I remember it as if it were yesterday. The date was Monday, September 17, 2001. It was the first official day of work for most of America after the apocalyptic events of the preceding week.

Ed and Deb barreled breathlessly into my office to tell me one of our larger clients wanted major publicity for their efforts to rebuild Lower Manhattan’s telecommunications network. “Can you believe that, Steve?” asked Ed. “It’s wrong, just so wrong,” added Deb. I agreed. And, I supported their decision to refuse to generate ANY publicity that was so blatantly self-serving.

Happily, the client listened to our counsel. But, many other companies didn’t. And, I remember the skewering those firms took in a full-page Wall Street Journal article written later that same week.

And, yet, fully 12 years after 9/11, we still see major brands make major mistakes on the fateful anniversary:

AT&T decided to Tweet a salute to the brave men and women who lost their lives that day. The blogosphere outed it for the blatant, self-serving marketing message it was, and the telecom giant was forced to Tweet an apology.

HBO, White Castle and Walgreen’s also felt compelled to comment publicly about the anniversary. And, one Mississippi-based newspaper actually ran a 9/11 discount in an attempt to attract readers. All of the above are shameful, if not dumb.

And, then there were the countless Joe Six-Packs and Jane Chardonnays who felt compelled to share their personal recollections of 9/11:

- “I had just put little Bobby back into his crib, was tying my tie and, boom, I heard Katie Couric’s voice on TV, say, ‘Uh oh. Something’s definitely wrong.’ “

- “I had just emerged from the toll booth on the Goethals Bridge, and had an unobstructed view of Manhattan.”

Who cares?

There is no upside for brands to say something about 9/11. It comes across as self-serving, inwardly focused, inauthentic and anything BUT patriotic. As for individuals who share their personal 9/11 stories, don’t. You are the only one who cares.

Let’s let 9/11 belong to the families and friends of the victims. Let’s also allow survivors of that awful day reflect in their own way.

Enough with special sales discounts, bogus salutes to patriotism and heavy-handed shout outs to New York’s fire and police departments.

We know what happened that day and, I’m sorry, Walgreen’s, et al, but you shouldn’t be inserting yourself in someone else’s story.

When will we learn?

I’ve changed my feelings about journalists in the past few years. While there’s still a boatload full of hacks who opt for easy, sleazy and salacious shortcuts, there are many more who take pride in their craft and truly fulfill their role as the Fourth Estate.

My newfound respect is due in large part to having put myself in the shoes of a journalist. While I’m not covering City Hall for The New York Times, I am banging out a daily blog and, for the past few years, penning a weekly column for Inc. Magazine.

Moonlighting as a reporter has shown me how truly slipshod many publicists really are. I recall my anger a few years back when several reporters ‘outed’ PR people who had sent them spam e-mails, not bothered reading their columns before sending a pitch or, just kept pestering them.

I must say I’ve experienced that very same amateurish shotgun approach from many PR professionals, publicists and press agents who’ve asked me to cover their clients’ products and services. To wit:

- I’ve received e-mails addressed to Scott, Sam and Sadam.

- I’ve been pitched interviews with authors who’ve published books about everything from teen promiscuity and date rape to PTSD and skin care products. In almost every instance, the pitches have been incredibly broad, boring and boorish (and, had nothing whatsoever to do with the subjects I regularly cover).

Few, if any, publicists who’ve pitched me have taken the time to do what my professional colleagues know is PR 101:

- Read my blogs and columns first.
- Reference them in your pitch.
- Tell me why you client’s POV would be a good fit for me.
- If I don’t respond, it means I’m not interested. So, stop spamming me.

I still resent the superior attitude taken by many journalists. And, I also resent those reporters who insist they’ve never, ever relied on PR firms for information, contacts or story ideas. That’s bull.

But, I’ve looked at journalism from both sides now and, I must say, there are indeed two sides to every story.

Final note to my PR brethren: step up your level of professionalism. Your amateurish ways impact our entire industry.

Less than a month after joining Yahoo as chief revenue officer, Michael Barrett received a phone call from a reporter who said, “Oh my god. You have a new boss! What do you think?”

According to excerpts from a soon-to-be-published book about Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, Barrett was more than a little stunned. He’d just been assured by company chairman, Fred Amoroso, that another candidate, interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, would land the full-time CEO gig. And, Barrett and Levinsohn had enjoyed a warm working relationship.

I can relate to what Barrett must have been feeling.

Less than a month after joining Earle Palmer Brown (a now defunct, but then vibrant, $400 million integrated marketing agency), I was pulled aside by Russell Kowalski, an EPB human resources manager, and told the exact same thing.

We’d been attending a senior management off-site in Bethesda, Maryland, EPB’s corporate headquarters. And, at that precise moment, some 75 of us were participating in a series of team-building exercises such as basketball, volleyball and anything else Steven Covey, author of: The Seven Habits of Successful People, said would build esprit de corps among a confederation of countless smaller firms CEO Jeb Brown had hastily cobbled together.

Kowalski pointed to a figure on the court. “See that guy with the moustache?” he asked. I nodded. ‘You’re now reporting to him,’ he said.

I went slack-jawed, since I’d been hired only weeks earlier by Mitch Kozikowski, EPB’s president of public relations. Mitch had told me the two of us, along with the founders of what would later become Carter Ryley Thomas, would create a new powerhouse in the industry. I was totally psyched. But, now Mitch was gone. He’d been replaced by the guy with the moustache, Bill Southard.

I don’t think you should feel bad

Before I continue, though, let’s quickly return to Yahoo’s Barrett.

Like a good soldier, he decided to suck it up, and make things work with Mayer. Almost immediately, though, Barrett began to hear rumors he’d been replaced. Barrett confronted Mayer, who denied the scuttlebutt. Then, the poor guy read a report on The Wall Street Journal’s ALLThingsD.com website confirming that Google’s Henrique De Castro had been given Barrett’s job. Ouch.

Barrett called Mayer not to confront her, but to congratulate Marissa on the hire. He also wanted to negotiate a severance package. When she finally got back to Barrett, Mayer sighed, “You called?” He was nonplussed by her arrogance but, nonetheless, complimented Mayer on the De Castro coup. She said: “I wasn’t able to tell anyone I was hiring him. I don’t think you should feel bad.” Nice.

A happier ending

My story took a very different turn than Barrett’s. I flourished with Bill Southard as EPB’s president. And, together we built a formidable New York presence. In many ways, Bill turned out to be one of the best bosses ever (and, he certainly paved the way for what would inspire some of my later successes at Peppercomm). As for Mitch Kozikowski, he went out as the same, classy guy he’d always been. Today, he’s thriving as a consultant in Pittsburgh.

There are right ways and wrong ways to hire and fire people. As someone who, like Barrett, learned of a major personnel change second-hand, I can tell you, it’s not only the wrong way to handle a power transfer, it also creates a toxic culture among survivors and burns bridges. EPB went under for a reason. We’ll see what becomes of Yahoo.

Today’s guest post is by Peppercommer Ted Birkhahn.

Last month, I was asked to judge a high school business competition for an organization called Youth About Business (YAB), on which I serve as an advisory board member. YAB is a non-profit that runs business camps around the country for underserved high school students. But it’s not like any business camp. It provides a fast track, deep dive into the world of mergers and acquisition by giving students access to investment bankers, deal lawyers, marketing experts and CEOs of global businesses as they compete in a weeklong M&A competition.

The competition I judged involved several teams playing the management teams roles of Amazon, Facebook and Zynga. The case involved the Facebook and Amazon teams bidding to buy Zynga. The team that won – Amazon — actually decided not to buy Zynga and floored the judges with their detailed reasoning as to why it wasn’t a good deal for Amazon’s investors. One of my co-judges expressed what everyone was thinking: “Are these really high school students?”

Yes, they are. The power of YAB and its M&A competition is its ability to unlock the potential of underserved youth who have no previous exposure to the world of business and enable them to soak up knowledge and gain confidence through an experiential learning model that rapidly progresses their understanding of business.

Below is a blog post from Aneesha Natarajan, (pictured above, second from right) one of YAB’s students, about her experience at summer business camp. I had the privilege of watching Aneesha as she presented her team’s case to a room full of bankers, lawyers and CEOs. Thanks Aneesha for inspiring me and setting an example for America’s youth.

Aneesha’s post:
It was a privilege to be able to participate in the Youth About Business (YAB) Basic Camp, and to be selected to come back for the Championship Camp. I entered the camp with limited knowledge of the business world, and even less knowledge on the subject of mergers and acquisitions; but I left the Championship Camp with valuable knowledge and insights that I can apply during my future studies in business, as well as in my professional career.

YAB is a truly unique program as it gives students the opportunity to get a look inside the world of business, and allows them to apply the skills they learn to their own mergers and acquisitions case. I got a chance to understand all the various aspects that go into such a transaction, regarding legal matters, finances, valuations, and negotiations. In addition to learning the basics of these matters, I got great exposure to the professional world by being able to spend time with senior executives from various companies, including rating agencies, auditing firms, and corporate law firms, who helped us on our cases. One of the most valuable parts of the program was being able to talk to these professionals first hand. Not only did I learn a lot about the specifics of mergers and acquisitions from them, but I also gained tremendous insight into their professions and the inner workings of the business world. While I went in with some idea about what they did based on their titles, it was really enlightening to talk to them about what they do on a day-to-day basis and the path they took to get where they are now. This experience was unlike anything I learned in school, and it really got me thinking about my future and what profession I want to pursue.

Furthermore, the program challenged me and all of my teammates to work together. We quickly realized that putting together a report and a presentation was too large a task for any one of us to accomplish on our own, and that the only way to go about it was to work together as a team. This also gave us a chance to realize our own strengths and weaknesses - we each focused our efforts on our individual task and trusted that our teammates would take care of their part. This collaborative effort allowed us to put together a report that we were truly proud of and ultimately helped us win the presentation portion of the competition. While it was nerve-wracking at the time, presenting in front of a panel of executives gave me greater confidence in myself and I felt a great sense of accomplishment knowing that all of our hard work had paid off.

Youth About Business was a wonderful experience that introduced me to the world of business and gave me invaluable skills that I know I will continue to use. It got me excited about my own future, and I look forward to keeping in touch with Youth About Business and attending Advanced Camp next summer.

- Cody hints at galactic domination after acquisition of Janine Gordon Associates –
- Industry guru says room does exist for another holding company -

New York, September 5, 2013 — With the acquisition of consumer/lifestyle boutique firm Janine Gordon Associates yesterday, Peppercomm continued its relentless quest towards what agency co-founder, Steve Cody, calls ‘galactic domination.’ The JGA purchase is the second in as many years, and comes on the heels of the firm’s acquisition of H20, an interactive digital shop.
“I’m glad every conceivable advertising and public relations editor and reporter has been blinded by the Omnicom/Publicis merger as well as Sir Martin’s denials that he’s about to grab Dentsu in response,” laughed Cody, as he folded his hands behind his head, and stretched his legs underneath a desk in his Park Avenue South headquarters. “That just makes our galaxy-wide strategy all the more special.”

Cody said the JGA acquisition not only continues the firm’s quest to go galactic, but also provides a complete suite of services, content creation and deep sector expertise.

“Janine Gordon launched her firm in 1993, and has represented a veritable Who’s Who of luxury, lifestyle and non-profit brands. As a matter of fact, her website contains more glowing client testimonials than ours does. And, trust me, someone’s taking a bullet for that oversight,” he promised. Cody added that clients are increasingly partnering with agencies that possess years, if not decades, of proven category experience. “We’ve always been strong in the consumer products area, but the JGA staff will take us to a whole new level,” he promised.

Today Manhattan, Tomorrow the Moon

Cody hinted that H20 and JGA are just two concrete examples of what he, and co-founder, Edward Aloysius Moed, say will be a holding company that outstrips Omnicom/Publicis and WPP in every conceivable way. “We won’t be content with merely owning 3,087 agencies in every country known to man,” said Cody. “Our goal is to land a PR person on the moon, and return her safely, before the end of the decade.”

Cynthia Caustic, an analyst who covers advertising, marketing and bakeries, gave the Peppercomm announcement a rousing two thumbs up: “I like what Cody and Moed are doing here,” she sniffed, in-between bites on a whole wheat bagel. “They know their trade media are somewhat obsessed with the big guys, so they’re just continuing to grow under the radar, knowing that no one will so much as write a word. It redefines the concept of a stealth strategy.”

Peppercomm’s epoch-making announcement comes in the same week as the firm celebrates its 18th anniversary, and begins its 19th year. “Yesterday’s Repman listed the 19 most memorable moments in Peppercomm history, with the last moment purposely left blank. This is that moment!’’ cooed Cody.

Cody directed indifferent reporters and editors to both agency websites for additional information. “I also told the trade media not to expect any interviews when we announce Peppercomm’s new digs on the Sea of Tranquility in 2019. They’ve had their chance. That exclusive will belong to the fine folks at Aviation World & Space Technology,” he stated.

Peppercomm is a soon-to-be galactic agency with offices on two continents, three cities and more than one obscure outpost.

This week marks Peppercomm’s 18th anniversary, and the beginning of our 19th year in business. So, without further ado, here’s my list of the 19 most memorable moments in agency history (good, bad and otherwise):

1.) I win my very first battle with Ed, and the firm is named after my black lab, Pepper. The name immediately separates us from our mostly eponymous competitors and strikes a chord with canine-loving prospects everywhere.

2.) Gary Sullivan of business insurance giant, Alexander & Alexander, says he has a “good feeling” about Ed and me, and becomes our first “blue chip” client.

3.) Steelcase hires us to introduce the Leap office chair. Some 15 years later we remain their agency of record.

4.) Julie Farin and Larry Thomas retain us to represent Money Talks, a personal finance site. We win our first Silver Anvil, the Oscar of public relations.

5.) Valerie Di Maria rolls the dice, and hires Peppercomm as GE Capital’s agency of record. That, in turn, leads to an introduction to GE Corporate and our subsequent launching of the multinational’s ‘Imagination at work’ campaign.

6.) In the dotcom era’s waning days, we create PartnershipCentral, an online destination that, at its peak, had 26 full-time staffers. P’Central closes when the bubble bursts. It was a bad day at black rock, to say the least.

7.) A Drew University intern is fired in her first week of work when, after I ask the status of a research assignment, she responds by saying, ‘Sorry, dude. I guess I just flaked.’

8.) A Northeastern University intern barely keeps her job despite twice flipping Ed the bird at a holiday party.

9.) In 2006, Peppercomm hits the trifecta as two industry trade publications name us agency of the year, and a third names us most innovative.

10.) In that very same year, Peppercomm hits its biggest speed bump ever when two Fortune 500 clients promise us multi-million dollar budgets. We staff up accordingly, and then neither guy so much as spends a dime with us.

11.) We’re hired on the spot by Whirlpool’s Audrey Reed-Granger as we wrap-up our new business presentation on a Friday afternoon in Benton Harbor, Michigan. We’d have the privilege of serving WP for the next seven years.

12.) We make perhaps the worst new business pitch in agency history when, in the midst of presenting to a company called BraunAbility, we somehow manage to show slides of their direct competitor’s product. That one still hurts.
13.) We create the Uncorporate Challenge Race, Peppercomm’s answer to the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge (and yet another example of our belief in taking the road less traveled).

14.) We begin incorporating stand-up comedy training as part of the agency’s management development. MSNBC subsequently airs an eight-minute segment that attracts clients et voila, a new service offering is born.

15.) We fire a foul-mouthed, high profile CEO for his abusive ways. He responds to me with an e-mail, declaring: “This is complete and utter bullshit.” The phrase becomes legendary in Peppercomm vernacular (right alongside ‘I found your presentation both glib and superficial.’).

16.) We create Brand Squared (licensing), acquire H20 (a creative digital shop) and invest in Flagship (a London-based consultancy). The firm evolves from providing traditional PR to a more holistic mix of strategic integrated communications.

17.) Crain’s New York Business names Peppercomm New York’s top workplace. We beat 930 other organizations, including Microsoft and New York Life, to earn what remains our most prized award.

18.) MINI Cooper names Peppercomm AOR and the firm enters the highly coveted (and uber competitive) automotive category.

19.) To be announced later this week.