Once again, I am going to date myself as a child of the ‘80s. When I was a sophomore in high school, my English teacher, Mrs. Blum, was ready to boycott Toyota over their use of Ernest P. Worrell (of “Ernest Goes to Camp” fame) as a company spokesperson. While intended to poke fun at his clownish, good ol’ boy ways, his mispronunciation of epitome (“the epi-TOME of excellence”) totally unnerved her. She was concerned that young people watching television would follow in the footsteps of his mispronunciation. Even though I was in my prime “adults are clueless” years, I appreciated and never forgot her passionate take on the subject.

Fast forward to 2011 (I am now probably about the same age Mrs. Blum was back in my 10th grade classroom) and I am feeling the same kind of frustration. Last month, there was a mayoral election in North Bergen, NJ, a town near where I live. The winning (and incumbent!) mayor’s campaign slogan was, “I don’t know where you be from, but I be from North Bergen, son.” Seriously? I understand that some rules of grammar don’t apply in advertising. I can support ending a sentence with a preposition. Or even a one- or two-word sentence with no verb (like this one!). But, in my opinion, his campaign’s approach takes creative license way too far.

Just yesterday, I was driving out of Hoboken to take my son to the doctor in Wayne when I saw a billboard advertising a radio show. Its headline: “We be killin’ it.” Perhaps Mrs. Blum was right: We need to consider the impact these kinds of messages have on how children learn the language. As a marketing professional, I also think such butchering is potentially detrimental to the brands that allow it into their advertising.

Newsflash: Effective communications strategy in 2011 is all about authenticity and transparency. Despite the fact that these two words are part of just about every industry conversation, we continue to see public relations firms make ethical missteps when it comes to counseling their clients.

USA Today reported yesterday the venerable Burson-Marsteller was behind a “whisper campaign” that encouraged newspaper reporters to expose Google’s Gmail feature Social Circle as a breach of individual privacy and a violation of federal fair trade rules. PR people share story angles with journalists. But when you try to plant a story – positive or negative – without exposing whose interests you’re representing, that’s not okay.

Adding shock to disbelief, the person behind the campaign is former CNBC correspondent, Jim Goldman. Some industry insiders hypothesize that he was working on behalf of Microsoft or Apple. This incident reminded me of when 5W PR allegedly sent out a tip to reporters that Lady Gaga was wearing its client’s body shaper – based on a false rumor they received from their own client!

How many breaches of editorial standards do there need to be in order for people to learn there are limits to what you should do to secure ink?

Apparently one of the subjects “Los 33″ discussed while waiting 69 days to be rescued was how to feed the appetite for their story once they emerged. An article published today on Huffington Post says the miners agreed to not disclose details of their saga until they had a plan to market their new-found celebrity. Apparently, they’ve told their family members to also remain silent on the subject. And a shift foreman close to the men reported that they already hired an accountant to manage their income from public appearances.

My immediate reaction to hearing this was disappointment. We’ve been hoping for their safe return for weeks now. I stayed up later than usual to watch the rescue of the first man. I wept tears of joy for his son who was understandably beside himself. That they’ve already hatched an opportunistic plan was not part of the happy ending I was envisioning.

But as I thought about it further, I guess I can’t fault them. The Chilean authorities clearly made their rescue a highly produced media event — Anderson Cooper even expressed his shock at the pomp and circumstance. If they didn’t band together and agree on plan to tell their story and split the proceeds, they would have been taken advantage of immediately by all kinds of people trying to get a piece of the action. In the end, their celebrity is simply another adjustment they need to make as they re-enter society. They may need to keep those dark sunglasses for a bit longer.

Twitter recently announced a new interface design that incorporates much of the functionality for which people were turning to outside application developers. People who are responsible for managing Twitter feeds for their brands or clients need to consider how the new design will impact their Twitter backgrounds. The new funcationality means the feed takes up more real estate — and that means your background photography, graphics and text will be less visible (maybe even covered) to many users who have smaller monitors.  

Here’s a great blog post from social identity designer @hughbriss on what the new design means for custom backgrounds. Happy Tweeting!

BlogHer’s influence has exploded since I last attended in 2006. We went to BlogHer ‘06 in San Jose when our client Weight Watchers Online agreed to be an event sponsor. That year, there were 750 attendees and the sponsors sat at small, skirted tables under a pavilion smaller than my apartment. Other than General Motors, we were really the only major consumer brand represented. This year,  there were more than 2,400 attendees and the sponsor “expo” comprised two large rooms filled with brands like Jimmy Dean, P&G, Walmart, Pepsi, McDonalds, Stride Rite and Earth’s Best, among dozens of others.

Recent BlogHer research shows blogs are growing faster than traditional websites as online destinations. Three quarters of the population are active (once a week or more) social media users vs. half of the population in 2009. Three quarters of the population are active (once a week or more) social media users vs. half of the population in 2009. Facebook is #1 among the top then media destinations, but Twitter didn’t make the cut. Twenty seven percent rely on blogs when making a purchasing decision and 34 percent rely on social media channels. Here’s a link to the full survey.

Female bloggers are making a major impact on people’s lives and even influencing legislation. Sure there are a lot of mommy bloggers out there talking about playgroups, the carpool and kid products they love (all issues that matter to me, btw). But the blogosphere is about way more than that. I went to a panel about how to build a community for a cause. The room was filled with women who are dealing with tremendous challenges and engaging with and helping others though their blogs. The panelists included voices from www.gimpgirl.com and www.violenceunsilenced.com. A few members of the audience received applause when they introduced themselves. It’s quite moving when a previously anonymous blogger introduces herself and realizes how many fans she has – like Anita Jackson from www.momsrising.com.

The jury is out on whether bloggers should criticize products or companies. I went to a panel on fashion blogging and much of the conversation was about how to work with sponsors. Interestingly, all three bloggers talked about how they sometimes approach potential sponsors with ideas, much like a traditional publication would do with advertisers. They also encouraged sponsors to approach bloggers with an open-ended conversation (i.e. “I would love to connect with you to figure out how we might work together.”) But they weren’t in agreement about how honest they should be when they don’t like a particular brand. Two felt it was better to focus on the positive so they didn’t alienate would-be sponsors. The other clearly felt her honesty is what makes her audience keep coming back. They did all agree, though, that criticizing with a diplomatic and professional voice was the only way to go.

Bloggers will consider giving editorial exposure for free products they receive, but they want to get paid by their sponsors. If a brand “mandates” the inclusion of links or a specific number of Tweets, they’d better be ready pay for it. One audience member in a brand session I attended asked the blogger panel how she could encourage bloggers to participate in a video project she was hosting. They asked if she offered to pay them. You can imagine the reaction of the room when she answered, “It’s a journalistic opportunity.” Don’t forget journalists do get paid a salary that’s funded, in part, by advertising.

The makers of LuciteLux™ acrylic recently hired Rose Communications to promote their Carry Me! handbag design competition and secure a NYC venue for displaying the winners in 2011. Invented 75 years ago, Lucite has long been recognized by designers for its durability and endless design possibilities. In the 1950s, Lucite was the go-to material for handbag and jewelry designers. And today, it’s making quite the resurgence in fashion, interior design and architecture circles. Just last week, we announced Alexis Bittar, the world-renowned jewelry designer famous for incorporating Lucite into his creations, joined the judges’ panel for its design competition.

As part of our assignment, we visited Deco Jewels, a store in Soho owned by one of the leading dealers of vintage Lucite handbags and jewelry, Janice Berkson, who also wrote a book on the subject. Of course, we had to purchase a few items from her collection. Research. That night, our client took us to dinner at the Museum of Arts and Design’s restaurant Robert. Not only is the food phenomenal, but much of the restaurant’s design is centered on Lucite furniture and fixtures. Needless to say, we’re enjoying the work.

Vintage Lucite handbags at Deco Jewels

But the design world is not the only place Lucite’s made a comeback. I represented the brand from 1995 to 2000 while working at Carton Donofrio Partners. It is always an honor to reconnect with former clients, particularly when many of the players haven’t changed, and re-immerse myself in work I truly enjoyed the first time around. Stay tuned for more developments on this exciting project.

Every so often, you learn about a new product and wonder, “Why didn’t I think of that?” A former client contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me about a brilliant new product she had invented. It’s called PoopPac. That’s right, I said “poop” on our blog. Any dog lover knows what it’s like to carry their pet’s poo while looking for a trashcan. If you’re hiking, walking on the beach or strolling through a suburban neighborhood, it’s even more of an issue as trashcans are few and far between.

Susan, who lives in sunny Santa Barbara, California, was sitting on the beach one day watching dog owners awkwardly tote around bags of poo while they drank coffee, talked on cell phones, jogged and led otherwise normal lives. She wondered why there wasn’t some type of product available in which they could place the goods until they found a proper receptacle. And PoopPac was born.

PoopPac is, in essence, the industry’s first portable pet waste carrier. It is large enough to contain dog waste until the pet’s owner can find a trash can, yet small enough to carry comfortably. The carrier also has additional space to hold plastic bags for scooping and other essentials. 

Susan had introduced her product at a pet show a couple of weeks prior and was building quite the following on Facebook. I immediately agreed to write and issue her launch press release. Now I enjoy what I do for a living, but I will admit I’ve never had so much fun writing a press release. The stories, the jokes, the puns … they’re endless. And the media seem to agree. We immediately received a dozen requests for samples and photos. PoopPac was included in a blog on the Los Angeles Times website and received a positive review from a major radio station in California. While she can’t yet announce it, her product received an Editors’ Choice award from one of the top pet industry publications. She’s also booked on Warren Eckstein’s nationally syndicated radio program, “The Pet Show” next week. 

While I wish I’d thought of PoopPac, I sure am glad Susan thought of us to help her spread the word.

It’s an age-old perception. The Democrats aren’t tough enough in their rhetoric or their actions. And in the face of terrorist threats and devastating disasters, many people want a leader who is ready to … well … kick ass. President Obama’s handling of the BP oil spill in the Gulf has generated a lot of criticism about his approach as being too calm, cool and collected. So when he told the “Today” show’s Matt Lauer that he was in the region a month ago talking to local fishermen and experts to get answers that would help him determine “whose ass to kick,” it created quite the buzz. I even saw one person on Facebook suggest that he sounded like our former president.

What most people seemed to miss is the lead-in from Matt Lauer that lead to this tough talk from our President. He was talking about the critics and said people feel this isn’t the time for him to meet with advisors. He said they feel he should spend more time in the Gulf and, “…I never thought I’d be saying this to a president, but kick some butt.” When Obama responded, he used “ass” instead of “butt.”

Much of the buzz was around how Obama is finally getting tough and whether it’s appropriate, genuine, etc. or just the work of his speech writers. Again, no one seemed to factor in that he was set up to give that quote. When we prepare spokespeople, we counsel them to be aware of “quote trapping.” Sometimes journalists will use the language they want you to use in an effort to get a specific quote. In this case, Obama gave Lauer what he wanted and took it one step further. From there, it took on a life all its own.

Today’s arrest of Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is a reminder to those of us in marketing that it’s important to carefully consider the company we keep. There are always risks – past and future – associated with signing on a celebrity spokesperson. But when dieting company Nutrisystem aligned itself with Taylor, they assumed a level of risk greater than most. The company, of course, immediately severed ties with him saying they were “shocked and saddened” by the rape allegations. Admittedly, Taylor managed to stay out of trouble for more than a decade and he seemed to ingratiate himself with America last year during his seven-week run on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.” Presumably Nutrisystem weighed the risks of working with Taylor and decided it was worth it. I think we’re all saddened by the turn of events. But “shocked?”

I was invited to attend a “big mouth meeting” at Hyperion Books this morning. The publisher is about to launch a new book titled, “INFLUENCE: How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better” by demographer Maddy Dychtwald. The author gave a short presentation and then attendees were asked to share their thoughts, ideas and questions. The participants comprised journalists (e.g. Carol Hymowitz of Forbes), authors (including Leslie Bennetts who wrote “The Feminine Mistake”), bookstore owners and academics, as well as entrepreneurs like me.

The bottom-line message was this: Women across the globe have achieved a remarkable level of financial independence and feel they’re finally in a position to have a say in our society – but our influence is still disproportionate to that of our male counterparts.

According to Dychtwald, 73 percent of high school valedictorians last year were women. Twenty two percent of women now out-earn their husbands. In fact, women make up 57 percent of all professional workers in our country.

But only 18 percent of our nation’s top corporate leaders are women. And the numbers look similar in politics, on newspaper editorial boards and other places where important public debate occurs.

Dychtwald described the evolution as going from survival to independence to influence. We’re somewhere between independence and influence. The book apparently discusses how women will use this power to “improve society in ways we can only begin to imagine.” Sounds promising. Now that I have a proof of the book (available wherever books are sold on May 4), I’ll give it a read and report back what I learn.