Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

Old in America: Baby Boomers need our own version of Abraham Lincoln

If the professional world had its way, it would probably have the aging in the workforce deleted - the full time, the part time, and the just in time.  Just as black was once considered a sign of inferiority in human beings, the features of human aging are too often perceived as negatives. 

What we Baby Boomers, along with members of the Silent Generations who are still out there hustling, need is our own version of Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln Daniel Day-Lewis depicts in the film "Lincoln" is an extremely pragmatic politico who knew how to get things done.  To have the institution of slavery abolished he lied, piled on patronage jobs to the extent that it could have been interpreted as buying votes, and allowed thousands of soldiers to die in a battle which could have been prevented.  But slavery was abolished.

"Not looking old" won't get anyone off the hook in being discriminated against.  Old is old in America.   This is a nation of a binary attitude toward age.  Either one is young or one is old.

When the times demand, the leader emerges.  We will get our leader, just as women have over and over again. 

Getting the Me Out of Social Media: Return to third person

"You must have heard how everyone is laughing about that televison reviewer who still keeps talking about what he thought and what he said to his wife when he was viewing 'The Good Wife' last week.  And, can you believe it, Oprah is still Oprah, that is talking non-stop about herself.  She's getting a chilly reception." 

Sometimes slowly, sometimes abruptly, everything changes.  One stylistic feature in both writing and public speaking is dropping the celebration of the self.  Not the most assertive editor, even I informed a professor I was coaching about blogging to stop the MEs.  "Focus on the audience." That's what I told him.

Before Oprah can make her transition to The Next, she has to shake off the cult of personality.  Instead she has to explore themes which resonate with Everywoman and Everyman, without injecting a big dose of Oprah.

No shock, I received the style guidelines from the editor I am now working with for articles on personal finance which specifiy third person, no opinion.

How can writers and public speakers re-learn to shake off the self?  They can reflect on the famous prayer of St. Francis of Assissi to be delivered from the bondage of self.  Here it is. 

Ghostwriting in Recovering Economy: Gravitas still dominates, dog fight for media placements

Ghostwriters are again enjoying having too much to do.  Our natural state is to be complaining about something and it's like the good old days to be grousing about pulling an all-nighter and the client not even noticing that we made that ridiculous deadline.

But what shocks some of us is that the gravitas tone and heavily documented content which dominated the recession continue into recovery.  I fear that I will lose my sense of style in doing opinion-editorials.   

Also, it's as if the social media revolution never happened.  Executives want their bylined pieces to be published in brandname media.  Forget setting up their own blogs.  So, there's a dog fight to get those placements.  One of the most in-demand, highest paying jobs in communications is that of the media rep who only does placements.  For one client for one month, with no guarantees of hits in the top tier such as THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and THE WASHINGTON POST, a freelance media rep in the Washington D.C. area charges $8,000.  Take it or leave it and most take it.

The smart thing for us ghostwriters is to become the content part of a communications team with proven media reps.  In that way, we aren't the fall guy or girl when the piece doesn't get published.

Economy Just Climbing Out of Grave: Public Relations Society Boosts BigWigs' Compensation

The economy was just climbing out of the grave in 2011 and its vital signs remained precarious. 

Yet, as the Public Relations Sociey's 990 IRS tax return for 2011 reports - data provided here - the compensation for some BigWigs was boosted. During 2011, its revenue was essentially flat.  There was only an increase of about $100,000 in revenues of $10.7 million versus $10.6 million a year ago.  Operating profits were $157,202 versus the $155, 541 in 2010.

In a not especially good year, Vice President of Public Relations at PRS Arthur Vann received about a 25% increase in pay to $163,271, with his total package at $186,485.  The Chief Operating Officer Bill Murray received a bump upward of $4,782 to a total of $382,013. PRS members might request an annotated list of their accomplishments in 2011.

Meanwhile, many others at PRS got a bump downward in salary and benefits.  The data show that staff compensation was cut 8% to $5,083,323 in 2011.  In 2010 it was at $5,529,699.

The question is: Why did some of the brass receive raises in a flat year while the rank and file received less than they did the previous year.  During bad times at Chrysler, everyone, ranging from the janitor at the auto plant to the executives at headquarters such as Steve Miller, embraced what was called "the equality of sacrifice."  Raises were put on hold.  Workers did more with less.  There was no guarantee that when they showed up at the plant or office for their shift that there would still be a job.  In that spirit, the company was turned around, saving hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

I am not a member of the PRS.  I do not intend to become a member until there is more of a public explanation of compensation policies and procedures. The dues has been raised $30 to $255.

This blog thanks Odwyerpr.com for providing the tax information.

Creating Niches: Remember when law was a bore

At one time there was no law-gossip industry, at least not that we outsiders in communications followed.  Because of our clients we kept up with regulatory developments and rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court as well as other federal and some state courts.  As a contract ghostwriter for the tobacco industry, daily I read the law-related media clips they sent me.

Now, law is as compelling to follow as politics.  That's primarily because some enterprising publishing types created digital tabloids dealing with niche legal subjects, ranging from how awful the life of the lawyer is (Abovethelaw.com) to the business implications of what those players with JDs are up to (Law Blog of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL). The newest powerhouse media "blue ocean" (that is, it occupies unique space) is "Law and Order" on BUSINESS INSIDER. 

Some of us now have more than one of these bookmarked.  In addition to providing the fun of gossip, they also give insight into the game beneath the game.  That could be invaluable in formulating a communications strategy for our food client which fears being targeted the way tobacco had been.

Obviously, the takeaway from this flourishing of legal sites on the web is that anyone can do the same for any other subject matter currently considered a total bore.  That problem is: Nothing's sustainable.  During the next five years there could be a shakeout among the key law tabloids.

Marissa Mayer: Her performance art doesn't disappoint

As the communications knows from Steve Jobs as corporate pitchman, performance art can make the difference between a merely successful product and the ownership of a whole niche.  He seemed to invest as much of himself in marketing as in motivating the troops to design and produce the right products right.

So, one thing Yahoo, in its turnaround, has going for it is Marissa Mayer.  In her interview with FORTUNE's Patricia Sellers - which you can view here - Mayer is a show-stopper.  She pulls together her celebrity presence, good looks, youth, confidence, and high-tech expertise to send the message: 1. Yahoo is on the way back.  2. I am the one leading the way.

There's where distressed H-P is at a disadvantage.  Meg Whitman lacks the ability to get attention by putting on a good show.  Maybe years ago when eBay was new and hot Whitman did have a built-in presence.  But age and a failed run for governor of California have diminished her ability to ever be a pitchperson for anything.  This is at a time of worsening problems, e.g. the lemon of the Autonomy acquisition. 

Clearly, communications experts are wondering: Should troubled companies only hire turnaround leaders brilliant in performance art? 

 

Automattic (maker of WordPress): In no rush

The world of technology might have learned plenty from the operational and stock-price problems Facebook et al. had run into - as they raced ahead.  Slow and steady might be the new rhythm of business in that niche which, at first dazzled, then disappointed.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Automattic's Chief Executive Officer Toni Schneider explains that this maker of the WordPress platform approaches growth through relatively small incremental changes.  It does not want to be overwhelmed or overwhelm its users with lots of new features and so on. 

Slowly WordPress has migrated from being a simple platform for digital content such as websites and blogs to providing niche templates for weddings and, most recently, restaurants.  That extension of its reach can allow it to become the content management system which becomes standard in a niche. 

Take restaurants, for example.  The template has the slots for "About," Menus, Reservations and so on.  What brandnames have done since Procter & Gamble invented brand management is make it easier for consumers to choose what to purchase.  Instead of sorting out the features of many soaps, they would simply stick with Ivory.  Likewise, WordPress can put out there a standard web format for restaurants.  Consumers would know exactly where to go on the site to review the menu, find out about incentives such as discounts, and make reservations.  It's in dealing with those specifics that restaurants could focus their energy and create their own kinds of value. 

Automattic could become the model to watch for managing the post-startup phase.  Likewise, if it eventually goes the IPO route, stock analysts and investors could reward its plodding pacing. The lesson we professionals in communications can take away is to guide our clients to spend more time testing out a initiative on a small scale before rolling it out in a big way.   

Chris Christie Requests $37.8 Billion from Feds: Smart that he did that photo-op with Obama

Last October, immediately after Sandy, Chris Christie saw that his state would need billions to get back on his feet. 

Next, he took that iconic walk, widely photographed, with the president.  Christie's party balked. They claimed that was a tipping point which helped Obama win the election and the GOP lose. 

Now, Christie is asking the federal government for $37.8 billion, reports THE NEW YORK POST. He may just get it since he has a friend in Washington D.C.

In a party which can't seem to do much smart these days, Christie may be the only one who has been operating in reality.  He saved his career and at the same time he might be able to rebuild the state.  Those who have surveyed the damage report that parts of it look like a war zone. 

If anyone can take on Hillary Clinton in a 2016 run for the White House it would be Christie.  This has been the most successfully pragmatic politico to emerge among conservatives in a long time.

Relationship/Contacts: Code for deposits and withdrawals in "Favor Bank"

Members of the Silent and Baby Boomers knew well that that terms "relationship" and "contacts" were code for the web of obligations which keeps the establishment as well as the underground economy running.  It was all business, the detailed accounting of how much they had deposited into the "Favor Bank" and how much they had withdrawn.   There were few relationships as traditionally understood.

That web of obligations still determines influence, power, and wealth.  If the number of deposits is low, influence and power decline.  Wealth could soon follow.  Practiced players are careful about the favors they accept since they don't want to be indebted too heavily.  Therefore, equally practiced players are equally careful about the favors they extend.  Do it too readily and they scare those they need on their network.

The man who explained the dynamics of the Favor Bank was Bob Dilenschneider.  In the beginning of the 1990s he published the then-landmark book "Power and Influence." Eyes popped, at least among non-insiders.  So, that's how it was done, we realized.  The game wasn't about likability or personality.  It was about what you had to trade and the art with which you did that.

Today it's exactly the same game, only labeled "relationship building" and "making contacts." Unfortunately too many Millennials go by the labels and remained on the outside.

iPet Companion: Relieving guilt about bored animal companions

The wave of guilt when professionals are away from home and reflect on their bored animal companions.  Such a familiar feeling.  Well, Reach-in has created a way out of that emotional hell, for both the professional and the animal companion.

MASHABLE reports that Reach-in's new product iPet allows toys to be remotely activated to create some stimulation for Fido and Muffy.  Animal shelters already have been using it and now it's available for homes. But it isn't cheap.  The dog version costs $395, plus postage and cat one $349.95, plus postage.  The monthly maintenance fee is $4.95.

This might be just-the-right client gift for professionals who travel. No slouch when it comes to human touch points with clients and prospects, I have observed the pull force a common interest in our animal companions has.  Several weeks ago a client and I were on our way to call upon one of his clients.   The relationship was tense because of the usual: Client thought my billing was too high.  I thought it was too low.

The tension vanished when we began discussing the health challenges of our older animal companions.