Tom Garrity

Three Rabbits

In Uncategorized on January 19, 2010 at 3:11 am

Recently my youngest daughter was particularly moved by the opportunity to rescue three rabbits that were abandoned by her school.

Not wanting to deny her an opportunity to exercise her compassion and social responsibility we said she could have two of the rabbits (someone else had said they could take care of the “one” remaining rabbit).

As nature would have it, the two rabbits we rescued were female and not “really” two but 2+++!  This is “really” not too surprising when the one rabbit departing for greener pastures is a male.

Short of calling for United Nations intervention to assist with all of the animal mouths that need to be fed, we were able to find a farm for the newborn rabbits to live.  Yes, a real farm and not the mythical one where animals sometimes go to live out their remaining years.

Aside from the humorous announcement at the dinner table, designed to see if I’d laugh or cry (I laughed) it was fun to see my family’s reaction to the pending and multiple arrivals.  They were acting as if they hit the charity jackpot… after all they didn’t just rescue two rabbits but two pregnant rabbits!

And yes, while we are now in the midst of making special accommodations for these beasts with loose morals and a 28 day gestation period it is worth it to see the family pulling together to make it all happen.

So, what does this have to do with public relations?  Simple.  Sometimes it is just easy to do the right thing.

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Ode to Nonprofit Mail

In Messaging on December 28, 2009 at 11:23 pm

This time of year, more so than others, my mailbox is filled with last minute requests from various nonprofit organizations.

In New Mexico, it is a “who’s who” list of charities.   

During the last year, I’ve personally and corporately made donations and contributions to various organizations. 

I’ve chosen these charities because they have been successful in making a personal connection with me.  That “first contact” was not in the form of a letter or mass mailing.  It was in the form of a conversation, a site tour or recommendation from a friend.

During these difficult economic times, Nonprofits would be well served to check their approaches to see if it is providing the needed connection with their target audiences.  Also, check your databases for accuracy.  I’ve been included on prep school and university mailing lists who claim I am an alumnus from their “distinguished” institution.

If your organization believes in making a personal connection, then I think you will be one step closer to success.

For the rest of you who blindly buy mailing lists and/or have found my name using some nifty software that provides you a financial snapshot (I know who you are), good luck.  You’ll need it!

For the rest of us, this is a good seasonal reminder to “know your audience” 12 months out of the year instead of trying to be impersonal and connect during the last two weeks of the year.

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TIGERBAIT!

In Reputation on November 30, 2009 at 1:51 pm

One of the many great spectacles in college football is a packed LSU Tiger Stadium with the crowd chanting “TIGERBAIT” as the opposing team enters.

In another arena, sports icon Tiger Woods is making a spectacle over his lack of response to an early morning car accident into his neighbor’s tree.

While he did issue a brief statement on his website, which raised more questions than it answered, he has yet to speak to law enforcement about the accident.

It raises the question: How much information is enough to satisfy the letter of the law while placating the arena of public perception?

From the legal perspective, Tiger’s attorney provided “license, registration and proof of insurance” to officers; the bare minimum.

In the arena of public perception, it isn’t as cut and dry.

Tiger has been successful because of his athletic abilities.  Leveraging his consistency and discipline, marketers have helped elevate Tiger Woods into a sports icon who has earned the public’s trust through product endorsements.

 In all of those endorsements you’d be hard pressed to find images or references to his wife and family.  That’s because he is fiercely private about his personal life.

If he had wrapped a golf cart around a tree at a golf course, I have a feeling we would have seen Tiger owning up to the circumstances and the public curiosity would have moved on.  However, since this occurred off the course, it is, in Tiger’s mind, out of bounds.

And here lies the issue.  The public is clamoring for information about Tiger’s private life.  In this era of reality television and a 24/7 news cycle, there are some who think he owes the larger public a more detailed response than what appeared on his web page.

Tiger was wrong waiting 48 hours to make a statement; it should have been issued within 24 hours of the accident.  While it did provide personal responsibility, it raised more questions than it answered.

Despite the hovering helicopters, stalking media, and crowd that is yelling “TIGERBAIT”, this Tiger is consistent about not commenting about his personal life.  That discipline will be his key to moving past this incident.

Image of Tiger Woods provided by the Baltimore Sun

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