I Love the Web, But We’ve Got A Long Way To Go

Posted on October 16th, 2009

I wish I could distinctly remember the first time I ever used a web browser. I’m pretty sure it was a day or two after the first version of Netscape launched. I read about it in USA Today (a newspaper I still read every single morning, including today). At the time, I was living in NYC and working at the Denise Marcil Literary Agency. I led the way in connecting with all the foreign agents we dealt with via email.

It seems so elementary now. But I was there when all of our interactions with foreign publishers and foreign agents was done via faxes. Hard-to-read faxes. Email made that part of my job so much easier.

Since then, I’ve spent a long time in PR working with digital companies – large and small. I use the Web for 10 hours per day – or more.

But, we still have such a long way to go . . .

Tomorrow, my wife has an all-day seminar in Boston she’s attending, so I’m going to be walking around the city, and exploring the aquarium with my two young sons. I wanted to do some QUICK and EASY online research to find out some basic info about downtown Boston. I wanted to see how I could walk from the Government Center T stop to the New England aquarium. Here’s the walking directions from the aquarium’s website:

If you are already in the Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market area, the North End, Government Center or the Financial District, the Aquarium is just a short walk away.

That’s great, but I’ve probably spent 4 hours of my life in and around Faneuil Hall and the North End. How about some basic directions to go with that. “If you’re walking from Faneuil Hall, here’s the route to take . . .”

I started writing this blog post, and I immediately thought, some commenter is going to come along and say, “Why didn’t you just Google directions.”

So, I did. I Googled, “how to walk from faneuil hall to new england aquarium.” This is the result I got:

how to walk from faneuil hall to new england aquarium - Google Search

I’m not a search engineer. But, why can’t I spend 30 seconds searching for walking directions from Faneuil Hall to the New England Aquarium, and get a nice street-by-street route w/ accompanying map?

I eventually printed out a Google map of the Faneuil Hall-North End area. If you’re in downtown Boston tomorrow, and see me walking around lost, how about giving me a ride or some decent directions.


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Why Good PR is like Good, Smashmouth Football

Posted on October 15th, 2009

Down, set, hut, hut!

The nights are getting colder. The leaves are falling. And more importantly, football season is in full swing again. (Let’s just hope the New York Jets, my team, can recover from their last two ugly losses).

What can PR consultants and PR agencies learn from football?

Georgia Bulldogs football

Strategic – if you’re a spray and pray PR firm, sending out tons of non-targeted emails, or sending the junior staff and interns running for the phones when a client is angry, you’re not going to be very successful. Sure, you may complete a few “passes,” and get an article written about your client every now and then. But, for the most part, you’re not going to succeed.

The same in football. If you walk out onto the field without a solid game plan, and your quarterback is just throwing the ball downfield, hoping that someone will catch it, you’re not going to win many football games.

Preparation – Research, plan, and prepare. It’s the same for football as it is with public relations.

When the Indianapolis Colts faced the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, Peyton Manning watched every single Bears play for every game throughout the season – studying the small defense’s small details. When he hit the field, he knew exactly what to expect.

It’s been said a thousand – no, a million – times. Do your research before you pitch a reporter. Manning watched every single play for an entire season. How many articles do you read before you pick up the phone and call a reporter? One or two? How about six months worth of articles?

You should know exactly the types of stories a reporter routinely writes. If you read enough of a reporter’s stories, you’ll see obvious trends, interests, and you can probably figure out what the reporter is not writing.

Grind it out – It’s important to think about your client’s messaging, positioning, and branding. But, at the end of the day, PR doesn’t happen unless you pick up the phone or write a well-crafted email. Ultimately, good PR campaigns are won in the trenches – not giving up on a story, and making sure you pitch everyone who could possibly be interested in the story you’re telling.

The same can be said of football. Sure, you have explosive offenses that can score within 5 or 6 plays. But, many smart coaches know that one very successful key to winning games is in the trenches. Grind out long scoring drives on the ground to control the clock.

Have you done the hard work and preparation needed? Are you ready to pitch a story and succeed? Are you ready to hit the field and win?

Photo credit – Athens Banner-Herald (Online Athens)


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