{"id":28141,"date":"2011-12-31T03:13:54","date_gmt":"2011-12-31T03:13:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28141"},"modified":"2011-12-31T03:15:52","modified_gmt":"2011-12-31T03:15:52","slug":"holiday-shows-the-internet-publicists-lethal-mixture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/holiday-shows-the-internet-publicists-lethal-mixture\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday + Shows + The Internet + Publicists = lethal mixture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                             google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h6><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.markencom.com\/index.htm', 'Marken Communications']);\" ><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">Marken Communications<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the opinions expressed are solely those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and the <strong>opinions of the rest of the ABT staff.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"><span style=\"color: #00ccff;\"> \u2013Mark Poppin,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #00ccff;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h6>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"center\"><strong>Holidays Shows<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For a whole bunch of publicists, the holidays \u2013 Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, you name it \u2013 are the starting gun to perform, deliver for bosses and clients at what is arguably the largest trade show in the world \u2026 CES (Consumer Electronics Show).<\/p>\n<p>Here are the players:<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Client\/Boss<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>More than 3,000 companies preen themselves, get pumped up and spend a whole lotta\u2019 money to descend on Las Vegas. Their goal:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; show new products they expect\/hope will take them to the next level<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; develop a lot of buzz about the company\/products<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; at the very least, enable them to survive another year or be bought<\/p>\n<p>They work through the weekends, nights finalizing product ideas and finishing up the first run of product or polish prototypes.<\/p>\n<p>They direct their publicity folks to ensure that they get to meet with\/be interviewed by all of the \u201cbig\u201d members of the media. (Yes, Virginia despite all of the social media discussion, press people are still held in high regard.)<\/p>\n<p>They throw last- minute specifications and applications information to the publicists; and as they leave for the holidays, tell them to produce elegant releases that get their messages across loud and clear.<\/p>\n<p>They continually ask which media people will they meet with; and with a voice that questions your professionalism, relationships ask why Bill, Joan, Jane, Walt, David, Deborah aren\u2019t on the list.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Media<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This year, more than 4,000 members of the media \u2013 print, web, radio, TV \u2013 signed up to hit Las Vegas and get a first-hand view of what\u2019s hot, what\u2019s not.<\/p>\n<p>They plan to meet with senior executives of companies in their interest areas to get insight into what\u2019s new, trends, what\u2019s going on in the marketplace, what\u2019s going on this coming year.<\/p>\n<p>Most plan to cover the show \u2013 sessions, press conferences, parties, booth visits \u2013 and survive the week as best they can.<\/p>\n<p>Some like to schedule their booth visits\/company meetings to ensure the right person is there to give them the information they need and can use.<\/p>\n<p>Some schedule a few meetings and keep the rest of their time open so they can stumble across those hidden gems that come to the show with something totally unique, totally special that will knock their socks off and mark a new chapter in innovation.<\/p>\n<p>Some schedule meetings and hope to gawd they can get from one hall to another in time to keep their appointed rounds; but know in the back of their minds, it just won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n<p>Some schedule meetings with companies and PR people they know and work with regularly because it\u2019s a good time to renew face-to-face contact and strengthen the human bond.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The PR Person\/Publicist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some were just hired for the show to get the company \u2026 coverage!<\/p>\n<p>Some have spent the year working their Facebook, Twitter followers, sending out releases and occasionally talking with members of the media.<\/p>\n<p>Some have kept in contact with editors, writers, reviewers, bloggers and others on a regular basis providing information, getting them product\/information, assisting them.<\/p>\n<p>But \u2026 the holiday season is just the warm-up for the big show. They don\u2019t want to disappoint anyone!<\/p>\n<p>With registered media lists in hand (actually on their systems) the pressure begins.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Electronic Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The work to score the meetings and fill the calendar begins \u2026 sorta\u2019 like carpet bombing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-15.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28090\" title=\"Untitled-1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-15.jpg?resize=273%2C163\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>We wouldn\u2019t want to call it real 1:1 hustling because the subject of the email won\u2019t get you excited (names deleted):<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>re: please visit us booth (number)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Book Your Appointment to Experience the &#8216;ABC&#8217; @ CES 2012!<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Media Alert\/\/ Famous Person to Launch Something at CES<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Media Alert: Company at CES 2012<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Company At CES<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Register for Company Press Briefing at CES 2012<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Meet with Us Inc. at CES 2012<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Invitation: Our CES Drinks Reception @ Hotel<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Discover A New Era of Consumer Electronics at CES 2012<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Company Available for Interview at CES<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Big # opportunities for press meetings at CES with one email\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Press conference invitation: Introducing Product &#8211; World&#8217;s First <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>At CES, see, touch &amp; feel the technology that will change\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>CES Invitation from Small Company<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>PLEASE SCHEDULE: Company In-Person Interview and Demo Invitation at CES<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>CES DEMO \u2013 New Something Uses Bluetooth<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>At Las Vegas CES 2012, discover how cute productcan disrupt all of your preconceptions about social media!<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>URGENT!!!<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Yes, true warm, personalized messages that are alive, intriguing.<\/p>\n<p>Then there are Subject lines that may not excite you but the opening discussion will really grip you:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>I hope you\u2019re having a great day<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>I\u2019m sure you\u2019re getting a lot of calls for CES meetings<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>I have something really exciting you\u2019ll want to see at CES<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>I saw that you will be at CES in January and I wanted to reach out on behalf of ABC<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve received countless emails asking for CES appointments, but I was hoping you might be interested in<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Hope you are well. I was wondering whether you might be interested in scheduling a CES meeting<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8211; <em>Hello! <\/em><em>You&#8217;re probably buried in CES-related messaging and I know how difficult it is to sift through to what&#8217;s important to you<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n<p>One of our editorial friends sent us a copy of a DIY meeting invite:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Just got an email from a PR firm telling about THE most exciting thing to see at CES. It actually looked interesting so I read the whole email (something I\u2019m not famous for). At the bottom it closed with (let me rephrase that &#8211; it went for a close) \u2013 click on the url to make an appointment \u2013 no booth number, no person. <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em> I may have broken my own record for how fast I hit the delete button. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Except for the fact that our list of contacts was actually only a small subset of the registered media list (people we know and wanted to meet on specific products\/subjects) we worked hard as well to fill the schedules with meetings we hoped would be meaningful for both parties.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the email contact is efficient for both parties because the recipient can respond yes\/no and suggest times that are convenient for him\/her. Or not!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Smile\/Dial Still Lives<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some will tell us that we live in a totally electronic age; but obviously, that isn\u2019t the case because more than a few still use the POT (plain old telephone).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-23.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28088\" title=\"Untitled-2\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-23.jpg?resize=221%2C241\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>An analyst friend sent us a note about a publicist\u2019s call he had just received:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Normally I don\u2019t get the call, (individuals names) usually answer the phone. When it\u2019s a PR person calling to ask for an appointment at some upcoming show, our folks are polite and explain that no, we don\u2019t write about flatostrates and phren modulators, we chase (technology name).<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Alone today I answered the phone and Tiffney said, \u201cI see you are registered for CES are still going?\u201d Since all PR girls are named Tiffney or Jenifer and since I had just gotten off a plane from (country) and since I can\u2019t remember my kid\u2019s names, I answered her thinking it might be someone I had once met, and said, \u201cyes, why?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>She said, \u201dWe\u2019d like to invite you meet with Gazilfraze\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cWhat does Gazelfraze do?\u201d I asked, an looked at the clock.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cThey make social networking software for B2B analytics to keep track of zingbats and dildos.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cAnd you thought we\u2019d be interested in that?\u201d I asked \u2013 I\u2019d been on the phone with this girl for 3 minutes and could feel my fingernails growing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cYes,\u201d she replied in her sugar sweet, PR trained voice.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cHave you looked at our web page?\u201d I asked.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d she answered as perky as when we started, which was four minutes ago and I was fighting my ADD thinking about the coffee I was going to make as soon as I could hang up the phone.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cAnd what is it you think we do?\u201d I asked<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cWell,..\u201d then her cheerful 20s something voice dropped and she mumbled, \u201cyou do content and communications\u2026\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cNo we don\u2019t,\u201d I said, \u201cwe follow (technology name), and we\u2019d have no interest at all in social software, why did you think we would?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cOK then,\u201d she came back up to her super-charged over hydrated self, \u201cI guess we don\u2019t have a fit then.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cNo,\u201d I said, \u201cI guess we don\u2019t\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>\u201cWell,\u201d she said, with snarkyness creeping into her voice, \u201cYou just have a great day.\u201d Click. <\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>I\u2019m sure she wanted to say, go to hell you AHole, but didn\u2019t know what a crappy jet-lagged memory I have and knew she had identified the company and her firm. (I wish now I had remembered it, I would have cc\u2019ed them).<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>We get a dozen calls a day from PR girls who have no clue who we are or what we do. They don\u2019t have the common sense to look at web page and just go dialing for dollars in a spray and pray mode hoping to bring traffic to their clients booth. Is this what client companies are paying for? Air headed girls to be telephone solicitors? Or am I just a grumpy old fart who should take a nap? <\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the name of our long friendship with him, we didn\u2019t bother responding because\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bottom Line<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not every member of the media is interested in every company at the show.<\/p>\n<p>This is especially true of CES which increasingly covers everything from phones to cars, TVs to computers and flash drives to SMART technology.<\/p>\n<p>As the technologies become broader and more sophisticated, media people focus on their interest areas.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-32.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28089\" title=\"Untitled-3\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-32.jpg?resize=303%2C172\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-32.jpg 303w, https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Untitled-32-300x170.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>PR people shouldn\u2019t focus on filling senior executive show hours with the most meetings possible \u2026 it isn\u2019t about earning a scout badge for quantity.<\/p>\n<p>Every analyst\/media person who wants to meet with the executive is important and he\/she should be given the most assistance, attention possible, receive prompt follow-up, be contacted\/supported throughout the rest of the year\u2026not just at show time.<\/p>\n<p>The PR industry is now busy trying to identify itself as a sophisticated field of experts in the optimum use of communications technology across the full range of subjects that more open, increasingly visible organizations must deal with.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a little difficult to accomplish when folks are focusing on delivering bodies to the booth.<\/p>\n<p>All we know is CES is such a big show and important to companies \u2013 maybe even yours \u2013 it sure takes a lot of fun outta\u2019 the holidays \u2026 for a lotta\u2019 people!!!<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"># # #<\/p>\n<p><strong>by: G.A. &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> President<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> Marken Communications Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <a href=\"mailto:Andy@markencom.com\">Andy@markencom.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Please join us in our <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Become a Fan on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the latest updates from ABT, please <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is by G. A . &#8220;Andy&#8221; Marken, President of Marken Communications Inc. He has kindly given us permission to republish his thought-provoking article. As with everything that we publish at AlienBabelTech, the&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":396,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7],"tags":[184,5030,2951,2438,3410,5033],"class_list":["post-28141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abt-news","category-technology","tag-ces","tag-ces-2012","tag-consumer-electronics-show","tag-media","tag-pr","tag-publicist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/396"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28141\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}