Category Archives: Uncategorized

April 2, 2013 · 8:21 AM

Does Technology Serve You?

I would like to sincerely and publicly thank the men and women who volunteer to run the poling stations in our fair city, especially the one where I’ve voted for the past 14 years. Two and sometimes three times each year, they leave their warm beds to head for the church so that I can exercise my sometimes misguided right to vote. So, thank you.

This year, however, our beloved volunteers had a new challenge…an iPad-based electronic voter registration list that scans the bar code on your driver’s license to find your name in the registry. No longer will the volunteers have to struggle with the old cumbersome binders full of women (and men) to find the registered voter! It’s all electronic now.

Unless the name on your driver’s license is William and you’re registered to vote as Bill.

Now, I personally wasn’t in any particular hurry, and didn’t suffer any inconvenience (they did find my name reasonably quickly), but I did ask myself while watching the volunteers fumble with the iPad whether this was truly a better solution.

Oddly, this is the second time in two days where technology has been a hindrance rather than a help.

Yesterday, my better half suggested that I get reservations lined up for Mother’s Day, and forwarded an e-mail she’d received from one of her favorite restaurants, offering to make said reservations at the click of a link.

Being the world’s greatest husband, I clicked through, only to find that not only could I not get a table for 15 at 11:30, or for the two-hour window before or after 11:30, but there were no open reservations within 30 days of May 12. WTF?

“This can’t be right,” I thought. And it wasn’t. A five-minute telephone call to the restaurant netted a reservation for 15 at 11:15.

Technology is a wonderful thing. It can speed your day, organize your life, enable you to connect with long-lost friends and family, and access the world’s collective knowledge at the click of a button.

But how are you using technology to make the human experience more convenient, enjoyable, productive, joyful?

Sometimes I wonder who serves whom.

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March 1, 2013 · 11:30 AM

Is There No Such Thing as Bad Publicity?

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I am a huge fan of Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay. In all the world, only my brother Evan can make me laugh louder or harder. But his column today on the gawd-awful new basketball uniforms adidas has created for my beloved Jayhawks and other unfortuate D1 programs has me wondering if there really is “no such thing as bad publicity.” As a PR pro, I’ve long counseled clients to err on the side of caution when seeking attention.

“Better to keep silent and be thought a fool, than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.”

– Mark Twain

But lately I’m not so sure. As Gay points out in his column, by talking about adidas’ hideous new designs, he is in fact, achieving the publicity goals aiddas had in mind. Even if everyone and his brother (including mine) is ripping the new uniforms, we’re all talking about them.

And maybe that’s where we are as a society in the year 2013. Perhaps Oscar Wilde was right:

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

In an age where Honey Boo Boo, Duck Dynasty, the Kardashians, etc. are rich and famous and I scuffle along, perhaps I’m the outlier.

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May 4, 2012 · 7:06 AM

Don’t Forget to Think When Crisis Strikes

Rick Amme has an excellent piece in yesterday’s Ragan.com newsletter that I recommend highly.

In “[Nine] Popular Crisis Responses that Don’t Always Work,” Amme correctly points out 1) just because you are aware of the crisis doesn’t mean the rest of the world is aware (or necessarily cares), and 2) it’s more important to think than to speak.

As Hall of Fame Coach John Wooden would say, “be quick, but don’t hurry.”

Marketers and business owners take their brand reputations very seriously. This is a good thing, but it often impairs one’s thinking when bad things happen.

As human beings, we are acutely aware of any threat to our safety and/or brand integrity, and the urge to respond quickly and forcefully to threats is embedded deeply in our DNA.

Amme urges us not to allow our flight-or-fight instincts to rule our actions.

Over the years, crisis counselors have urged clients to “tell the truth, tell it all, tell it quickly,” which often results in an overblown response that only draws more attention to the situation than it would have received otherwise.

Before you release the hounds, consider the size and scope of the problem, and respond accordingly. Amme correctly points out that doing nothing is sometimes the best course of action.

My favorite piece of advice from Amme is an area that I especially enjoy when handling a crisis (if it’s possible to “enjoy” a crisis):

“Have great talking points.” You should first develop answers to the worst-case questions people will likely ask, if time permits. Yes, talking points give important focus to comments, but your credibility rests on your ability to answer tough, legitimate questions.

He couldn’t be more right. Spokespersons are so wrapped up in what they’re going to say that they forget that there will come a time for Q&A, and it’s likely someone will throw out a question from left field.

What you say is important, but what the public (via the news media or directly through social channels) wants—and feels they have a right—to know.

Your crisis plan is important and everyone should have one, but it’s even more important to have sound thinkers working the plan when you’re in a jam.

Smart thinking beats quick action every time.

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February 15, 2012 · 10:02 AM

Privacy, Weblining and a Government That Knows Best

I was amused by Scott Canon’s article in yesterday’s edition of The Kansas City Star on his ever-growing dependency on all things Google and concerns about privacy issues. One notable quote:

“I’ve long understood that I have been engaged in a digital disrobing that reveals my digital self click by click, and byte by byte. I dropped almost all my veils, eagerly, in full view of the computer mind of a multinational corporation. It’s just that living in a Google world is so easy.”

Canon’s point is delivered tongue-in-cheek, but raises a broader and more serious concern, expressed on Sunday by  Chicago-Kent School of Law Professor Lori Andrews in her New York Times essay, “Facebook is Using You.”

“Material mined online has been used against people battling for child custody or defending themselves in criminal cases. LexisNexis has a product called Accurint for Law Enforcement, which gives government agents information about what people do on social networks. The Internal Revenue Service searches Facebook and MySpace for evidence of tax evaders’ income and whereabouts, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has been known to scrutinize photos and posts to confirm family relationships or weed out sham marriages. Employers sometimes decide whether to hire people based on their online profiles, with one study indicating that 70 percent of recruiters and human resource professionals in the United States have rejected candidates based on data found online. A company called Spokeo gathers online data for employers, the public and anyone else who wants it. The company even posts ads urging ‘HR Recruiters — Click Here Now!’ and asking women to submit their boyfriends’ e-mail addresses for an analysis of their online photos and activities to learn ‘Is He Cheating on You?’”

It’s not all bad, of course. As Jeffrey S. Trachtman points out in this response to Ms. Andrews’ piece, oftentimes, a site’s ability to deliver advertising offers that directly benefit both the site and the user, represents a win-win and is a positive outcome of data aggregation.

But the issue becomes more sinister when data are used to discriminate. More from Andrews:

“Now the map used in redlining is not a geographic map, but the map of your travels across the Web. The term Weblining describes the practice of denying people opportunities based on their digital selves. You might be refused health insurance based on a Google search you did about a medical condition. You might be shown a credit card with a lower credit limit, not because of your credit history, but because of your race, sex or ZIP code or the types of Web sites you visit.”

The key for me is the term “Weblining,” which could become a convenient excuse for greater government regulation of online sales and marketing practices. How many disgruntled consumers will it take before someone makes it his personal mission to ensure that no one is discriminated against due to his or her Web-surfing habits?

Where does efficient direct marketing end and Weblining begin? And is Weblining inherently a bad thing?

Stay tuned, sports fans. This is only the beginning.

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January 30, 2012 · 10:58 AM

The Trouble With Kids Today

Does when you were born affect the way you feel about brands?

And do recent economic and demographic trends have an impact on communications crises?

I don’t know the answers to these questions, but a recent article got me to thinking about how expectations, recessions, social media and spare time can impact business today.

Rebecca Lindland has a thoughtful piece in Forbes this week about the youth of America, and how generational differences are cropping up in the form of American Idol contestants. Lindland cites research from DYG Research and IHS Consumer Markets on Gen Y (born between 1978 and 1987) and those born in 1988 and after, as two distinct groups:

“Generation Y isn’t what conventional wisdom and demographers alike first thought: it isn’t one big giant mass of 80 million kids. Instead, it is two very different, very unique cohorts—Generation Y and what I call Generation Green—both about the same size but growing up in very different environs.

Currently 24-35 years old, [Generation Y contestants] were brash and self-possessed in their youth, and American Idol provided the ultimate stage, inviting these kids to display their talent in the public eye. Social media was still relatively young, and YouTube wasn’t around yet. It appealed to the sharpest expressions of this young cohort – self-absorbed, obsessed with fun, and chock full of self-confidence (DYG). This was their own personal platform – and they could bring their equally fascinating, blindly (deafly?) supportive helicopter parents along for the ride to riches.

Generation Green, born after 1988 and currently 24 or younger, is the first generation to grow up with hybrid AND electric cars from mainstream brands (Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt, and Nissan Leaf) as part of their buying options, and they recycle religiously…Long before the Occupy movement, DYG research predicted these kids would take ‘part in a demonstration, rally or protest to promote a social or political cause’.”

Combined, the two generations comprise 80 million Americans, roughly a quarter of the population, are the biggest users of social media, and are hardest hit by the recession.

On the one hand, there are 40 million Americans who were raised in a boom economy, whose self-esteem was valued to the point of absurdity (“everybody gets a ribbon!”), who experienced impressive personal and financial success in their early 20s, and whose expectations are perhaps a bit unrealistic.

On the other, 40 million Americans who’ve seen the darker realities of our economy yet retain a Utopian vision for the world.

Add to this mix a boatload of social media savvy and the popularly held belief that their plight is due to the greed and misbehavior of the fortunate few, and you have a recipe for trouble.

Last week’s #McFail may be an example. For those who missed it, as part of its strategy to promote relationships with family farmers and other “good guy” suppliers, McDonald’s launched a Twitter campaign using the hashtag #McDStories. Perhaps predictably, the hashtag elicited all manner of deliciously evil anecdotes, and the Golden Arches quickly killed the campaign.

Domino’s Pizza employees posting YouTube videos of themselves doing yucky things with people’s food could be another. (The two employees charged with crimes were aged 31 and 32, respectively, making them members of Gen Y.)

One could even make a case for the Occupy movement (although these groups count members from all walks of life and age groups) being a natural consequence of these forces. (One could make the same case for the Tea Party movement by viewing the opposite side of this same coin.)

Even if your company’s social justice policies are otherwise beyond reproach, if your corporate commissary dispenses coffee that was picked by child laborers and sold at below-fair-market prices, be prepared to hear about it. The first attack will come via social media, then the MSM, and then social media again as the “news” gets picked up and amplified.

For the record, I’m a member of Generation X, the group that brought you manky flannel, grunge music and Monica Lewinsky…so my peers and I are not without blame. And who knows what we would have done during the 1990-93 recession had we had access to social media.

Crises come from all angles, are perpetrated by all manner of people and recent events could simply be a reflection of the times.

Or, this could be the new normal.

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October 28, 2011 · 1:24 PM

The Buck Pauses Here Briefly

Pat Lencioni made my day with an article posted on Bloomberg BusinessWeek entitled, “Humble Yourself at Work,” which reminds all business leaders that none of us is good as he thinks he is, and that in order for companies to perform at a higher level, top execs must begin all evaluations with a good long look in the mirror.

Lencioni, founder and president of a consultancy called the Table Group is a father of four apparently energetic boys, who most frequently learns humility in his own home. (As the father of a four-and-a-half-year-old daughter, I can relate.)

His key point is that it’s easier for business leaders to gripe about what their reports are not doing right than it is to set and enforce standards for employee conduct:

“[I]n most organizations, the biggest problems arise not because leaders are actively promoting the wrong behavior, but rather because they’re passively doing so by allowing people to get away with such behavior with impunity. The most common reason that leaders commit sins of omission is that they just don’t feel comfortable confronting people about what they are or are not doing. Instead, they look the other way and hope the problem goes away.”

Over time, everything goes straight to heck while corporate leaders sit isolated in their corner offices complaining.

It’s akin to turning on the bathwater, heading downstairs and expecting that everything will run smoothly at bath time. After all, what could go wrong?

Managing is tough. And humbling. Especially when you realize that you are the problem.

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October 19, 2011 · 10:30 AM

Please Accept the Mentors Challenge on Nov. 1

Howard McConnell never got rich and he never was famous.

In his work boots he stood a mere 5-7, but he will always be a giant to me.

He loved to sing and he loved the great outdoors. He loved Jane, his wife of 39 years.

He was not afraid of hard work and earned a living working with his hands. He was a great husband and caring father to his sons, Danny, Doug and Shawn.

He also was a second father to me and dozens of other young men as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 393.

He taught me how to build a fire and how to respect and handle a 30.06 rifle. He woke up early to count my laps when I completed the mile swim. And he proudly presented me with my Eagle Scout award in 1984.

Mr. McConnell, who passed away at the age of 61 in 1998, is one of the hundreds of mentors who will be honored on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at the first-ever Mentors Challenge, a benefit for High Aspirations, presented by J.E. Dunn Construction.

The event is free of charge, but we ask that guests make a tax deductible contribution to High Aspirations in honor of the person or persons who helped you achieve success in life.

Space is limited, so please reserve your spot now by clicking HERE.

Thank you for supporting High Aspirations, a Kansas City, Mo.-based mentoring program serving the social, emotional, academic and spiritual needs of African American males ages 8 to 18. For more information, visit www.highaspirationskc.org.

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April 13, 2011 · 8:14 AM

#Gallup Poll: Americans a Bunch of Whiners

Okay, Gallup did not really call us a bunch of whiners; that’s my label, and here’s why:

According to the latest poll, Americans collectively believe that lobbyists, major corporations, banks and financial institutions, the federal government, labor unions, state governments and the courts, legal system and judges all have “too much power.”

Our citizens would love to have it both ways. If lobbyists, corporations and the banks have too much power, the solution seemingly would be more government regulation—only we believe the government has too much power, too.

Hmmm…if only there were a way for the average American to express his views and change how our country works…

According to Dr. Michael McDonald of George Mason University, 41.6 percent of the voting eligible population (VEP) actually voted in the 2010 elections. Minnesota led the nation with a 55.9 percent turnout (apparently there were no hockey games scheduled last November 2), while the District of Columbia came in DFL at 28.9 percent.

Way to exercise your rights, America!

I guess it’s a lot easier to kvetch than it is to vote. So shut up, already. We have the country we deserve.

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March 23, 2011 · 11:37 AM

#GrantHill Nails Another Shot

It’s NCAA tournament time again and my beloved Jayhawks are two steps closer to Houston.

As I age, I am able to leave many of my old tournament superstitions behind, such as not bathing until the team has been eliminated, not watching basketball games in a place of public accommodation, only listening to the radio play-by-play, etc.

And for that, those who live in close proximity to me can be grateful.

I’ve just returned from the home of my in-laws in Lexington, Ky., where people have more than a passing interest in college basketball. Not only that, but my father-in-law, sister-in-law and wife all are graduates of Duke.

I’ve learned to be quite the diplomat this time of year.

In any event, my family arrived in Kentucky the day after Grant Hill responded to statements made by Jalen Rose in the ESPN film, “The Fab Five,” in which he referred to Duke’s black players at “Uncle Toms.”

Mr. Hill, a fantastic player and (in my opinion) a true gentleman, issued a response that was reported in sound bite form by media across the country.

Today, I stumbled across the text of his complete response.

If you have a few minutes to spare, please check it out. I wish all of our conversations on race could be so eloquent.

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February 3, 2011 · 10:32 AM

Is CEO Always Synonymous with SOB?

Outstanding piece by Jay Goltz in yesterday’s New York Times.

The author, who owns five small businesses in the Chicago area, relates a story from a friend, whose young son was ridiculed by classmates after he told them his father was a CEO.

From a branding perspective, it’s curious to note that widely reported corporate malfeasance and generally bad behavior by a few CEOs (Lay, Ebbers, Kozlowski, et al.) has tainted the CEO “brand” in the eyes of the public.

Goltz stresses that there are two kinds of CEOs—those who lead large corporations and those who run small businesses. He uses the analogy of the chicken and the pig when it comes to breakfast time—the chicken is involved; the pig is committed.

Goltz observes that most small business CEOs don’t receive golden parachutes when they fail. Many lose their homes and their savings. Some lose their families. Some take their own lives.

My favorite statistics: 80 percent of the businesses and two-thirds of the jobs in this country are created by small businesses.

Too often, the small business owner is lumped in with the big business bosses when government leaders and the news media talk about “the rich” or “corporate America.” But most of us are just regular guys and gals trying to make a living doing what we do.

Along the way, we create the jobs and generate the tax dollars (generally without any assistance from the government) that make this country run. And some of our small businesses grow to be major corporations.

“There are two kinds of CEOs,” says Goltz. I’m thankful for the reminder.

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