I was set off this morning by an article regarding the fact that the house used for exterior shots in the 1981 movie, Mommie Dearest,  was recently sold and the new owner is just tearing it down.  Now, the new owner has a right to do whatever they want with the property, after all, I don’t pay the taxes on it. So I have no right to say, but why buy a house just to tear it down?!  It’s a beautiful mid-1930’s colonial, not some ugly post-modern eye-sore.  The rest of the neighborhood homes are similar mid-1930’s gracious mansions, not a bunch of cookie-cutter stucco mcmansions.  The property is not historically significant, despite having a classically-bad movie filmed there, so it doesn’t necessarily deserve protection by a non-profit society.  But why buy a house just to tear it down?  Why not remodel or adapt it to your needs, or buy elsewhere?

This is also happening in my neighborhood here in Orlando, as I’m sure it’s happening all across the country.  I live in an area of gracious mid-century ranch—style houses with large lots, sweeping lawns, and mature trees.  It seems like when a house sells, the nouveau riche new owner tears it down, strips the lot bare, and builds to the lot-lines, a multi-story mcmansion that sticks out like a sore thumb.  I have nothing against those who like that style of house, in fact there are many very nice neighborhoods with exactly those types of houses built up in the last decade, just a few miles out of town.  In my opinion, if you like that kind of house, go there!  If you like the kind of neighborhood the older home is in, buy it to reuse, recycle, and/or remodel it! 

The same is true when writing an article.  When it comes to topics and content; reuse, recycle, and/or remodel.  Don’t re-create the wheel or struggle with new that might not fit in with your current brand.  Use a book chapter, or a blog post, or a workshop handout.  Keep the same message that fits in with your current content, just reformat it for the audience of the magazine you’re writing for.  Your re-creation could be remodeled just right so that your new style of home is re-born!

When I woke up this morning lyrics from the Michael Bublé song “Feeling Good” were running through my mind:

          It’s a new dawn, It’s a new day

          It’s a new life for me

          And I’m feeling good

          I’m feeling good

It’s a new dawn, a new day for PR/PR Public Relations as we give best wishes to Carter as he moves on to greater adventures and opportunities.  Carter has been with PR/PR for nearly nine years, just three months less than I’ve owned the agency, and almost half of its 20+ year existence.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Carter professionally is his brilliant writing.  He turns a phrase and molds a metaphor better than anyone else I’ve read.  Many clients were the beneficiary of his skills while he was crafting article pitches and press releases for them.  His attention to detail and follow-through will be a blessing to any organization lucky enough to have him in their fold for a while. 

When I think of Carter on a more personal level I think of a genuinely nice guy and good friend.  I know he’s fiercely loyal to his friends and has their back no matter where on the globe they live.  From his travels, he does have friends he keeps in contact with all over the world.  I will miss our conversations, and sometimes debates, over politics and other current events.  His ability to root out the truth of any media source bested my position on an issue many times. 

Carter will be missed at PR/PR.  He was an asset to the agency.  We wish him luck and happiness.  PR/PR is a boutique agency and he is a talented young man who needed to step away in order to keep moving up and we completely understand this. 

His email address is still active, but for faster service just email me directly and I’ll get right back to you. 

Take care, Carter! 

With the arrival of the New Year there have been a lot of jokes about 2020 being the year of perfect clear vision.  This has prompted me to want to make a few facts clear with clients and potential clients of PR/PR Public Relations.

It is clear what we do works for the professional speakers, consultants, and non-fiction authors PR/PR represents to the media.  Over the 20+ years we’ve been doing this, 100% of our clients have gotten placements.  Now, while their results may be as varied as their expertise, PR/PR’s clients have all enjoyed gaining national name recognition in front of their target market of business decision makers who can hire for conventions, conferences, and corporate events. 

As a publicity agency, PR/PR’s measure of success is derived by the quality and quantity of media attention we procure for our client and their content.  Many clients choose to measure the success or failure of a particular campaign based on sales volume only. Unfortunately, this is a component that is out of our control. Once the media is in place, factors such as availability and fees weigh heavily in the ultimate success of bookings and/or book sales. No agency can guarantee you bookings or sales from their publicity efforts, and if they do they’re not being clear with you. 

Next year, I’m sure there will be many jokes about “hindsight being 2020.” We would hate for your hindsight to be one of regret you didn’t do more about your publicity.  Give PR/PR a call today!

Happy New Year!

Russell Trahan,

President, PR/PR Public Relations

                     407-895-8800

Author, Sell Yourself Without Saying A Word

Below is the blog post I wrote last week to post today.  Since then, thousands of lives have been changed forever and millions more are awaiting the (hopeful) news that their lives won’t change.  I’m talking about, of course, Hurricane Dorian that stalled over The Bahamas this weekend as the largest storm in recorded history.  We at PR/PR pray for those who lost their lives and their loved ones remaining to rebuild.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog:

As we enter into the holiday season there are many myths which persist in our culture.  None of them particularly harmful, but they should be brought into the light so your actions for the next couple of months can be determined by the truth not just what ‘they’ think or ‘everyone’ believes.

1. Candy Corn was originally not a Halloween candy

Invented by George Renninger, a candy maker at the Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia in the 1880s, Candy Corn was originally called “butter cream candies” and “chicken feed” since back then, corn was commonly used as food for livestock (they even had a rooster on the candy boxes).

It had no association with Halloween or fall, and was sold seasonally from March to November. After World War II, advertisers began marketing it as a special Halloween treat due to its colors and ties to the fall harvest.

2. Holiday season is a slow time for publicity

Many people think that publicity during the holiday season, particularly November and December, is as less effective as other times of the year.  Yet, trade, industry, and association publications still produce issues in November and December, looking to fill those column inches with valuable content for their readers.

The most common ‘skipped’ months of publications is July or August.  However, this is not due to a lack of readership, but more due to the increased workload of the association’s annual convention making the issue for the event often the highest read of the year. 

3. The Pilgrims Landed on Plymouth Rock

According to historian George Willison the story about the rock is all malarkey, a public relations stunt pulled off by townsfolk to attract attention. The Pilgrims first made landfall at Provincetown. 

The Plymouth Rock legend rests entirely on dubious testimony told more than a century after the Mayflower landed. So, we’ve all just gone merrily along repeating the same old story as if it’s true when it’s not. Of course, the people of Plymouth stick by hoary tradition. Tour guides insist that Plymouth Rock is THE rock.

4. Santa Claus Originally Wore a Green Suit

Santa Claus comes from St. Nicholas, a Christian bishop in the fourth century AD. St. Nicholas had inherited a great deal of wealth and was known for giving it away to help the needy. St. Nick’s name became Sint-Nicolaas in Dutch, or Sinter Klaas for short. Which is only a hop, skip, and jump to Santa Claus.

Though Santa Claus has worn blue and white and green in the past, his traditional red suit came from a 1930s ad by Coca Cola.   

5. After New Year’s is the best time to start a publicity campaign

Getting publicity for your speaking and/or consulting business is one resolution that should not wait until after New Year’s!  Most trade, industry, and association publications work 60-90 days out.  This means an article pitched out in January won’t be in-print until March or April.  Why not get the jump on the competition, start your campaign in October or November and be first in front of your target market in the first issue of the year?

Of course, online placements can come much sooner than in-print one, but even when getting online placements there is always a ramp-up time at the beginning of a campaign where themes are chosen, articles drafted, call to actions honed, etc.  Starting your campaign in December will ensure online placements in early January, weeks before the competition who waiting until after the ball dropped.

We hope you enjoyed these myths and facts about the holiday season.  May the next couple of months bring you happiness and all the holidays entail.

Happy Holidays!

Russell Trahan,

President, PR/PR Public Relations

                     407-895-8800

Author, Sell Yourself Without Saying A Word

I find it fascinating that people are fascinated with the British Royal Family.  I mean, didn’t we fight two wars so we don’t have to be concerned with what the Queen thinks or feels?  That being said, there are many facts I found interesting about the latest branch on the Mountbatten-Windsor family tree.

1.  He’s the first Royal born into the family that’s eligible for U.S. citizenship.  Because his mother is an American who’s lived stateside in the past five years, he can have dual passports.  BTW:  she’s the first American to marry into the Royal family since 1937, and the last time it happened the Royal himself had to abdicate to get married. Fortunately, we’ve advanced far enough Harry can stay inline. 

2.  He will not be a prince.  The rule was changed by his great-great-great-grandfather in 1917.  Being seventh in line, he’s out of the HRH succession which gives him a lot more freedom.  The birth of his third cousin knocked his father down to sixth, which opened up the opportunity for Harry to marry Meghan without much fuss.  The new Royal actually has a chance at a pretty normal, albeit very privileged, life.

3.  Exactly when and where he was born was kept a secret.  All of his older cousins were born in London, in the same hospital as their father and the new father, their uncle.  He may not have even been born in a hospital; it could have been a home birth.  And, as of this writing, he hasn’t appeared in public.  His grandmother started the tradition of appearing on the hospital steps within hours of giving birth.  His aunt continued the tradition with all three cousins, but we haven’t seen hide nor hair of him, yet.

4.  His birth was announced first on Instagram.  This shows how quickly tradition can change.  A new (?) tradition was started with the younger two of his cousins when their births were announced via Twitter.  For centuries before, birth announcements were made via official statement.  The Royals are not only keeping up, they’re surpassing each other.