ithinkyoushould. ”Stop Saying Sex-Addict Like It’s a Bad Thing”
That’s a gift from Bill Maher. And I don’t know about you, but reading the news gets me excited. It’s like I don’t know where to begin, or what to read first, and then what to do with the news I just read. This is a huge part of the reason I started my blog. I needed an outlet for the things that I saw, read, heard, and inadvertently came across in the mass culture. [Plus my head was beginning to pop-off at inappropriate times, and my husband and I agreed that perhaps I should channel my energies a bit more constructively].
Which brings me to the Bill Maher quote. Priceless. I like Bill. He’s funny. And he’s often wry, dry, and pissed-off. He’s smart. I don’t agree with everything he says, but who out there agrees with everything everybody says? I am not a Sheep. I have my own beliefs that I stand by, and I believe there’s always room for one great idea to replace the next. And so it is with Bill. I watched him years ago when he hosted Politically Incorrect, and enjoyed his round-table format with various personalities from a diverse segment of the population. He would present a topic, and the personalities would discuss. And then 9/11 hit, and he said something that wasn’t too funny. His statements in reference to the tragedy might have been misconstrued, and he was summarily silenced. Perhaps “we” thought his comments/sentiments were misplaced, and in the next conversation the culture was debating whether “irony was dead.” Perhaps it was Bill Maher who inadvertently started that movement. I don’t know.
So the quote. He’s referring to none other than Le Tigre. Mister Wood. I don’t know about you, but Le Tigre makes me want to toss my cookies. Ya. I get a physical reaction whenever I see him or read about him. I’m not a golf fan, never have been. Golfing dudes are not my idea of “man-candy.” Perhaps it’s the attire, perhaps it’s the size of their ball, I don’t know. I understand Golf in the sense that it is a skilled sport that requires stamina, determination, and a kind of physical prowess, but to me it’s like curling, so not my thang. Post-scandal, I once wrote that I had a “mad-on” for Le Tigre, and a male friend responded that his “personal” life had nothing to do with his golf life. And well, that’s where I beg to differ.
Only because Le Tigre and his multi-million dollar roster of sponsors want us to link him, inextricably to not only what he represents as a golfer, but as a man, and by extension, a pro-athlete, and ultimately a brand. In other words, in this present day media-owned life, the man is the brand is the man. You do not need to be schooled in the lingo of advertising to merely grasp that concept. We are all brand ambassadors if you want to push the metaphor a step further. Some of us are decidedly more stylish than the other, but the point can be made regardless. [These days, I am the poster child for Gap jeans. It fits my ass and my budget, thank you very much].
Back to Bill. And Le Tigre. Bill thinks that Tiger is a man with an issue and an image problem. I thought it was interesting how Bill also “noticed” how Tiger had to ‘name-drop’ Bhudda in his apology to somehow make peace with himself and his adoring public. Bill says that he should have invoked Jesus because of the Trinity [The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost], and that way, Tiger could have a “foursome.” Brilliant! I too suggested in an earlier post that Tiger talk about God in relation to forgiveness because it seemed more “American,” and if Tiger really wanted to redeem himself with the American public, then he should stick to the “Redemption Script” instead of arrogantly and persistently trying to re/write his own.
And that’s the thing with Le Tigre. He remains arrogant to this day. One Dr said that Le Tigre might have problems with his recovery because he is still “blaming others”, ie The Media, that 4 headed monster that we all love to hate. And yes, it is the media’s “fault” that he got caught. We busted his ass, and now we have to pay too: by watching him blubber his way through the scrutiny. And Nike? Well, Nike is shit. According to today’s report from TMZ, Nike will “stand by their man” –a new Nike commercial is on the way–because their man is the reason they have a $650 Million golf division. Sick. And you wonder why there is such a debate over the American Healthcare system? Golf. And Tiger Woods. And Nike. It’s their fault.
ithinkyoushould. Believe it when your Teacher used to say “Good Writing is Re-Writing.”
In the life I lead outside of my “writing life,”—which let me be frank, is an extension of my inner life, I usually wonder what it would be like to have an Editor. Some[warm]body to take back, pull back, reorient, readjust, and generally rethink some of the decisions I’ve made to date.
I used to say that in my Life, I have not ever considered “regret” and/or “guilt” as an option, and I’ve generally forged ahead either mindful of, or blissfully ignorant of the consequences. Yes, I have been naive, and arrogant, and mean, and sh*tty, as well, I have been selfless, generous, and merciful. Naturally, there are other adjectives to describe my behaviours in the past: friends, frenemies, acquaintances, and relatives could do a terrific job of telling You about Me, but this is not so much about what They think, as what I am endeavouring to wonder what an Editor might say or do vis the story of my Life.
Indeed, it’s an interesting situation on which to speculate. And it leads me to really consider what any individual in pursuit of his or her creative craft needs to compromise to get “it” out to a mass audience. Like the author who pours his/her heart and soul into their first opus that miraculously gets turned into a Movie, that bears little or no resemblance to the original manuscript. To the musician who pens a groundbreaking anthem that gets used to sell sneakers and laundry detergent.
Even as I complete entry upon entry of this blog/site, and, at the very real risk of “History Repeating Itself,” [which, OK, is not such a bad thing, because yes Virginia, mostly everything Good has been "done" before], I often quickly reread what I write in order to put down the most accurate interpretation of the thoughts my busy mind cooks up, in addition to pathologically minimizing the amount of typos that escape the 1st, 2nd and 3rd drafts.
Yes, Life with an Editor could be sweet indeed. Sometimes we could all use the repackaging gift of these individuals to make our messages and in turn our lives that much mo’bettah. But for now, I think I’ll keep at it, kicking my own ass and taking responsibility for the silent indignations of my preoccupied mind. You?
ithinkyoushould.Have a Marketing Plan that includes a Public Relations/Media Plan.
In business life, you are nothing without a marketing plan AND a public relations/media plan. Business & Marketing/PR go hand in hand like milk and cookies, pasta and sauce, wine and cheese, fries and salt. You get the picture. Unfortunately, so many small businesses fail because while you may have a great idea and a great product, few invest the necessary thought, time, energy and dollars on the smart tools that will help to bring your product to market.
In our over-media saturated world, the companies that gain the most air-time, are more often than not the companies who invest big dollars to ensure that their products are placed front and centre on the media landscape. If we are bombarded and pressured to buy “Concept A” over “Concept B,” or “Product A” over “Product B” it is because some clever body out there is making damn sure that we keep our eyes on their prize. Quite instantly the [subliminal] buzz words and phrases that they use to market their great ideas instantly become part of the culture and we incorporate them into our lingo without missing a beat:
Dr. Oz wants you to focus on You, Oprah wants you to Live your Best Life, Nike wants you to Just Do It, Adidas tells us that Impossible is Nothing, Coca-Cola wants you to Smile, and the list goes on. If we are not called to swift and immediate action by these slogans, then we are gently persuaded that we are Lovin’ It by McDonald’s, that I’m a PC and Windows 7 was my idea by Microsoft, that Banking can be This Comfortable by TD Canada Trust, that Ziploc was designed with you in mind [thanks for the refresher NYTimes], and so on.
It is these smart marketing strategies coupled with smart design and smart public relations/media initiatives that keep these brands in the forefront of our minds, at the forefront of the media cycle, all with a strategic hand in our pocketbooks. It doesn’t hurt that TD has been voted Best Customer Service, that Nike endorses [and drops as necessary—boohoo Tiger!] multi-million dollar gifted athletes or that Microsoft’s Bill Gates is a great philanthropist in addition to being a likeable and business-savvy geek.
Smart marketing, and clever planning make all the difference and the difference lays in not only what you market, but how and why and when you market your product. So here’s the thing: in addition to setting goals and benchmarks, one must aim high, and if you can’t aim high, then aim mid-market. That’s right people. I said, “MID-MARKET!”
The mid-market landscape is populated by wanna-be brands who might never reach the top tier level of products similar to theirs, but they don’t care. They are content to be B-Status players and as a result they are able to milk that status for all it’s worth. What’s clever about the B-Status players is that knowing that they will “never” become top level players, they are free to market the hell out of their B Status as a viable option to the A Level Brands . The bells and whistles aren’t as loud and/or shiny, and it may not cost as much, but no matter, the B Status/Listers have a calling and a following and they know what their demographic wants. The point is, they too have a marketable strategy—a failsafe Gameplan that keeps them on “back-up” status should the A-Lister lose public favour or fall from grace. Yes, the market is that fickle, because we the people are that fickle.
A good example of smart marketing is the comic/brand Kathy Griffin. Many years ago she made a name for herself by promoting her “D-List” status. Her program, My Life on the D-List skewers the Hollywooderati while making good fun of her life as what she terms a “D-List Celebrity.” What’s smart about Ms Griffin is that in promoting her “D-List” status she has made herself an “A-Lister” by default. She is also clever enough to know how not to alienate her fans or to isolate herself from the very category that she established to win a unique demographic all her own. She’s been smart enough to keep her brand loyal to what she set out to do, and she’s been strategic enough to leverage her “D-List” status to insinuate herself into the A-List category/environments where she would have been previously unwelcomed.
Griffin’s [media]strategy involved her creating a Reality Show long before Reality Shows were the norm, and she brought us into her “private” world of entertainment where few celebrities would “allow” such access. In fact, the sole reason the Tabloids exist is to deconstruct and annihilate the untouchable personas “A-Listers” create—by way of their own marketing strategies— to distance themselves from the grubby masses. So for example, Brad Pitt will do a Edwin 503’s jean commercial in Japan, but we won’t ever have a hope in hell of seeing him hawk jeans here much less smile for a celebrity Gap ad. And thus an industry was born.
So from this we can glean that strategy is everything, and that a good strategy underscores any marketing/public relations/media campaign that you will ever embark upon. You need insight, and foresight and forbearance. You need to invest and be confidant that what you have is indeed worth fighting for and you will stop at nothing to achieve your market share be it A Status or D Status. There is room at the top for everyone and no one. How badly you want it depends on your Value Add and the strategies you employ to get you there. I think you should get going. There is plenty of room at the bottom.
ithinkyoushould. ”Stop Saying Sex-Addict Like It’s a Bad Thing”
