The sad tale of rich men

I have to admit I have never been a fan of professional sports. I have always believed when large sums of money enter into an equation, people stop doing things for the team and only look out for number one (see: Lebron James).

There have been many times I have rolled my eyes at the ridiculous comments made by NBA players…..remember when they were told they had to wear nice suits when traveling and many whined about how it restricted their freedom “to be themselves”? Give me a break! If you think a  black button up suit and six inch heels is who I really am you are mistaken….but I wear it because it is required by the person who signs my paycheck every week.

I didn’t think these men (notice I did not say gentlemen) could get any more ridiculous….

Enter Summer 2011. The NBA players decided to go on a lockout after the season finished because they weren’t making enough money. I can totally understand where these guys are coming from….With the economy in shambles it’s gotta be hard to make it in these tough times.

Oh wait! They league minimum is $5 million! That’s right. FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!

What I wouldn’t give for a very, very tiny piece of that pie. Especially if I was getting to travel the United States and play a stupid game for a living that I apparently enjoy. I can’t imagine what these guys would think of the salaries of military personnel and police/fire personnel….hell, they’d probably scoff at a doctor’s salary. But who doesn’t think an NBA player deserves more money than those who serve our country, keep us safe and save our lives?

HAVE NO FEAR. The players and owners are all going to get theirs in the end….mark my words.  

While the rest of us live in the real world, with real money issues we are watching a group of rich, over privileged men fight over large amounts of money most of us can never dream of earning. We are also committing to memory the ridiculous fiasco that is playing out before our eyes.

If these men think they have a money problem now, wait until they try to fill seats at an NBA game in the future. I’m pretty sure major league baseball players and owners would tell them to  put their petty differences aside and work it out after what they went through during and after their strike years ago. It took MLB a long time to recover.

Here’s the real question: even if the differences between the players and owners are set aside and games resume by early 2012, will it make a difference to the public? We’ve already seen the greed and are angry that these people are so out of touch with the rest of us…that is going to have an impact on ticket sells. Sure those who have already purchased season tickets will attend games (or maybe they won’t) but will they renew their tickets next year? I know that it will be a long time before I attend another  NBA game or even watch one on TV.

Another more important point is this…I could care less that millionaires aren’t making money, but when there are hard working people who depend on the NBA to employee them (concession stand workers, janitors, light/sound crews, etc.) I get livid thinking that their well being depends on a bunch of greedy whiners who are keeping them from earning an honest (and more than likely unfair) living.

I think they NBA owners should just tell the “professionals” to bad so sad and implement a league with players who would probably work for $100,000 just for the love of the game. I know I’d watch those games!

Regardless of what the outcome is, the NBA and its players have created a giant PR mess that I would not ever want to be involved in….and to think, I was sad when I didn’t get that marketing gig with the Thunder last year.

What are your thoughts on the lockout? Can the NBA recover from this PR nightmare? Please share what you think of this madness.  

Be sure to think of the elderly this Halloween….SERIOUSLY!

Fall is in the air, and you know what that means! Scary movies cut and ripped to shreds so they can be shown on basic cable, adults dressing as obscene versions of actual professionals (think nurses, maids, cops, etc.) and little kids running around yelling “Trick-or-Treat?”

The Winkler casa will not be partaking in this annual tradition not because we don’t like Halloween, but because I have a 165 pound dog that stands as tall as I do when he’s on his hind legs who tends to loudly bark and jump on the front door every time the wind blows. I’m thinking he can’t handle the door bell ringing and little kids at the door for a solid 3-4 hours. Plus, I don’t want to have the house that caused some poor parent(s) to have to take their kid(s) home to change their underwear. Let’s face it…nothing is scarier than thinking you are faced with a real life Cujo.

Anyway, my real reason for writing this blog is to encourage you to use Halloween as a time to do something good for your fellow man. Growing up with a mother who works in home health has really brought to my attention the lack of attention given to the elderly. Maybe this is because my mom constantly tells me about this lack of attention hoping that I catch on and won’t do the same to her (I’m not a jerk mom!). Regardless of her intentions it breaks my heart to hear about elderly people who have been abandoned by family and have few to no friends. SO….this Halloween I encourage you to please take your kids to trick-or-treat at any of the homes in your neighborhood that have lights on that you know are occupied by elderly people. It will make their day to see your children (as long as you don’t have them dressed up as an obscene version of a real professional…remember these people may have heart conditions).

If there aren’t any elderly people in your neighborhood or you feel better trick-or-treating in an organized environment, many nursing homes and/or assisted living centers offer trick-or-treating hours on Halloween. The Bellevue Home north of 63rd on Portland is offering trick-or-treating on Halloween night….I’m sure they are just one of many.

And if you have any concern about taking your child trick-or-treating at a nursing home because you are afraid you may have to explain things you don’t want to, I wouldn’t worry. I’m pretty sure they won’t let your child walk in to a room where someone is dying or severely suffering. And, contrary to popular belief, this is not what old people look like. ——–>

So I ask you as a favor from someone who has no children, only dogs, please consider taking your children around to see the elderly this Halloween. Trick-or-treating around elderly people who have lived a full life and have many wonderful stories will be way better than taking your child to trick-or-treat at the mall and exposing them to an overabundance of consumerism.

Why I hate the F word

I know that those of you who know me out of professional circles are thinking “You have got to be %!*#ing kidding me! Megan uses the word %!*# like most people use the word ‘the’”. While it is true that when talking about taboo topics such as religion, politics, college football and Toddlers and Tiaras, I do tend to drop the F bomb every now and then, I’m not referring to the mother of all curse words but am instead referring to the word fluff.

Even those who don’t work in journalism or public relations know what the word fluff means. It’s what executives/clients/non-journalisticly trained PR professionals think needs to be done to make a boring press release more exciting so that it will get printed or what needs to be done in the event of a massive PR disaster like spilling thousands of gallons of oil off the Alaskan coast killing and/or coating with oil a ton of baby seals, birds and other sea life while at the same time wreaking economic havoc on the area.

I would like to think that true PR professionals tend to shy away from fluff, but after talking with many of my friends in journalism it seems to still be a major issue.

I guess I count myself as one of the lucky ones. After spending a semester in the college newsroom before deciding to join “the dark side” (don’t judge me…I have student loans in the 6 figures!) and writing a few freelance articles for a local newspaper while being schooled by the best reporter I know when it comes to no fluff, I know what journalist do and don’t want….I also know that what they do and don’t want coincides with what they will and won’t think of you as a PR professional.

Below are examples of the WRONG way and the RIGHT way to right a news release or make a public statement (correct me if I’m wrong reporter friends):

WRONG (and believe it or not, these types of press releases exist!): X company is very pleased to announce that (insert name of person) has received the very prestigious/highly coveted/well-deserved (insert name of award/honor/promotion/etc.). X company is proud/congratulates/blah, blah, blah of (insert name). (Insert name) has been with X company for (insert number) years and is a valued member of the X company team. (Please see highly sophisticated infographic here)

RIGHT: X company announces that (insert name) received the award/honor/promotion. (If you feel the need to continue writing, maybe a little background information about recipient such as where they went to college and what they got their degree in AND/OR a very small sentence about the award such as how the recipient is chosen or how long and by whom it has been given) (Please see highly sophisticated infographic here)

WRONG: Answering “No comment” or sending out release with fake apologies and promises of quick action that your company has no real intention of taking until forced to by the government or because of massive public protest.

RIGHT: At X time, the X company’s ship/pipeline/tanker truck experienced a leak/explosion/general problem. Unfortunately x product was released into the lake/ocean/nice flowery meadow. X company apologizes for this mistake and is taking proper action to ensure it is dealt with in a quick and timely matter. (Only say the last part if it’s true because the newspaper and general public will hold you to it)

I know a lot of you are thinking, “but my boss/client won’t approve a news release/public statement that just states the facts minus the fluff.” Just remember that proper steps should be taken to ensure your professional reputation and your future/your company’s future with the reporter remain intact. There is any easy solution to this problem as long as it is dealing with print….you botch the approved public statement, and you’ll probably be packing your sad plant and office lamp 5 minutes after you leave the microphone. But what’s more important? A paycheck or standing up for your profession? Don’t worry….I’m not rich so I don’t blame you for saying paycheck. A good journalist won’t either.

Follow these steps:

1. Write news release the correct way (inverted pyramid with NO FLUFF).
2. Show to your boss/client who then rewrites it completely jacking up the proper inverted pyramid formatting while inserting more fluff than a down pillow could handle.
3. Smile and say “Thanks for your edits! I’ll make these and get it back to you for approval.”
4. Make said edits and send for re-approval.
5. Once the final okay is given, make sure there were no glaring fact errors that were brought to your attention by your boss/client in your original release.
6. If your original release is factually correct, written in the proper inverted pyramid style (see another sophisticated infographic here) with zero fluff, send this release to the journalist.

FAQs

Q. What if my boss/client sees the release and notices his/her changes weren’t made?

A. Tell your boss/client you are so sorry, but you don’t have editorial control over the newspaper. You will try to work with the reporter better next time. (FYI….don’t really do that….telling a reporter how you want a news release written or complaining about the way your story was printed is a sure fire way to get blacklisted by that reporter). Also secretly evil grin in your mind because you know that your little switch-a-roo at the end of the whole editing process is probably what saved the release from being sent to the trash in the first place.

Q. What if they newspaper doesn’t print the story at all?

A. Tell your boss /client you are certain it is because it was not written in the way the reporter would have wanted, citing the horrible news release he had you send out that you advised against. (You actually know it wasn’t printed because it wasn’t REAL news but more than likely something the reporter considered as you trying to get free advertising)

Q. What if the story is printed, but only 1-2 sentences were used?

A. Inform your boss you are not the copy editor, and because it was a general announcement the newspaper only printed what it felt was news/what it had space for. (Thank your lucky stars that you sent the original news release in the inverted pyramid style knowing darn good and well that any story can get cut off at any point)

If you have any questions or want to share your experiences in working with your boss/client and the media (or if you are a reporter who wants to back me up or vent about bad PR people), feel free to make a comment below.

Happy pitching!!!!!!

QR Code #FAIL

I recently received a newspaper publication that committed a HUGE QR code FAIL! What is the point of adding a QR code to anything if people can’t scan it because the address label (or something else) is covering part of the code rendering it unscannable?!?!? If you need tips on how to properly utilize QR codes visit an article I posted on the topic here.

Have you encountered any other marketing failures that have occurred while someone was trying to utilize this technology?

The rise of the technology “super class”

I love technology. There are so many pros to having everything at your fingertips. You can:

• Find a place to eat at the shake of an iPhone
• Purchase holiday gifts without ever having to step into the mall during the craziest time of the year (why do people get hateful
  at the holidays, BTW?)
• Solve arguments by simply using the Google
• Anyone can find you any time they want to
• Your boss expects you to answer e-mails at 10 at night because you have round the clock access to your inbox at work…..wait,
  strike that.

There ARE some cons to technology. The last two are on my list, but one that ranks even higher than that is my belief that technology may be creating a “super class” not just in America but across the globe.

What do I mean when I say this? Simply that technology is creating a divide not just among racial and social lines but across rural and urban areas as well. Case and point is the decline of printed news publications. I have heard a number of my tech savvy friends (many in journalism) say they don’t think print media will be around for much longer, and they are okay with that. SERIOUSLY?!?!? When I hear this all I can think is that it must be nice living in a world where you can afford to rely on technology for everything in your life, BUT what about those who can’t afford and/or don’t have the mental capacity and/or the general desire (mainly the elderly) and/or easy access to get their information the same way as most middle and upper class people living in higher populated areas?

What happens is a super class of individuals not much different from times when only those who could read were informed and educated about the world around them.

 It’s not just printed media that is causing division. Many jobs are now only posted online. How does that help those living in poverty who need jobs the most, especially since a very large majority of them do not have access to the internet. Sure they can go to the library (in large cities), but when do they have time if they are either working two jobs to make ends meet or spending all day pounding the pavement looking for a job?  (Side note: Please remember, not everyone who lives in poverty is lazy and not everyone unemployed is unmotivated, which seems to be the attitude of many who look down on these two groups.)

And people who live in rural communities? They might as well pack up and move in to the city at the rate things are going. Most large city newspapers don’t deliver to rural areas anymore (And why should they? Farmers aren’t smart enough to read, write and make important decisions about issues facing America…sarcasm!). The United States Post Office is under stress which may impact life in small towns, but hey they can all just move into urban areas and stop farming;  then you can all kiss your coveted organic produce goodbye. Remember meat, vegetables and fruit are not made in a factory…yet. It’s not like we all haven’t seen Soylent Green.

So what are your thoughts on technology creating a super class? Do we really want to return to a time when only the rich/educated were able to stay informed? Do you even think this is a possibility?

P.S. See any typos? Let me know because I pounded this out quick on the keyboard while on my lunch break.