PR for the Greater Good

A reflection on good times past....

In general, we in the PR business deal with the softer side of life and of news. Even the categories have a soft, non-confrontational sound to them…business to business, consumer, lifestyle, healthcare, and so on.We’re hired to help sell products from cosmetics and jewelry to software and underwear…and management philosophies responsible for thousands to celebrities responsible only to themselves. And then, every once in a rare while, we’re asked to assist in doing something for the greater good…something that allows us to utilize our talents and experience for simply the betterment of others without an economic judgment call. 

In perusing a recent Sunday NY Times, I was stopped by an article that took me on a memory jag of just such a circumstance. The piece by Clifford Levy, Explorer: Israel With a Russian Accent (and Pork) Israel city on the south coast of the Mediterranean inhabited by a large number of Russian émigré. He explains that the vast majority of these Russian expatriates migrated from the former Soviet Union over the last couple of decades after the fall of the Soviet Union and where they have settled, gives Israel a distinctive Russian cultural flavor.

The piece reminded me of a call I received now some seventeen years ago from the then chairman of the United Jewish Appeal, Marty Stein, asking if my firm would be interested in “spreading the word through the U.S. media of the plight of Jews in Moscow and throughout the Central Asian republics (once a part of the Soviet Union) desperately trying to migrate to Israel.” It seems that the UJA, an enormous philanthropic organization, needed to raise additional monies to provide the on-ground assistance and the flights to help the thousands still living in these isolated Jewish colonies to escape the continuing religious and economic persecution.The problem in raising these needed funds was in greatly raising awareness in the U.S. that in spite of the fall of the communist state, the persecution and the desire to find sanctuary in Israel still very much existed.The UJA needed to get the U.S. “secular media” to pay attention and start covering the story…but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Thus, the call.

I was honored, not only because of the nobility of the cause but in the fact that my firm, distinctly small and non-Jewish in ownership but noted for our national media successes, would be asked to carry out such an important task.Over the next two years, we devoted ourselves to their cause but utilized our PR skills and news instincts to find the stories that would resonate with U.S. media.I sent teams (including myself) to Russia and Central Asia, we interviewed officials and peasants, we traveled on stealth overnight flights from Uzbekistan crowded with Jewish emigrants and their families lugging their allowable two duffle bags of life’s belongings…and we spent time in Israel following the freshly arrived Diaspora as they slowly and sometimes with great difficulty assimilated into modern Israeli life. And we chronicled all into real stories, not press releases, for the U.S. media…NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, USA Today, NY Times, and all the major dailies carried the tales of their plight and their successes. And importantly, contributions began flowing again.

So now fifteen years later, It’s great to read that many of these brave folks that we shared an incredible experience with are doing well and have made homes for themselves in that little sliver of land called Israel. It’s also great to remember and reflect on the power that PR can have beyond buzzwords, endless press releases, internal bickering, sales metrics, and indeed greed…when actually used for the greater good.

Failing Up

Some of our best and the brightest…

The monthly jobless report came out again this week and the picture was bleak enough to flatten the earlier upward movement of the markets. Double-digit unemployment…ten point two percent…not since Reagan was well into his second year had we had this many of our citizens standing in line or looking for jobs. And many of those standing outside looking in are us…journalists, agency types, marcom pros, PR practitioners, and even whole small firms just not able to withstand the tightened or withdrawn budgets or credit squeeze. And while I’m enough of an optimist to believe that I see a faint glow at the end of this nightmarish tunnel, it still is a personal tragedy for those directly among the “jobless.”

But then I read a piece in the Sunday NY Times and was reminded again that sometimes real positive growth comes from being forced to re-evaluate our circumstances of employment…nice way of saying, “being canned.” Or, as the Times puts it, “The Benefit of a Boot Out the Door.” In the column, Jeffrey Katzenberg, elaborates on how his forced departure from Disney “fueled him to get on…etc.” Hey, I recognize that most of us that get laid off or fired, do so without the warm fuzzies of a Disney multimillion-dollar severance package to help us cope. But the point that being fired, whether from a seven-figure position or twelve-buck an hour job, is not necessarily always a bad thing…and good things can actually come of it.

Before someone out there says, “sure, easy for Mr. CEO to say,” it’s best for me to come clean. I’ve been fired, terminated, laid off, and generally just jobless on not just a couple of occasions, but several. And I’d like to believe that each time I’ve learned something about myself, and others. I also learned that losing your job whether self inflicted or not, is only failure if you fail to grow from it. I had a boss once, a man that had started three companies with the first two ending upside down…the third, highly successful. He believed strongly that only those that have tasted failure were worthy of employment consideration. His reasoning was that sooner or later most of us will stumble and fall, and he wanted to surround himself with those that had that out of their system and had grown accordingly.


I’m not sure I would go that far, but I certainly understand his thinking. My hobby is motorcycling and I must admit I prefer riding with those that have respect for the inherent dangers of the sport and ride accordingly. And more often than not, this respect is gained through a close call or even an accident…’going down’ as we say. The same can be said for a business enterprise…be it a news organization, corporation, or agency. Having a couple of close calls or even a job loss on your resume’ can be a positive…if you can demonstrate how you’ve grown from the experience and gained respect for the warning signs moving forward.

Yes, some may skate through life perfectly attuned to success and never be bothered with life’s annoying little stumbles…never being tested by a touch or two of failure and self-doubt. But come on, how many people really fit this description, and those that do…do you really trust them…or even like them? Me…I prefer to see a few scars on my associates and employees. To me, these are by far the best and the brightest.

What's in a name?

Shakespeare might have got it wrong …

As Juliet says to Romeo: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

Well…maybe. I’m not sure Shakespeare would be so sure of his prose if he were to deal with today’s law firms, advertising agencies, and PR firms. I was reminded again of the difficulty and the egos involved when I recently read Stuart Elliott's
 In Advertising column in the New York Times. He answers a reader’s question Q&A section about the famous ad agency, BBDO, and its name being associated with a famous quote that the original name of the agency -- Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn -- “sounded like a trunk falling down a flight of stairs.” Indeed.

The story reminded me of the name of my second place of employment, N.W. Ayer & Son, often referred to as the oldest advertising agency in America…or affectionately (and despairingly) as “the old gray lady of Philadelphia.” The story goes that when the agency was founded in the late nineteenth century, yes, in Philadelphia, old N.W. had nothing to do with it. In fact, he was already deceased. His son, whose name escapes me as well as most advertising historians, decided that an enterprise as auspicious as America’s original ad agency needed more gravitas than his name alone bestowed. Thus, he gave the lion’s share of the letterhead to his deceased father and he took up anonymous residence to the right of the ampersand.

Naming an advertising or PR agency with just the right combination of gravitas and ego…mixed with trendy creativity is not an easy task as I learned when faced with just such a task a few years ago when I founded my own firm. (I cannot speak for law firms since they seem to be dedicated to gravitas and ego alone.) I ran through the usual boring suspects like…RH Grove & Associates, Grove Communications, and my personal favorite, Gordon, Geotz & Grove (or G3 as in “cubed”.) Gordon and Geotz, both being deceased high school friends, to add “size” and the gravitas while the “cubed” hit a note of ultra cool creativity. Thank goodness my daughter and experienced communication professional herself, stepped in to save me and the new firm from such an embarrassment. Her frank assessment…”why not just name the company for what it does, not who founded it. Call it, INK…that’s what you do for clients…get them ink.” Indeed.

Not as much gravitas, little to no ego, trendy creativity…maybe. But INK by any other name after all these years wouldn’t smell nearly as sweet.

Is it blessed to receive?

From random fax-spam to blogger freebies …

There’s something strangely comforting about still receiving faxes in the age of the Internet and email…even if the faxes are solicitations of the absurd. My favorite this week was from Presidential Who’s Who, addressed to “Dear Company Owner” and exclaiming that “my information had been reviewed and accepted for inclusion in the 2010 edition.” Hot Damn! After forty some years I am finally being recognized for “outstanding business and professional achievements.” Well ok…it’s about time.


But wait. It then went on to ask me to fill out and return an attached form that asked my name and title, my company’s name, its industry, our principal product or service, and personal specialty. Hmmmm…just a random thought, but if my company and me have “reached the distinguished level of success in my chosen profession,” as stipulated, and I’ve already been reviewed and accepted to be in this fine edition, why ask? On further review, I choose to continue in anonymity.


Of far greater import than my personal recognition in yet another bogus edition of Who’s Who, was the piece in the New York Times Ad and Media section this week, "Soon Bloggers Must Give Full Disclosure", that the FTC has decided to crack down on bloggers plugging products sent to them by companies hoping for a favorable review. The FTC rules governing endorsements and testimonials in advertisements are going to be studied and possibly expanded to cover bloggers and social media like Facebook and Twitter. This kind of “freebie spam” has been a stable of marketing for just about forever; and certainly long before the invention of the Internet or social media. According to the Times, “For bloggers who review products, this means that the days of an unimpeded flow of giveaways may be over. More broadly, the move suggests that the government is intent on bringing to bear on the Internet the same sorts of regulations that have governed other forms of media, like television or print."

We all know that one of the beauties and really cool things about social media and blogging in particular, is the freedom of everyman or every woman to express themselves without the impediment of commercial or organizational restrictions…other than their sense of good taste and social mores. But all the FTC is now institutionalizing is what we’ve all known for some time was destined…that the Internet and social media have become tools for enterprise. Yes, on a macro level it’s still a great new way to communicate, share, and expand our worlds, and without doubt the phenomenal transforming tool of at least the early Century. All well and good…but it’s also a great way to push diapers or a cell phone. And it’s probably time to recognize that as well.

As one mommy blogger said, “I think that bloggers definitely need to be held accountable. I think there is a certain level of trust that bloggers have with readers, and readers deserve to know the whole truth.”

Accountable….there’s that word again.

When Did Integrity Become a Four-Letter Word?

All the news that’s not fit to print

A few days ago a well-respected citizen in the small town I reside in, was unfortunately killed in a bicycle accident. An experienced cyclist wearing a helmet as always, he simply hit a pothole in the dimming light of dusk, and was thrown headfirst over the handlebars. One of those horrible reminders that life and fate are fickle and never to be taken for granted. In the days following however, I have witnessed an absolute outpouring of testimonials to one quality above all others of this gentleman…integrity…his insistence throughout his life of truthfulness and fairness in dealing with others, even to the point of sacrificing his career on occasion.

With a certain article in the New York Times still fresh in my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder what many of our contemporary “blog journalists” will be remembered for when it’s their time. “Integrity” “Truthfulness”… not a chance in hell.

When Michael Arrington openly and proudly boasts that what he reports in his highly popular TechCrunch blog is not always true, but that he “doesn’t want to lose the rawness of blogging.” The article points out that Arrington, with a law degree and no journalism training, sees less importance in credibility and fact checking than in an involved readership. “Getting it right is expensive,” he says. “Getting it first is cheap.” Now there’s a philosophy to live by and be remembered by.

None of this, and certainly not Arrington, his super arrogance, and his less-than credible blog posts, would be of much importance if it wasn’t, unfortunately, indicative of what passes for journalism in these days of blogs, tweets, and YouTube “gotchas.” Just when did reporting backed by solid investigative research become the exception and not the rule? Sure, we all want and demand our news fix quickly and conveniently in this fast paced world. But at the expense of truthfulness? Just when, exactly, did integrity become a four-letter word?

We in the PR profession often get blamed for playing slipshod with facts in defense of our clients. And undoubtedly some of us have. But we look like paragons of virtue compared to those interviewed for this Times article.

It was only a few brief months ago that Arrington wrote his famous blog about his life being threatened and therefore he was going to cease writing and go into hiding after someone deliberately walked up to him and spat in his face.

Arrington stated at the time it was “the right thing to do…and spend time getting a better perspective on what I’m spending my life doing.” Perhaps Arrington should have spent a bit more time on this reflection…or better yet, report in his next TechCrunch blog that he was heretofore going to only print real news…Wink. Wink.

What’s in a Name…

…does the rose still smell as sweet monthly?

It was announced in the "New York Times” last week that the venerable (hey, ten years in the this modern communication age qualifies…) weekly public relations news magazine, PRWeek, was becoming a monthly…but still keeping the same name.


Not only is this industry tabloid reducing the number of issues, but its physical size as well…shrinking down to standard magazine size. Oh great…now, it will no longer stick out on the reception area coffee table, but now will get shuffled amongst the other media rags relegated to the seldom read, but purely authoritatively decorative category. More importantly however is whether this size and frequency metamorphosis will alter the content, and thus affect its interest and value to the PR industry, i.e., its ‘brand.’ The publisher of course, says no…but only in time and a few issues will ultimately come the answer.

It raises an interesting issue, however. Just how important is a name in branding a company’s product or service? And if circumstances, economic or otherwise, dictate a shift in how those products or services are delivered, should the name change as well? In most cases, I would say no, not as long as the product or service itself does not change. But, in PR Week’s case, I’m not sure it matters since it is doubtful that the name has little to do with the content and a lot more to do with its time of delivery…and frankly, most of us are already getting our PR industry news and gossip on a hourly or minute-by-minute basis on line or by tweet. So, I can certainly understand the reluctance by the publisher to rename it, “PRMonthly but a little smaller.”

I like to believe that a company name can and should be very much a part of its ‘brand. ‘ When I founded my company twelve years ago, I pondered a variety of names…from ego-centric initials to multiple names (some even fictitious, but with great gravitas) before being advised by someone younger but much wiser than myself to keep it simple…”just name it for what the company does then you’ll never have to change it…or forget what you’re good at.” It was a good exercise to go through, and one I’ve advised to other entrepreneurs and spin-offs. Find your core competency and embrace it. In our case, we named ourselves INK inc for what we deliver to our clients, nice and simple. Over the years our ‘brand’ hasn’t changed…either in essentially what we do or in what we call ourselves.

Ok, maybe in today’s fast paced world we should change it to INK/Video/Social Media/Tweet inc. After all, that’s what we now do….nah, it doesn’t seem to be quite as catchy.

Quality journalism is a two-way street…historically speaking

Recently the New York Times ran a story , “When the News Wasn’t New” that a current exhibit at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capital Hill demonstrates there has been cynicism about the art and science of gathering and reporting of news and opinion since the professions’ erstwhile “official” beginnings some 360 years ago in England. It seems that much of the criticism at that long ago time was centered upon, “no wisdom…just much posturing and gossip.”

It goes on to state that, “It is strange to think that the genetic code of modern journalistic culture was laid down four centuries ago in England, mixing hype and high seriousness, incorporating battles over press freedoms, suffused with a spirit of competition and a need for marketing. The newspaper, we also see, evolved as the creator and mirror of its public.” (Nothing mentioned about public relations in this exhibit, but alas you just know there were PR-types in tights, floppy hats, and quill pens pushing that “hype” referred to above. But more on that later.)

Somewhere I hear that oft-used and much abused cliché… The more things change, the more they stay the same

Except the profession is in real danger this time of folding in upon itself, as it undergoes its latest metamorphosis from tangible printed page to a digital social digest due to dramatically changing technology and a younger audience eager to embrace it. Coupled with a crippling economy, these forces are driving the business side of journalism to dictate the quality of its product like never before in the 360-year history. While the conflict of cost versus editorial quality is as old as the profession itself (or any other for that matter,) the wholesale whittling down of both staff and infrastructure has definitely given rise to a much weaker editorial product.

There are those on the shadier side of the PR profession that look at this as a good thing, not a problem…believing that since those inside the media are weaker and the news holes to be filled, larger, the opportunity to gain coverage of clients, deserving or not, has increased exponentially. The rest of us (with whom I prefer to number myself) however, recognize this means we must work ever harder, and in tandem with the media to see that our clients’ stories fit the new and different demands of those on the media side grappling with these changes while still trying to be journalistically sound.

The media has a responsibility as well, in spite of its economic and transition woes. Those on the editorial side that truly care about their profession need to stay vigilant and proactive in preserving quality and integrity in their gathering and reporting. The good editors, reporters and producers that survive (and we all know who they are…or should be) must not let themselves be replaced by expeditious ineptitude under the guise of budget efficiency…i.e., laziness and penny pinching.

How can we help keep them employed and working with us, not against us? Deliver them real news story ideas and pitches that demonstrate understanding and respect of the media for which they work…not tripe and puffery. Bring them news that can be conveniently researched and reported…i.e., make them look good to their boss. In return, let them know (politely, of course…hey, it’s still the media) when they don’t show you similar professionalism and respect in their reporting or broadcast. Demand the same standards from them as they expect from us…solid homework, grasping of the facts, and an intelligent presentation.

With a little work and mutual respect, who knows…maybe we’ll both be around for another few hundred years…but I’m glad we lost the tights!