Comments on: Idiots

By: » How NOT to do Public Relations on the Web :: Positive Space Blog

» How NOT to do Public Relations on the Web :: Positive Space Blog — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:39:15 +0000

[...] the last couple of months I have read a few posts on Ideas on Ideas, in which Eric discusses the unprofessional and annoying behavior of some public relations [...]

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:11:38 +0000

Hi Adrian,

I can see where that notion comes from, but I think that it’s likely a bit of an older idea of what business is. In the past businesses had to keep a stiff upper lip, and never show signs of humanity or personality.

In my humble opinion, that was always a rather crappy idea. It’s why we started to distrust so many companies. As organizations become less human, they tend to “give a shit” less about what they do, and people often mirror this attitude. Part of why I don’t care about GE is that I don’t know any people there, nor can I identify with them. To me they’re just a machine. (This probably isn’t the case, but it is how I feel.)

Most people want to work with other humans. (I know that I certainly do.) So, we choose to “call them as we see them”. Sometimes this comes off as abrupt, and perhaps could be argued to be reckless. The fact is; I’m no “figurehead”. I’m just a person who’s a partner in a small company, and this company is largely just an idea. I find that this is a really important distinction: Corporations aren’t somehow special. The corporation is simply a construct that we subscribe to. There’s no reason that it needs to be protected or sheltered. At its best, it should be a representation of the people within it.

Our company is tiny, so perhaps that’s why I’m less concerned about saying what we think. That being said, if we do ever grow, I’d hope that our principles aren’t compromised in the process.

Cheers!

Eric

As for Howard… I only wish I had that hair. ;-)

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:34:28 +0000

Thanks for the plug. I say fair enough if you're aware of what you're doing--it just struck me that, as a figurehead of a company, it could be percieved as somewhat reckless to risk "ruffling feathers" unneccessarily.
Different of course if you're Howard Stern.

By: Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:47:45 +0000

Hi Adrian,

Good to hear from you--it’s a nice surprise to learn that you read the posts. (I’ve always enjoyed the spirited debate we’ve had over the years, but worried that you found this off-putting.)

You’re right; my post wasn’t “gentlemanly” but I feel that’s largely beside the point.

I wasn’t angry with these people for a lack of sensitivity. Instead, I was calling them out for unethical behavior. Doing so in a different fashion may have been nicer, but not nearly as effective. This approach both sent a clear message to the people at Orca while spurring an overdue discussion regarding PR related spam.

You likely know this better than anyone: social graces are largely foreign to me. My interest is in ideas, truth and integrity (even when it’s inconvenient). I may seem uncouth at times, but this doesn’t concern me. In today’s climate we’re bombarded with disingenuous messages. I’m interested in cutting through them, even if I ruffle a couple of feathers. ;-)

Thanks for dropping by!

Eric

BTW - For other readers of the blog, I’d encourage you to visit Adrian’s site and see his work: http://www.adrianlivesley.com. Adrian and I were good friends who chose rather different paths. I’m always interested to learn what he’s up to.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 03:00:03 +0000

The original post was amusing, but a gentleman would have omited any references to real people (not just for manner's sake, but to avoid any possibility of litigation), and perhaps the word "idiot" altogether.

Here's the rub: you seem to be angry about Orca Communication's lack of "sensitivity" while exhibiting none of your own.

By: Brett

Brett — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 05:26:12 +0000

Any request that includes "high-tech," "revolutionary," "breakthrough" and "all the rage" should immediately be dumped into spam. Like a 90's version of spam, where words like that belong.

By: yani

yani — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 07:50:04 +0000

Great article, made even better with comments.

By: shanti

shanti — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:40:50 +0000

I agree with David in regards to how the medium shape the message. And to reaffirm what's been said in previous comments, it comes down to caring. Make sure you understand the nature of the medium first before you start using it so you can avoid such blunders that might end up costing you more than doing any good. A translation of your traditional business practises is necessary. The way you say it is as important as how you say it.

By: David Sherwin

David Sherwin — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:02:06 +0000

These last few posts made me think about how no one has referenced how the very act of using social media has created an illusion of familiarity among PR and marketing professionals with the public at large, i.e. bloggers. Wrong. Social media is mediated. It's an illusion of person-hood. It's not direct communication, even in the kind of conversation evidenced here. The medium is shaping the message. It's mildly personal.

What I love about Eric's post is that a mere typo elevated a spammy corporate attempt at catching someone's interest for a few seconds and perhaps getting some mindshare into a real exploration into how much traditional PR and marketing firms just don't understand how to pierce the mass-media veil and get personal. Don't think of bloggers as "press outlets" or "influencers" or anything that you can put between quote marks. Even if we're taking an editorial approach towards our writing -- which we should, because otherwise we wouldn't ever find an audience -- we're still human beings that are way more complex than these words here on the page, and not beholden to the rules that a journalist or a tried-and-true publication may need to follow.

I guess it just boils down to: Be human. Pay attention. Don't contact me unless I want to be contacted, so ask me first. And don't assume that you know me based on what you see here. Just because someone writes a blog post about how much they love, say, dark chocolate, doesn't mean you should start spamming them about the latest and greatest in dark chocolate truffles. Or design software. Or social media.

By: Hans Saefkow

Hans Saefkow — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:52:29 +0000

Sad truth is that, while this practice is annoying, everyone who read the blog is now on a first name basis with the president of Orca Communications and, whether you like it or not, Orca Communications is on the radar, which makes this kind of activity continue...
In addition, if the negative response to lazy marketing were as strong as we'd like to believe, it wouldn't be happening. This might not be the greatest tool and it's arguable that it MAY result in some blowback for the client, but now that the seed of Veeple and Orca Communications is planted, and once we get over our initial annoyance, if we see either referenced elsewhere, we're already partway 'on-board' -Unless you now have a visceral allergic reaction like Eric had -In which case, you may have convulsions anytime you hear either name!

By the way, I feel like I know the folks at Smashlab, and would like to invite you to check out my great new si....

Nevermind