by Marty Coleman | May 12, 2013 | Albert Einstein, Benefits of Reading - 2011, 2013 |
Reading as a Negative
What? I am against reading? Yep, I am. Not all reading mind you. but over indulged in, mindless reading. Reading gets an exalted place in our western world, at least among the intelligentsia and wannabees (that’s me). The idea is if you read you are intelligent, wise, learning, growing and open minded. It means you are self-aware and a good person. But that is not true.
Television as a Positive
It isn’t any more true than watching TV means your a vacuous idiot who is satisfied with shallow crap. I watch more hours of TV than hours of reading. So, am I just being defensive? No, I am being realistic. People watch substantial TV and they watch idiot TV. People read substantial books and they read idiot books. What I am against is the persistent illusion that reading in and of itself makes someone admirable. It doesn’t.
What vs That
If you learn, grow, share and become enlightened while reading then it’s good. And they same is true about watching TV. If you get entertained in either medium, that is good too. But not if that is all you are doing. Escaping to the boob tube and never critically evaluating what it is you are watching isn’t good. And it isn’t good with reading either. What you read and how you think about it make you admirable, not just that you read.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is reading Frankenstein and having a hard time getting through it.
Quote by Albert Einstein
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Morning ‘not a haiku’ poem #4
Stretching in morning dark,
Edge of light past trees,
Dogs wiggling, I am on the floor with them.
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by Marty Coleman | May 10, 2013 | Branding - 2013 |
It’s part 3 of the Branding series.
Brand Awareness
A big effort of every company is to get into the consumers’ mind an idea of their brand. If they show off their facilities, it is usually so that the facility helps to crystalize their brand identity with the consumer. A happy dairy farmer and her family for example, in front of a verdant pasture. Perhaps it’s a gleaming new factory in Wisconsin, putting out reams of clean and effective paper products.
But companies don’t just show off any old factory just to show it. Most companies know there are things the consumer isn’t interested in seeing, and sometimes, even if they are interested, the company doesn’t think it is in their best interest to show it. I understand that.
But sometimes it’s important for us to see what a company isn’t all that hot on showing us.
No to Guilt
First up, I feel sad, but I don’t feel guilty about what happened in Bangladesh, and either should you. I am NOT saying we should not be aware of what we buy, how it is manufactured, distributed, and sold. I think we should. But that is not the same as taking personal blame for a tragedy around the globe that was due to illegal construction, terrible government oversight and fatal management business practices.
There are many who would like you and me to feel guilty. The reason they want us to feel guilty is that they think that is how change will happen, i.e., guilt people into feeling bad and a change of behavior will follow. Does that work long term with anyone? It works with 6 year olds in church, but not with 26 year olds. It works with a naive and insecure newlywed, but not with that same man or woman 15 years later. I don’t think it works, and even if it did, it’s dishonest in it’s method and manipulative in it’s intent. I don’t like it.
Yes to Awareness
But there is something that does work. It’s called education. Instead of ranting and railing against American capitalism and consumerism and trying to lay all the blame for all the world’s ills on those backs, why not do your best, without condemnation and guilt for the consumer, to explain what is happening through the supply chain. Just let us see it. Let us learn about it. With minimal manipulation, help us see the connection between the PR branding the company shows us and the rest of the company, good and bad. Let the evidence be the guide to making better consumer choices, not guilt.
Explain the good and bad of globalization. Explain how it does bring jobs to places that don’t have them but it also brings greed and corruption and short cuts in the name of profit. Explain that low prices aren’t bad but it’s also good to have an ethical and moral platform below which we do not believe anyone should fall whether it be a garment worker in Bangladesh, an innocent bystander washing clothes in a polluted river downstream from a factory, an hourly wage earner in the US. or the fate of the CEO. They all deserve a standard of treatment that we should aspire to.
If we don’t have direct control over it, what can we do to help move those that do have the control towards that better ethical and moral stance?
What are your solutions?
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is very sad so many died.
Quote adapted from a quote by Walter Landor, 1913-1995, German born, American designer and brand developer, Owner of Landor Associates.
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by Marty Coleman | May 9, 2013 | Branding - 2013 |
It was a bit serendipitous to start a series on branding and then have the current Abercrombie and Fitch debacle land in my lap for Brand Day #2.
Here is a take on it from the A & F CEO’s point of view, a former A & F employee point of view, and finally an A & F customer point of view. Chime in and tell me what you think.
Let’s start with a quote. This is from a recent Salon.com article about the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch. Note the words in bold, which were spoken by the CEO.
When I ask him how important sex and sexual attraction are in what he calls the “emotional experience” he creates for his customers, he says, “It’s almost everything. That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that.”
Now let’s hear how that plays out in reality from a former 5 year A & F employee, N, who doesn’t want to be public since she still knows people who work at A & F. I talked to her this morning about what it was like to work there as a manager.
First, here is a part that is probably pretty common in retail and I don’t really have too much of a problem with it.
Our employees were only supposed to work 1-2 shifts per week (5-10 hours). They had to purchase a specific outfit before they were allowed to be on the schedule. A few times a year the company releases a ‘key look’ we all have to wear. It might be 2-3 outfits we could choose from, but once the key look changed, everyone has to buy it (at half off) and wear only that to work. The ‘look policy’ is incredibly strict as well. We weren’t allowed to wear makeup, no nail polish, no crazy hair color or cut, and you had to look completely natural. Everyone had to be ‘styled’ perfectly as well, so the tuck of the shirt is done in a particular way, the roll of your jean cuff, how many buttons on your shirt are buttoned/unbuttoned.
If a brand wants a certain look, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, right? It certainly is a common phenomenon in retail. I wouldn’t want to work there, but that doesn’t mean other wouldn’t.
But she goes on to describe more problematic issues with the branding.
I (sadly) managed an A & F stores for 5 years right after I graduated college. One of the main reasons you experienced poor customer service is because the pressure on the manager to staff the store with good looking ‘models’ (that is what the sales associate position is called) is completely overwhelming. That is what my job performance was based on. It did not matter if my store was beating sales goals every single day, I had the best customer experience, and the store was folded down to perfection, if a higher up walked in and I had one ‘ugly’ kid on my sales floor, there was gonna be hell to pay. At least one day a week we were required to go to college campuses and other places where we could ‘recruit’ good looking kids to come work in our stores.
It was incredibly frustrating. There are not many good looking, ‘popular’, and aspirational teenagers who want to work 5 hours a week for minimum wage. The kind of employees I had to search for are the kind of kids who don’t need a job. The managers are held to unrealistic expectations when it comes to hiring. We had weekly manager meetings to sit down and talk about where to go out in the city and find good looking workers. If I went one week and did not find a ‘recruit’ I was in trouble.
That barely scratches the surface of what goes on in those stores. We also had to send pictures of our new hires to higher ups to ensure they were up to standard. If we found out someone from corporate office was coming to visit the store I would have to scrap the schedule for that day and call in all of my best looking kids to have them work instead of whoever else was originally scheduled. Miserable work experience.
The kids that work there are in two groups. either models or your stockroom employees. The models are the ones you see on the sales floor folding, helping customers, running the cash register. Turnover for the employees is incredibly high and managers are so busy with everything going on those associates rarely get much of training, which I think contributes to poor customer experience. Instead of chatting, texting, doing whatever those employees should be helping customers and folding. I always felt bad for the kids I hired for the stockroom. They knew what was up and why they were back there.
Now, let’s here how that branding effort translates into an actual customer experience. Kelly M was in the same conversation I had this morning, only she was talking as a customer.
On rare occasions I’d stop in to A & F, just to look around and to have a sense of what I was already judging, and each time I determined that the styling of their clothing remained unchanged for 15 years. During the 2000s and the height of a conservative and sexist/hostile time, I was taken aback by some of their t-shirts, such as a men’s tee that read, “you look like I need another drink” and something like “you were hotter freshman year” and women’s tees that generally presented a message of being slutty, drunk or both.
One particular time I had gone in with a friend to look around for giggles. I found something somewhat intriguing to try on, but alas, there was nobody around to assist me. I spotted a guy toward the front of the store looking like he had nothing going on in his head. I had to walk up to him and tap him on the shoulder. Admittedly, I proceeded to objectify him, “uhh, hey sweet cheeks I need to try this on.” Ditzy and unapologetic, he was like “ohh okay!” as he let me into a fitting room. He kinda lingered a little bit, as though he was waiting for me to invite him in with me to make out with him. weirrrddd.
And then? Then my friend and I were completely ignored for the remainder of our time there. Nobody had acknowledged us upon our entrance, and it was the same for our exit. I think WE were the ones saying, ‘Have a good night!’ Needless to say, I’ve had no desire to visit Abercrombie ever again. Our chemistries just don’t match up.
So, what does it all mean? It means that whether they knew it or not, they had communicated their true corporate self and it was a corporate self that was and currently is shooting itself in the foot by being short sighted and letting ego take precedence over smart business practices.
Perhaps you have heard it said about individuals, ‘Outer beauty without inner beauty is no beauty at all’. The same is true of A & F and any other company.
Who you are, and what a company is, can not be hidden for long. It cannot NOT be communicated, one way or another.
The original article where the conversation started is by Monica Bielanko over at Babble.com
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Drawing by Marty Coleman, whose dad used to shop at A & F in NYC back in the 60s & 70s for special Christmas presents.
Quote by – Paul Watzlawick , Psychologist & Philosopher
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by Marty Coleman | May 8, 2013 | Branding - 2013 |
As you know, I have been off at a conference this past week. It was SoFabCon, a bloggers conference focusing on the relationship between brands, bloggers and consumers. It got me thinking about the concept of brands and I thought I would explore the idea in my drawings this week.
Loyalty is Magic
What makes you loyal to a brand? It’s a good question to contemplate because that loyalty is magic. It means you have voluntarily committed yourself to a company or product. You have committed to giving them your money again and again and again in exchange for something you highly value.
The Valuable Why
So the next question is, What made you value that product? This is also a good question because in the answer you will find out about yourself. Perhaps you value that product because it works really well, like an certain cleanser or car? Is the value of how the product is in how it makes you feel, like a spa or a restaurant? Or maybe the value in how it makes you appear to others, like a certain pair of shoes or a house in a certain neighborhood? Those are just 3 ways of valuation, I am sure there are many others so let me know how and why value something. By the way, do not infer any judgment on my part about those 3 various ways of valuation. They are all legitimate at times, and they are all illegitimate at other times.
Examples
The quote above succinctly explains why some brands are so far above other brands, and stay that way for generations. Here are 3 examples:
Bell Telephone – Can you think of anything more impossible than the idea that you can talk to someone with your real voice over a wire to someone hundreds and hundreds of miles away? It was impossible, unfathomable and absurd to contemplate for the average American. Then it became possible in 1876 and people rewarded the creator of that magic with their brand loyalty for many decades.
Ford Motor Company – They made owning an automobile, something that was impossible for the average American, possible. The creation of the Model T in 1908 allowed generations of families to do the impossible, simple as that.
Apple Computer – Here is an impossible idea; Let’s take the essence of a giant, room sized computer that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and reduce it so it’s small enough that a person can have one in their home AND they can afford it. On top of that, let’s make it really cool and easy to operate. This idea was rejected by much smarter people than Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak because it was impossible.
And now, 35 years later, that company has the most loyal consumers of any brand on the face of the earth. Why? Because they gave us something impossible, and have continued to do so ever since. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not being paid or compensated by Apple, but I have been one of those consumers, now on my 3rd Apple computer (each of the first 2 having lasted 7 years with no problems and the current one having lasted 5 years with only one, quickly resolved issue). In addition our family has had 3 other Apple computers, 4 iPhones, an iPad and numerous ipods over the years.
Brand Magic
What brands have given you magic and why? What have they done for you that was so impossible that you have rewarded them with your loyalty?
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who is loyal to Oreos.
Quote by Nick Gadsby, Lawes Consulting
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by Marty Coleman | May 7, 2013 | Bentonville, Arkansas, Travel Napkins |
On the third day of SoFabCon my true love gave to me….
A pep talk.
I was feeling that occasional feeling we all get when we go to a conference. You feel connected and known, then you feel anonymous and invisible. You feel everyone wants to sit with you, then you feel people wouldn’t want to sit with you if it was the last seat in the breakout session. Of course, neither is true, but the emotional range is there nonetheless.
The pep talk from Linda back home worked and I started by becoming Iron Man.
Iron Man Irons
The first thing we did was ‘Awkward Stretching’. I am not sure if that is something they just made up, or a post-planking trend around the globe, but creaky old me likes and needs any kind of stretching so I was happy to do it.
Awkward Stretching
The first session was a panel that included the 5 women pictured below as well as the imposing presence of the shadow. The shadow is actually Jasmine, who was the conference head honcho. She made it all work behind the scenes, as this photo shows. You will see more of her at the end.
Melissa Garcia, Dawn Sandomeno, Danielle Smith, Elizabeth Mascali & Andrea Deckard
After lunch I saw a gathering at one table. Dan Morris, who had led a very helpful session on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) the day before, was holding court, doing a hands on demo of various software that he uses to make sure his words, ads, and placements are set up as best they can be. He has a very dry sense of humor combined with a sharp wit and immense expertise. I hate him.
King Morris Holds Court
Ok, I don’t really hate him. But I should because if it weren’t for him I would be showing you a napkin drawing I did of the women in the panel I mentioned above. Instead I will show you this photo of a dumpster.
The Perils of Drawing on Napkins
Why am I looking at a dumpster you ask? Because that is where the drawing is. I was so enamored of Dan’s impromptu little how-to session that I put the drawn napkin down on an adjacent table and forgot about it. I remembered it about 10 minutes after I left the ballroom but when I came back it was gone. I asked a waiter if he had seen it and he said yes, they all had, and had thrown it away. Oops. I asked if he could lead me back to the trash can just in case. He brought me through the bowels of the catering facility, all the way to the loading dock, where I was shown the napkin’s likely final resting place. He also brought out a rolling trashcan and said it might be in it and I was free to dig through it, he would even get me gloves. I looked at the pile of food and waste and wet and thought it highly unlikely a napkin would survive. I let it die a noble death and did my best to get on with life.
Marla and Me (isn’t that a book title?)
When I was speaking at Blog World in LA back in 2011 I made plans to connect with this woman, Marla Schulman. We were going to meet up at the back of this huge auditorium but we never did find each other. Fast forward 2 years and while checking my twitter feed I see that Cheryl Lawson from back in Tulsa is tweeting, wondering why Marla and I are both at the conference and she is not. I then realize I need to finally meet Marla! She had a great session on how to be a video rock star (which I need if I am going to take over the world) that I sat in on. Afterwards I introduced myself and we took a photo to send back to Cheryl to make her even more jealous. I think it worked. I am also posting it because I look really skinny in the photo (comparatively), having lost 22 lbs since January.
Jasmine Banks, the Roller Derby Queen
I am a speaker. I know what it takes to prepare a good speech, especially when it is combined with a visual presentation. It takes a LOT of prep. Actually, not knowing much about the conference I had emailed Ted Rubin a few months earlier asking if they were accepting proposals for presentations. He said the slate was already set so I let it go. I did however make sure I had a number of my presentations on my iPad, just in case I found once I got there that a speaker had to cancel. Always be prepared, right? So, when I heard in the morning that the final Keynote speaker wasn’t going to be able to attend due to travel problems my mind started racing. Maybe I could do it, who knows!
Jasmine said something about her doing part of the session but just in case I found Jasmine right after and said, ‘If you need a speaker I can…’ and before I finished the sentences she said, ‘Thanks, but we have it on lockdown!’. I let it go as quickly as I had held onto it and waited like the rest of the attendees to see what was going to happen.
What happened was an AMAZING final keynote by Jasmine Banks. It had purpose, energy, logic, emotion, power, humor and a kick-ass visual presentation as well. I would imagine the presentation would have easily taken weeks to prepare, but I got the feeling she had gotten it together in 24-48 hours. She exposed her soul and her life, telling a compelling story and weaving lessons for all within it. It was an impressive accomplishment in every way.
Crazy Sock Contest
Melissa Garcia, Michelle Marine and Nicole Brady, the 80s Go Kart Gang
We ended the conference with a 80s Bowling Party that included a crazy sock contest and go karts. The woman in the Mets Jersey kicked everyone’s butt. She has a Porche or a Viper or some such speed demon car in real life, and it showed.
Michelle Marine and me
At every conference, if I am lucky, I find a pal. Someone who I look for to sit next to, to hang out with and compare notes. At this conference it was Michelle Marine. She was kind enough to make room for me in one of the early sessions, moving her stuff off of one of the few remaining chairs so I could sit close enough to not have to use binoculars. She has a cool blog about homesteading in Iowa, raising her family and doing everything as naturally as possible. It was great to know that there are all types in the world of brand/blog relationships, that no one type of shopper, consumer, brand influencer and blogger was expected. Authentic real voices of all stripes are what’s needed and that is what is what was pursued and investigated at this conference. I left impressed.
And a napkin, finally.
Lana Flowers at 21c
The next morning I had a breakfast of champions then headed off for an interview with Lana Flowers at the very cool and modern 21c hotel and museum in Bentonville. She is a news writer living and working and Arkansas who used to live in Tulsa. She enjoyed seeing my napkin drawings and wanted to know the story behind them. We took some time to check out the amazing art as well.
In the 21c Art Museum
Finally I headed home, across Arkansas into Oklahoma. Beautiful puffy clouds and dappled sunlight kept me awake. Loud music and open windows helped.
Homeward Bound
I also spent many hours on Sunday at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. I will post about that visit separately from my SoFabCon adventure.
SoFabCon – Day 1
SoFabCon – Day 2
SoFabCon – Day 3 & 4
SoFabCon – New Friends
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People I mentioned and their blogs/websites
Conference Site & Hosts
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by Marty Coleman | May 4, 2013 | Bentonville, Arkansas, Travel Napkins |
Scenes from a conference.
We woke up to snow on May 3rd! Wow.
Ted Rubin is one of the reasons I came to the conference. I heard him speak when I was speaking at BlogWorld in 2012 and his ideas have kept me thinking ever since. The photos and napkin illustrates why.
He had the entire audience go out into the hall and have a skipping parade.
One of his most important concepts for online work is focusing on ‘return on relationships’ instead of ‘return on investment’.
One of his insights is to not discriminate against followers, whether they are just lurking or in a profession that isn’t immediately obvious as a good fit or connection.
I met Natalie Aydelott the first night. She was the one who explained what Collective Bias is all about. She has been a warm and helpful guide the entire weekend.
The conference is not just your mommy’s mommy bloggers – Dueling Mohawks!
I have no idea what this is about but it was too bizarre not to share.
The company putting on the conference is four years old so there was a birthday party last night. Dawn Sandomeno of www.partybluprints.com saw my drawings at the party and wanted me to draw her. She was worried about a profile pose but liked it at the end.
Finally, I went back to my hotel room. On the way I happened upon therapy session among the conference chairs. They were being taught how to be more comfortable. I appreciated hearing that and look forward to sitting on of them tomorrow.
SoFabCon – Day 1
SoFabCon – Day 2
SoFabCon – Day 3 & 4
SoFabCon – New Friends
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by Marty Coleman | May 2, 2013 | Bentonville, Arkansas, Travel Napkins |
The elegant woman at the cocktail party.
The elegant woman, Liz, as she really is, with just drawn napkin. I drew her earrings red because I forgot what color they were but I knew blue would make them disappear into the water behind her.
Liz at the Opening Cocktail Party
Lucky Monica, checked me in to the conference and got my very first new Biz card. Who would think the first person I meet is from Tulsa.
I sat next to Aannette on the shuttle to the opening night reception. She just moved from NYC to Bentonville, AR. Can you say culture shock?!
The reception took place at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. This is just the cafeteria!
Something was happening above, what I don’t know.
After 12 hours of surviving on nuts, raisins, and hors d’oeuvres I indulged in a late night burger and fries. My first since 2012 (really). While sitting in the hotel lounge with some new found friends.
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SoFabCon – Day 1
SoFabCon – Day 2
SoFabCon – Day 3 & 4
SoFabCon – New Friends
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by Marty Coleman | May 2, 2013 | George Carlin, Public Relations - 2013 |
Here we are fluttering into day #3 of Public Relations week.
Media Whore
I get a lot of publicity. I am in the newspaper and on TV much more often than makes sense. Even when I am not trying to get publicity I tend to get it. People are always saying to me, ‘Marty, don’t forget us little people when you become famous!’ They usually say this when I get interviewed on TV about something. My response has recently been, ‘haha…I have been ‘almost famous’ for decades now, don’t expect me to get really famous any time soon.’
Bad Caterpillar
Why is that? Well, the truth is I am better at being a butterfly than I am at being a caterpillar. It’s not that I don’t work. I work really hard at my various jobs as artist, photographer, designer, speaker and running coach. I work equally hard at my principles of love, encouragement, forgiveness, critical thinking, and intellectual integrity. But there is more to working than just working hard. It’s about working smart and focused, with repetition and habit. It’s about timing the work with the public relations, meaning integrating the two with diligence, consistency and follow-through.
That is where I am not all that good. I am still working on it.
Two in One
So remember, this is not about being angry at some dandy that gets publicity due to good public relations while you toil away in obscurity. Why? Because you and the dandy are one. You are the caterpillar AND the butterfly of your own destiny. Maybe you are the opposite of me, maybe you are a really good caterpillar but shy away from the bright lights that the butterfly lives in. If you believe in something, if you believe what you offer is good and valuable for the world, then it’s time to start your work on that area you aren’t very good at. It’s time to put on the sunglasses and get out in the butterfly sunshine or perhaps it’s time to take off the shades, draw the curtains and work in the caterpillar shadows. Whichever it is, it’s time to do it.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote by George Carlin
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by Marty Coleman | May 1, 2013 | Public Relations - 2013 |
I smell day #2 of “Public Relations’ week here at The Napkin!
PR Karma
Public relations is beholden to Karma it seems. It’s not that every person gets found out, but if you are in the public eye long enough, who you really are will find its way out of the shadows. That can be a good thing, as yesterday’s commentary illustrated, but it can be a bad thing too. What makes it good or bad? Whether the person exposed is a skunk or not.
Parts Exposed
Think of examples just in the past few years; a Congressman exposed (in more way than one), a Sorority President revealed, an actor self-destructing. All had their lives destroyed by the publicity they served up themselves.
The Two Ifs
Are they ruined for life? Maybe, it’s not certain. What will make the difference in their futures? The answer is in two ifs. First, if they can transform from Skunk to something better. Second, if people believe they have transformed and will invest in them once again. If those two ifs are fulfilled they can overcome.
Focus
If you are in the same boat, as I have been more than a few times in my life, focus on #1, the self-transformation, and don’t worry about convincing others. Just work on yourself, create the new you you want to be (yes, it can be done) and then, and only then, go out and say, ‘Here I am, give me another chance.’
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Drawing and Commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote by Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, 1809-1865
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by Marty Coleman | Apr 30, 2013 | Public Relations - 2013 |
Later this week I am going to a Social Media, Blogging and Branding Conference in Bentonville, Arkansas called SoFabCon. It’s close by, is partially led by a very cool dude, Ted Rubin of Collective Bias, and promises to enlighten me about all sorts of things. Plus I get to go buy crazy socks for the parties they have. It’s a rule.
I thought I would investigate the idea of Public Relations over the week since that is so intertwined with the subjects of the conference.
Her Hidden World
I have a friend and client in Australia, Natalie Tucker of Defined Image, who recently wrote an FB post about getting 2,000 likes on her Personal Stylist business page. That is a big milestone for her. She credited me with helping her do that by listening to her very traumatic, personal, private and revealing life story, one that would not fit in most PR firm’s bio of their client.
Her World Exposed
After I heard the story I told her that while her first instinct was to hide that story away (that it wouldn’t be good public relations in other words) I thought that telling the story to the world would be a huge moment for her and her business. It would turn her from this perfect woman in a perfect marriage with perfect kids, somewhat unrelatable in her public relations perfection, into a real and relatable woman with an incredibly powerful story of how she got where she is today.
She agreed and found the courage to tell the story. That was 1 year ago when she had 100+ followers. A year later and she has 2,000 followers and her business has grown by leaps and bounds. The story being told to the world was the turning point. She is an incredibly hard and dedicated worker, no story can replace that. But it was the entry point for so many to know and love her and give her a chance to prove what she can do for them.
True PR
What does that story say about your own PR? It says you let your PR, whether DIY or through a company, be the best version of you, but you make sure that best you is real, authentic, genuine and true. It says your Public Relations efforts should include who you really are. That way you don’t have to try to remember what false mask you are suppose to wear. You just wear yourself as best you can be.
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Drawing and Commentary by Marty Coleman. I also designed Natalie’s website. Check it out.
Quote by the Doris Fleming, mother of Peggy Fleming, the 1968 Olympic gold medal figure skater. She told it to her daughter after she won so she wouldn’t be fooled into thinking she was something she was not. She also won 3 world titles and 5 national titles.
Peggy Fleming, Gold – USA; Gabriele Seyfert, Silver – East Germany; Hana Maskova, Bronze – Czechoslovakia
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