The Power of Little Gestures

The following blog post was featured in PRCG Powerlines. http://prcgpowerlines.com/power-of-little-gestures/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=power-of-little-gestures

A week ago, my wife, Pam, and I were in the Newark airport awaiting our flight home to Minneapolis.  Pam noticed two military men having a sandwich before their own flight. Seeing that that they didn’t have anything to drink, she said, “I’m going to ask them if I can get them anything.”  My initial reaction was that familiar tug of Minnesota self-effacement.  (Like Garrison Keillor of “A Prairie Home Companion” noted, “Jesus said the meek would inherit the earth, but so far all we've gotten is Minnesota and North Dakota.”)

Then I thought, such a little gesture would probably go a long way in expressing our appreciation.

A Little Thanks
One should never underestimate the power of small gestures. The impact can make a huge difference. For example, I read recently that former Nabisco CEO Douglas Conant made it a point every day to write five to ten personal notes of gratitude to employees and others. What’s better than receiving a handwritten thank-you note – especially when it’s unexpected? 

In The Manager's Book of Decencies: How Small Gestures Build Great Companies, author Steve Harrison cites a number of little decencies we can do in the workplace. At the top of the list is “Remember to say thank you-or better yet, write thank you notes.” Others include:

• Greet coworkers authentically and personally
• For meetings you convene, be the first to sit down and the last to get up 
• Welcome visitors by name. Better yet call them “guests”
• Answer your own telephone
• Give away recognition when things go well; hoard responsibility when they don't
• Convey bad news in person
• When you make a mistake, admit it and apologize

A Little Compliment
From a PR standpoint, I’ve learned that small gestures can go a long way in developing relationships. With media, for example, the simple acknowledgement of a well-written or -produced story can be particularly meaningful. You’d be surprised how seldom reporters or producers get positive feedback. (Negative feedback is not that rare, however.) One caveat: make sure the compliment is sincere, as the media have built in insincerity-detectors. (Well, they often use a different term.)

Give a Little
A small donation can also make a huge difference in the life of someone in need. The victims of this week’s Oklahoma tornado come to mind. A small contribution -- like donating $10 by texting REDCROSS to 90999; texting STORM to Salvation Army at 80888; or by texting FOOD to Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma at 32333 -- can collectively make a huge difference to lighten someone’s load.

The Ripple Effect
There is a real ripple effect that is created by small decencies. And what better time to kick it off than Memorial Day weekend? As we take time to honor men and women who served in the US Military, let’s remember to keep these small kindnesses going. 

Even if it’s only offering a couple of Cokes to traveling soldiers.

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.