Why is there a new pepsi logo?

I saw the new pepsi logo today courtesy of Peter Shankman.

While the logo got mixed response from blog readers, I was left with only one thought: why the hell is pepsi redoing their logo?!

Why do iconic companies change their brand and ultimately their image? I always believed the ol' adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Is pepsi truly that broken?

So what do you think? Is it good business sense to change something as iconic as the pepsi logo?

Can $25 get you good PR?

PR for $25 is a new site that allows small businesses and nonprofit to post events or news in a centralized place in cyber space. The hope is that journalists digging for a story come to this site and stumble upon a hidden gem.

Well, the name says it all, right? Not in my opinion. 

While it is true that journalists sometimes need help finding a story, this site is not PR. PR should be about a lot more than just emailing a journalist about something your client is doing. In my opinion, PR is the art of influencing. Talking, listening and interacting with journalists to get a coherent and beneficial message out to the public that also helps the journalist. A post can't do that.

But what do you think? Can a site like PR for $25 really deliver the same results as a PR professional?

Lessons learned in absence

I know. You don't have to say it. I've been gone much too long. However, my absence has been due to a flurry of activity which has taught me some very important lessons.

From unrelentingly contacting the media, to trying to get a website off the ground, I feel like I've been taking a crash course in PR. So, here are my revelations, in no special order:

• Pitch it anyway. To you, a person immersed in a project, an angle may seem boring. I recently had a story like this. A client was doing tons of new and exciting things, plus some necessary actions to help their customers. I was so busy pitching the flashy stories that I kept breezing over the one with resonance. Eventually, kicking and screaming, I slipped the "dull" story in with my onslaught of glitz. The reporter jumped on it. I was shocked, but I shouldn't have been. While glitz is fun, reporters want stories that truly impact the community. The reporter actually make the story very interesting, which just goes to show, you should pitch it anyway. 
• Keep it short and sweet. I always write way to much. So when releases go out, I struggle to  keep it to one page. However, the more I write and pitch, the more I see the shorter releases get the most attention. A work of warning: It's not just about length. Your writing should be concise and vivid. I learned that the hard way.
• Consider the obvious. It may seem like the biggest "duh" of all time, but too often we as PR professionals forget what the media need. If you want TV to cover your story, make sure you have visuals. If you want a front page feature in the paper, make sure you can coordinate photos and lengthy interviews. Sometimes forgetting the most simple things can break the deal.
• Journalists are people, not machines. Perhaps this is another "duh" statement, but I think it's important to reiterate. When a journalist picks up a story, that doesn't mean it will be done exactly how you or your client wants. If this happens, there's no point in stressing about it. When journalists take on a story, it's theirs. The most important thing is that you got your client publicity.

I hope to not stay away from the bloggesphere this long again; but if I do, I hope it's because I'm busy learning great lessons that I will  use throughout my career.

The hidden value of failure

I've said that I hate failing at least 100 times in my blog. What I never realized before today was the value of being allowed to fail.

That sounds weird, I know, but the truth is after reading what Tom went through this summer, I am so grateful for what I have. 

I have a job where I'm given responsibility and projects. I have actual clients. I participate in brainstorming sessions. I am even allowed to create my own projects (with permission of course). Yes, I may fail sometimes (damn you grammar gods!), but at least I have the opportunity to showcase what I can do. 

Plus, like my friend Andrea says, "we learn through mistakes." So in the worst of situations, at least I'm learning. 

Welcome to the real world

Every once in a while, people are slapped hard across the face by the reality of their situation. For me, that was yesterday.

I had been coasting through my new job with the same routine I had in school: I did a project, submitted it and washed my hands of it. I was used to getting assignments back with a decent grade - A, A-, B+- and moving on. Such was my routine with my projects at work.

Sure, I had made some small errors but none seemed glaring. So, in true college student form, I took my peers' constructive criticism and moved on. 

Yesterday was different. I made another small error in a brief for a client. To equate it to school, the mistake would have moved me from an A to a B+. I was embarrassed, but decided to move on, until I was stopped in my tracks by my boss.

After alerting me to my error she commented that I've been making small errors often (true) and that it can't keep happening (huh?). That one was new to me. I always assumed errors were part of the game, something that everyone did. In the past, errors were simply an inconvenience, not a catastrophe. This was a whole new situation.

At first I was hurt. However, when I really got to thinking about it I realized that sometimes, small mistake are just small mistakes, but that usually, they mean a whole lot more. 

For instance, if a client sees a small grammatical error, they may begin to wonder how accurate the rest of the document is. Once your client's faith in you and your work is compromised, it's all over.

What I learned from this experience is that in the real world, there are only two grades: pass and fail. Things are either done correctly or not.

So, my slap in the face is the realization that I can no longer just give my best and be done. I have to give more. I have to give my best and keep giving until a project is done right. It's a bit harsh, but in the end I think it's a skill that I, and all young professionals, need to have.