TCC Insights

Charity Begins at Home Too

By Sue Asquith, Senior Vice President


There is no doubt the images coming from Haiti over the past weeks have been haunting; telling tales of tragedy and suffering. Global humanity has risen to the occasion to bring medical professionals, rescue teams, spiritual leaders and celebrities from all parts of the universe to ask the world’s population to give millions to the relief and rebuilding effort. Everywhere you look are messages appear to text $10 for Haitian relief efforts. National sports teams are doing it. The phone companies are doing it. Even broadcast networks have joined in. Past Presidents are reaching out to the world to give. Our Nation’s First Lady is on television appealing for help. The world has absolutely come together during a time of overwhelming grief to lend a hand. It’s not the first time this has happened – Katrina, China, Indonesia – and hopefully it won’t be the last. After it's all said and done, however, let’s not forget: charity begins at home too.

The Struggle Between Lawyers and Public Opinion

By Sue Asquith, Senior Vice President
 
Young, hot, cocky hockey star gets into trouble in hometown. He allegedly beats up older cabbie giving him and a "cuz" a ride home after a night out of happy times on the Chip Strip. Cabbie gets roughed up over a couple of dimes. Cabbie calls cops. Cops arrest hometown hockey hero and the media frenzy begins.
 

The day after Patrick Kane got arrested in Buffalo and the news started to trickle out on a Sunday morning, I told my daughter that it would be front page, above the fold in Monday's Buffalo News. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out, even one in public relations. Sure enough there it was. I also told her that he should come out quickly and make a public statement acknowledging that an incident happened. It didn't need to be a statement of guilt or innocence but that it happened and that he (Kane) would work with authorities to figure it out. Be sincere. Be an adult. Show some concern. That didn't happen either. His lawyers, savvy as they are, got to him and more than likely advised him to . . . .  clam up.

What did follow was two weeks and counting of constant headlines, front page stories and editorial cartoons taking aim at this young man's reputation. And it hasn't been good. Public opinion, once shaped, can be very unforgiving. Reputations, once tarnished, can be hard to bring back.
 

What Floor?

By Sue Asquith, Senior Vice President

So many times you sit in a meeting with clients or colleagues and this notion of writing the perfect elevator speech comes up. We talk about the elevator speech as being the be all end all of communication tactics. Oh we just must write this pithy prose that brings to life the top 10 issues related to some community initiative, brand strategy or crisis management.

I’m not sure a standard has been developed that defines how many floors constitute the perfect length of an elevator speech. It can only be as long as the elevator ride to the top. So do I write for the six floors at the Larkin building or stretch my imagination and go for the top of One HSBC Center? If I were writing an elevator speech about the Peace Bridge expansion project I’d have to think HSBC for sure.

So where did this notion of an elevator speech originate? Was it the brain child of some famous Manhattan ad guy or witty motivational speaker branding the next trend in communication executions? I was curious and Googled Elevator Speech and tons of listings came up for How to Write the Perfect Elevator Speech, a Wikipedia definition, How to Whisper an Elevator Speech, Elevator Dos and Don’ts and even an Elevator Speech Challenge. I found out that a lot of people claim to be experts at preparing the perfect elevator speech but couldn’t find out who takes credit for its origin.

Being able to clearly define and articulate a client’s position or product/service in any form or format is what draws us to this crazy profession. It’s part of the fun of why we do what we do. So for all of you crazy communicators out there I challenge you take a listen the next time you ride an elevator . . . is anyone actually practicing their speech?

Me and My Facebook

By Susan Asquith, Senior Vice President

Argh!  That’s how I really felt about it up until two days ago when my daughter showed me how to sign up, log on and start to make friends. It seems like I’m the agency loser when it comes to Facebook. Even our agency principals, Bill and Bob, have Facebook pages. All of the young associates are Facebook savvy. All aspects of their lives (the good, the bad and the ugly) are chronicled daily via postings, pictures and friend to friend communication combat.

So why was I the slow one to jump on board? I always fancied myself being on the edge of knowing what’s going on in the community, current events, world news, etc. But navigating my own Facebook page . . .  well truthfully it was intimidating. Who cares what I’m doing on a minute by minute basis. I have great friends so why do I need any more?

It isn’t that I’m opposed to Facebook and its phenomena. But I’m going to be 48 and isn’t Facebook for youngsters my daughter’s age?

The evolution from the World Wide Web to E-mail to social networks like MySpace and Facebook has been incredible for business and personal communication applications. It can’t be ignored and has catapulted the speed of information, how we digest and disseminate it.

From a strategic business position, it opens up opportunities for clients to reach their business goals. People have the ability like never before to “reach out and touch someone” in just seconds. But there are also downsides. For as quickly as good news can spread, the bad spreads even faster. You can’t ignore the fact that once information is posted to the Internet, it’s there for eternity and beyond. Now this might be quite appealing for future cosmic generations who will be able read volumes of electronic transmissions from all points of the world. Will these cryptic electronic transmissions be the ancient scrolls of our time?

Getting back to today’s reality and navigating my own Facebook page I discovered I needed a photo, I don’t know how to write on my own Wall, much less someone else’s and my status is single. Why would I want to tell the world that I’m dating, single, or otherwise not engaged? Won’t this just embarrass my daughter? Do I really need to know how someone is feeling today? The answer is yes.

Facebook and all the techno communication relatives of a similar application carry the pulse of our society. For good or bad it’s invaded our psyche and is here to stay. That kind of communication outreach and influence can’t be ignored. It needs to be managed and respected. So I threw my conservative intimidation aside and jumped on the Facebook bandwagon and posted a photo. I still have to master the Wall.

The first day I got 12 friends. They were my friends already but it made me feel good to get them anyway. My daughter also friended me. She said she wasn’t embarrassed that I’d have my own Facebook page at my age  . . . . because her friends were moving on to Twitter.