use fake IDs at an event filled with potential employers) and handing out pink wristbands to all legal guests for the open bar.

We were greeted by music blaring from the DJ on the second floor, and Bartenders in tight, pink shirts that read, “Keep Calm and Intern On” handing out drink after drink to those swarming the bars. Of course, we have both attended professional events where drinks were served, but we had never seen this happen at an intern-centered event (perhaps because most potential employers and mentors prefer that interns not be buzzed when asking for advice). It reminded us of a college party, with people rushing to the bar for as many drinks as possible before it closed.

At Peppercomm, we see a lot of brands run into trouble when the service they think they are providing doesn’t at all match up to the experience the customer is having. This is why it’s so important to listen to your consumers and to experience your brand or service through their eyes. So here are some things that The Intern Queen brand might want to take into consideration:

• RSVP has a purpose. It is unacceptable to insist that attendees RSVP, print out tickets and wait in line for over an hour only to get inside and realize people who are clearly neither interns nor invited professionals are wandering in off the street. This makes the customer who took the time to preregister feel fooled and undervalued.
• First 100 should mean FIRST 100. Promising the first 100 people into the event a gift is a great way to ensure that people show up early. But having people show up early only to open a second line for what could only be perceived as VIPs minutes before the door opened is dishonest, which is never a good thing.
• Space matters. If the point of the event is to network and listen to a panel but there are entirely too many people to do either, you’ve failed your guests. We could not make it up to the third floor when it was time for the panel discussion due to the sheer number of people attempting to crowd the stairs. Even attendees who did manage to make it to the panel complained that they were so far away they could not even hear the experts’ advice.
• Be inclusive. If your invitation is open to everyone (males and females) but the event caters only to women (with teal, oversized totes as gift bags and professional makeup artists doing touchups for free) then you are being misleading and exclusionary, two words that can be extremely damaging to any brand.

The criticisms we’ve made thus far about The Intern Queen Party would be nothing but minor complaints or annoyances if it weren’t for the element that has plagued many a brand: deception. As interns we developed certain expectations after reading about Ms. Berger and the promotions for her event.

Perhaps our expectations were a bit naïve, but we expected an event for interns and hosted by such a well-respected career expert known as the “Intern Queen” to serve interns in a meaningful, career-minded way. Instead, we were handed copies of Ms. Berger’s book and offered the opportunity to pose with her in pictures, making us feel used rather than valued.

Based on our experiences and observations at Peppercomm, we even commented that the Intern Queen Party had all the elements for a great example of public relations. Obviously, it is both acceptable and smart to build word-of-mouth around your brand. Some strategies include generating an eye-catching line outside the door, offering giveaways of your product, and encouraging photo-ops.
However, when you succeed at generating attention for your brand while failing to provide value for your customers, that is nothing but bad PR. While we appreciated the opportunity to attend the Intern Queen Party, frankly, we left feeling more like jesters than royalty.