Showing posts with label media relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media relations. Show all posts
What Do We Know?
The New York Times had an oddly timed review of the career of the late James Dickey this morning. Anyone who has ever heard the phrase "squeal like a pig" or has hummed a few bars of dueling banjos surely knows Dickey's work. Those scenes were two of the most famous from the 1972 movie Deliverance, which was based on the book of the same name that Dickey wrote and got published in 1970.
The movie is almost a perfect adaption of the book except for two things. No one ever hollers "squeal like a pig" in the book and while the banjo playing scene is extremely well written, the music isn't there.
And this is Dickey's most famous novel, and as the Times points out it is not really indicative of his work. Dickey was a free flowing poet who wrote long and in detailed narratives. His most famous novel is almost sparse in its approach. To steal a line from Sesame Street, if lining up all of Dickey's work in a row "one of these things would not be like the other."
Which got me to wondering about what people are famous for and what we really know about them. In the world of public relations, we are so often asked to create an image for a client that they want as their face to the outside world. And sometimes, like Dickey, they become known for something that doesn't quite fit the rest of their career. Public opinion can be a tricky thing.
And besides that, we got to put a killer poster on the website today.
Live Long and Photograph
Leonard Nimoy is a photographer. It almost is hard to write that. Did I write that? Yes, I did. It's tough because Leonard Nimoy IS Spock. You know Spock. Don't lie. Pointy ears, green blood, cold demeanor. Star Strek. Yes, that Spock.
Yes, he has played other roles, but he is Spock. When he was one of the first people to ever guest star on The Simpsons, he was Spock and not really Leonard Nimoy.
Well, he also is an accomplished photographer. It illustrates how people can always reinvent themselves. That is key in the world of media relations. Even if things are at their best (or worst), the opportunity to reinvent is just around the corner. Does reinvention erase history? No, but it can create a new future.
Yes, he has played other roles, but he is Spock. When he was one of the first people to ever guest star on The Simpsons, he was Spock and not really Leonard Nimoy.
Well, he also is an accomplished photographer. It illustrates how people can always reinvent themselves. That is key in the world of media relations. Even if things are at their best (or worst), the opportunity to reinvent is just around the corner. Does reinvention erase history? No, but it can create a new future.
Holy Good Publicity, Ford Man
Remember those stories that American automakers were dead? Well, it turns out that at least Ford is doing well. Very well. Extremely well. In fact, $2.6 billion worth of well. The company is rolling, but the question will the general public even notice?
The question is serious. General opinion sometimes often outweighs reality. And when opinion becomes fantasy, well things can get dicey. The media likes to jump on trends. Something is growing? Wow, it must be the big new thing. And the old thing is dead. And if it isn't dead, the media will declare it dead. It doesn't matter if the new thing has barely any of the sales volume that the old thing had. Example? Look at how critics treat television and movies. A television show such as Gossip Girl is considered a hit, while a movie that draws 10 times the amount of viewers of the show in one weekend can be a flop.
That is why companies need to practice and keep up their media relations. That is why they need to call Brett. We won't let you become the old thing.
The question is serious. General opinion sometimes often outweighs reality. And when opinion becomes fantasy, well things can get dicey. The media likes to jump on trends. Something is growing? Wow, it must be the big new thing. And the old thing is dead. And if it isn't dead, the media will declare it dead. It doesn't matter if the new thing has barely any of the sales volume that the old thing had. Example? Look at how critics treat television and movies. A television show such as Gossip Girl is considered a hit, while a movie that draws 10 times the amount of viewers of the show in one weekend can be a flop.
That is why companies need to practice and keep up their media relations. That is why they need to call Brett. We won't let you become the old thing.
The new Alvin Greene
Remember Alvin Greene? Sure you do. He was the guy you never heard from the place you've never been who somehow won the U.S. Senate nomination from the Democratic Party. There were cries of voter fraud and he being a Republican decoy, but those soon fell aside after it was proven Greene used his own money to file for his candidacy and there was no vote tampering. There also is those pesky criminal charges out there, but that hasn't stopped anyone else's campaign in the past decade.
Greene soon became a human soundbite with his somewhat non-sensical ramblings punctuated with "ums" all the time. He was often shown wearing a T-shirt and jeans and not in the way that Republican candidates like to wear T-shirts and jeans to events to show they are the common man. Greene really is the common man. Or was the common man.
The new Greene was unveiled this weekend at his first political rally. Speaking at the Manning chapter of the NAACP, Greene wore a crisp blue suit, shook hands, signed autographs and refused to speak to the press. He was ushered away with a police escort after the event. It seems like someone has gotten serious about Alvin Greene's candidacy. He is now acting like a regular candidate with an entourage. It appears South Carolina's opportunity to support the common man has been corrupted.
The big question about this Senate race is would anyone being paying attention in there was no Greene? This is a great lesson in the fundamentals of media and public relations.
Greene soon became a human soundbite with his somewhat non-sensical ramblings punctuated with "ums" all the time. He was often shown wearing a T-shirt and jeans and not in the way that Republican candidates like to wear T-shirts and jeans to events to show they are the common man. Greene really is the common man. Or was the common man.
The new Greene was unveiled this weekend at his first political rally. Speaking at the Manning chapter of the NAACP, Greene wore a crisp blue suit, shook hands, signed autographs and refused to speak to the press. He was ushered away with a police escort after the event. It seems like someone has gotten serious about Alvin Greene's candidacy. He is now acting like a regular candidate with an entourage. It appears South Carolina's opportunity to support the common man has been corrupted.
The big question about this Senate race is would anyone being paying attention in there was no Greene? This is a great lesson in the fundamentals of media and public relations.
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