Stage Two's blog

While I’m definitely not of the mindset that says press releases should be eliminated altogether from modern marketing, I am a believer that some change must occur. My friend and colleague Brian Solis has written numerous times on the topic (here are two great recent examples) of the social media release, which is definitely a concept to watch and nurture. Some companies issue none. Others issue them seemingly constantly. As with all things, the pendulum works better in the middle than at either extreme. But for now I’m going to talk about the over inundation I see too many companies fall too guilty of issuing.

When I was first being exposed to PR firms several years ago, they’d often talk about “creating a regular flow of news” and how important it was to issue releases on a predetermined frequency. At first blush, this makes a ton of sense, as it keeps your company on the radar of the journalists you are targeting. But with any deeper thinking, this strategy should be quickly thrown out the window. It comes with accepting a key flaw in outbound marketing practices: you must start by acknowledging that press releases are noise, and the process of issuing them is creating more noise in a very very noisy place.

As a marketing strategist, I certainly am quick to say press releases are important and remain a valuable tool for communications and outreach. But by accepting the inherent problem of “being noisy” I can craft big picture strategies that make the noise a lot easier to tolerate. And let’s face it, journalists today have such an incredible amount of noise to face that senior writers are putting on Bose Noise-Canceling Headsets just to get through the day (personally I use Shure’s, but that’s a personal preference). The best example I can point to is Wired Magazine’s Chris Anderson’s rant against “PR People” last October.

Chris, like many of his peers, was fed up with the noise. But it’s not the general noise of facing press releases and pitches that he and others complain about, it’s the vapid nature of so much of the content. It’s one thing to issue genuine news such as new product releases (or recalls), major technology shifts, executive hirings/firings, etc. It’s another thing to issue a release for any trivial update your company does, just to keep hitting the rhythm of the drum. I’ve seen releases announcing the use of a piece of accounting software, or hiring a new law firm, or the availability of an executive to speak on a given topic. I’m going to pick on a release Epson issued, only because I saw a release of theirs float through last week that was the catalyst for this post (sorry Epson, I like your company, but this is a perfect example). The headline was:

Epson Stylus C120 Chosen for Printing Academy Awards Ceremony Credentials While MovieMate Projects ‘Oscar’s Greatest Moments’

You can read the rest of the release here. While I’m sure Epson is happy to have this designation, I am dismayed that the only way they chose to market the information was via a press release.  I can’t imagine ANY publication that would be interested in this news.  Well, perhaps “Inside the Academy Awards Productions Weekly” but other than that, it’s just noise.  Further, a Google News search seems to have proven me right (it has no results, other than the press release itself).

It’s these abuses of the the system that make the noise unbearable. I truly believe you do your company a huge disservice by issuing these releases, whether you are an internal PR manager or an external agency. Your company’s brand is not enhanced, but is instead tarnished by such activities. Instead of taking mild news (or worse, non-news) and just letting it happen, you attract a negative piece of attention to yourself. And you should stop.

Noise does not make your company look better.  There are better and better noise-blocking tools available to reporters, journalists, and bloggers than ever before.  You can’t just win by turning up the volume, instead, you need to learn to play better music, and it’s not just about the rhythm section.

Today we are welcoming a new member to the Stage Two Consulting team. Me.

Hi, my name is David Speiser and today is my first day as a full-time employee at Stage Two. I’m proud to be a full-time marketing strategist. Before coming to Stage Two I worked for DeviceVM, Inc., makers of Splashtop. My position there was Director of Marketing & PR. Prior to that I was at Sticky Inc., a startup in the removable devices space; I did marketing and business development for Sticky. Sticky was acquired by DeviceVM late in 2006.

I had a great time both at Sticky and at DeviceVM, and got to work on amazing technology with some really smart people. While there, I found great pleasure in outreach and writing. But I also realized that I crave a dynamic and changing atmosphere, and I prefer to focus on a variety of different tasks and projects simultaneously.  After some deep thought, I decided I’d take my next career step in the consulting/services space of technology marketing. So when I called Jeremy and asked for his advice on a good firm to go work for, he had just the pick…

Just like when I got married, everyone said: “Don’t Do It.”     Just kidding.  :)

In spite of that advice, I am really glad to be here. I feel good about my carbon impact too. I rode my bike from my house and took Caltrain into San Francisco, so that’s nice. I believe Stage Two is a great fit for me, and I’m excited for this new chapter in my career.

On a more serious note though, it’s fun and exciting to be here and to be part of the team. So far this seems like a group of professionals who all care about technology and the best way to bring cool new products to lots of people. They also happen to be good people, and my friends. I’m glad to be part of the team.

-David

Just wanted to write a quick post for everyone who submitted their resumes for the marketing associate and intern positions. Thanks very much, we got a little bit deluged. Apparently Stage Two seems like a fun place to work, don’t worry – we’ll fix up that impression soon.

So we are reviewing resumes right now and will begin setting up interviews for next week. Due to the volume we received, we won’t be able to respond to everyone (sorry!), but will keep everyone on file for potential future positions.

I did want to take a moment and explain some of the criteria we are using:

• Any typos, and I mean *any* typos were instant rejects. I don’t care how good you might be and how otherwise a perfect fit you might be, a typo is a reject, every time. Well, unless we don’t happen to notice it…
• Any missing information was a reject.
• Anyone who didn’t specify some kind of salary range was a reject. If you felt “negotiable” is a good enough answer, it’s not. Everyone’s negotiable, it’s implied in the job hunting process. No number, no interview, no job. I highly recommend for the future that you get more comfortable answering this question, even if you need to give a wide range. A good employer won’t give you less than you are worth, so it’s up to you to learn and know what you are worth.
• Anyone who sent in a “generic” response was a reject. We spent effort on writing up the job description, and gave a lot of “easy ammo” in there to get a decent response. Sending in the same answer you sent to 10 other jobs shows us you aren’t ready for the type of work we do, which is in complete defiance of this approach.
• Forgot this one – anyone who sent in a response TO ANOTHER COMPANY was a reject. Time to learn how to cut and paste!
• Two (or more!) page resumes for people who graduated in the past 5 years are a no-no. It’s not a reject, but it’s not a point in your favor either. You should be able to tell your story in one page. Also, even if you have an online resume, you should include an attached version – some of us work on planes…
• “Microsoft Word” is not (nor has it ever been, nor shall it likely become) a skill.  Again, not an instant reject, but, please take if off your resume!  And if you do choose to list Excel and PowerPoint, you’d better be “more than competent” at them and dazzle me with your “skills” if you want to claim them.
• Anyone who showed they had read through the Stage Two website, and researched our clients, got extra consideration. This is the attention to detail we care about.
• Anyone who sent off a Facebook message or other small “extra” effort got extra consideration. That said, information overdose or borderline harassment was not looked upon very favorably.
• Anyone who correctly identified “her?” as an Arrested Development quote got extra consideration. Come on!

Looking forward to meeting some of you soon!