Communication breakdown

It would be an understatement to say that I've had my fair share of problems with iPods. In fact, I've gone through three in the last six months and I'm now awaiting a fourth. Usually, I would never stand for such a shoddy lifespan in another product, but alas, nothing else compares to an iPod. Nothing even stands close. Being a music junkie, I squirm in iPod withdrawal when I have to live a day without one. So I keep boxing up the faulty devices and shipping them back to the warehouse for a new one, no matter how frustrated I get.

I had mixed emotions after reading Ann Handley's post about the battle between her daughter's iPod shuffle and a washing machine at Marketing Profs: Daily Fix. I was relieved to know that her iPod emerged victorious after an inadvertent soak, but disheartened that the other iPod models don't stand up under lesser conditions (at least in my experience).

Apple could make a great campaign out of this story. I can just imagine spots with Maytag repair men or the tiny iPod silouhette bouncing around during the spin cycle while blasting the latest Fratellis song.

But it could only apply to shuffle ads. Unfortunately, iPod minis and nanos don't cut it when it comes to H2O.

I bought a new iPod nano around Christmas time after my mini stopped working without warning. While looking at the iPod support Web site, I was able to determine that my iPod's hard drive shut down. The Apple geeks apologetically told me that there was no remedy for my iPod's affliction...other than to get a new one, which I did.

The nano worked great...for about four months. On a damp April afternoon, I decided to go for my semi-weekly jog (one day I hope to say "daily" without fibbing). Eugene's April showers had ceased for the day, but a few puddles remained on the streets. I ran to the park and back, with my iPod inside my jacket pocket the entire time. I never would have hesitated to go outside with the iPod in those conditions; however, an hour or so after I returned, I docked the iPod into my speakers and found it unresponsive. No icons, no lights, no nothing. My computer didn't even recognize it. Mark this dead device #2.

I filled out all of the paperwork and sent it in for servicing. Luckily, Apple sent me a new nano, but not without a $30 shipping and handling fee. Frustrating yes, but as I've already said, I can't live without one.

A few weeks ago, iPod #3 shut down with the same symptoms. Completely unresponsive. The funny thing was, I'd never even taken this one outside. The iPod was playing in my room while I baked in the kitchen. My best guess is that iPods are allergic to the smell of banana bread. I filled out the paperwork for a second time, but even though Apple sent me the device less than a month ago, they were still going to charge me another $30 fee because they claimed I purchased it more than 6 months prior. Err, wrong again, Apple. YOU must have purchased it more than 6 months ago.

In a few days, Apple will send me another nano. It will most likely die on me. Will I send Apple an angry letter? Probably not. Will I stop buying their products? No, not unless Microsoft makes a better product (c'mon, have you seen this Zune thing? Ridiculous).

My iPod problems will most likely continue. The little things have a mind of their own. Although some models (like Ann's shuffle) hold up, other designs could use a little scrubbing.

This photo is ______________.

I recently learned about the Stumpette photo caption contest. Writing a caption for this photo could earn you $1000! The qualifications are easy: sassy, clever and less than 40 words. Winning is a bit more difficult. Considering it's finals weeks, my creativity well is a bit drained. Any suggestions? Do you have a caption for this photo that you'd like to submit? Send it to captions@strumpette.com with your contact info. Mine aren't ready for submission (obviously), but I jotted down a few ideas anyway:

• "After years of critiquing celebrities on the red
  carpet, Joan and Melissa Rivers are demoted to the women's suit department at Macy's."
  
  
• "What did one mannequin say to the other? Nothing! They're plastic."
  
  
• "Before her traumatic prison time, Paris Hilton adorns classy attire and clones herself as part of an elaborate escape plan. No one will suspect her break out now!"
  
  
• "The Pinocchia sisters only had one wish: to be real women."
  
  
• "This year's look: a hard exterior accented with strung out expressions."
  
  
• "Susan and Kathy heard that faux was all the rage. Little did they know, it only applies to accessories."
  
  
• "Bauble jewelry: $52.
  Women's suit jacket: $210.
  A lifetime of wrinkle-free skin: priceless."

I'll keep you updated with any new (e.g. better) ideas!

No Men Allowed

After spending much of 2006 in a medieval Italian town of 50,000 people, I've had to revert back to an American mentality, especially regarding safety. Eugene is far from a "dangerous city," but I still take precautions.

I don't make late-night treks to campus. I constantly look over my shoulder when walking in a parking lot after dark. After 8 o'clock, I don't set off on the three-block journey to the grocery store without a friend.

These are things I would have done in Italy without thinking, even during the early-morning hours after a little too much vino. As I walked through the city gates en route to my apartment, my biggest worry was a man telling me I was "molto bella" from across the street. Even in Florence, Siena's larger metropolitan stepsister, the most violating experience was with an aging artist who attempted to woo me into being one of his drawing subjects by complimenting on my "spaghetti hair." At least I think it was a compliment.

But in other parts of the world, women have to be cognizant of their safety while traveling alone. The Marriott in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is addressing this concern by providing women with the option of a "women's-only floor" with added security and frills like fresh flowers and updated toiletries. People are responding, mostly positively, and so is the hotel's PR team.

Some people have a real problem with this concept. Some are using the "if we do this, what will be next?" argument. "What's next, a men's-only floor?" "Is that an example of equal rights or segregation?" And, as always, once the term "segregation" is used, someone has to make it a racial issue, even if we're just talking about males and females. I particularly giggled at Gloria Allred's "whites-only floor for Ku Klux Klan members" comment on a Today show segment, which is outlandish and far-fetched at best.

It seems that most responders to the segment (women), embrace the idea of a women's-only floor. They also seem to enjoy the idea of a women's-only lounge, where they can have a drink without being hit on by sleazy men lurking in hotel bars.

Because I probably don't put enough thought into my own safety and generally think I can take care of myself (however foolish or illogical), I probably wouldn't pay the extra $30 to stay on a women's-only floor. But if it brings peace of mind to single female travelers who are worried about their safety, let them have it. At least until their only worry while traveling in the U.S. is a friendly "molto bella."

Ironic...don't you think?

All of you upcoming graduates can look forward to this.

A derisive spoof on advertising stemming from Monster's "When I Grow Up" campaign...used as an intro to the ADDY awards? At least the brown nosing and dope smoking hasn't damaged their sense of humor.

Gen Y overload

Maybe I'm the only one. Maybe no one else feels this way. Is it just me?

Am I the only one tired of "Gen Y" branding?

Recently, I've seen a spike in talk about the infamous "Generation Y."

"They hand out their MySpace pages before ever reciting their phone numbers; they haven't had a land-line telephone since they moved out of their parents' houses; they text faster than you can type; their idea of a commercial is something they saw on YouTube..."

"Known for their irreverence and short attention spans"

"You must encourage your organization to recruit and retain these employees in innovative ways. If you don't, they're just going to turn up the volume on their iPods and tune you out"

Even from an actual Gen Y:

"Big headphones"

"Jeans, sneakers, hoodie - and a jacket? Behold, the new corporate uniform. "

"Half-caf, nonfat, short, tall and sometimes not coffee at all, it's a Gen Y staple. "

"iPod: The identifying mark of the Gen Y flock. Enough said."

Wow, almost like we're mysterious chimps being studied in an anthropological study. Here's another description I'd like to add about Gen Y: we don't like to be pigeonholed.

PR fails?

We don't need to get started on the perceptions of public relations. Everyone has their own opinion on the business. Despite what you may think of it, public relations can be very successful in achieving a company's goals, which is why I was intrigued by a recent post of reasons PR doesn't work.

Huh? Why wouldn't it work?

The list is basic but helpful and it seems that everyone can relate to at least one reason (take a look at plethora of comments! Like I said, everyone has an opinion).

Reason number 1 struck a chord with me: the client doesn't understand the publicity process.
Although I'm weary of narrowing public relations down to just "publicity," I agree that this is a common concern when a relationship between a client and an agency goes sour.

My first client account developed this way. The client hired my team to produce a specific material, my team produced it and then to our surprise, the client was disappointed with the final product. We were left aghast, shocked at how quickly our services had gone from praised to pulled. Not because the final product wasn't well done; it was. The reason for the fissure was that the client didn't understand the purpose of the material and how it would be used to attract media coverage. Frankly, it was also lazy of us to assume that the client understood the purpose of the product without discussion.

One problem I have with this list is that it only concerns "media relations," yet the term is never mentioned. Media relations does not equal public relations (if you don't believe me, read this post!)

It also only addresses ten problems from the agency's point of view. Most of these reasons put blame on the client for being too ambitious or ignorant. Only one of the ten makes a public relations firm fully responsible for the less-than-perfect client relationship.

I imagine a top ten list on why PR fails from a client's perspective would yield different results.

Watch out, language offenders

Continuing on with writing advice...

I found this Media Orchard guest post on 10 dumb things that smart communicators do very helpful. We all make mistakes, right? Yes, all of us. Even the trained professionals.

Honestly, I've been a repeat offender of at least half of these, including:

Using unnecessary business jargon

It's easy to slip into the "corporate speak," even when your purpose is to be easily understood.

Capitalizing names of industries and non-proper nouns

I think more people commit this faux-pas than not! I didn't even know this was a common communicator mistake. Do we often confuse key words with proper nouns? I often find myself capitalizing titles or professions merely because they feel "important."

Putting more than four bullet points on a PowerPoint slide!

This one's big. As communicators, we want to be informative. So informative that we sometimes give too much information, especially when the medium focus is aesthetic, like a presentation slide.

Here are a few more common communication gaffes:

Use an incorrect homonym

The differences between there/their/they're and your/you're have been drilled into our heads since grade school, but I still see university journalism students (smart communicators) commit this sin.

Referring to a company by a plural pronoun

Example: The XYZ Company is based in Eugene, Ore. They specialize in...

I still catch myself on this one sometimes. A company (a single entity) should always be "it."


What mistakes do you see smart communicators make?

Advice from the masters

Whenever I'm asked who my favorite writer is, I refuse to give a definitive answer.

The reason? I have two: Kurt Vonnegut and Ernest Hemingway. They both had the ability to convey so much by saying so little.

Asking me to choose between the two is like asking a 6-year-old to choose between cake and ice cream at a birthday party. The 6-year-old and I will both perplexedly respond, "Can't I have both?"

When I read my new favorite writing blog this morning, I was ecstatic to find an archived post about Hemingway's Top 5 Tips on Writing Well. I agree with author Brian Clark that there's no better figure for marketing writers to emulate. In the media industry, every line is money and space is limited.

Hemingway excelled at the challenge of writing an entire story in just six words:

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

He would be a modern copy editor's dream (it's short and sticky).

The one Hemingway tip I hadn't heard of is to be positive. If you're familiar with Hemingway's life (particularly the latter half), you're probably chuckling. What he meant was to carefully choose words that describe what something is, not what it isn't. If you tell your friend something is "painless," she will still focus on the word "pain." A better choice would be "comfortable."

The content of this post reminded me of Vonnegut's "How to Write with Style." Vonnegut, an author, reporter and pr practitioner; knows all about clear, stylistic writing.

Of the writer's tips:

• Find a subject you care about.
• Do not ramble, though.
• Keep it simple.
• Have the guts to cut.
• Sound like yourself.
• Say what you mean to say.
• Pity the readers.

The tip I have the most trouble with is the easiest to understand: find a subject you care about. If the subject of an assignment is boring, I usually turn in a boring assignment. To this, Vonnegut says:

"Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style."

Hmm, I should probably revisit this advice more often. So it goes.

What do you think of their tips? Do you agree? Would you add anything else?

For a little practice...

Last Friday, I had an interview for a summer internship. I did well enough during the one-on-one interview the week before to secure a second. A group one this time, with many official-sounding people.

Interviews are not my forte. I rarely wow potential employers with my personality. I get nervous. I stutter. I hestitate. Usually, my only solace is a solid writing sample and an error-free resume (both have gotten me further than you'd think).

Everyone tells you that you'll do fine in an interview if you just "be yourself." My dad gave me the same advice the day before. As much as I respect him, I went into this group interview with the exact opposite mentality: pretend. Pretend I was confident, that I could string a sentence together without uttering long "umm"s, and that I had an impressive answer to every question waiting inside.

I related to a Forbes article on how finding an internship is work in itself. I even found a list of 25 difficult interview questions. I rehearsed my responses to the trickiest ones, took a brief look at the company Web site, and I was on my way, expecting the "pretend" mentality and the rehearsed responses to suffice.

When I arrived, I was in for a surprise.

I nailed the typical, canned interview questions:

"what attracted you to our company?"
"what are your strengths?"
"what can you offer us that another applicant can't?"

However, I was not prepared for the seemingly easy, personal questions:

"what do you do in your free time?"
"what do you read?" and the follow-up, "why do you like those?"

It seemed that I was so caught-up in pretending to be a confident, ideal candidate that I stumbled over the questions that should have been easy for my "real self" to answer.

So, here's my advice: being prepared for an interview is not only about knowing the job you're applying for, it's also about knowing yourself. So, in an effort to be better prepared for future interviews, I offer responses from the real me - the nervous, hestitant, sometimes bumbling me.

I rarely have free time, but when I'm lucky enough to have a few hours of leisure, I prefer to engage in activities that take me away from the rush of the routine and allow me to return to it at my discretion. I've been known to spend hours filtering through online music in search of hidden gems, trek through a forest with my dog without a destination and enjoying getting lost on purpose, and eavesdrop on Sunday afternoon conversations at a neighborhood cafe while jotting down what my secret power would be if I were a superhero. I think I've got it: instant teleportation.

Because I rarely have free time, I rarely read for pleasure. Usually, my daily reading consists of journalism text books and thesis prospecti. Sometimes I escape this reality with a crossword reverie or a National Geographic dream. These are escapes for me. Brief escapes into the world free from time, commitment or demand.

Most likely, these aren't the perfect answers employers want to hear either. I don't know if there are perfect answers to the "getting to know you" questions, but hey, at least I'm honest. At least I'm being myself.

"Cocaine" PR: High on FDA disapproval

Whenever a product becomes trendy, leave it to a marketing nut to take the trend a bit too far. Then, leave it to a like-minded PR practitioner to blunder through the media backlash.

The most recent (and perhaps overexposed) of these cases is the frenzy surrounding Cocaine. No, not the hard, illegal drug that will drain your pocketbook; the illegal-sounding energy drink that only drains the already empty reputation of PR.

Many PR/Marketing blogs have condemned Redux Beverages, the drink’s producer, for the unethical name, as well as Redux’s decision to change the name after an FDA warning letter issued April 4.

In the letter, the FDA writes that Cocaine claims to be a dietary supplement, but it is also marketing itself as a street drug alternative. The FDA states that because of its association with recreational illegal drugs, Cocaine cannot be marketed as a supplement to the diet.

The FDA lists several slogans from Cocaine’s own Web site as examples of its “street drug alternative” marketing, including “speed in a can,” “liquid cocaine” and “the legal alternative.” The letter also notes the typography of the drink’s name on the can: “cocaine” spelled out in “white, granular writing.”

I checked the Cocaine site out of disbelief. Sure enough, I found remnants of these slogans (which were obviously edited after the letter), but I also found even more shocking material. The site also includes videos of the drink’s consumers and supporters, declaring themselves free speech advocates.

One of the videos features a young man who claims that Starbucks coffee contains more caffeine than Cocaine, but complains that it doesn’t suffer the same criticism. True, but last time I checked, Starbucks doesn’t sell “meth” frapuccinos or “heroin” au laits.

Another video on the site is a genuine documentary clip about the history of cocaine (the drug) and famous, historical figures who used it, such as Thomas Edison and Mark Twain. Hmm…what does this have to do with an energy drink?

Another clip features young, college-age boys in a mock-sitcom snorting white powder and pressuring friends to try it. One of the boys responds, “If it’s good enough for my friends, it’s good enough for me!” before ingesting a line. Fortunately, the boys offer a disclaimer at the end: you don’t have to get high on illegal drugs, you can also get wasted on beers! The energy drink is nowhere to be seen.

Despite all of the FDA criticism, Cocaine has many supporters: more than 8000 MySpace friends. In Cocaine’s MySpace blog, founder Jamey Kerby encourages these friends to save the drink by writing e-mails “telling us that you know our drink is not a drug and that you know that it is not intended to get you high (which it is not). It is an energy drink like all of the other energy drinks.” Sure, it’s like all the other drinks, so much so that it needs an irresponsible name to make a profit.

In the blog post, Kerby also addresses one of the infamous slogans: “the legal alternative.” He says, “Please take note that the phrase ‘The Legal Alternative’ is used to convey the message that our energy drink is an alternative way to be ‘cool’ without having to do illegal drugs or get high. We do not advocate drug use; that would not be responsible.”

Mr. Kerby, your site speaks for itself. If you want your product to ever see supermarket shelves, here’s my advice: change more than the name.

Good or Bad PR?

Here's an interesting take on PR from Chris Buckley, the writer of the film "Thank You For Smoking." Not the greatest video clip, but it brings up an interesting question about the movie: How does the film change peoples' perceptions about the industry? Does the film serve as good or bad public relations for the public relations industry?

Are we lagging behind?

I have a confession:

I'm a social media novice.

Every day I make an effort to conceal this embarrassing secret, but it's impossible to hide all of the evidence (the fact that this is my second blog post is a good indication). I resisted jumping on the Facebook bandwagon for a couple of years and joining the MySpace craze for even longer (watching too many Dateline specials on missing teens might have been the reason).

At the risk of further incriminating myself, I'll admit that I only heard about Second Life in March (please, hold your gasps).

Second Life, a popular MUVE (multi-user virtual environment) created by Linden Lab, has been growing rapidly since its release in 2003. How much more will it expand? Researchers predict that 80% of active Internet users will have some kind of a "second life" in a virtual world by 2011, according to Gartner.

"Other students must have heard of a program this universal," I thought. So I asked my friends. No. I asked fellow classmates. Nada. Has everyone I know been living under a rock or are college students, who are usually at the forefront of emerging technologies, lagging behind on the virtual trend?

The simple answer: no.

Educators and students across the country have been using Second Life since its inception. Maybe the University of Oregon is just behind. Luckily, it's offering this class on new media in the fall. Even if we are behind on the times, at least we're acknowledging it.

Blog Post 1: Why I Hate(d) Blogs

The older I get, the more I begrudgingly accept the mundane but necessary tasks in life. Things like filing your tax return, doing laundry or scheduling an appointment for your next root canal.

Blogging is also one of those things.

I've resented blogging ever since I first heard the term. To me, bloggers were faceless faux-journalists and narcissistic, comic-collecting teenagers (you know, the ones who program Tetris into their graphing calculators). They were not trained writers, nor did they understand the concept that diaries are usually private not because they contain dark secrets, but because no one else cares to read them.

I vowed never to become a blogger, maintaining this holier-than-thou mantra by upholding the lost art of penmanship and toting a leather-bound journal at all times. I did not need url links or widgets or rss feeds; my pen and my journal were enough. By sticking to these discarded practices, I thought I was "sticking it" to an incessantly advancing technology and the pitiful bloggers caught in the whirlwind.

Four years later and 200 credits into my degree, I am rethinking blogs.

A few months ago, I became a blogger - against my will. As a member of Allen Hall Public Relations, the student-run public relations agency at the U of O, I was asked to create blog posts for a local client. When I heard this idea, my spine shuddered. To make matters worse, the subject of the blog was not a forte of mine: parenting. Writing for a medium I didn't understand about a subject I didn't understand seemed like trying to solve a monochromatic jigsaw puzzle.

After years of deliberate ignorance, I finally began reading blogs, subscribing to some of the better ones and attempting to recreate their tone, style and structure in my own writing (the first few were awful, but now I'd like to think they've improved to semi-awful).

A few weeks after I began writing posts, my professor gave a presentation on "social media," e.g. online social networks and - you guessed it - blogs. Two weeks ago, my AHPR team pitched the piles of blog posts to our client, underlining their importance and the reasons for linking to others (it's a two-way street). That same day, I listened intently as an executive at a powerful Portland agency emphasized the need for young, digital-media-savvy minds in the field. Apparently agencies are hungry for twenty-somethings who have Myspace profiles, upload YouTube videos and most importantly, blog.

Now, I am creating my own blog as an assignment in my Advanced PR Writing class. An assignment like this isn't unconventional for the generally progressive journalism school, but there is one unusual thing about it: I'm looking forward to it.

As much as I've avoided blogs in the past, I can't anymore. They're no longer a burgeoning tool; they're ubiquitous. They're no longer just for geeky teenagers or fraudulent reporters; they're for everyone. And most importantly, they're essential for public relations students. If I continue to despise them like a trip to the dentist, it will be at my own peril.

Here I go...