Musings on words and life, generally inspired by coffee or merlot

Media Relations: Is it OK to say No?

January 26, 2011
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There’s an interesting conversation currently happening on communication-focused site Ragan.com: An agency turned down a media opportunity on behalf of a client, and now that media outlet is seeking to understand why. This also begs a greater question: when is it acceptable for a company to reject a media opportunity, or does that always mean “no comment?” From being on the PR side, I know there are a million reasons to turn down a media interview, and frequently there’s nothing more to it than a client’s hectic travel schedule. However, being unavailable can make a reporter’s antennae fly up, as evidenced by this article.

Check out the article, and be sure to read the comments. It’s a good debate (and kudos to the agency in question for being part of it).

Oh, Huck!

January 4, 2011
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When I read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in elementary school, I took no notice of the bad language. I was a very mature child and was quite annoyed by my classmates that giggled over words and bodily functions. I remember raising my hand in social studies class to read a passage about a sailing tool called a sextant and sighing at all the snickers. I mean, come on, it’s just a word!

Today, NPR announced that a pair of literary scholars is publishing Huck Finn without the offensive N-word. My gut reaction to this was hatred. Kids just shouldn’t read Huck Finn until they’re old enough to deal with racial slurs and the controversial 1800s. Hatred and cruelty are as much a part of American history as Betty Ross. Instead of trying to censor the past and pretend like it didn’t happen, learn from mistakes and don’t let them happen again.

Man, censorship gets me riled up. I’m with Evelyn Beatrice Hall (not Voltaire apparently, heh) on this one.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

But what about self-censorship?

Here’s a for instance. Ironically, in addition to my distaste of censorship, I really hate certain words. I’m pretty OK with the radio-edit versions of songs. I dig Cee-Lo Green’s “Forget You” and would quickly lose patience with the real deal. The new Huck Finn is sort of the same thing, right?

Is the new Huck Finn censorship and pathetic? The Washington Post says yes. I’m on the fence. What say you?

Posted in Culture

And so happy Christmas

January 3, 2011
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Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and scandalous New Year.

My Christmas was full of family chaos and not just a little introspection. Lennon’s cult classic “Happy Xmas” got in my head in a big way, and it’s still there kicking around.

Sing with me now…

So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun…

For real, what have you done? I certainly haven’t done enough, and as much as I hate to be a clique, I am in need of a fresh start this year.

With that, I bring you my goals for the New Year:

Write more, stress less.
Run more, stress less.
Read more, stress less.
Work smarter, stress less.
And learn how to play that damned guitar!

Peace, y’all!

Posted in Writing

Cause Marketing — Connecting the Dots

October 12, 2010
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Today I had the great privilege to attend the Pinwheels and Promises Luncheon, benefitting the N.C. Children’s Hospital. It was a truly moving event — corporate sponsors and influential local business leaders showed up in droves to support a worthy, home-grown cause.

It was sort of a surreal moment for me though. For most of my life, I’ve been in the “I don’t have money so I’ll give time” camp. Lately, I’ve been moving towards the other end of the spectrum — no time, but will you take a (very small) check? But since that’s still new territory, I had a brief moment of wondering why we were here at this big, fancy lunch. Isn’t that a waste? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take the money people are spending to put this on and give that to the Hospital? Of course that makes no sense. The hooplah is actually necessary to get us all to come to this place to learn about the Hospital and be moved to give money. If they’d asked for money through the mail or phone, it wouldn’t have happened. In person, I was moved to tears by real-life testimonials and immediately made a donation (<– sucker).

These questions are fueling my current marketing fascination — cause marketing. I love cause marketing and think it’s a corporation’s responsibility to do. But, how do you make that case to a client? Why should a client spend its marketing budget on something that is just about proven not to generate a single lead?

To Sum Up My Week…

October 8, 2010
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From Napoleon, who surely knows:

“Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it.”

Not sure if I deserve it or need it, but after this week, I want it!

Happy Friday!

Posted in Quote of the Week, The Wino and I Know
Tags: champagne

Quote of the Week

August 27, 2010
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This week, Aug. 26 to be exact, marked the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and is celebrated each year as National Women’s Equality Day. This week’s quote from Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British suffrage movement, goes out to women everywhere who look at the world and say, “Oh HELL no!”

Of course we expected a great deal from our enfranchisement. But so did men when they fought for theirs. It is the only way — to keep fighting, to believe that the miracle is going to happen.

Cheers, ladies!