Mid-Life Crises Part 1

I've decided to transform this blog into a personal one.

So, when do you finally admit that you've entered the "mid-life crises". Well, for me, I'd say it is here now.

In the past few years, my life has been truly transformed. Its been a real taffy puller. But then again, my entire adulthood has been that way. But we'll save that looooong story for another time.

Proof that I have reached the MLC... Just won this sweet motorcycle in an eBay auction.


That's my 1973 Honda CB 500 (shot taken by seller in Florence AL, courtesy of eBay).

She is just 3 years my junior. Like me, she's got a few rusty bolts and doesn't quite look as good as she used to. But then, she's "vintage" and "classic". I guess I am too.

On Tuesday, Jan 5 Ruel - a trucker and father of 14 who sounded just like Mater from the movie Cars - rolled up to the corner with her in tow.

I tore out the house and helped to unload her. Carefully easing off the brake as she came down the ladder.

I tried to start her, but the petcock had been turned off for transport. I didn't know it at the time and was really disappointed pushing her up the street.

Coal, coal, coal.

The Center Stand spring is missing. The CS just drags below her belly. One ribbed-for-her-pleasure fork seal cover is cracked. There's spots of rust here and there.

And the worst part, she's not running. Ugh!

As I'm about to leave for work, I realize the fuel petcock is switched to 'off' (V8 moment).

I'd have to wait till I came home in the dark 40 degree night to get her to run (and boy did she run rough).

That cooooold Florida night was too flippin cold to tinker. I got her to start, and that is a good sign.

But I'd have to leave her sit until Friday, when we had a bit of a break in the weather.

I got home really early Friday and went outside to fiddle.

She started and stayed running for a little bit with the throttle lightly open.

I figured its the points or the carbs or some fuel issue. Now, where's the screw to adjust idle?

The rubber is really good. The chrome is mostly excellent. The tank and side covers look new. Sitting on her, she feels very comfortable... well-sized for me.

The kids come back time and again to sit on her. Its soo cute.

Neighbor, Sean comes over to tell me he 'saw his dream bike unloaded this morning' He looked at her from all angles and we chatted about his memories. His buddy in High School had one just like it, etc.

It was cool to see his reaction. Reckon she is going to be a bit of a conversation piece.

Later, Neil came by with Hamlet and the helmet. Hamlet the Bulldog was a hit with the kids and Neil seemed pretty psyched about the bike too.

So, clearly she can still impress. Got a few wrinkles, but still a hottie like Michelle Pfieffer.


Well, I'm going to maybe start blogging about my quest to ride and transform my '73 CB500!

Maybe a little about my MLC. Maybe I'll even blog about other parts of my life in too.

This will be the random journal experiment... ready... set...

Go

The Moment That I Realized It

As you may know, a number of months back I wrote a guest blog for the popular website Performancing.com.

One article I wrote was about a pillar of electronic PR... what we call "relevance". Which loosely means that your message connects with the largest possible segment of the media's audience.
Its a gross oversimplification but we can talk about it another time.

Anyway, after Reading through some of the user comments on this article, it dawned on me ... that what I have been so successful at for all of these years in the broadcast news industry relies on the very same principle of "relevance" as does search engine marketing.

Applying this concept into the Google AdWords realm has enabled our firm to run pay per click campaigns with phenomenal results. This morning, for example, as I checked on our campaigns, I noted that one particular key phrase in an active campaign for a nutrition company has a click through rate of 50 percent!

Never did we expect that kind of response. The response has been so strong that we typically reach our daily spending limits usually before 10AM.

Proving that whether the media is old or new, Relevance remains the key to effective marketing communication.

Good Publicity vs. Bad Publicity (Guess Which Wins)

Happy New Year! The first lesson of 2008 is to remember old lessons. Recently, we were hired by an agency working for the big music industry trade group to distribute and promote what really amounted to a PSA. Tips on how consumers can spot and avoid buying counterfeit cd’s.

Media receptivity was unusually warm, but the story fell flat. We’ve seen just 3 airings to date on local market broadcast outlets.

We “leaked” the video online to LiveLeak (http://tinyurl.com/27uqza) and generated some great coverage on top blogs, including www.arstechnica.com and www.consumerist.com for the client.

But we consider the campaign a failure. (Can’t win them all)

Now, compare this to the coverage the client got for filing suit against an individual who ripped songs from cd’s he bought. In less than one week, we have seen over 150 airings.

Why?

It’s anyone’s guess. My opinion is that the media loves to do negative, damning stories wherever possible, and in this case, the client is an easy target.

When they try to educate people, rather than sue, they get no love from the media. They sue and it’s all over the news.

Go figure.

Little Air for the Music Industry

One week ago, we distributed the video package for that (in)famous music industry trade group and to date, we've seen only two broadcasts. One in Dallas and one in Miami.

We're all scratching our heads a bit.

After two passes on the phones, thousands of emails and faxes to our newsroom contacts, the story was definitely on the media's radar. Awareness was high. And many stations I personally spoke with seemed genuinely interested in the story.

But here we sit with a meager audience of 118,689 viewers.

What happened?

We've asked our client to see the video. That may shed some light on the lack of air.

Heck, for all we know, the video may be an industry spokesperson - all Guy Smiley - extolling the virtues of suing college kids to protect the meager royalties of helpless artists.

Its not uncommon for us to distribute and pitch a story we have not seen ourselves. And sometimes the stories don't meet our expectations.

If and when we get the link from the client, we'll post it here and share it with all of you.

I hate to admit "failures" and the jury is still out on this story for sure. But this blog is supposed to give you an insight into what we do here at the fake news factory.

Knowing what doesn't work is just as important as knowing what does work.

Like Edison is reported to have said after failure after failure in developing the light bulb... "now I know 99 ways NOT to make a light bulb".

More to come.

Happy holidays.

When Up Turns to Down, Topsy Turvey Broadcast PR

The gremlins were having a field day today!

We walk in and find that our campaign for that Music Industry Trade Group has not had any additional pickup. Just two TV newsrooms - one in Dallas and one in Miami - have run our story.

Shocking... considering how a major network and World' s biggest non-profit goup of journos were salivating over our pitch.

So, we had to get to the bottom of it and we did.

Turns out our production partner made a mistake in the ftp of the content to Pathfire and the rest is history. The engineer was flogged, as he should have been.

But what's done is done. We're going out again tomorrow with phones a blazing...

with holiday cheer from the second most hated corporate entity in America today!

Working for the Empire

Well, hi there...

Hope you're having a good holiday season so far.

I am getting way behind on my shopping because I have been busy working for "The Empire"... Yes, my team and I have been busy working for a certain Music Industry trade group best known for suing college students and as it has been rumored, beating baby seals with old phonographs.

You know who I'm talking about.

The client wanted us to "remind" consumers that they should buy legal music this holiday, rather than pirate it.

And what better way to deliver that reminder than to provide TV newsrooms exclusive footage of a law enforcement raid on CD counterfeiters?

Today, it felt great to do what I do for living....

Not because I agree with how my client goes about protecting their property... no... I feel this way because the media received our story very, very warmly.

I personally spoke with News Assignement Editors in the 15 biggest cities in our great nation. I heard comments like "This is just the type of story we love" and"What a great story".

Sure, there was a station or two who "could not accept a VNR", but for the most part, it was shooting ducks in a barrel.

Today was a good day.

Even the World's most respected name in journalism gobbled up the story, taking our satellite feed coordinates from me over the phone and asking us to courier a tape to their Washington Bureau.

People, this is how media works in our great nation. Like most media outlets, TV Newsrooms are owned by for-profit public companies. They have been airing "fake news" since the mid-1970's and they will continue to do so.

You can despise it, stick your head in the sand or embrace it.

I have opted for door #3.

But baby, it is here to stay.

I'll prove it by sharing details on the media coverage our work generates.

And before I go off into the night (its almost 9), I want to quickly revisit what's happened with our client, the silver-based treatment for Molluscum skin infection...

As you all know, on November 20th, we fed the story of my son, who at 5 years old, contracted the disease.

Readers, its 3 weeks later and not a single news story has aired. I am truly disappointed that our nation's health producers would rather let more small children go through the trauma of Cryotherapy then tell their viewers about a treatment that actually works and while not specfically "FDA approved" is well within FDA guidelines and is based on good science.

We will keep pushing for this story to make the air across the country. I'm on a mission.

Until next time,

- The MEDIAHITMAN

The Next Step Forms New Syndication Partnership

The Next Step Forms New Syndication Partnership