Thursday, March 22, 2012

Think Before You Publish

It seems these days more and more companies and organizations are having to issue public apologies for something offensive they've published in print.  Today alone I have read two headlines online where public apologies were made.

One was from the shoe company Reebok where they printed an offensive ad and had them circulating in Germany.  The ad simply stated "Cheat on your girlfriend, not on your workout."  Now, I can see Reebok trying to come up with something hip or funny for their market to remember.  After all, the point of advertising is standing out.  However, this is definitely the wrong way to do it.  Of course, they pulled the ad after they received complaints about it being disrespectful towards women.

To be honest, I kind of laughed to myself after I saw the ad, but that's because I have an odd sense of humor.  And never, if working for a company as an advertiser, big or small, would I ever allow something like that to be published.  It's bad PR.  Sure it will get people talking, but most of it won't be in favor of the company.

Another story I read today was about an elementary school, of all places, who sent out a letter to their students' parents about studying Black History and having their students dress in African American attire.  The offensive part in the letter stated "...students could wear animal print clothing or shirts with animals native to Africa..."  Again, after word got out that this letter was printed and sent out to the parents, it created a negative impact and the school started receiving complaints.

The school's Chief Communication Officer apologized for the letter and had said, "We are reminding all of our principals to be very sensitive in word choices when communicating with parents concerning different ethnic groups and cultures that make up our world."  While that's all fine, what I think the real lesson here should be to demonstrate good publishing tactics, no matter how big your business or organization is.

I've worked in the corporate world going on 10 years now (wow, I can't believe it's already been that long).  My first job was at a big name home security company.  Working for this company taught me many things, including what should and shouldn't be used in business communications.  Any letter that was sent to a customer, any advertisement that was made for publishing had to be approved by an executive.  And this was true with any corporate company I've worked for (my number is 3).

I'm sure the same applies with Reebok and the North Carolina elementary school that have had to issue these public apologies for their bad taste, or at least I would like to think the same would apply.  So why would they let this kind of communication filter out for the public?  I would like to think that a competent executive would know where the line stands when it comes to offending a gender, race, or the public in general.

I'm not saying that everything sent out to the public from a company or organization has to be sugar coated.  I'm just saying that it should be decent.  Maybe these executives should take a refresher course on how to make their external communications public friendly again.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Reader Review - If Love Had a Manual

Recently, I came across an eBook that I decided to read.  It was called If Love Had a Manual and it was written by Dante Long.  I liked the concept of it.  You have manuals for your TV, computer, or cell phone.  But no one has really written a manual for love.  Sure, there's a lot of self-help books out there for dating, however, these books only tell you how to attract the opposite sex.  There's nothing really out there that tells you what you should do once you come across that feeling that most people search their entire lives for.

If Love Had a Manual is a short eBook, about 12 pages long, that uses the author's voice to tell what he feels everyone should know about a little thing called love.  In the beginning, Long does advise that he is not a relationship expert or a philosopher so what is stated in the eBook is really his personal views on love and relationships.

This read had some good points and advice to offer that I think some people might find useful when it comes to the subject of love.  It talks about different approaches you can take when you are meeting someone or trying to get someone to date you.  It also gives advice about the concepts of trust and infidelity, which just about everyone has an issue with one or the other if not both.

After I finished reading the eBook, I walked away with at least one different perspective on love.  There was one sentence from the eBook that stuck with me.  In the chapter called Something to Think About, it talks about the reasoning behind couples who take their vows to heart and stay together 'til death do they part. The sentence that held on to me said "...when someone accepts you into their life as a mate; it's up to you to cherish that gift."  This is probably the most accurate accountability about love that I have encountered.  Being loved is most definitely a gift from someone, but how you receive that gift is up to you.  You can either ignore it, neglect it, abuse it, or cherish it.  And when you cherish it, it can be the most beautiful thing.

If you're looking for something to read with a personal perspective on love and relationships, I would recommend If Love Had a Manual by Dante Long.  You can purchase this eBook for only $0.99 on smashwords.com, a site for indie writers and publishers.  It's not too much money for a different insight on something we can all find to be confusing at times.