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The Persistence PR Hall of Fame

persist — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 21:24:57 +0000

It’s no secret that we are big fans of persistence here at Persistence PR (is that redundant?) So we’ve created what we believe to be the first ever Persistence PR Hall of Fame (PPHOF). Just like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner and Christy Mathewson were the first ever inductees of the MLB HOF, here’s our first class:

• J.K. Rowling’s first Harry Potter novel was rejected by 9 publishers prior to being accepted.
• Thomas Edison tried more than one-thousand filament objects before discovering tungsten to create the light bulb.
• Henry Ford’s early businesses failed and left him broke 5 times before he founded Ford Motor Company.
• Walt Disney went bankrupt after failing at several businesses. He was even fired from a newspaper for lacking
imagination and good ideas.
• Albert Einstein was thought to be mentally handicapped before changing the face of modern physics and winning the Nobel
Prize.
• Dr. Seuss’s first book was rejected by 27 publishers before it was accepted.
• American author Jack London received 600 rejections before his first story was accepted.

If you think you might have one to submit please do so. And of course, keep on persisting!

The Whale Is Only Harpooned Until It Spouts!

persist — Wed, 27 May 2015 17:49:54 +0000

While he has since apologized and taken down a social media post that trivialized the deadly floods in the Houston area and much of Texas and Oklahoma, Colin Kaepernick’s remarks reminded me of that old PR maxim that I have tried to follow and certainly have advised clients to be reminded of the same.

In case you are unfamiliar with what happened the San Francisco 49s quarterback, used the hashtag #7stormsComing to purportedly warn opponents and observers alike of his improved game. Clearly this was not done in malice but nevertheless, it was still done.

Don’t get me wrong, I think there is great value to social media. But like I tell clients, before you tweet, post, whatever read it one last time and think if it will offend anyone (unless that is your intention). We all do things in the spirit of anger at times but it’s often best to count to ten and hold our breath before saying, posting, etc.

So the next time an issue comes over you that you want to post, tweet, etc., think about it! Are you just coming up for air or spouting!

David & Goliath

persist — Mon, 18 May 2015 15:53:43 +0000

Over the course of my career I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing multi-national Fortune 100/500 companies. It was a great experience being on the American Express team that helped raise funds to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island; introduce new models for Ford, Chrysler and Jeep as well as new routes for Continental Airlines.

But the most rewarding experiences have been those working with emerging companies, i.e. helping a small gate manufacturer become the leader in its space, educating the business community about the value of search engine optimization (SEO), assisting a small fulfillment company get on a course to become a world leader in the call center space or creating great awareness of a pioneering private driver service.

Not to take anything away from the Goliath’s of industry but frankly, mention American Express, Ford or the like and you really don’t have many obstacles put in your way.

Not so easy when you aren’t pitching household names, the little Davids. But that’s the fun and excitment of the challenge. Most of all, that’s where persistence comes in. You can’t take no for an answer. If you do, you’re in the wrong profession.