Ok, I admit, before January 31^st of this year, I didn’t think a lot about exercise.  On that day I put one foot in front of the other and started running.  Two miles became eight, then 12 then 15 and finally 26.2 as I finished the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in June.  The coaches and mentors with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program provided the preparation and encouragement needed to complete this objective.

To be honest, before that first two mile run, blood cancers were about as top of mind as exercise.  On February 1^st of this year, my high school friend Pete had his first chemo treatment for multiple myelomas.   After a very grueling time, he was declared in “remission”.  Pete was one of my motivations to train and run the marathon.  The marathon training and long runs continue to be an easy way to lift up Pete and his family in prayer.

Thankfully, Pete is still in remission.

Coming up on October 17^th I’ll run the Denver Rock and Roll Half Marathon in celebration of Pete’s continued positive impact on our community.  On October 24^th it will be the Day of the Tread Half Marathon that I’ll run in honor of Neil Weaver, who fell victim to multiple myelomas several years ago.  Neil made a great impact on the Albuquerque community as a father, businessman and friend.  His son-in-law Ben, will also be participating in a Day of the Tread cycling event.

If you’d like to help fund a cure for blood cancers, here is the link: http://bit.ly/97O1ri

But, wait!  There is more!

A team from The Garrity Group will be running in the Denver Rock and Roll Marathon Relay!  I am proud of our team and this tremendous undertaking to raise awareness and funds to find a cure to beat blood cancers.  They are putting others ahead of themselves by raising awareness to fund a cure for Blood cancers.  Here is their link:

So like Forrest Gump, we run.

Go team!

Jimmy Buffett and LeBron James are an unlikely pair.  However, over the span of the past several days both have done their part to niche their place in modern culture and they both based it on their performance.

The now tiresome special and focus on Mr. James’ decision to leave his home of Cleveland in pursuit of a championship title (which he didn’t get in college because he went right to the NBA from an Ohio high school) has been bantered about by greater and wittier minds than mine.  But the announcement was a shunning of his home state and a promise of performance in the form of a championship ring.  

Contrast that with singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who embraces his gulf coast heritage, has only received two Grammy nominations.  But his following will be stronger than any NBA or other professional sporting figure, evidenced by his 40+ records that have gone either gold or platinum, sold out tour dates, and collaborations with the greatest voices in the music industry.

Jimmy Buffett, tonight, is hosting a benefit concert in Gulf Shores Alabama as a benefit to help the region plagued by oil and negative publicity from the gulf spill.  A long track record of doing things for the community that supported him for so long is why Jimmy Buffett reached icon status a long time ago.  Versus LeBron James, who like a prodigal son left home … yes, I think Ohio is bigger than LeBron to accept him back when he returns to the community with humility in his heart.

How can you effectively communicate during difficult economic times?  The same way you communicate during the boom periods.  Your communication should be relevant, genuine and transparent.  What does this mean?  This is the second of two installments (as seen in the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch Quarterly Newsletter http://www.agc-nm.org/):

Be Transparent

Your target audiences are very self-centered.  They want to know what you are going to do to help them.  The construction industry has seen a lot of recession-based transformation.  One of the most obvious is the influx of builders and specialists who know residential but are oblivious to commercial code requirements.

While it would feel good to share your views about the cross-over opportunists with the purchasing director, it probably won’t be a move that will pay off in the long run.    Your best way to combat the new competition is by defining the issue of items in terms and deliverables that are unique to commercial construction.

List the items that set your qualifications apart from the competition; address bonding and other items unique to your industry; be a resource through a brochure, website or on the telephone to address nuances about the commercial construction trade.  This kind of transparency, by ghosting the issue, will help to position you as a trusted partner.

The Tools

Social media is the new “it” marketing tool.  It seems as if everyone is getting on Twitter, FaceBook and YouTube (the Big Three).  While those marketing tools have relevance to some markets, some elements of social media can be beneficial to every market.

Retail and services organizations are the entities that have effectively leveraged social media outlets.  For brick/mortar and construction industries, a tool like YouTube or Flicker can help you show off construction techniques or client projects.  A LinkedIn account or Facebook fan page is a good way to generate top of mind awareness about what your business does by informing other people in the professional and non-professional world.

The key of connection is to always draw your target audience your website or to have them connect with you in some form.  Social media, like broadcast media, is a means to an end of making a connection… not just an end of saying we’ve done it, now onto the next task.

Today’s technology provides many unique ways to be relevant, genuine and transparent.  Leveraging the technology with those three keys will help you to remain connected with your target audiences regardless of the market’s economic conditions.

The bottom line has a new meaning in the midst of this recession.  For some organizations, when times are tight the first thing owners do is pull back on marketing communication efforts.   If you think about it, scaling back on awareness is akin to a NASCAR team opting for cheaper tires… short term benefit, long term loss.

How can you effectively communicate during difficult economic times?  The same way you communicate during the boom periods.  Your communication should be relevant, genuine and transparent.  What does this mean?  This is the first of two installments (as seen in the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch Quarterly Newsletter http://www.agc-nm.org):

Be Relevant

Like yours, my mailbox fills up with funding requests from what seems to be a “who’s who” list of nonprofit charities.   And like you, I’ve personally and corporately made donations and contributions to various organizations.

Those charities were selected 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 you will be one step closer to success.  Being relevant means you need to know your audience” 12 months out of the year instead of trying to be impersonal and connect only when it is convenient for you.

Be Genuine

Sharing your message is all about how you communicate with your target audience (i.e. customers).  In the past, communicating with the larger public was largely relegated to the news media.   Today, there are a multitude of options available (e-newsletters, facebook, twitter, YouTube) when communicating with a broader spectrum of people.

Sharing your message is a personal conversation and connection with your target audience.

The new media provides effective ways to engage your customers.  Websites, blogs, wiki’s, and social media are all different ways to connect, unfiltered, to your audience.   Direct mail, personal letters, magazines, newsletters are some good standbys to reinforce your brand beyond the computer screen.  These tools are an effective complement to reaching your objectives through traditional media and tactics.

Think of your communication tools as golf clubs.  They each provide a specific purpose to move your message/brand forward.  You wouldn’t use a putter in the tee box or a driver on the putting green.  Knowing your audience and your objectives will help you to identify the right tools to share your message effectively.  The result will be a genuine message that is received and not ignored by your existing and future customers.

A good explosion always gets my attention.

Whether it is watching a bridge or munitions being demolished, there is something about the thud and the compression that draws me to seek out these kind of unique opportunities.

When I heard that the old Texas Stadium was soon to implode (instead of the teams imploding inside), I thought, this will be something to see.  Looking at the footage, it was a good demolition.

An eleven year old got to trigger the implosion, the winner of an essay contest sponsored by Kraft.  What does Kraft have to do with Texas Stadium?  The corporation sponsored the implosion to introduce its “Cheddar Explosion” macaroni and cheese.  How much did the “naming” rights cost?  $75K to the City of Irving and $75K worth of donated product to local charities. 

This is the first implosion I’ve ever heard of being sponsored.

Hoping to get in on the action, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine offered $75K if the City of Irving would drop their title sponsor and post a banner touting the woes of “fatty, cholesterol-laden products.”

The City of Irving declined but did donate $25,000 to YMCA programs that fight childhood obesity.

So, who won?  Easy.  The 11 year old who wrote the essay to flip the switch that triggered the explosion that brought down Texas Stadium… of course!

It was a Saturday that I really didn’t intend to do any work… then my brother-in-law called and then next thing I knew we are enroute to a hunting and fishing trade show.  There were a number of great exhibits.  And I was having a nice time taking it all in until I came across one of the “new” exhibitors, a fishing lodge/conference center located outside of Santa Fe.

The owner told some great stories about the lodge, how it was established in the early 1900’s, how it has stayed in the family through the years, even how it was transformed into a lodge and destination.  I was on the verge of declaring this as the best kept secret in New Mexico, let alone the Southwest United States … when I saw “it”!

Yes, there is Stephen King’s “It”, a great book about a horrifying creature in Maine.  And there is the other “It”, equally as horrifying, the brochure promoting his lodge.

Printed on virtually transparent paper, at the expense of a dozen HP inkjet cartridges, the trifold brochure featured a distorted picture of a fisherman on what appeared to be a very scenic area. Inside, more color images and a panel that provided a brief history.  On the back panel was his contact information, an @aol.com email address but no website address.

When I asked for a rate card or related information he asked me to visit his website, which he wrote on the brochure.  When I asked him about the name of the website, which bared no resemblance to the name of his lodge, he told me “I have no idea what that website means.”  At that point, I dropped my head and thought… he all of the best intentions, he has a great product just marketing materials that paled in comparison to the quality surroundings of his lodge.

Not wanting to work on this Saturday, I was able to maintain keep my cover as an unassuming customer.  When I left thought, I immediately started to vent about how this view/approach of marketing is going to be the main reason why his only success will be that of word of mouth.

So, yes, I will help.  I will offer a trade for services which he may or may not take me up on.  If he doesn’t, I might call my real estate agent so I can find out when this lodge will go on the market.

Over the course of many rubber chicken lunches, we’ve all heard various presentations about how people are making a small difference to improve our earthly condition.

One such lunch I heard the founder of PF Changs talk about an endurance training program he helped to develop called Team in Training (TNT).  Trainers donate their time to help prepare teams of people for events around the country.  The participants donate money, they would have paid for a personal trainer to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Like you, family and friends have been impacted by cancer.  That, coupled with a personal fitness slide in my 40’s, I committed mentally to participate in TNT when it comes to Albuquerque.

I’ve never really become acquainted with Leukemia, Lymphoma and Myeloma until Megan Vondra, a friend of the family’s, was diagnosed, underwent treatment and is currently in remission from a blood cancer.  It is through Megan that I became aware of TNT in Albuquerque and signed up for the June 6^th San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon.

The day before my first training run with the team, I received an e-mail from a high school friend telling me that one of our friends Pete Johnson was diagnosed with multiple myloma.  Interesting that Peter started his chemo treatments the same week that marathon training started.  My training and pain pales in comparison to the chemo treatments and life conversations that Megan and Peter know all too well.

How does this include you?  As a part of the TNT program, participants are asked to raise money and awareness.  Through April 2, 2010 every dollar you donate through my TNT website (http://pages.teamintraining.org/nm/rnr10/tgarrity) or through checks sent to me (made payable to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) I will match with my personal funds.  Gifts are tax deductable. Here is the best part, since 75% of donations go directly toward research and patient services, with my match, 100% of your gift goes toward supporting programs that help Pete, Megan and others in the midst of fighting this disease.

Thanks in advance for your support.

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.

Recently a fellow PR colleague asked me the following question: “What is the importance of public relations/marketing/advertising in relation to an organization’s mission and bottom line?”  After thinking about his question, I decided to focus my response on the lowest common denominators… what it is and what it isn’t.  Here’s my response:

Marketing communications is a tricky thing.

It is celebrated, proven, and talked about by growing companies.

Failing organizations misuse, ignore and downplay it.

The people who think they are too good for it are the ones who need it the most.

Pop culture successes sometimes don’t recognize how badly they need it.

Companies that are successful by selling a mediocre product abuse it.

CEOs that know how to leverage it are successful.

Shareholders of companies that implement it effectively are wealthier.

Smart moms are very effective at it.  Husbands could learn a lot about it from their wives.

You can say a lot about it without saying much at all.

Successful corporate brands don’t implement it because they “get” it.

Just because you have it doesn’t mean you “get” it.

It is a part of a healthy corporate culture, truthful and transparent.

It is about making a connection but many people have a hard time connecting with that truth.

It is abused, neglected, misrepresented, mothballed, cut, downsized, reduced and eliminated.

It needs to be integrated, bold, consistent, creative, simple and memorable.

It needs to be real.

Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Apple, Tiger, McDonalds and Wal-Mart leverage it.

Kleenex, Coke, Xerox, Band Aid, Velcro and Scotch Tape defined it.

Politicians manipulate it for good, evil and their personal agenda.

On a bad day it will help define who you are.

On a good day it is the best thing ever.

One of those spectacles in sport transpired on a Texas basketball court recently in a game between two independent schools. Dallas Academy was playing on the road at Covenant-Dallas. The home team won, Covenant-Dallas “100” and Dallas Academy “0”.

It was the largest margin of victory in girls high school basketball where both teams lost.

One wonders, as many have wondered about this situation, at what point does winning by 30 points or 100 points matter… a win is a win.

Even the ruthless Bill Belichick, legendary head coach of the New England Patriots, has a heart (though there are some Jets fans who would disagree).

Covenant-Dallas’ head coach Micah Grimes wasn’t heartless, he was headless! Leading 35-0 after the first quarter, 59-0 after the second quarter and 88-0 after the third quarter provided enough signs that this game was well in hand during the first five minutes of the game.

Nine days after the blow-out, Covenant-Dallas posted a statement on its website. It concluded with “a victory without honor is a great loss.”

Across the way at Dallas Academy, the team was unified. The school received some major props for character, class and poise (which is like gold in the world of independent schools). They even received some assistance from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

However, the headmaster was quoted as saying “the hell with it” and, according to news reports, canceled the balance of the season. If that is true, it is lost opportunity.

I can see the headmaster’s reasoning. Dallas Academy is first and foremost focused on education, the competitive sports program became a distraction. But by canceling the balance of the season, instead of finishing and canceling the program with graduation, a different message is sent indicating that winning and losing does matter regardless of the character on the court.

All of the teams/schools lost in so many ways. The only victor were the Dallas Academy players. One spoke to a reporter: “Even if you are losing, you might as well keep playing,” said Shelby Hyatt, a freshman on the team. “Keep trying, and it’s going to be OK.

A powerful politico is faced with an image problem.

What can the “accused” and “named”  do to clear their own name – which is a challenge when there are only verbal accusations and innuendos.

Let’s touch on three key items…

1. You need to understand that there is a courtroom of law and a courtroom of public opinion. The two arenas tend to use vastly different strategies when addressing issues like this.
2. Mega-stars and regular Joe’s appear to have two sets of rules. This is a fallacy. Mega-stars have a quicker “public rebound” cycle because of their access to the spotlight.
3. If the media inquires and you ignore the question the issue/topic will somehow go away. This is another fallacy.

In a crisis, the entity/person showing compassion to the victim will have an easier time of recovering their reputation and/or getting things back on track.

In this particular case, some would argue, truth is an apparent victim.

When truth is a victim, respond with transparency.

If your attorney won’t allow full transparency, then ensure you provide accessibility. Take the calls and provide a “vetted” response to any and all who ask or inquire.

Transparency and accessibility are two strong approaches to safeguarding/defending your reputation. However, there is a lot more to both strategies – just as there is more to making pizza than just having dough and sauce.