You Oughta Be in (Better) Pictures

The following blog post appeared in PRCG Powerlines, October 20, 2010

http://prcgpowerlines.wordpress.com/2010/10/20/you-oughta-be-in-better-pictures/

You Oughta Be in (Better) Pictures

By Gary Young, Gary Young Ink

Hollywood film star Tony Curtis passed away recently after a long and illustrious career. With a filmography that included such great movies as Some Like It Hot and The Defiant Ones, his work in Sweet Smell of Success has always been top of mind for me.

In that film, Mr. Curtis played Sidney Falco, an unscrupulous press agent who would do anything to curry favor with the all-powerful columnist J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster). “Sweet Smell of Success,” like so many other films before and after it, casts public relations professionals in a starkly unflattering light.

For as long as I can remember, I have had to reconcile my love of Hollywood with Hollywood’s lack of love for my profession.

From cover-up kings to propagandists (think The China Syndrome, Wag the Dog or Thank You For Smoking), from opportunists to sycophantic buffoons (think Hancock, Bridget Jones, or For Your Consideration), the PR profession has taken hit after hit in the movies.

That’s not to say that there haven’t been strong depictions of savvy PR professionals. Most recently, Kim Cattrall’s portrayal of successful PR woman, Samantha Jones (Sex and the City), casts a much more favorable spotlight on our profession – albeit in a high gloss, all-too-fabulous one.

That’s also not to say there aren’t cover-up kings, propagandists, opportunists, and sycophantic buffoons. Like any profession, we have them.

But, on whole, I’ve found most PR practitioners to be among the most grounded, strategic, creative and empathetic people around. For every manipulative opportunist, you’ll find thousands of community-minded professionals who are donating their time to help a worthy cause. For every sycophantic bumbler, you find countless decisive communications counselors who work tirelessly to represent their clients’ brands accurately and positively.

So much of what we do is simply trying to get the right message out to the right people at the right time. Understandably, in the wrong hands, this can be viewed as invasive or manipulative. Clearly, we in the PR profession have some reputation management to do – especially cinematically.

Success can be its own reward, of course. And, if we continue to deliver tangible, worthwhile and positive results, we just might be able to change Hollywood’s perception of us. Then again, that’s not exactly the stuff of a blockbuster movies.

Post Script: I just thought of another positive depiction of public relations. In The Jerk, a clearly excited Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin) exclaims, “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here!” After being dismissed for being excited over nothing, he replies, “Nothing? Are you kidding? Page 73 – Johnson, Navin R.! I’m somebody now! Millions of people look at this book everyday! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity – your name in print – that makes people. I’m in print! Things are going to start happening to me now.”

You’ve got to love the power of positive PR thinking.

Old Ink

There’s an old PR joke about Moses and his flock arriving at the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army in hot pursuit. Not knowing how to proceed, Moses calls a staff meeting. Suggestions to build a bridge, barges, etc. are quickly dismissed. The PR man raises his hand. Moses says, “You have a solution?” The PR guy responds, "No, but if you find a way out of this, I can get you two or three pages in the Old Testament."

No blasphemy intended, but you have to admire that possibility thinking.

The Long Goodbye

Garrison Keillor jokes about how long Minnesotans take to say "goodbye." A good goodbye can be drawn out to remarkable lengths. It starts when you're putting on your coat. Continues as you're walking down the sidewalk, getting in your car, backing out of the driveway and even as you're inching down the road waving from your open window.

That's how I feel about saying goodbye to Morton's The Steakhouse. After an 18 year run -- four of which as my client -- the restaurant on the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis closed its doors on July 3rd. The reason for the closing is, of course, economics. (We fine folks of the long-goodbye also know how to tighten our belts, it seems.)

I can't say goodbye to this great client without acknowledging some of the great experiences I had there. From the annual Minnesota Twins Celebrity Waiter Event to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities (which I will continue working on as it moves to its new venue, Restaurant Max, on August 30th) to the Spirit of Achievement Award that recognized outstanding leaders in the Twin Cities area. The launch party of the Travel Channel's "Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern" -- where we served a Mangrove Worm Cosmo -- was also particularly memorable.

I've enjoyed every food drop -- especially bringing Molten Hot Chocolate Cake to area media on National Chocolate Day and wheeling around a 28-liter autographed bottle of 2003 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon (strapped to a dolly) at the Minnesota State Fair.

As much as we Minneapolis Morton's loyalists will miss the amazing food and drink, we're going to miss the people most of all. The restaurant, which was once a "bastion of red meat, brown liquor and pinstriped suits" was led primarily by women. The women and men, alike, have encyclopedic restaurant minds, the sharpest wits and the warmest hearts. They were simply the creme de la creme brulee.

A huge hole has been left in the Minneapolis restaurant landscape. But I believe it's only temporary. They will be back, and I hope it's soon.

Until then, I plan to continue my long, heartfelt goodbye.

Facehooked

I have a confession. I've been ignoring this blog, because I have a social media monkey on my back. I've fallen prey to the Facehooked phenomenon.

That's the term applied to people who are obsessed with Facebook. Apparently, there are more than 200,000 million FB users -- which is comparable in size to the 5th largest country in the world. While not everyone is hooked like me, about 100 million users are said to leaf through FB daily.

Facebook is a great vehicle for seeking out old friends/colleagues. It's also an effective tool for making new connections for business and otherwise. It's important, though, to have a little perspective. A few good lessons I've learned include:

1. Limit the amount of time you spend on FB. (Duh.) This potential time-suck can be minimized by limiting yourself to 5 minute increments so you can get on with your day... and your life.


2. Add apps cautiously and selectively. Do you really need to know what your Witness Protection or Stripper Name would be?


3. Don't collect friends as though it's a competition. You may get a quick Prom Queen buzz from racking up those numbers, but the tiara is quickly tarnished when you're forced to respond to daily inquiries from the guy you tried to avoid at the Student Union in college.


4. Use Facebook for show and tell. It's an excellent venue to get the word out about successes and opportunities. But if you use it exclusively as a platform to boast, you'll become pariah faster than you can say "Lindsay Lohan."


5. Ask and ye shall receive. Turn to your friends if you have questions. Hopefully, there's a lot to be learned from those around you. (I said, "hopefully.")

Ultimately, enjoy in moderation, but enjoy. Facebook can be amazingly entertaining. After all, that's where I learned about my latest obsession: awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Smells Like 'Tween' Spirit

Friday night I helped orchestrate a midnight DVD release party for "Twilight" at the Blockbuster in West St. Paul. I knew the movie had some built-in appeal among the tween demo. I had no idea how much appeal. More than 300 screaming fans showed up at the Robert Street store to play Twilight trivia, win merchandise and be the first to own or rent the teenage vampire film. We promoted the event heavily on Facebook, KDWB and the other local media, and tied in with the American Red Cross and Edy's Ice Cream ("Give a Pint, Get a Pint"). But I believe we could have just stood on the street corner with an 8x10 of Edward (Robert Pattinson), and generated the same response.There's a marketing lesson in there somewhere. And if my ears ever stop ringing, I may figure it out.

Hope Springs Eternal

Winter drags on here in the heartland. After a welcome warming trend, the snow had all but disappeared. Then, we got a dusting this week. Our 16 year old skateboarder emerged from his hole, saw the white ground cover, turned on his heels and promptly returned to his bedroom. Like Punxatawny Phil, we expect to see him in another 6 weeks or so.It's been a particularly bleak winter for a lot of ad professionals too. Here's a little ray of sunshine: www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com. It's an informative, entertaining blog for unemployed ad people.Spring is coming. I just know it.

Murketing

I learned a new word today. In his new book "Buying In," New York Times Magazine columnist Rob Walker writes about "Murketing." He coined the term by blending "murky" and "marketing." Mr. Walker is referring to the practice of blurring the lines between branding channels and everyday life. He cites product placements in blockbuster films, computer games and comic books; "Got Milk" billboards that are rigged to pump out the aroma of fresh-baked cookies; and Dunkin' Donuts recruiting teens to temporarily tattoo their foreheads with its brand. Last week I was in Chicago for a PR Consultants Group conference. WLS radio personality "Mancow" talked about a publicity stunt he orchestrated in 1993 involving a sidekick in a Bill Clinton mask getting a haircut on the Oakland Bay Bridge. After tying up rush hour traffic for hours, Mancow ended up being charged with a felony and millions of dollars in fines. Ouch. There's an example of murketing that clearly generated huge headlines but went painfully awry.