Its the little things that count

Yesterday I was blown away by a very often recommended and more often than not unused business practice. The personal touch. The handwritten note. Just a month ago at an American Marketing Association meeting, the handwritten note's virtues were extolled. Here is a wonderful example of it in action.

I live in Atlanta and on Wednesday, bought flowers from a tiny local florist in Brooklyn Hts., Ohio for a local family, I had never used them long distance before. I grew up with the florist in the neighborhood, and I know that they in fact work out of their basement. On Thursday, I received in the mail from this tiny florist in an Ohio suburb a handwritten note thanking me for my business, my receipt, a promotional magnet and a "menu" of services. I couldn't believe it. I can't remember the last time a service or product I have spent considerably more money on than the flowers has ever done this. And it impressed me. With that kind of personal attention, it is no wonder they have been in business for over 15 years.

On occasion I would use online flower services for my various long-distance flower needs in Ohio, but no more! I will stick with the little business that showed me they cared...or at least has a really good idea about what communications can do for them!

War of Words

Slate this week weighs in on the Bush administration's attempt to change its name for the "global war on terrorism" to the "global struggle against violent extremism."

Cynicism aside -- and cynicism seems a pretty reasonable response -- the White House's choice of words also seems a little odd.

After all, "war," conducted justly, can have a noble end. It was war that liberated Europe from the Nazis. But my dictionary defines "struggle" as "strife," or "violent exertion." It's not exactly a hopeful term, is it?

Meanwhile, "extremism" seems an odd thing for GOP wordsmiths to struggle against. After all, it was Barry Goldwater, father of the modern conservative movement, who proclaimed, "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice."

When your medium goes bad...naughty radio

I used to listen to this one radio station alot. But honestly it has gotten so trite, nasty and just plain repulsive in the mornings that I had stopped and switched over to more "ear-friendly" radio.

This morning I switched back and promptly heard the announcers give away the ending to the new Harry Potter Book...with glee...referring to the readers of the books as "retards." Now I don't read this series, but its success seems to be a huge positive thing for americans young and old. I am pro anything that encourages reading in our TV fried soceity. But this experience made me wonder how something like this will effect the advertisers on this station. If at all. It's not swearing or porn that was leaked, but a well-loved positive book ending. The station's audience is varied, maybe a little on the "wild" side, but still.

I find it interesting that this offended me more than some of the seriously questionable material and pranks played on the station...I guess the main question is: does anyone care anymore? Are the audiences dead to the messages behind the products? Do advertisers to a wild audience or any really, pull their endorsements anymore? Seems like sports and celebrity folks can be drug addicts and murders and still sell shoes and clothes. Politicians break laws and get re-elected. Drug companies lie and endanger patients lives, but still sell billions of dollars in hope and solace through other products. Is the day of the product/person/service with a conscience gone? Should I just sigh, shake my head and take it as the bitter truth?

Birth of a hospital

It's a very cool thing when you see your work have an impact.

Three years ago, we won an award for one of the country's 10 best publicity campaigns, for our work supporting DeKalb Medical Center's regulatory fight to build a new hospital in south DeKalb County.

This week, the hospital opened.

Congrats to our friends at DeKalb. (And we enjoyed the party.)

(Photo: Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

We interrupt this sentence...

For those of you who didn't feel quite slimy enough reading about Michael Jackson, a new innovation: in-story advertising.

The Bayou Buzz, out of Louisiana, apparently sells sponsorships by the word. For example, check this piece on Jacko and point to the underlined word "law." Voila. You can get your own law degree, presumably to help M.J. beat the rap next time.

Ewwww.

Hi there.

And welcome.

We'll resist the temptation to pontificate at length on the brave new world of blogs that we hereby stick our agency toe into today, and how it's going to change the face of communications forever, blah blah blog.

Instead, we'll just say, check this space once in a while. We're PR people, and as such, we pretty much like to talk about PR. And the media. And perceptions. And communications. And funny stuff we found someplace.

And that's what we'll do here. Join in.