The media never ceases to amaze me. In my 15 years in the PR business, I am still amazed at the impact news outlets have in influencing its audience. Moreover, it is still quite enlightening to see how the press decides what to cover in their news outlets. I don’t typically cite clients when I’m wearing my PRBC blogger hat on, but I’m making an exception with this one to share firsthand experience on what I’ve learned from rolling out a publicity campaign for a little bake shop in the Philadelphia area called Cupcakes Gourmet.

Our firm came up with the idea of the $55,000 sparkling red velvet cupcake, which features an 8-carat diamond ring on top of the sweet cupcake. Up to this point, it has garnered news coverage in national outlets like CNN, Washington Post, Huffington Post, etc. It was even mentioned on the Today Show. To keep this blog post simple and to avoid making you deaf from tooting our own horn, here are the takeaways from this delicious campaign:

Don’t Set Limits on the Media — When we decided to execute on the idea, we basically said we’d be happy to secure local Philadelphia coverage since it is the market we were trying to hit. It is after all a local cupcakes shop with three stores in the area. As expected, we secured the local news to cover it. What we were surprised by was the interest from outlets outside the Philadelphia-area. When the local CBS in Philly covered the announcement, we never expected CNN to carry the segment. After all, this special offer was only available in-store and not online. Additionally, outlets like the Baltimore Sun and other local media outside Philadelphia covered it. I even saw it air in the local CBS in Austin.

News Releases Still Serve a Purpose — Many experts who I believe have never pitched the media have been preaching the news release is dead. I think what they mean is that news releases that have no news value is dead. And in that sense I agree. I also understand how the news release has evolved to become a vehicle for Internet searches, but issuing out a release over the wire for simply this sake without thinking how editors will perceive it when it hits their email inboxes has had a negative effect for PR people. In this case, we supported the campaign with a wire distribution within the Philadelphia circuit. The end-result was news coverage across multiple markets. And to illustrate that the news release really isn’t dead, every news organization we proactively approached and the ones that simply reached out to us all asked for one thing–”please send me the release.”

Be Creative but Don’t Overcomplicate It — I’ve always believed in keeping things simple when conveying a message. If my 8 year old can’t understand it, then the message is too hard to understand. I’m obviously exaggerating here, but I’m talking about cupcakes not a new technology that has a million specs to analyze. We first thought of having the client make an entirely new cupcake for this campaign with exotic ingredients like edible diamond shavings to highlight that this is a grand cupcake. When the client said it would be too complicated to make, we backed off. To keep it simple, we decided to go with its most popular cupcake flavor – the red velvet – which was also a perfect flavor for Valentine’s Day. With all the competition for Valentine’s Day coverage, a red velvet cupcake alone would have been a snoozer for the press likewise if it were just a diamond ring. Put them together, you get media frenzy.

One Beauty Shot is Worth a Thousand Images — I’m all for having as much multi-media assets available especially when it comes to photos, videos, etc. In this case, we made a conscious decision of sharing one beauty shot to every media outlet that requested it. This ensured that the image used is identifiable and consistent across all platforms especially with a product like this one. If you Google Image Search, you’ll see what I mean. One image said it all. On a side note, we actually instagrammed it (yes, I’m using it as a verb.)

Are you curious to know what happened to the $55,000 sparkling red velvet cupcake? Yes, it sold. And not to a local Philadelphia customer, but to a gentleman in Dallas. He bought it by phone like he was ordering pizza, and it wasn’t for a proposal, but for his wife. He obviously knows how to treat the love of his life. 8-carat diamond ring and red velvet cupcakes were shipped separately.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! But only if the holiday rush hasn’t crushed you yet. If you’re (still) filled with the spirit of the season, please indulge me by reading this post with a fun, good-natured, Christmas-y attitude. ‘Tis the season to be jolly after all!
So the headline might be a bit of an exaggeration, but don’t fault me, we are all in PR. However, there are things that I do know in PR that I learned from the man in the red suit. So here’s my list of things PR-related that I learned from Santa:

Making a list and checking it twice – Can you imagine if Santa gave a Barbie doll to a child asking for G.I. Joe? Well, in PR, building lists is obviously a critical and tedious task. How many PR pros have been outed by bloggers because of stray pitches arriving in their inbox. If the Big Guy can do it (that’s a reference to Santa and me), so can we. Make sure the elves helping build lists are all aware of this important task, but in the end, the sender is responsible for what gets sent so check it twice or even thrice.

Plan, prepare and deliver – Santa gears up for the gift-giving season each year by planning and preparing months in advance. His planning and preparation ensures that he delivers. In PR, we don’t have months to prepare, and many times, we don’t even have minutes to prepare, but if we have a basic plan that we can go back to each time a crisis or media opportunity arises, we should be able to deliver. Never promise anything to the media that you can’t deliver within their deadline. We can’t all be batting a thousand like St. Nick, but we should try our best to.

Share everything —Have you ever received a cease and desist letter from the North Pole? Santa doesn’t trademark his likeness. In this social media world we live in today, I think it’s better to share images, logos, content, etc. with everyone and anyone who cares. I’m not saying don’t protect your brand image, but strike the right balance between sharing and being overprotective. I always tell clients to make their images, logos, content, etc. available for users.  It would help drive more awareness about their brand.

HO! HO! HO! – Probably the most recognizable words uttered in the world yet if we remove two of the three, it might get you a beating. Santa’s tagline, for a lack of a better term, has become an integral part of his brand. So don’t knock ad agencies if they come up with something witty that we, as PR pros, might find corny. We are all creative in our own way and have a way with words. Some of the ones that immediately come to mind are “Think Different,” “Can You Hear Me Now?,” “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” and “Don’t Leave Home Without It.” I’m sure you can name the brands behind all of these taglines without Googling them.

Big rep – When I say rep, I don’t mean PR rep. To this day, I’m still trying to figure out who reps him and the North Pole. What I mean is his reputation is as wide as his red pantsuit and as big as his black boots (how he gets in through the chimney is beyond me but I did see Santa Clause so I guess that’s likely how). He might be the most recognizable person in the world, more than Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Angelina Jolie combined. How many times has Santa’s name and likeness been dragged in the mud? From bank robbers to street scam artists have taken advantage of his cheerful image, yet we still all love him. It took centuries to build this kind of reputation so inform your clients that building a solid reputation takes time and effort, but worth the investment.

Simply care – Santa is associated with presents and children. And that’s been fantastic for brands that show they care for disadvantaged and needy children. It is the season of giving, but why end there? As PR pros, we are in a position to turn the spirit of the season into a year round effort. I always advise clients to incorporate an ongoing cause-related PR program into their annual plan. It is a great way to give back to the community and build an emotional connection with their audience. The love, goodwill and loyalty a brand receives can’t even be measured.

SPOILER ALERT: DON’T READ BEYOND THIS POINT!!!

In case you didn’t know, Santa Claus isn’t real. Now, don’t cry. The idea, personality, characteristics he represents should help all of us become better PR professionals and human beings.

Btw, if you represent toy companies (like I used to) and have toys to donate for a toy drive for the needy children at Austin Children’s Shelter, please let me know. A local restaurant client is holding a toy drive and you can have a chance to win a “Major Award.”

Have a safe and happy holiday season! Feel free to share what you’ve learned in PR from Santa by commenting on this post. You can follow me @PRFlipside.

Joe Vasquez is the CEO of VASQ PR, a start-up firm he founded in 2010, when he left the lovely holiday lights of New York City for Austin. VASQ PR specializes in developing integrated PR and social media programs for clients in the restaurant, consumer technology, nonprofit and Internet sectors. He shares the same name as the Bishop of Austin and has fielded a few stray calls from parishioners.

]]> http://vasqpr.com/2011/12/all-i-really-need-to-know-in-pr-i-learned-from-santa/feed/ 0 http://vasqpr.com/2011/08/no-children-allowed-a-recipe-for-publicity/ http://vasqpr.com/2011/08/no-children-allowed-a-recipe-for-publicity/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:54:39 +0000 admin http://vasqpr.com/?p=411 [Originally posted on The PR Breakfast Club]

NO CHILDREN ALLOWED: A RECIPE FOR PUBLICITY

By Joseph Vasquez

More than a week ago, the owner of a little restaurant attached to a golf driving range in Pennsylvania, decided to introduce a new policy that it will no longer serve any person under the age of six.

As principal of a PR firm with restaurant clients, I followed this story right from the beginning. From what I observed, the story was initially reported by a local TV news outlet in Pittsburgh on July 8^th. The Associated Press picked it up and reported it the following day. From there, the media frenzy took off.

If this were a legal blog, I’d pontificate about the obvious discrimination against children under six years old. From my understanding, children are not a protected class unlike senior citizens.  Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on your point of view), I do not hold a law degree so I can’t say whether there are legal implications to this restaurant’s policy.

Since this is the PR Breakfast Club, which serves everyone in PR (including the ones who at times act like children—you know who you are!), just let me say that from a PR standpoint, this new restaurant policy was a win. Here are my three reasons why:

1)      PR breeds conversation – From the news coverage and subsequent comments from individuals, there’s no doubt this new policy was talked about.

2)      PR generates media coverage – Mike Vuick, owner of McDain’s restaurant, on CNN said he’s done more than 110 interviews including two in Australia and one in New Zealand—as much as I despise equating media coverage with advertising dollar equivalency—the amount of publicity is definitely in the millions.

3)      PR brings long-term recall – You may forget the nitty-gritty details about this story in the future, but people who’ve seen or read anything about this will remember it for a long time. A similar example would be the airline that was going to charge two coach seats for overweight passengers, you remember that, right?

I’m sure you fine PR folks have other reasons why this is or isn’t a PR win so please feel free to share and let me know what you think @PRFlipside.  However, I do predict that a restaurant that issues a policy not to serve anyone over his/her body mass index will secure publicity too and start a different conversation.

P.S. Personally, as a dad and golfer, I think this new restaurant policy is baseless. Caring and responsible parents are aware and don’t want their child to have a meltdown at any restaurant. My wife and I who are blessed with two adorable boys in the autism spectrum have cut short restaurant visits or taken our child outside when having a meltdown—trust me the food isn’t as delish in the minivan with a wailing child in the backseat. What make this policy quite absurd is this is a restaurant attached to a driving range. The next Tiger Woods could be turned away.

I don’t mean the hit song by Kelly Clarkson. I mean YOU—the PR pro, publicist, idea peddler, creative genius, whatever you want to call yourself. You’ve got clout and Klout. You are in a position to make a difference.

What I’m talking about here goes beyond securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in media placements for a client (although that would be the icing on the cake). It’s about making a difference in people’s lives by counseling your clients to roll out a cause-related PR campaign. If they haven’t tried it, I believe it’s time that they do.

I’m so psyched about penning this piece on cause-related PR because I’m a big believer in its merits. And I’ve seen it time and time again on how media outlets are much more open to covering your news if it’s tied-in with a reputable charity.  The question is why haven’t you gotten buy in from your client.

Here a four personalinsights on getting your client on board:

Find the right fit – If your client is an alcoholic beverage company, Mothers Against Drunk Driving may not be the appropriate partner. I think you get my point.

Find a partner with a strong grassroots base – There are many organizations out there that boast of millions of supporters, but only a tiny percentage are actually active in promoting its cause. However, there are some organizations that are smaller in total number, but have a majority that are actively getting its message out to the public.  I don’t want to provide examples of the former, but of the latter—Autism Speaks, Soldiers’ Angels, Livestrong, Feeding America and the ASPCA have extremely active supporters. [This is based on personal research and experience partnering with these organizations.]

Let the nonprofit do some of the work – If you’ll be cutting a significant check to a charitable organization, I think the least it could do for your client is help get the word out about your cause-related PR campaign.  Again, if they have an active base, you’ll get the media attention and word of mouth.

Be creative but not complicated – If your client wants to help and has money to donate to a charity, don’t have him simply write a check. Believe me, your client doesn’t need to give away millions of dollars to receive some earned media. For example, one of my clients, Rudy’s Bar-B-Q, a chain of Texas Bar-B-Q restaurants in the Southwest, decided to donate to the local food banks.  Instead of cutting a check, we decided to donate a dollar for every pound of meat sold (yes, they sell barbecued meat by the pound in Texas) and added 50 cents for every new Facebook fan and Twitter follower to split across all food bank partners.  The campaign ran for three days, and in the end, the chain secured heightened awareness and received media coverage in all of its markets. More details here: http://rudys.com/follow2support. It was a simple fundraising campaign that was easy for the media to report on the air, in print and online.

As you start planning 2011, please make sure you add cause-related PR to your PR plan. Make this your New Year’s resolution. To paraphrase a wise marketing dude, Creed Ford IV (@creedford), even if the whole damn thing flops, you would’ve still made a difference in someone’s life.

And that, my friends, is what PR should be about.

*Please follow me @PRFlipside.

Many of you know that one of my favorite pastimes is dining out. It’s obvious when you see the anti-Situation abs that I sport nowadays. [I've been doing a lot of GTL lately though minus the T so I'm expecting to get my washboard abs back.] Sorry, I digress.

In any case, one company that seems to be thriving in this awful economy is Groupon. I don’t have hard facts. My opinion is simply based on word of mouth, social media buzz and earned media coverage that I’ve seen for the company  in the past couple of years. Groupon has transformed the way the average consumer saves by featuring mainly half price deals that change daily. The concept is attractive because it builds anticipation from its users on a daily basis, which I believe is a key factor, in developing any successful social media program. It has also changed the average consumer’s purchasing behavior, but it’s also fueled other companies to follow its business model such as Living Social, Half Off Deals, etc.

For PR pros, its greatest impact can be seen with media outlets in smaller markets. Local TV stations (affiliates of the major networks) and radio networks have jumped on board by offering their own version of Groupon on their web sites. Its their way of making up for the continued decline in advertising sales the past few years. Basically, what happens is a tradeout between one of these media outlets and a local retailer or a chain with a local presence.  The tradeout between the two parties is usually a specific number of gift certificates, which the media outlet will sell on its online store, in return for promotional spots that, at times, even includes interviews with a spokesperson from the retailer. If it’s TV, it could even include a segment that airs in the local morning and evening news. And if the radio and TV personalities have a following on social networks, they’d promote the retailer there too.

The amount of air time one receives is much more than the value of the gift certificates. What does this mean to PR pros? It means the line between dealing with news producers and advertising sales representatives have gotten thinner.  It means that the advertising account executive has control over content that is aired within the confines of a news program. I’m not surprised that this is becoming more common. Both parties have to make money, but where does this leave the PR pro. In my case, I just adapt. My clients, which are in the restaurant business, are happy to get the publicity. Bottom line, it drives traffic and increased sales to their stores. Isn’t that one of the objectives of PR?

Memorial Day is a time to remember our fallen heroes. What is a solemn occasion has also marked the unofficial start of summer. Yay! This means many of you (majority in the New York City area) are still cleaning off that grill from this weekend’s festivities.

Since moving to Austin about a year ago from New York City, I learned that barbecuing isn’t simply throwing meat on a grill. My barbecue knowledge increased when I landed Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q as a client. They’ve even trademarked the tagline, Real Texas Bar-B-Q®.  What I found out from their Bar-B-Q Insiders is that grilling isn’t really barbecuing.

So here’s my attempt to tie in real Texas barbecuing with pitch letter writing:

Fire Up the Pit. The traditional Texas way of barbecuing means “smoking” the meat so getting the barbecue pits to its ideal temperature contributes to how the meat will taste when done. Similarly, the ideal temperature [and I’m not talking about the A/C in your office] of a story angle contributes to the overall impact of the pitch. What I mean here is the angle must fit the temp or mood of the times even if it’s one of those evergreen stories that you’re pitching. For example, don’t be pitching stories on the positive economic impact of the use of oil to reporters covering the BP disaster.

Use the Right Wood. Throw away the coal. In Texas, they use wood to barbecue. You can choose from several types like mesquite, cherry, hickory among many others, but for me the best pick is oak.  The wood is the foundation of barbecuing meat. The type of wood used makes a big difference on the tastiness of the meat when done. As with pitch letter writing, the foundation of your pitch is critical to how tasty it will be. The foundation would be your lead/opening sentence.  It dictates the rest of the pitch.

Respect the Meat. This is likely the most important aspect of the barbecuing process. You’ve got to make sure you’ve picked the right meat [my faves are rib eye and briskets (extra moist)] and that it’s seasoned just right.  The meat of the pitch is also the most important aspect of the pitch letter. This is the heart of the pitch so make sure you avoid hyperbole and data overload. Keep reporters wanting more by not giving away all the information you want to them to have. Let them have enough to stew over to make a decision on whether your pitch is palatable to them or not.

Take Your Time. Smoking meat requires a lot of patience to reach the absolute best level of deliciousness. At times, it takes more than 12 hours to smoke a brisket. Similar to the pitch letter, it is wise to give it a thorough once or twice over before pulling the trigger unless you want your pitch to appear on the Bad Pitch blog.  Even when pitching breaking news stories, make sure you’ve proofed your pitch letter at least once. Don’t rely on spell check. There are many words that spellchecker can’t find like when the letter “L” is accidentally not typed in the word, “Public.” It makes for an uncomfortable situation with your reader.

Taste Test. Before removing the meat from the fire pits, cut a little piece for someone else to taste and get their feedback. This is not critical, but it helps if there are ingredients that need to be added.  With the pitch letter, it would be prudent to have someone else review it before it goes to the reporter you’re targeting. Of course, not everyone has the time especially when under a deadline or pitching breaking news.

Serve Up The Meat. This is it. Once the meat is served to your guests, it’s pretty much out of your hands so be confident with what you’ve barbecued. Hopefully, if the meat didn’t turn out the way you wanted, you won’t get harsh responses. This is exactly like the pitch letter. Once it’s out, it’s out. There’s nothing more you can do, but if you followed the steps I’ve outlined, hopefully, you’ll get interest from the press. If not, at least you have some good barbecue left over.

Note: Thanks to Rudy’s Bar-B-Q Insiders’ Doug Vydrzal & Alan AJ for the basic tips on smoking Real Texas Bar-B-Q.

The ‘craziness’ of the past year has brought me to learn many things about PR…and life. Here are 12 [one for each month] that I’d like to share with y’all [that's a li'l Texan slang for all you New Yorkers]:

12. LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES. Such a cliche, but it’s so true. Who would’ve thought that we’ll be living so far away from all our family, friends, and of course, the PR/media capital of the world? I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes thinking I’m in Cambridge Heights in Nutley, NJ.

11. I’M A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY…A LITTLE BIT ROCK ‘N ROLL. Moving to Texas has given everyone in the family an appreciation for the most spectacular natural scenery in the country.  The Texas Hill Country and Lake Travis are must-adds to anyone’s bucket list. We’ve also enjoyed getting to know folks who come from a very different background as us, and realize that we aren’t at all that much different. We do miss the diversity that the Northeast offers in food, culture, people and…FOOD.

10. IN PR, LOCATION DOESN’T MATTER. My friends who work in New York City would probably hate me for saying this, but this is based on my experience. The Internet has really changed the way we communicate. I am just as in touch with what’s going on in New York City from here as I was when I was working there. Ok…maybe location does matter a little. That’s probably why I’m keeping my 201 area code.

9. CENTRAL TIME CAN BE A PAIN. Location might not matter in PR, but time zones do especially in matters of scheduling meetings and TV watching. The one hour difference is enough to get me mixed up in making appointments with people in the East Coast. I’ve also missed live TV events because of this. Obviously, there is a time zone bias going on here.

8. IT’S ALWAYS BETTER TO REP CLIENTS YOU LOVE. Every PR pro’s dream is to have clients that they feel passionate about. In my case, that’d be the PGA Tour or Tiger Woods. No, I don’t rep both as you can tell with all the bad press they are getting lately.  I am proud to say though I do rep the next best thing. If you haven’t guessed it, then read here.

7. LIKE LIFE, THERE IS SUCH A THING AS DESTINY IN PR. I’ve told this story many times and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of re-telling this story again and again. Many of you who lived near us in New Jersey have had many yummy meals with us at Carino’s Italian. If I recall, I introduced Carino’s to y’all.  In fact, our final farewell dinner, hosted by the Ocampos, was at the Carino’s in Clifton Commons. Then, the funniest thing happened along the way to Austin. The first ever restaurant we ate at after a long yet leisurely drive from New Jersey that took ten days was at Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q.

Then, a Divine Intervention, a few weeks later, I end up meeting one of the most innovative digital marketers in the U.S., Creed Ford IV, Principal at Pictoric Media Group, who runs the digital marketing for Carino’s Italian and Rudy’s Bar-B-Q…a couple of months later I’m playing golf with him and the owners of Carino’s and Rudy’s Bar-B-Q. The rest as they say is history. [If you're on Twitter and aren't following @creedford, you're missing out. This dude will change how restaurants operate. More on that on a later post.]

6. TIGER WOODS IS THE KING OF GOLF AND DOUCHEBAGGERY. Considering I’m in PR, I felt shafted that I, too, fell for his image that he can do no wrong. Nike, Tiger and the rest of his crew should watch out for a class-action lawsuit for all the emotional distress he’s caused faithful married men.

5. NETWORKING IS EASIER FOR A FIVE YEAR OLD. Seeing how my two sons (ages 5 and 6), without thinking twice, approach other kids their age to make friends, is something to emulate. I even blogged about it here.

4. TEXAS HAS ITS OWN INDEPENDENCE DAY. Texans have always said Texas is its own country. They’re right. I discovered this when my client, Rudy’s Bar-B-Q, launched a campaign on March 2nd (3/2) to offer up quarter pound barbecue briskets for 32 cents (a play off the date in case you didn’t get it) for a couple of hours. All payments received from the promo hours, as well as 50 cents for every new Twitter follower and Facebook fan a week leading up to 3/2, were donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. A simple cause related program that combined traditional and social media generated significant media placements for the client. Welcome to the Republic of Texas.

3. PR, SOCIAL MEDIA AND A HEART TO HELP, IS A WINNING COMBINATION. Besides the aforementioned campaign for Haiti. My client, Rudy’s Bar-B-Q,  also embarked on a cause-related campaign that raised funds for the victims of the Fort Hood tragedy through a partnership with Soldiers’ Angels. In addition, Carino’s Italian restaurants introduced its new loyalty card, Pasta Points, by donating a dollar for every new registration from April 12th-30th to Autism Speaks, the largest nonprofit organization for autism awareness and research. You can view my behind the scenes take form Austin Live with Chef Peit here.  Here are six things about cause-related PR you need to know.

2. I GOT PR’d TO MOVE TO AUSTIN. Kudos to Austin’s PR team for getting the city included in rankings of the Best Places to Live in the U.S. (U.S. News) and the Best Places for Business and Careers (Forbes). Besides the obvious of asking friends who’ve been to Austin, my research showed that Austin is great a hot bed for entrepreneurs and great place to raise a family.  So far, that seems like the case.

1. GOTTA HAVE FAITH. Not talking about George Michael’s song. The craziness of the past year has actually made me more spiritual and to reflect on what’s really important. We may live with less, but we’ve become closer as a family. If it worked for us so it should for you. The ups and downs of being a small business owner requires a lot of faith in oneself. I don’t mean to be preachy, but without the belief that someone greater is watching out for you, the challenges will be tougher to face IMO.  If you don’t believe me, read point no. 7 again.

You Might Be In PR If...

You Might Be In PR If…

…you can spot every news item/segment on TV, radio, blog that’s pitched by a PR pro.

…you refer to pitch as a letter not a skill for baseball.

…you think ad buys are a wasted investment.

…every time you write “PR” on tweets, you preface it with a hashtag.

…you know what a hashtag is.

…you hate the word “leverage,” but find yourself using it to explain a PR tactic.

…you get excited when you get a media placement in The Wall Street Journal.

…you get ticked off when the boss asks why you didn’t get USA Today or The New York Times.

…it takes you at least a half hour to explain what you do for a living to family and friends.

…your family and friends think you’re in advertising no matter how many times you’ve explained you’re in PR (ya know what I mean).

…you multiply the ad value by 2.5 to get the publicity value.

…you’re a news junkie.

…you know getting a hit is not all about contacts but about the story you pitch.

…you understood what I meant by hit.

…you still call Cision Bacon’s just because you like the traditional and the association with pork (ok, this is just me).

…you know your profession has been ranked as the 8th most stressful job in the country.

…you’ve used Barack Obama’s presidential campaign as a case study for the value of PR.

…85% of the folks you work with are women.

…creative sessions begin with which celebrity can we bring to the table or can the client write a book?

…clients are treated with the same level of service no matter what retainer they pay.

…you have one social media slide, maybe  two, that covers why your firm has social media expertise on new business presentations.

…you secretly despise being called a flack.

…you have a degree in communications or journalism or some other degree that has nothing to do with PR.

…you wish there was a fictional TV series or sitcom about PR people (not starring Lizzie Grubman or Kim Kardashian).

…you read this post and can relate to more than one of the lines plus you can spew out an additional 25 lines without batting an eyelash.

Send in your lines and let’s write a book together. Did I just say that?