Posted by Rahna on July 31, 2008 under Uncategorized | 
I am just finishing reading The Mary Kay Way by Mary Kay Ash. I like to read, especially books about the titans of American Business. Mary Kay Ash was one of America’s premier women entrepreneurs and this book, originally released in 1984, has been re-released in the celebration of the company’s 45th Anniversary. Â
In the book, she discusses timeless principles from leadership that are good for everyone to remember. Here are a few things that stood out to me:Â
1.   Golden Rule Leadership Mary Kay is certainly well-known for running her business in a manner that ensures you should treat other people the way you would want to be treated.Â
2.   People are the lifeline of your business.She understood that her independent sales force was the reason that the company did well.  She treated them well, compensated them for a job well done and provided lots of incentives that rewarded excellence.Â
3.   The invisible sign.She felt that everyone has an invisible sign hanging from her/his neck saying, “Make me feel important.†The world would be a lot better place if everybody remembered that. Â
4.   Praise people to success. Talking about the good that everyone has done and encouraging ways for them to adjust unproductive behavior is much more powerful than berating and belittling people. “Recognition is one of the most powerful of all motivating techniques,†she said. Â
5.   Enthusiasm moves mountains. As a passionate marketer, this one spoke to me. Â
6.   Nothing happens until somebody sells something. This is a critical piece for everyone to understand. Â
I highly recommend the book and hope you get a lot of good out of it, too.Â
Posted by Rahna on July 28, 2008 under Media |
A client of mine, Poise, Polish and Panache had just had an article published in the local Whittier Daily News. This start-up company provides etiquette training and is just getting established in the community. Â
1.   Congratulations! It is very exciting to be published in the newspaper and marks a great milestone in your company’s growth.
2.   To all others reading this blog, don’t underestimate the power of PR. My client has already gotten several calls as a result of this exposure.
3.   Plan your PR interactions. My client and I knew in advance that a reporter would be coming to her talk so we prepared for the interview in order to maximize the opportunity. Here is a summary of what we discussed:Â
·        Understand what the reporter wants to get out of the interview. Ask questions about what kind of story, what kind of background information they will be needing, anything that can help you understand the objective of the story. Remember, reporters want to tell stories…interesting stories that capture the minds and hearts of its readers
·        Understand what you want to get out of the interview. Public Relations builds exposure for you and your business. Have three succinct messages that you would like to convey and be ready to communicate them.
·        Make the reporter’s job easier. Have a packet of materials with as many facts, figures, pictures, etc. as you can to help make the reporter’s job easier. This will smooth the way and ensure a good working relationship with the media.
·        Stay in control of the interview. Even if the line of questioning goes in a different direction, there are ways that you can conversationally get in the points that you want to make. Think about all the possible angles.
·        Remember that you are always “on record.†Everything you say is fair game to the reporter, so make sure you are buttoned up (see the next point to ensure this!)
·        Practice, practice, practice. You can never be too prepared for a media interview. Â
Again, congratulations to Poise, Polish and Panache, a company on its way to teaching tons of people proper etiquette, to gain more confidence in social settings and advance their careers as quickly as possible. See full article here: http://www.whittierdailynews.com/education/ci_10017835?source=email
Posted by Rahna on July 24, 2008 under Strategy |
A friend of mine who is a copywriter sent me an email with the subject line “No Wonder We are Cranky†with a link to a YouTube video. Anyone who has ever developed creative—an idea, an advertisement, copy for a brochure, a visual depiction of a process—has lived through this process.Â
The video shows someone trying to develop creative, based on client specifications, consumer input, senior management desires and a whole host of other constraints that result in a creative mess. Â
This should remind us not to over-think our communications. Clear, simple, communications should be the goal. In the age of over-segmented, super-researched, trying-to-please-all-people communications, remember the KISS principle that you heard about first in grade school: Keep It Simple Stupid.Â
It doesn’t matter whether you are on the client side or the agency side, you will relate to this video. For a little lighthearted humor, check out the video HERE:
Posted by Rahna on July 10, 2008 under Consumer Engagement |
I saw a billboard in Times Square the other day that was advertising the television series Gossip Girls. It pictured a couple making out, and the headline read “OMFG.†My reaction to it was strange: on the one hand, it was clearly aimed at the 18- to 30-year-old crowd. I give them kudos for understanding their target audience and speaking their target audience’s language. It’s a good lesson to remember that, now in the midst of multicultural/diversity communications, we now need to speak the language of the various generations. It’s just another language to learn.  Â
But on the other hand, I was disappointed in the agency that developed the ad and the brand manager that approved the ad. My reaction was, “Okay, so now, this is the way that we get around standards? Is it okay to swear in headlines, as long as we don’t actually say the words?â€Â Â
I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but it just didn’t seem right.
