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How ‘bout them Broncos…?

Here we are fans, 6-0 into a season where most predicted – or at least mentally prepared for – our beloved Denver Broncos to possibly be in the opposite equation at this stage of the game.

Now, I never thought that, mind you, but I’m what you would call a true fan. The kind that bleeds orange and blue. The kind whose family has held Broncos season tickets since 1968. In fact, I start every season with the fervent belief that the Broncos are destined for Super Bowl victory. Hey – I’ve only been wrong 95 percent of the time…

That said, I was a tad suspect when the big change came down from Bowlen Central: Out with Shanahan; In with McDaniels. Then came the showdown between the rookie head coach and the would-be/could-be career QB Jay Cutler. (Let’s face it, he was the only guy we gave a chance to, after a suitable mourning period over John’s retirement…)

Follow that with the closed-door media approach, the Brandon Marshall brou-ha-ha and the pre-season losses stacking up. Let’s just say I was a pretty lonely Super Bowl advocate going into game one of the regular season.

I’m not so lonely anymore.

So what happened? Also a huge fan of the Colorado Rockies, I had observed the same phenomenon earlier this year, when they yanked Hurdle – a mere two years removed from his infamous World Series run in 2007, replacing him with Manager Jim Tracy. The upshot – the Rox take off like a rocket and give the National League a run for its money, with the best season second half in their history.

Veteran Manager Jim Tracy and newcomer Coach McD have something in common – both leaders care more about what happens inside their respective teams than outside their teams, and it shows. Each established rock-solid internal communication, including clearly defined expectations and objectives, and a laser-like focus to the task at hand – Winning.

Both coaches identified this goal and built their communication (and their teams) around it – focusing on the goal and the path to reaching it. The transformation for both teams appeared seemingly overnight.

So what’s in it for us? Two key things these coaches remind us about:

1. Your internal audience is your most important audience – without their support, your organization simply can not be successful, no matter how well you communicate with customers.
2. Establish a single, clearly defined goal, and build all communication from there.

Oh yeah, and how much fun it is to win.

Thanks Coach McD – see you at the Super Bowl!

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Posted by Karen Morales on 10/20 at 09:01 PM
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Nice column—hey, mind if I quote you in my PR column? Good stuff here!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  10/21  at  11:46 AM

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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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What’s in a Name?

About a year ago, my wife and I bought a nice home in the suburbs. It’s big enough for us to start a family, on a quiet street and close to her work.

Not long after we’d moved in, neighbors started stopping by to introduce themselves. The nice ones brought baked goods, the nicer ones brought bottles of wine.

Famous for my inability to remember names, as time passed I’d frequently ask my wife, “Who are the people in the yellow house again? The blue one?”

“Scott and Phyllis are across the street. Rich and Lisa are next door,” she’d reply.

“How about the nice woman west of us? She always waves at me when I’m outside and says, ‘Hi, Matt!’”

“I don’t remember,” Allison would respond. “Why don’t you just go ask her?”

My reasons were many – mostly out of embarrassment that my neighbor knew my name after one introduction months ago, but I had forgotten hers. The shame grew as time passed – I actually started avoiding her so I would never again have to respond to her greeting with another, “Hey… you!”

Now, let’s contrast this shortcoming of mine (one of many) with the experience I had on a recent visit to Jersey Mike’s Sub Shop (6th and Broadway) in Denver.

On my first visit I was immediately greeted by the owner, who took my order, name and made small talk while his team made my delicious lunch.

On my next visit, exactly one week later, I was greeted by name when I walked in the door. He asked me how I’d liked my Club Supreme sandwich that I’d ordered the last time and if I’d like another one. Then, as his team made my sandwich to order, he recalled my mention of the fact that I travel downtown at least once a week for our staff meeting, and asked if I was ready.

Can you believe that? Clearly, this man is gifted, but talk about building customer loyalty and a real relationship with your clientele! Where am I more likely to go next time I’m looking for a sandwich – a place that treats customers like cattle at the feed trough, or somewhere I’m seen as an individual; not just the next sale?

My point is this. The truth of the matter is, people can probably get what they need elsewhere, from your competition. The difference often boils down to the level of customer service you provide, and the degree to which you go out of your way to make them feel special and appreciated.

A final note – this past weekend over the fence, I spotted my neighbor to the west refilling bird feeders in her yard. Instead of avoiding her, I approached and said hello. After a short conversation, I admitted I couldn’t remember her name.

“It’s Sue,” she said. “And no need to be embarrassed – I had to ask Scott and Phyllis several times what your names were!”

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Posted by Matt Wittern on 08/21 at 12:00 PM
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Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Texters…

image

This cartoon appeared in the editorial section of the Denver Post on August 8, 2009. What a coincidence for me as, just the night before, I had been having a lengthy conversation about how the next generation seems to me to lack the fundamental social skills that come with actual spoken conversation and not through texts, Facebook or Twitter.

I came to this conclusion after watching my niece and her friend who are both 16. They came in and were extremely uncomfortable around the adults in the room. My niece never introduced her friend, nor did her friend take it upon herself to let us know who she was. This is by no means the first interaction I have had like this between my niece and her friends. It sparked a conversation with the adults in the room.

I was curious. When had it become okay to not interact with adults? I remember being the same age (and no, I’m not that old…!) and sitting in my friends’ kitchens talking with their parents and interacting with the entire family. Now my niece sits in the back room, around a computer, looking at her MySpace page with her friends. When she actually is in the same room, she isn’t comfortable enough to even introduce them. We decided as a group that it must be due in large part to text messaging, Facebooking, Twittering, etc. that our youth has lost the basic skills of normal everyday conversation and interaction.

What a scary thought, especially because I can see my own young children going down the same path. My five-year-old daughter hasn’t learned to read yet, but she can navigate her way around my iPhone and computer to play games whenever she wants; so how fitting when I open the paper and see this cartoon. 

It depicts life perfectly – we have lost the art of conversation. What a sad, sad realization. While I’m all for using technology to further communication, I have to say – when texting becomes simpler and more comfortable than using real words, we’re in trouble.

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Posted by Laurie Meza on 08/19 at 08:35 AM
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Clearly Speaking…

Have you ever been on vacation and realized you forgot something crucial – like underwear?

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were getting ready to take a trip to Chicago to visit family. As a semi-newlywed, I decided I would try to be a “good wife” and help my husband finish packing for the trip while he was busy at work. As I was packing his clothes and various necessities, I sent him a quick text to see if he had already packed underwear. “Put some in my bag” was his response.  I interpreted this as he had already put some in his bag, when in fact, his text was meant to communicate that he would like me to put some in his bag.

I’m confident in saying this is not the first case of a misinterpreted message – text or otherwise. While I could make the case that this misunderstanding was a function of improper grammar usage and the inability to convey voice inflection via text, I thought I’d use it as an opportunity to point out the critical need to always, always make yourself understood by your target audience.

While the face of communication continues to evolve, we find ourselves relying mostly (if not exclusively) on technology to exchange information and communicate key messages with our stakeholders. Now, more than ever, it is critical to take the time to carefully craft effective, straightforward messages – ones that don’t allow the possibility of misinterpretation or confusion.

In the world of public relations and public information, you sometimes only get one shot to make a positive impression – so you’d better make it good. Don’t let your message get lost just because you aren’t able to communicate it in person. Your audience can’t see inside your head or hear your voice inflection when you’re reading your message aloud in your office. It takes a good writer to develop those messages and design clear, intriguing and effective communication that is received, understood and acted upon. 

So don’t let yourself get stranded on vacation without underwear.  Make sure your messages are clearly communicated and follow up to make sure they’re understood.

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Posted by Megan Rees on 07/22 at 10:32 AM
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Pretty Please

The other day, I was giving my three children a bath. My oldest daughter wanted my son to move over and started yelling at him. Of course, he wouldn’t budge. I suggested that she might want to ask in a different way, explaining that I certainly wouldn’t move for someone who was yelling at me. She then asked him to please move over, which he promptly did.

As often is the case with observing the interactions of children, this got me thinking about how truly important clear, calm communication is, even when it is as simple as getting your brother to move over in the bathtub. Too often today, we forget to engage people in clear, calm communication. It seems we have forgotten how to speak to one another at all, let alone kindly.  Personally I’m tired of talking about, and hearing about, social media. Frankly, I still don’t get why people text instead of picking up the phone and calling someone.  Yeah, yeah, I know it’s quicker and can keep you connected when you’re already occupied with a half-dozen other things, but is the point really to multi-task 24/7?

I’m concerned that, as a society, we are rapidly becoming depersonalized and are losing our “people skills.” Many times you can accomplish far more when you talk in person with someone than if you send an e-mail that sits in an inbox collecting cyber-dust.

Everybody knows that good communication skills are a requirement for success, right? This includes not only conveying your message, but listening and exchanging simple “niceties.”  In today’s world of Twitter and Facebook, we are more connected than ever. The question is, what are we connecting about? I’m afraid that technology is stripping us of basic interpersonal communication skills.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is a time and a place for all the new social media outlets, but never underestimate the importance of personal relationships, the command of a human voice, and the supreme power of “please” and “thank-you.”

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Posted by Laurie Meza on 07/16 at 07:41 AM
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MJ’s Social Media Legacy

When Michael Jackson died suddenly a couple weeks ago, not only did his music and memorabilia fly off the shelves, but the news spread like wild fire through Tweets.

In a recent article on the new “news” source, fans of MJ heard about his sad fate through Twitter, mere minutes after it happened, and were among the first to arrive at the hospital where he was admitted. Is this just a gossip trail between extreme fans or something much, much bigger?

I think if Twitter is put to good use, it can be a powerful communication tool for any organization. One way Tweeting can be beneficial is in the form of crisis communication. 

With CIG’s concentration in transportation, local government and education, there are numerous potential crises that can (and often do) arise for our clients. While we hope nothing ever happens, it is essential to be ready for any circumstance.

For example, let’s say a construction crew accidentally drills through a water line in a neighborhood. With all the chaos going on at a time of crisis, it would be beneficial to put the information in a Tweet and instantly distribute it to all the organization’s followers, sparking instant e-communication that can grow and thrive on it’s own, keeping people informed and safe with a personal alert. While this can’t be the only communication tool used, it should be a key plan component to save critical time.  The toughest part is limiting the information to 140 characters, which is nothing a little word-smithing can’t resolve!

So what’s the catch?  You have to establish your organization’s Twitter account early to gather followers and become a credible source before any crisis happens. This information would have been beneficial for a recent incident involving a plane crash.

U.S. Airways did not have its account in line before Flight 1549 crashed into the Hudson River, but Twitter had a prevalent role in spreading the news. Before U.S. Airways could even send out a news release, there were stories all over national television, complete with photos, sent from a bystander with a camera and a Twitter account. An hour and a half after the crash, U.S. Airways had set up their @usairways account.

So once again, MJ leaves a legacy for us to carry on. But this time, it’s in the form of a Twitter account and a crisis communication plan. You don’t even need the sequined glove’ unless you want it.

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Posted by Liz Viscardi on 07/08 at 01:26 PM
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I would love to see more of my local organizations and government using Twitter. The way we live today we want our information quick and to the point and Twitter is one way of doing this.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  09/12  at  05:27 PM

If twitter, and texting for that matter, wasn’t such an important communication tool, we wouldn’t see all these iPhone and android application development in this area. But it is an accepted and developing communication tool that should be embraced and used by PR and Marketing departments. You will miss the boat if you don’t come up with a good text strategy.

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Move It or Lose It (or, RIP, Michael Jackson @marksmith)

The communications industry is undergoing the biggest change since the invention of the Fax machine. Social media is all anyone can talk about as Twitter, Facebook and blogs rapidly change the way we do business. Some professionals, like myself, are invigorated by it, even if we’re still trying to figure out why on earth @marksmith would want to follow our daily trips to Starbucks on Twitter.

Many others, like my friend (we’ll call her Mary), have dug in their heels to prevent the quicksand of new media tools from sucking them in. Mary is an old college roommate of mine who has worked her entire career as a television news anchor. She is nothing like my dad, whose disdain for anything technological is understandable, considering his Christmas iPod gift has cost him thousands of hours in IT support. Mary, however, is hip, trendy and can clearly see the direction her industry is heading. Still, she’s not having it.

Despite our best efforts, she refuses to join the cool kids and “Facebook Friend” anyone, stubbornly refusing to give us updates on her life over anything except dinner and a glass of wine. She believes that social media is dangerous in the industry because it’s too hard to control the message and the messenger and, therefore, she refuses to participate.

I understand her resistance to some degree. I am the type of person who still uses a Day Planner and will never move my To Do lists onto my iPhone. Never.

But, I think resisting a massive change in your industry is a mistake. Social media is growing at a pace faster than any of us can keep up with. Many people found out about Michael Jackson’s death on Twitter, before the news Web sites had the latest information. Whether you’re a fan or not, social media isn’t going anywhere (but up), and as communications professionals, we need to be on the forefront of the change to help guide our clients and audiences through the jungle.

I say bring it. Game on! Let’s embrace the change and (carefully) try something new.

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Posted by Kristi Estes on 07/02 at 11:58 AM
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Sure social media and twitter are all the buzz, but be careful not to go “all in” just yet. We hear how these new platforms are invigorating marketing departments to the point where tried and true campaigns are being neglected. Some things, like direct mail, still works well.

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  08/05  at  01:03 PM

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Vegas vaca (vay-kay) communique

Which do you value more: good communication or good customer service?  Seems like an easy question, right?  Well, on a recent weekend excursion I experienced a lack of both, making me realize even more how valuable these assets are to an organization. 

It was Thursday afternoon and I had Vegas running through my veins!  I was completely checked out and my fiance and I were in full-on vacation mode!

Everything was going smoothly, until it came time to see what gate we were at and we saw what everyone dreads at the airport.  “Denver to Las Vegas . . . 7: 05 p.m. . .  Delayed . . . 8:40 p.m.”
Still in high-hopes, we headed to the gate, only to realize that it has been delayed an additional 20 minutes. Being in vacation-mode, I calmly walk up to the desk to ask the gate clerk the reason for the delay.

“The weather from a connecting flight is delaying other flights but I am not certain that is the particular reason for your flight’s delay,” she said.

Now here was communication/customer service error number one. The internal team must always be “in the loop,” so they can communicate effectively to the customers.

Another hour passes and no word on the delay, until the phone rings. It’s the airline calling to let us know that the flight is delayed again, by another 20 minutes, totaling a delay of more than two hours - still with no explanations.  My hopes dashed, I waited along with the rest of the passengers in the terminal, as we collectively started coming to the realization that Vegas was not in our near future.

Then finally, after a three-hour delay, a voice booms over the intercom:

“All those traveling to Las Vegas this evening, you will be happy to know that your plane has arrived. We will be cleaning up the plane and boarding as quickly as possible.”

My heart is racing as we line up near the front of the gate.

Vegas is only a few hours away!

But, come on, you know it just can’t be that easy.

Sure enough, now my phone rings. Another delay!

Communication and customer service error number two. We were standing in front of the gate with the flight attendants, the gate clerk and the pilots, yet we still heard about our flight from an automated voice in our cell phones?  Please…

As someone in the communication biz, I have to respect that they are using all the “tools,” but as a customer, I truly value the power of face-to face interaction. 

So this comes back to my question, which is more valuable: communication or customer service?  I submit that one cannot be accomplished without the other.

In the end, the delays totaled four hours, making our landing time just before 1 a.m.

Which, lucky for us, is still early in Vegas!

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Posted by Liz Viscardi on 06/24 at 08:00 AM
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No Sign of the Cavalry

Fifteen years ago, what is now the Internet superhighway was more like the Wild West. There were few rules and more than a few shady characters.  It was a place where a man with an excessively waxed moustache dared tie a damsel to the railroad tracks with the man on the white horse several days ride away.

As registering domain names became easier, entrepreneurial individuals began registering all manner of them with the hope that someday, a Pepsi or Dell Computer or even Sting the musician would pay a ransom to secure rights to their URL. Later dubbed cyber squatting, this practice was reined-in when a new Sheriff came to town in the form of the federal government, which enacted the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act in 1999.

Today, theres a dusty new boom town on the virtual horizon: social media. Much like the Internet was a decade-or-so ago, social media has a constantly evolving set of rules, norms and bad actors.

A story I read in the June 17, 2009 edition of The New York Times, reminds me of something weve been suggesting to our clients for months now determine the most logical account names your company or organization might use on popular social media sites and REGISTER THEM IMMEDIATELY.

It doesnt matter if you plan to use them or not securing your accounts now will prevent others from doing so at best offering later to sell them to you for a reasonable price, or at worst impersonating you and casting your business in a negative light.

Yes, some social media platforms allow users to file complaints to have an account turned over to the rightful owner, but who needs that headache?

It seems prudent to us to take a proactive role, because right now its the Wild West, and theres no sign of the Cavalry.

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Posted by Matt Wittern on 06/19 at 04:05 AM
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The Dangers of Do-It-Yourself Framing

Have you ever noticed how much better something looks when its in the right frame? Seriously. Looking around my office, I have about 10 pieces of framed memorabilia hanging on the walls everything from the obligatory diplomas, to an amazing pencil sketch of my kids to a half-dozen or so various gatos otherwise known as cats for you gringos. Yep, Im a bit of a cat freak, I suppose. My collection of finely framed feline fur includes a cool watercolor of two Siamese gatos, compliments of my sister-in-law, that is beautifully, professionally framed with a steel blue matte and burnished black/brown frame that really makes the colors in the painting pop. Without this exquisite framing, the watercolor would still be beautiful, but not nearly as attention-worthy as it is in its current setting.

My favorite, though, is a clean black and white of my soon-to-be-20-year-old Girlie cat (yes thats her name) sitting up like a squirrel under a shrub when she was six weeks old. This once-in-a-lifetime snapshot is prominently hung in a simple, black metal frame I chose myself, so as not to distract from the natural purity of the shot. So what does this have to do with anything?

SWINE FLU!

Watching all of the coverage on the SWINE FLU! over the past couple of weeks on the news, around the water cooler, etc., youd think that mankind had finally stumbled unceremoniously upon the end of days. This is it! This is the big one! Were talking PANDEMIC here, folks!!! Yeah, right.

This is the classic case of a framing job gone horribly, horribly wrong. Whether its our friends in the media, as was the case with SWINE FLU!, or the latest public agency touting receipt of ARRA funds, the dangers of Do-It-Yourself Framing are clear: Know the facts and frame them properly your credibility depends on it!

The recent SWINE FLU! frenzy is, of course, not surprising, given the 24/7 news cycle that way too many news outlets are trying desperately to fill. In their frantic search to find enough actual news to fill the void, news conglomerates did their best to frame SWINE FLU! as big news REALLY BIG NEWS!

Of course, contrary to the pure truth of the six-week-old Girlie cat, which needs but a simple frame to clearly and accurately communicate, swine flu has turned out to be too much framing for the real picture, letting us all see, once again, how Do-It-Yourself Framing can result in less-than-professional results. Dont get me wrong successful communication has everything to do with proper framing the operative word being proper. Our friends in the media really do need our help the folks who represent the pig industry knew that. Did anyone notice the sudden switch from SWINE FLU! to H1N1? I sure did. Of course, despite their best efforts to re-frame, the proverbial cat was already out of the bag (or frame?) and the pork industry took an unfair beating. Ah well we all have our lessons to learn. Picking the right frame to support the communication of your message is an art, a science and a downright necessity.

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Posted by Karen Morales on 05/19 at 02:35 PM
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