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Is Civility Dead?

I hate to be the one to beat a dead horse, but really Kanye? Really Serena? Really Joe Wilson? What in the world happened? Apparently, society decided to go on a good manners break and we got to see the results, shown over and over again, on every media outlet possible.

Marco R. della Cava delves into this topic when he posed the question in his aptly titled “What Happened to Civility” article which appeared in last week’s USA Today. He writes “Are we a nation of boors — or just keeping things real? It is an interesting debate. Was Kayne being rude to Taylor Swift or just telling it like it is? I seem to recall just a few weeks ago when Republicans were applauding those Americans who were blasting the Democrat’s health-care reform plan at Town Hall Meetings, causing raucous, sometimes even out of control, meetings where good manners were definitely left at the door. Was this incivility or just speaking our minds?

So are we a ruder society today or are we just more outspoken? Or does it go beyond that? Are we exactly the same way we have always been, but because of today’s “media saturated world,” led by Twitter, is it just harder to keep these bad behaviors hidden? I doubt when President Obama called Kayne a “jackass” during pre-tape chatter prior to a news conference, which I might add, is supposed to be off-the-record, he realized that it would be broadcast via Twitter within seconds. I bet he’ll remember next time!

Would Serena or Joe Wilson’s outbursts have as many people talking if they had not been viewed on YouTube by over a 4 million people (Serena) and just shy of a million (Wilson)? I seem to recall John McEnroe being “known” for his controversial behavior on the court. Was it more accepted then because we didn’t have the opportunity to watch, read or post about it? It is an interesting argument, one that has many different answers.

The way I look at it is this, maybe we aren’t ruder, maybe we aren’t more outspoken, but we definitely are more accountable. We have Twitter, YouTube and cell phones to thank in part for this. And maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe, accountability will be what makes our society more civil in the future!

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Posted by Laurie Meza on 09/29 at 08:36 AM
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The “L” Word

Liar, liar,
Pants on fire,
Hanging from the telephone wire.

So goes the playground taunt favored by many third and fourth-graders.

No one died
When Clinton lied …

… So goes the bumper sticker popular during President George W. Bush’s second term.

You lie!

So goes the outburst from a certain congressman during President Obama’s recent health insurance reform address to a joint session of Congress.

——

Am I the only one who is tired of people throwing around the “L” word? In a nation that seems increasingly divided, it’s a near perfect rhetorical weapon. Once deployed, there’s no response that can get the discussion back on track.

In politics, this tactic certainly isn’t without precedent – see here, here and here, which just skims the surface.

More troublesome is that, given the shades of gray that are the reality of our discourse, there’s rarely a way to defend this sort of attack. Through careful phrasing, parsing and use of selective “facts” (which are frequently in question as well), arguments can be made on all sides that are technically accurate, but misleading nevertheless.

As a PR practitioner, I’m conflicted. While I can appreciate the value of a properly positioned message, there’s definitely a line that shouldn’t be crossed. My rule is that messages should be fair, not knowingly omit facts or information and otherwise stand up to the “sniff test.”

I don’t think I’m unlike members of our target audiences. Like them, mainly, I just want to be informed. I want all sides to be presented fairly, in a forum that doesn’t involve talking heads shouting over each other and declaring each side as displaying, as Winston Churchill once said, “terminological inexactitude.”

With the mood of the nation seemingly souring by the day, I’m sure we’ll hear that four letter word even more in the future. Like most things, all we can do is lead by example.

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Posted by Matt Wittern on 09/22 at 08:15 AM
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Marketer’s Best Friend

Everyone who knows me well knows I am the ultimate dog-lover. My dogs are completely spoiled in a “Best in Show” kind of way (if you’ve ever seen the movie, you know what I mean…). To me, they are so much more than man’s best friend – they’re pretty much the closest I’ll come to having kids for quite some time. So last week, when my little one Charlie had to go in for dental surgery to have 15 teeth pulled, I was a nervous wreck. Thankfully, I have a wonderful veterinarian who understands the connection I have with my dogs, and truly goes above and beyond to make her patients (both two and four legged…) feel comfortable and confident in the services she provides. Charlie’s surgery was more complicated than we anticipated, so the doctor said she’d like to see him the following morning (a Saturday). We came to find out that Saturday was her day off and she came into the office just to check on our little pooch. She gave us her personal cell phone number to use, in case Charlie had any issues or if we had questions, and even followed up with us on Sunday to see how he was doing. My husband and I were extremely impressed with our vet and her willingness to go the extra mile, even taking time out of her personal life (a treasured concept as most of us know…) to ensure the health and well-being of our dog.

After this experience, the first thing I wanted to do was tell everyone I knew how great our vet is and share with them this story of exceptional customer service. To that end, I even went on Google maps, Yelp and all the other consumer rating sites to write a glowing 5-star review of our vet (completely out of character for me). I told all my animal-loving friends and family that if they needed a vet, I had the place for them! Albeit toothless, Charlie is doing great now, and the whole experience got me thinking about the value and effectiveness of word-of-mouth-marketing.

Word-of-mouth can be a marketer’s best friend. When people experience something they feel has exceeded their expectations, most times they’ll want to let everyone else in on the goods. Heck, I’ve never once written an online review about anything – but my experience led me right to every online tool out there to spread the word about my spectacular vet. I’ve also referred multiple people to my vet, who have all been equally as pleased.

Some of the most successful, well-known businesses in the world earned their fame as a result of word-of-mouth marketing. Craigslist is now a household name in 570 U.S. cities and 50 countries, but just years ago it was simply some dude named Craig’s e-mail distribution list of friends to promote local events. These days, Craigslist averages 20 billion page views per month.

While word-of-mouth has long-since been a PR and marketing tool, many businesses are now seeing its value, given the sluggish condition of the economy and the proliferation of Internet-based communication opportunities. W-O-M is one of the most trusted and effective forms of marketing – all at little to no cost to your organization. So how can your business reap the benefits of W-O-M marketing? Simply providing extra-ordinary customer service and recognizing that your current customers are your No. 1 spokespeople is the best place to start. And, unless you’re my vet, that shouldn’t require much teeth pulling. 

P.S. – if you need a great vet, see Dr. Berglund at Friendship Hospital for Animals in Fort Collins…

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Posted by Megan Rees on 09/14 at 08:07 AM
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Howdy Pardner!

Recently, a client team I was working on had come to crossroads. A change in leadership, team members and entry into a new phase of the project left the team dynamic a bit disjointed. Sensing a little tension and, at the very least, a lack of understanding of each other’s roles and our collective goal, a couple of us on the public information team suggested a Partnering Session.  The eye rolling in the room could have caused a landslide.

Now, I’m pretty confident I know the reasons for the “Are you sure this is a good use of our time?” questions from the more technical types on the team.  The first was budget. Our project, like most others, is financially constrained, and I’m sure they envisioned a lavish all-day session at the Marriott with a beautiful lunch spread and all the Jolly Ranchers you can eat. The second reason was their anxiety about the Kumbaya, fluffy, feel-good stuff they were sure was about to descend upon them.

“Trust us,” we said. We feel strongly that it’s necessary, we can do it on a shoestring budget, and we’ll make it worth your while.

Partnering is more than just teambuilding. Gaining popularity in the construction industry, it is the place where the diverse, separate entities that now work on large construction projects can come together to establish common goals and expectations, set roles and responsibilities, and identify milestones and roadblocks. Instead of costing money, it can save time and money on projects if done properly and regularly.

To make a long story, short, our partnering session was a huge success. We met at one of the team’s offices (saving money), and even the most vocal naysayers had some of the most thoughtful input that day. We walked away with a clear vision of what we were trying to accomplish and exactly how we would get there. And, hey, if we also learned the “most interesting thing that others might not know about our fellow team members,” then that was an added bonus.

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Posted by Kristi Estes on 09/11 at 01:04 PM
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I need somebody with your sense of direction and organization to help me run my life!! Finding a place for all the ‘puzzle pieces’, albeit strange shaped pieces at times, seems to be something you accomplished quite well. It can also be seen in your wonderful photography skills.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  09/16  at  12:53 PM

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Wedding Vows, Flowers and Branding?

My husband and I are in the first month of wedded bliss. To be sure, we are happy to be married, but we may be just slightly happier that the year of planning is finally complete! Now we’re left with one thought – “we should have eloped.”

I kid, I kid!

Despite all the stress, the battles and the restless nights, we had a great time pulling it all together and couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding. We began our planning process with selecting the colors and everything else fell into place.

We developed a brand of sorts, complete with a logo that set the stage for the dark red and pumpkin orange palate and the classic – yet contemporary – tone of the wedding. Our logo was depicted on the invitations, programs and the custom-made water bottles. The colors were carried through every detail, from the handmade neckties to the beaded flowers in the bouquets. The overarching brand unified the entire wedding, making it unmistakable that it was the Winfield/Viscardi wedding.

While branding a wedding and branding an organization aren’t necessarily on the same caliber (unless your last name happens to be Rothschild…), it follows the same thought process. With every brand there is a story behind each element, whether it be the color, shape or design – each is unique to that organization. A brand is much more than a logo, it is an overarching theme that reflects the characteristics of an organization, helping to depict the building blocks of the organization, whatever that may be. For Chris and me, it was the words that reflected our outlook on marriage and the fonts and hues that best reflected our lifestyle. 

Now that all is said and done, we are left with a scrapbook encompassing our memories, photos and even our brand!

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Posted by Liz Viscardi on 09/08 at 04:09 PM
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