Lavish spending is now a part of Kent State’s “brand”

Excellence in Action? Fugitaboutit!

Kent State has a new branding statement for 2008: “Show us the money — and we’ll spend it!” At least that’s the message I get from this morning’s Akron Beacon Journal editorial page. KSU’s lavish spending made the ABJ’s Top Five “most galling” decisions of 2007. The complete text of the commentary appears at the end of this post.

The headline, “King Lester doles out our treasury,” positions Kent State as some sort of fiefdom. Management behavior supports that impression and the ABJ’s editorial (and previous coverage) reinforces the “brand.”

I loathe the term “branding,” as it’s one more result of allowing our “evil twins” in marketing to hijack PR’s most important cargo. Back in the day, we simply called it “reputation,” and the savvy PR professional knew that reputation grew not from our client’s advertising or marketing strategies but from the client’s performance and its character.

Perhaps KSU’s administration should revisit that lesson.

If you follow this blog, you know I’ve criticized the Kent State brass in the past (here and here). But don’t misread my motives. While I’m a member of the AAUP, I’m not some union rabble-rouser. I’m a team guy — really I am.

But I’m also a guy who teaches the theory and the practice of public relations, and I’m weary of using my own employer as a “how-not-to” case study. But you can’t ignore the headlines, can you? What you need to do is stop making those headlines and correct the errant policies that lead to them.

My friend and colleague, Rob Jewell, has already posted his thoughts on this matter. But if you read only one post on Rob’s fine new blog, read the one he wrote last week — the one that captures the essence of the PR business. Rob titled the post: Public relations and character, and while he never mentions Kent State in that post, the lesson sure applies.

Since the Beacon Journal hasn’t yet posted its editorials for 12/28/07 (go figure), I’ve transcribed the text for you here:

King Lester doles out our treasury

Lester Lefton hasn’t quite figured out that he is not the chief executive of a Fortune 500 company, or even a private university. The president of Kent State ran into turbulence when word surfaced of travel bills exceeding $40,000 during a European excursion. (Kent has programs abroad.)

Did Lefton learn his lesson about taking care of public money, not to mention avoiding messes that diminish the profile of higher education in the Statehouse? Evidently not.

If the travel bill didn’t stick in the public throat, Lefton later agreed to pay $88,000 in tuition for a Kent administrator (no pauper, on a salary of $206,140) seeking a doctoral degree at Case Western Reserve University. All those students accumulating substantial debt to get their diplomas had reason to wonder: If the administrator lacks available cash, why not advise him to borrow the money?

They may even draw the connection: Gee, $88,000? That equivalent to the annual tuition for 11 students.

(From the Akron Beacon Journal, 12/28/2007)

There’s another blogger at Kent State, and he’s making me look bad!

I was a little surprised when Rob Jewell dropped me a note last week asking me to check out his blog. Has he finally done it? Has he finally jumped into the blogosphere to share his PR wisdom with the rest of us?

He has, and you will find him at “PR On The Run.” Drop in and say hello.

Rob has posted six times in five days, each a thoughtful essay on some aspect of the PR business, most of them fomented during his early morning runs. His passion for the business is evident in every post.

At Kent State, we’ve known Rob for a long time. He earned his bachelor’s degree before Kent State was a national symbol of the the antiwar movement and while Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert was still at Crestwood High School. A master’s degree came later — during the Carter administration, if memory serves.

Rob spent his first career, all 29 years of it, with the BFGoodrich Co. in Akron, Ohio. He started his second life as teacher and student mentor at Kent State, in 2003. I’m happy to say that after 40+ years in Northeast Ohio, he remains an unapologetic Steelers fan.

You can read Rob’s profile here. But that profile won’t tell you is what an energetic teacher and coach he is. You can read about that here.

Good luck with the blog, Rob. Since you’re a distance runner, I probably don’t have to say this, but I will: Pace yourself!

Writing still matters, and you can quote me on that!

Students in my Case Studies class spend a semester immersed in PR process, from research through evaluation and everything in between. They also learn that writing matters more than any other skill they develop at Kent State, with the possible exception of beer pong.

Yeah, yeah. I know that success in PR requires meticulous research and critical thinking. I know it requires knowledge of social science, history, philosophy, government and business. But the ONE skill that other business disciplines (marketing, HR, finance and management) seldom bring to the table is the ability to write well.

Writing is our unique selling point.

At Kent, we reinforce writing skills in every class. If students don’t write well by the time they complete Case Studies, we advise them to consider another major. It disappoints many, but we’re doing the students and the profession a favor.

Good writing involves far more than I can summarize in a blog post. Good writing is about content, context, tone, organization, flow and texture. It’s about choosing words precisely and punctuating sentences accurately. Good writing also means sweating the “little stuff” — the details of grammar, usage and punctuation. It means caring enough to use the language artfully but also correctly.

Sadly, most of our K-12 educators don’t teach the rules of language any longer. And lord knows students don’t practice them in their text messages, emails or Facebook postings.

Are you a careful writer? My students, and a good many PR bloggers, love to violate these five rules:

Kent State in the headlines — again! What’s your advice?

It’s fortunate the state of Ohio doesn’t allow firearms on college campuses. Otherwise, I worry that the administration at Kent State might shoot themselves in the foot. They’ve done so in the figurative sense three times this semester, and it hurts us all.

Since September, three management errors have landed KSU in the headlines, and the impact on long-term reputation is beginning to show. In each case, the university has ducked serious questions from the media and issued statements that rationalize their missteps. As a faculty member AND a financial backer of Kent State, I’m cringing, and so are many of our alumni and friends.

As I said, three stories have bitten us in the backside. The most recent broke yesterday when Akron Beacon Journal reported that Ed Mahon, VP of information services, received a nifty little bonus in addition to a 10% raise this year. The bonus was $88,000 earmarked to pay Mahon’s tuition for a doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School.

The Case program in “business leadership” is one our own College of Business can’t duplicate. We focus on “teaching” business, Weatherhead focuses on “doing” business. So the Case doctorate is clearly a better fit for Mahon.

Why I don’t trust marketing: Part II

Relax! I’m not gonna say another word on the topic that sparked such a lively thread this past week. But since 4 other bloggers were moved to write about the post, I figured I’d point you in their direction.

The fact that other bloggers are writing about MY post is either very cool, or further evidence that bloggers have no lives. Decide for yourself.

Rich Becker’s post is insightful and well-written, like everything he does. And it includes a spirited exchange with the Geoffster.

Geoff Livingston goes a few rounds with Rich, then does his own post. He morphs the discussion into an “identity crisis” for PR, and he includes a quote from me to sum it up. I’m flattered, but I guess I’m on Geoff’s shit list, as he didn’t include my last name or a link to the original post. No offense taken, Geoff. I’ve been an outcast since high school.

Bob Batchelor, PR prof at U of South Florida, brings his academic and professional knowledge to bear in his post about the post. Smart guy, Bob, and he’s both a Kent State grad (M.A.) and a Steelers fan. That, in my book is approaching perfection. Here is your final test: How do you feel about the designated hitter rule?

Jason Falls also offers a balanced view on the PR-marketing debate, but more from the marketer’s perspective. He strives for a simple view of PR, but I worry that it may be a tad too simple.

Jason does some innovative work in social media that you can read about at his blog, “Social Media Explorer.” But I like him mostly because his agency, Doe Anderson, represents Jim Beam’s boutique bourbon lines. If my friends are listening, a bottle of Booker’s would be great under the Christmas tree. (Sorry, J, but I only had room for one picture. I know you’ll understand!)

While Heather Yaxley didn’t write about my post at her blog, she did chime in with the most perceptive comments of all. Also, her post at PR Conversations includes more insight (IMHO) than all of our nattering combined. Thanks to Judy Gombita for the reminder, as this post goes back to August.

Finally, speaking of reminders, my son Chris walked in while I was starting this post, and it reminded me of a comment about blogging that he made on his first and possibly his only post:

“See how quickly the echo chamber starts to suck you in?

Blogs are wonderful conversations, indeed. But let’s keep it in perspective — all of it.

Guns in church? Now there’s a PR problem!

Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!

Matthew Murray’s attack on members of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs last Sunday ended when an “armed volunteer” drew her weapon and shot him multiple times. Police say Murray died by his own hand, but it doesn’t change the fact the Jeanne Assam and others came to church carrying concealed weapons, and they did so with the blessing of church elders.

An armed congregation is now part of the emergency management plan in a good many places of worship. That’s what I learned from today’s Denver Post and this story titled, “Weapons in Church? For everything there is a time.” It was unsettling news to me, but I’m sure it was comforting to the dozens of New Life church members who are alive today thanks to Ms. Assam’s quick reactions and steady aim.

“It’s a sad necessity,” says Gary Schneeberger of Focus on the Family, another church in Colorado Springs. “This is the world we live in. Our organizations would be irresponsible if we weren’t prepared.”

Doug Olsen of the Woodman Valley Chapel is quoted in the Post story as well:

“At schools you can lock strangers out and tell the kids to watch out for strangers. A church should open its doors to everybody, according to the Bible. We want strangers. We want people who are in trouble.”

Why I don’t trust marketing

A while back, maybe a decade, I attended a lecture by Plain Dealer columnist Dick Feagler. Dick opened his talk by telling our students he writes 12 columns a month for Ohio’s largest newspaper. About twice a month, he said, “I actually have something to say.”

Dick would make a fine blogger. Like columnists, bloggers don’t always have something relevant to say, but our readers expect something nonetheless. So we write, sometimes when we shouldn’t.

In the grand scheme, few people will care — as the headline says — why I don’t trust marketers. But since it’s been gnawing at me for, oh, 15 years, I figured I’d put it out here for your consideration and feedback.

Why now?

Blame it on the blogosphere. I see too many 30something PR bloggers who don’t or won’t differentiate between PR and marketing. Most use the terms interchangeably, and I worry that a generation of practitioners may come of age not knowing the difference.

Marketing: PR’s “evil twin.”

I started using the pet name “evil twin” about a year ago –my flippant way of differentiating the PR function from the distinct discipline of marketing. My concerns took root in the early 1990s, when the folks at Medill coined the term “integrated marketing communication.”