While it may not look like it, Jackson Pollock would take great pains to create distinctive energy and motion in every one of his pieces. What may look like chaos has a great deal of rhyme and reason. Jackson was deliberate, precise and took great pains to make sure his compositions had his vision in place.
If only PR professionals would take a page from Pollock when they craft a pitch. Heck, if we all took on that kind of commitment to being clear and thoughtful, Richard Laermer and the Bad Pitch crew would have a much harder time locating those knuckleheaded emails. So, in an effort to curb some knuckleheadedness, try it the Pollock way – try
Starting With a Vision – we all know that you have a client that wants you to deliver a message to someone at USA Today or The Wall Street Journal…but unless you have a unique idea with some clarity or focus in your dealings with the press, they will see right through your verbiage and dismiss you for wasting their time.
Being Deliberate – have some purpose with your communications efforts. Don’t just throw out some willy-nilly story idea because your client wants you to get a hold of BusinessWeek. Your approach will come across as half-baked and tired…and you’ll sound like a salesman – quickest route to the trash bin.
Using Some Precision – more often than not, there is at least half a dozen replacements you can use for the ‘important’ words with your outreach. Take those extra steps to use the noun or adjective that properly expresses the vibe or tone that you need. Beyond that, consider what your message points sound like to the person on the other end.
Taking Your Time – you have no time for this…nobody has time for all this! This is exactly why you should be doing this. When you give yourself enough room and patience to see this kind of process through, you will be that much further away from mediocrity. Moreover, you’ll find yourself closer to earning a spot on a short list of people that the press will hear out.
What other aspects of Pollock can you use in your PR pitches? How long do you take in developing your emails for the press?
Not too long ago, the illustrious and ever-so-kind Tim Gunn was on the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson promoting the newest season of Project Runway. Among the ‘usual things’ they chatted about (fashion, the new contestants, Aqua Man), Tim touched on something that really has application for just about every type of business: The Monkey House.
Tim & Craig joked about how (and I am paraphrasing here) staying too long in the monkey house can make you believe that the foul odor you’re smelling really isn’t all that bad. Now, yes, they were joking about how some folks in the TV industry can be a little smarmy and not the most up-and-up sort of business men and women (hello, Conan). But what they brought up rings true in communications, financial services, technology, whatever.
Truth is, we all have our monkey house moments …
times when we compromise our standards for the ‘greater good.’
the occasion when you shook your head when some knucklehead blurted out something tasteless or just dumb in the boardroom.
the instant you find yourself defending some crap move that an executive made.
There are so many things out of our control and way too many variables that come into play when it comes to business. HOWEVER, the way we conduct ourselves and how we respond to such monkey house moments speaks volumes on our character. I’m not saying that you should start packing up the moment you smell the ickyness getting flung around in your office.
But you should be part of the solution that reduces the smell, stops the flow or hauls it out.
When was the last time you had a monkey house moment in your office? What do you do to keep the Monkey House away from your team?
Filmmakers come and go – some have the staying power to make a real career out of it, while most fizzle out after a few films. As a lead player in cinema, until you’ve earned some street cred in the business, studios and executives look for any kind of upward trend in your work – even though you were well-received in your last feature, you could very well tank (hard) in your next flick. This is why veterans always tell newcomers that you’re only as good as your last picture.
One filmmaker that has earned his stripes (and then some) is Martin Scorsese. He has not only made a career out his cinematic ventures, Mr. Scorsese has made his name synonymous with brilliant movies. And even though he’s got some interesting eccentricities like never really wanting to go to Central Park and is listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet, Martin Scorsese can teach us a thing or two in PR.
Martin Scorsese is
a consummate student – his knowledge of films is encyclopedic and his mastery of various techniques is remarkable…the guy served a tour of duty at NYU and taught the likes of Oliver Stone and Spike Lee. Moreover, Mr. Scorsese’s love of films has led him to establish The Film Foundation to promote the preservation and appreciation of film history.
Regardless where you may be in your career, there is ALWAYS time to learn something new in PR. Yes, you have to stick to the basic tenets of public relations…and, yes, you have to be a strong writer…but there will always be a new way to skin that communications cat – it’s our job to find out how we can leverage their power for our company / client(s) and be smart about using these tools…wisely.
a guy that doesn’t take himself too seriously – how many other filming legends can you say would be even open to the idea of being a shark character in an animation film, poke fun at his own eyebrows or take some fun jabs on national TV about his fondness for film reels.
Be it from our clients, bosses, colleagues, whatever – working in PR can be a bit stressful. There’s a lot to handle and it has to be done in a timely manner – now more than ever. Who the heck has time to breathe…?…YOU DO. This is not rocket science and it’s not like we’re working on a cure to end world hunger. Yes, it’s important, and yes, there is a great deal of value that we bring to the table; but the work we do is not so imperative that you can’t take a break or get some perspective by having a laugh or two at your own expense.
always trying new things in his work – from directing Michael Jackson’s Bad video, to a film like The Age of Innocence and then onto Casino takes a tremendous amount of stretching…not only from the dynamics of the actors he had to work with, but from a storytelling perspective as well.
Hold fast to the tried and true methods of communicating your ideas, both internally and externally; but explore these new social media devices that are well within your reach. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, CrowdCampaign – they are easy to use, manageable and effective in communicating your client’s / company’s message.
So go out there and be the ‘Good Fella’ in your PR team. Keep refining your methods & approach… never get ‘too big for your britches’ and keep yourself in ‘sponge mode’ – there’s always more to do in the Scorsese School of PR.
This post was cross-posted on Waxing Unlyrical - a blog that is owned and operated by the very savvy and smart Shonali Burke. I want to thank Shonali for opening up her readers to some Method + Moxie, as well as sharing some ‘real estate’ online. I look forward to working with her again (in any capacity) in the very near future.
Not too long ago, my wife & I went to a concert to catch this funky-cool band perform some live music – something that, I must say, we don’t do nearly enough. To be able to take in the vibe of the band, have fun with the audience and hear the SOUND of live music really is a treat for me.
Anyway, this group, much like other music acts, had an opening band perform a 30-minute set before they came out. In my experience, most of the time, there’s a reason why these guys are ‘opening’ for another band…could be because they may have some ‘learning’ they have to do on the road; they may only have enough songs for a solid 30-minute set; whatever. But every now and then, this warm up band knocks your socks off! A great example that comes to mind when I think of this is when Jimi Hendrix had his first American tour as the support act for the Monkees.
Jimi Hendrix…
…opening for…
The Monkees.
Now this band wasn’t as spectacular as Jimi Hendrix, but they put on such a good show – they
were cohesive
produced a unique and powerful sound
just seemed like a nice group of people
were memorable
They were so memorable, in fact, that they took away from the headliner’s gig. Don’t get me wrong – the ‘marquee’ band was solid and held their own. But they did not leave you wanting more, nor truly excited about the show…!
My question to you now is this: when was the last time you left it all on the dance floor or had the eye of the tiger…?…in work, at home, with your bake sale, whatever…! We’ve got so many things that get in the way of our own true strengths. More often than not, we’re our own biggest obstacle – i.e. “I don’t know if I can do that“… “ahh, this will be fine to turn in”…etc. I’m not saying to be delusional in your abilities – we need to be real. But, if you’ve got something to offer, don’t let anything stop you from being that ‘big surprise.’
The first time I got one of my clients on CNBC was a bittersweet experience.
We got this CEO on, had him tell his story, answer some questions and establish some leadership in the industry. For those of you PR folks that have accomplished this kinda thing, you know very well that even though he was on the air for about 3 minutes, the amount of work that went into it far exceeded just 3 minutes.
So to have something like that happen fairly early on in my career, I found myself on my own dreamy little cloud nine, high-fiving myself a few times – I felt like catching a movie afterwards and calling it a day, I was feeling so good.
But within 2 hours of the CNBC spot, the CEO called me, asking, “umm….so how is that writer with the Wall Street Journal moving along…?…when do you think we’ll be able to get that interview…?” As I fielded his questions, I grew more and more upset. After hearing about a minute of this conversation, it was all blah, blah, blah to me because I was thinking to myself, “ DUDE…!…Didn’t you just sit your keester on a chair in the CNBC studios and do your thing in front of millions of viewers…?…a few hours ago…?!”
At the time, I was pretty upset about him taking me out of my little PR Nirvana. But I can look at it all now and be grateful for that jolt back into reality.
Because you have to ask yourself: What happens after you knock it out of the park…? Where do I go from here…?
I can tell you what NOT to do:
Don’t take full credit for the hit – chances are, the lead/the idea/the contact came from some kind of help. Make no mistake about it, the more you share, the more likely you are to be part of a winning team.
Don’t’ think that you’ve found a catchall formula – just because it worked this time doesn’t mean that it will work again. Keep this win in perspective – did you get lucky because you caught the assignment desk in a pinch…?…did you ‘strike gold’ because it worked for your client seasonally…?
Don’t’ think that this media coverage can stand on its own – there are other important media outlets and influencers that can ‘move the needle’ in a positive direction for your client. There’s probably a decent amount of these folks that aren’t necessarily household names, but every bit as important to your efforts.
Don’t think that your performance (nor your client’s) can’t be improved – how could that interview have gone better…?…How many ‘uhh’ and ‘well’ pauses did your spokesperson have on the air…? The reason why people like Tiger Woods, Meryl Streep and Spike Jonze keep people enthralled is because they keep refining, re-tuning and re-discovering their craft.
Don’t think that once you’ve hit one outta the park at Fenway that you can’t go back to Fenway and do it again – there will always be other opportunities to explore. You just have to be smart about it and see if there are other perspectives, ways, etc. to tell the brand’s story.
Don’t just stop here – if you can and if it doesn’t interfere with your outreach, leverage this hit for other pitches. Consider providing a link to the interview as further background and validation for what your client does.
And be sure to use this excitement after you’ve landed this kind of ink to your advantage. Keep moving forward and keep rocking – there’s a good possibility that when a nice thing like this happens, there another one or two lurking around the corner.
Could be just another little slice of PR nirvana for you.
Yesterday, a film critic said something a little troubling about the ‘little boy’ character (Max) in Where the Wild Things Are – a film that “tells the story of a rambunctious & sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are.” The critic (a fella that I greatly respect, by the way) said that “Max seems too old to behave in the tumultuous manner he does within the film.”
Hmm……while I can agree with him (to a point) in regards to how he may view it from a filmmaker’s standpoint……hmm……
One of the biggest reasons why I always loved the book is because the story celebrates the real freedom a child can have when he/she taps into his/her imagination.
Imagination is a powerful thing for a kid – you can be an astronaut, a bumble bee, a princess…or even a princess bumble bee that just became an astronaut. One’s imagination is expansive, wonderous, safe and fun. So when a grown up like a movie critic says that a kid is behaving too rambunctiously or causing too much of a ruckus when he/she goes to a ‘safe place’ where the Wild Things are, I have to take pause. Not only because it goes against what being ‘a kid’ is all about; but also because I believe it has ruined the fun of being an adult.
When you were a kid, you couldn’t wait to be a grown up – drive your own car, go down the big slide at the water park, stay up late (on a SCHOOL NIGHT)…you get my meaning. But when you grew up, something awful happened – you realized that you couldn’t be driving willy-nilly on sidewalks; you got impatient for having to wait in line for that big slide; and you turned in at a ‘respectable time’ because you had to be at work in the morning.
This business of being a grown up has also gotten in the way of real innovation and discovery. Can you imagine what crazy-cool things were to come about if we were not only encouraged, but rewarded for being creative at work…?…taking folks to where your wild things are…?…no, not everyone can be a Tom Waits, Dr. Maya Angelou or Blue Man Group. But you can have their energy and verve for pushing some boundaries, asking important questions and challenging the norm.
Be a Wild Thing. Try being the person that demands more from your communications peers; creates out-of-the-box ways to deliver a message to your client’s target audiences; plays nice & fair with competitors; and pushes clients to step outside of their comfort zone (ever-so-carefully).
You never know what you can accomplish when you observe the world through fresh-n-wild eyes.
Since Mondays mark the beginning of a new work-week, and since we’ll always need a little bit of a kick-start for the next 40+ hours, I’m going to begin using this space for some groovy/funky/rocking tune-sharing. Pretty much in the same line of thinking as last week’s ‘Kinder-Psyche’ post, the following tunes are meant to help trigger a little bit of your own imagery and insight, as well help you step outside of yourself to just enjoy the moment…which has, ultimately, given me a breather from life and some quality time with my own creativity.
So, without further ado, following is this week’s installment (starting with one cool video that I’m particularly fond of from Jane’s Addiction - both for the sonic sound of the tune as well as the straightforward PUNCH in the performance aspect of the vid):
I wasn’t even 11 years old when MTV went live…this was back when it actually played music videos 24/7. The fact that it launched on August 1, 1981 did me no good, as it was the latter part of Summer in San Antonio, TX – it gets HOT in San Antone in August, ya’ll. So I was glued to the TV set, watching (and in most cases, memorizing) videos from artists like Pat Benatar, Adam Ant, Talking Heads and Blondie.
And even though I had already grown to appreciate (what I consider) good music, this new music channel ‘amped up’ my fondness for a solid song and the players that made me tap my toes and, at times, bang my head. I mean, these were songs with the people who actually cut the records performing (sometimes ‘acting’) for the cameras…..24 hours a day.
How Cool Is Was That?!
But by the time the mid-80’s rolled around, I had come to realize, right about the time I was 15, that while some bands ‘evolve’ with their music, other’s SELL OUT.
Don’t get me wrong - some people really like this song and video. It’s a good song…and they seemed to have gained more fans because of it; but it’s certainly not what the band built its reputation on. Cause you can’t tell me that from where the Crüe began with this and this, that they weren’t just doing it to get more money and airplay. It was a harsh reality for me to face: people and their vision (if they’re open to this ‘idea’) can be bought, repackaged and made ‘more edible’ for consumers.
Street cred is something that cannot be denied – and the Crüe lost a bit of it when they went down that path. These days, brands like Motrin, Pepsi and KFC lose their street cred because they try to play ‘Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room’ when they should be jamming to ‘Live Wire.’ When trying to take a bigger share of the market with a new idea/product/look interferes with your judgment, you’re in for some trouble. It’s good to venture out and develop something that adheres to a company’s principles – heck, it’s advisable. Look at what Apple has done with just about all of its products – when you hold true to your brand’s foundation, you can build just about anything on it.
And as communications professionals / consultants / advisors, we need to be ready and willing to tell our clients when they start to experiment with a new idea that jeopardizes their brand’s character and esteem. When is the last time you’ve witnessed a client trying to ‘Smoke in the Boy’s Room’…? What can you say to a client if/when they begin to sell out for popularity or money?
Too many things in life distract us from tapping into what makes us happy. I’m not saying this as an excuse. I’m saying this because this is what I truly believe. For me, it began right around second or third grade when the idea of splattering some paint on a canvas or making a funky-fun noise turned into something that ‘had to wait’ – in kindergarten, I did stuff like that in a split-second…without any worries or fear of fingers pointing at me.
And why would I…?…come to think of it, why would anyone? We were discovering, learning, stumbling and enjoying life! In between then and now, we got schooled on being a ‘grown up’ – responsibilities, taxes, bills, etc. They all get in the way of that five-year old that would create something entirely unique or blurt out some random noise that *sounded* great.
It’s hard to tap into that kindergarten psyche. Some people get those moments of inspiration from nature, paintings, cities, actions and yes……music. It is with this in mind that I’d like to share with you some songs that have helped me recently get to that little kid that made sure to wear his favorite green Kawasaki t-shirt on his inaugural day of first grade – just because of the way it made him feel:
Some inspiration came from the songs themselves… some came from the videos…some came from both. But music has often worked in helping me step outside of myself to just enjoy the moment…which has, ultimately, given me a breather from life and some quality time with my creativity. Doing this has helped me for years.
I kid you not.
It has helped me with things like finding a solution to client issues much quicker, drafting up a much stronger press release and whipping up a pitch letter with alot more ‘umph.’ It works. I have found that when you just push away from your work for some time (be it five minutes or even five days), it gives you a chance to soak in some outside perspective – it could be a conversation with your favorite aunt, a quick game of Donkey Kong, a jam session on Wii Rock Band, whatever. You will inadvertently use this outside influence in your work…for the better.
While it may not look like it, Jackson Pollock would take great pains to create distinctive energy and motion in every one of his pieces. What may look like chaos has a great deal of rhyme and reason. Jackson was deliberate, precise and took great pains to make sure his compositions had his vision in place.
The first time I got one of my clients on CNBC was a bittersweet experience. 
Yesterday, a film critic said something a little troubling about the ‘little boy’ character (Max) in 
I wasn’t even 11 years old when MTV went live…this was back when it actually played music videos 24/7. The fact that it 
And as communications professionals / consultants / advisors, we need to be ready and willing to tell our clients when they start to experiment with a new idea that jeopardizes their brand’s character and esteem. When is the last time you’ve witnessed a client trying to ‘Smoke in the Boy’s Room’…? What can you say to a client if/when they begin to sell out for popularity or money?
Too many things in life distract us from tapping into what makes us happy. I’m not saying this as an excuse. I’m saying this because this is what I truly believe. For me, it began right around second or third grade when the idea of splattering some paint on a canvas or making a funky-fun noise turned into something that ‘had to wait’ – in kindergarten, I did stuff like that in a split-second…without any worries or fear of fingers pointing at me.
