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Paul Graham on PR
ralejs writes "Paul Graham takes on PR. From the article:'Why do the media keep running stories saying suits are back? Because PR firms tell them to. One of the most surprising things I discovered during my brief business career was the existence of the PR industry, lurking like a huge, quiet submarine beneath the news. Of the stories you read in traditional media that aren't about politics, crimes, or disasters, more than half probably come from PR firms.'
As always, it's an interesting, surprising and slightly provoking read."
This seems like a contridiction. PR people don't lie, they tell selective truths.
It is like the late night commercials for diet products. "WE GAURENTEE YOU'LL LOSE 20 POUNDS IN 2 WEEKS idividual results will vary"
Why don't we call PR firms what they really are? They are designed to confuse people. Even when they are giving you the truth, they are not giving you the whole truth. Imagine if our court system was run that way. "Mr. Simposn was seen in that neighborhood wearing a brown blazer that brought out his eyes and smile that all people love. yada...yada...yada... and Mr. Simpson wishes to express deep condolences to the Brown family."
It is the same problem I have with FOX news, they spin the news so much, editorialize the news, and people use that information when voting. Even the "left" they bring on FOX news are really more moderate conservative arguing with right wing conservatives. What do you get? People think that anything more left than "moderate conservative" if extreme left wing. So the moderate liberal is now an extreme left winger. By changing names and labels, they have changed politics. Will we every get good old democrats, in the tradition of LBJ and JFK, the ones who believe in the great society? Or will we keep getting Clintons who are more republican than democrat.
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
In a article about how PR firms write stories to get attention for their clients, there is a link to the PR firm the guy worked with and a statement that they are the best... hmmm... Maybe we should learn a lesson from the article?
http://www.pterrys.com
The other kind of news is the political op-ed that's dressed up like a news story but it's not really a story. These, at least, provide some value to the voter concerned about understanding who he is voting for, but very little value. Countless news "stories" are just recitations of a public figure's opinion. This sounds like it should be valuable to it, but it's a carefully crafted, generally ambiguous and misleading statement, intended to befuddle and confuse the casual reader into agreeing.
For example, say I dislike the new pope. I go find a reporter and say, "I'm concerned and dismayed that the College of Cardinals believe that a former Hitler Youth is the best choice to guide the Catholic church through its unsure future."
This isn't a news story, it's not even an event, it's just one guy saying what he thinks. Now, this has value to intelligent people because we can research the statement and determine that the author is a manipulative jerk and not vote for him. But most of the population fails to do this. I suppose there's something to be said for not depriving the rest of us of information to compensate for the ignorance of the masses.
I don't really have a point to all this either. Oh! I know. By not having a point and just complaining I'm disguising directionless ranting as an intelligent Slashdot post. Ok, just as a Slashdot post. And by doing so, I'm demonstrating by example the very phenomenon that I distrust. Man, I'm brilliant!
"I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
No. They are suggesting you keep your eyes open, and when you read in your favourite magazine that "suits are back", think about who is telling you that, and what they have to gain from it. With increased awareness comes increased immunity.
-aiabx
Just this guy, you know?
It's surprising because the article says the exact opposite of what you just did. You didn't read it very carefully.
What it said is that for a fairly small amount of money, an amount that fits into the budget of a small business, you can have magazines all over the world say the same nice things about your company at the same time and disguise it as something the magazine found out on its own.
The rich and powerful in this country like to say bold, stupid, brash things with the media they control. Microsoft goes out and labels Open Source a communist conspiracy. Some weirdo like Dvorak agrees and we all sit about shaking our heads at how crazy he is. That doesn't convince anyone of anything.
The example Graham uses of articles about suits coming back is subtle and insidious. Instead of using advertising to tell you what you should do, they hire reporters to tell you everyone else has already done it... and they do it without all that much power. The Men's Warehouse is no media conglomerate.
The entire notion of journalistic integrity goes out the window in a way that's much harder to compensate for, even as a clever consumer. When MSNBC says that people still trust traditional media more than bloggers, it's easy to assume they may be biased. When MSNBC says that people are consuming more ice cream in an attempt to build strong bones, it's difficult to see how they might have an interest in selling you ice cream.
If the answer is just that the reporters were stuck for something to say on a deadline, then we're selling our minds for glass beads. Trinkets. Nothings.
The news is, nobody has to bribe the media for the media to suck. It sucks on its own.
But in business, especially the marketing peons and others who think appearance is everything, clothes make the man.
No, no, no.
Funny how they think that clothing, rather then actions, make a person.
No, no, no.
Look. Whatever job you do, there are a certain number of people who do the same thing as you, but better. Faster, cheaper, closer to the right place, whatever. There are also a huge number of people who do the job as well, or virtually as well, as you do. Similiar cost, similiar distance, turn around times, etc. It doesn't matter the industry.
Basically, you are NOT a unique snowflake. You are NOT a beautiful flower. No matter how much you think business will stop if you leave, chances are it won't. It may be difficult for a bit, but things will get better, and smooth out. There are few people who "essential" to any reasonably sized enterprise. Unless you have a "business principle" insurance policy on taken out by your boss, or you are the *owner* or high-boss of an enterprise, you are not probably essential.
So what makes people pick you, instead of the dozens of almost-you knock-offs, that realistically, can do the same exact quality of job?
Things are *never* truly equal between candidates for a position, but they are virtually equal. There is almost always more than one candidate who can do the job, at the specified cost, in quality manner. That's just how it is.
So back on to suits. When I'm hiring a person, I usually have 3-5 people who could all be the hired person. At that point, it is up to me to pick a person. And on the list of things I look for is apperance. Will I feel ashamed to have this person represent my group? Will I feel akward having this person give a public speech? Will I feel weird standing next to this person at a trade conference? What about the other employees? Are they going to hostile to this person? What about me? Does this person jibe well with me? Or the person rebellious for the fun of it - argumentative for no reason?
The way the person looks is a factor. There are dozens of people like you. You are interchangeable. You probably aren't especially well qualified for the job over anyone else.
ALl bets are off if you are truly exceptionally qualified, but that is rare.
You laugh at marketing, but what you forget is that there millions of people who can do their job. And they know it. And that means they all want to look clean, presentable, and professional.
Suits come back when jobs are harder to find. It's an advantage.
I actually admire their single-mindedness and stunning success at it.
Me too. I highly recommend Gibsom's "Pattern Recognition" for a a good nerds-eye view of the advertising industry. Ever since reading that book, whenever I see an attractive woman in a bar, I stop and wonder who they're working for. Is Absolute paying her to order an Absolute and tonic, and tell everyone how much she loves it?
Kinda a surreal world we're in anymore. Gibson's book captured that surreality perfectly.
Right. You're just a cog in a machine. And do factory owners cover their cogs with glitter? No, because that would be stupid. Likewise, forcing your employees to wear suits is stupid.
Yes, it makes sense for workers to wear suits when bosses like them, but it doesn't make sense for bosses to like them.
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
I have excellent people skills. I elect not to employ them most of the time I'm on slashdot, because I don't need to. I'm not trying to win a fucking popularity award.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Actually, I AM a unique snowflake. I AM a beautiful flower. I'm sorry you aren't.
If you don't have this attitude (along with some team-oriented ones) I don't want to work with you. If you don't respect yourself and the work product of your staff over the superficials, why should I?
Who am I? I'm the guy who runs a 14 nation, 24 office IT department making a salary in a publicly held corporation in the top 10% of the U.S. I've been doing it for 7 years and each person who works for me works hard and contributes a UNIQUE part of the puzzle. I retain staff longer and have fewer people doing more work because I select people who fit into the puzzle when someone leaves. Despite higher salaries, my total salary expenditures are lower than comparable departments because my people are happy and doing interesting work so they produce more per person.
Maybe my whole department will be outsourced to India someday but it hasn't happened yet and I doubt it will anytime soon.
Frankly, if I wanted a cog, I'd go to an auto parts store.
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
Thank you.
The grandparent seems to be confusing "unique" and "inexpendable". A person's qualifications, talents, and skillset may not be unique, but the person sure as hell is. I've worked at places where I was expected to disappear into my function, and it was unpleasant. Had I been treated that way in an environment where the job itself required creativity and problem-solving, it would have been intolerable.
It's attitudes like the GP's that spawn sarcastic thoughts like "You're not being paid to believe in the power of your dreams" and "There is no 'my kid has cancer' in TEAM".
You want the truthiness? You can't handle the truthiness!
Well, as an attorney in Silicon Valley, I express my thanks to the "geeks & nerds" for bringing common sense to corporate dress codes -- since we don't want to be too overdressed when we meet our techie clients, your dress code has had a "trickle-down" effect on our dress codes. Even though we are not allowed shorts at work -- common sense has not progressed THAT far -- at least we don't have to wear suits every freaking day -- only for court appearances, just like the rest of the perps!
"That's not even wrong..." -- Wolfgang Pauli