YourCommunicationsEdge

 The other night, after a long stressful day, I decided to relax by streaming a movie on Hulu. There it was, before the film started: a political ad about Kamala Harris.  My 40-years in communications had me rate the pitch as well-done. But to me there was the age-old question: Will it be effective? That is, will it move the dial on attitudes that result in the politico's getting the votes? In advertising there had been the joke: Yes, half of advertising works, we only don't know which half. Given the escalating cost of advertising in these budget-consciousness times, such a casual assessment of designing/placing an ad can't be allowed. Master fundraiser for the Democratic Party from law firm Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp sized up the current campaign as the most expensive ever. Well, the application of data-based tools could not only make the Party's advertising effective. It could actually be the variable that wins a close race.  That finding is a result of recent resea

"Trump advisers said the Harris boomlet isn’t sustainable." - Gabriel Sherman,  Vanity Fair , July 23, 2024 Unlike the erratic leader himself Donald Trump the conservative movement has brilliant common-sense strategists. Otherwise conservatism in America wouldn't have grown so much and acquired such staying power.  So, there might be something to the advisers' observation that the rapid emergence of the rebranded Kamala Harris isn't a phenomenon (like the one Trump has maintained over the years) that can be held together long term.  We all experienced the dazzling Harris boomlet.  There has been the kind of fundraising headed up by the extremely well-connected such as Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp as well as contributions by first-time small donors. Together in one week that totaled $200 million.  That helped fund a Harris Everywhere visibility, including in-person rallies, email blasts, a TikTok account, social media, media relations that resulted in high-profile e

"Census data on car-free households suggests the number of U.S. households with no vehicles has been relatively stable, fluctuating  8% to 8.6%  from 2018 to 2022. Most of those households are below the poverty line." -  USA Today , July 24, 2024 On the one hand, those who can choose their lifestyles are opting for some version of the  15-Minute City . That is the urban planning concept facilitating access to all necessary services will be within a 15-minute walk, bike ride or public transportation.  On the other hand, most don't anticipate a kind of Lifestyle Paradise if they can opt out of car ownership. Yes, they don't want to have to get into the car for everything. But they also want the option of having the car for faster access to whatever or choices beyond that access. That is, they prefer to own a car despite the initial high cost of the car purchase and the ongoing ones of gasoline (or e-batteries), insurance, maintenance and repairs.  Nerd Wallet  reports:

  "[JD] Vance 'grew up spending his summers in Appalachia and came from a poor family' while arguing [KY Gov Andy] Beshear 'grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth thanks to his politician/lawyer daddy.'” -  The Hill , July 25, 2024  So?  With DEI dying, the positioning and packaging of a narrative derived from a hard-scabble background is rapidly losing its persuasive power. That won't get anyone too far.  Along with that, resentment about those from the so-called "lucky sperm club" - that is, Nepo Babies - seems schoolboyishly naive. Life isn't fair. Not even in America. After all, we all have to die.  What the world, ranging from voters to employers, wants to hear is what you have accomplished and will pull off for them. Not pedigree or lack of it.  In business and life you usually have only one shot at whatever. Up the odds of success with Jane Genova. I am an intuitive coach, tarot reader and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (plea

"Paul Weiss attorney Karen Dunn has been brought in to assist Vice President Kamala Harris with debate preparation." -   Bloomberg Law , July 23, 2024 Dunn's parachuting in is nothing new in her political outreach. Back in 2020, she also prepped Harris in the debate with Mike Pence. Dunn's "other identity" had been as a prominent tech lawyer at Boise Schiller and then at Paul, Weiss. When the latter poached her it was a high-profile news story. Over the years she broadened her practice from tech.  Obviously the Democratic Party has adopted urgency in retrofitting the campaign with everything from a new leader to new optics. In addition, Paul, Weiss, which had been  deeply networked with the Biden Admistration,  has shifted efficiently to the emerging order of things. It is important for a prominent Wall Street law firm, given all the regulation and legislation involved, to have access inside the beltway. Interestingly, Paul, Weiss' chair Brad Karp toyed

  "Biden posted a picture of his historic letter dropping out of the race on X, Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The message was posted to X at 1:46 p.m. ET. It appeared on other social platforms at roughly the same time." -  Axios,  July 22, 2024 The posting on X was considered by traditional media as the "source." X CEO Linda Yaccarino didn't waste any time seizing this opportunity to position and package X as  the  platform for news. She observed, "X is where history happens." It is also historic that Biden did not provide a traditional press event. He did say he was later going to do something like that but gave no definite date. That made his announcement on social "stand alone," at least for now. Obviously, media as we have known it has lost more power and influence. Social keeps gaining it. Those prominent professional services firms ranging from McKinsey (management consulting) to Apollo (finance) to Paul, Weiss (law) to Edelman (publ

"Remember that people who feel frenzied/stressed don't want to see you looking cool as a cucumber (even if you are, and even if that is the better way). Many such folks equate a stressed aura to caring about the work."    Fishbowl Big Law , July 2024 So much standard career advice hammers developing an in-charge persona. Establish presence. Don't let them see you sweat.  And so much standard career advice is misguided. How you present yourself in professional life - at least effectively - is determined by the organizational culture. That's very firm or company specific. There are no universals.  During the Iacocca turnaround during the late 1970s and early 1980s, the pace was urgent. Any day the auto corporation could have slid into bankuptcy. It was expected that the everyone would be  very  concerned. Being cool and collected sent the wrong signal.  In contrast, across town at General Motors, the ethos was being-in-control. Ironically, though, its business was h

More and more professionals are coming for Tarot readings to find out how they should be regrouping for the emerging world of work. Even those who seem to be thriving are in anxiety what they need to do or not do to remain marketable - and promotable. That concern should be trickling down to the youngest of Generation Z. The issues range from should they go to college to how to apply for the first few jobs.  CNBC  warns that so much has changed in not only what's in demand but also about how employers screen during hiring. Meanwhile, those concerned about making a good living are essentially juggling what they assume is necessary to create value and what they also assume they should be learning to anticipate the future. The name of the new game is: being pro-active. In order to be more helpful to my clients I am asking experts in a number of fields about issues related to acquiring a skill, applying for work, holding on to work and moving on to better opportunities.  This morning a

  Not since my two new enterprises reached their breakeven points have I been so ephoric. This evening at  Cochise Toastmasters Club , Sierra Vista, Arizona I won the award for Best Table Topics. That involves delivering an impromtu speech for one to two minutes. The subjects tend to be oddball. Mine was about how I feel about making cookies. The theme of the meeting was National Sugar Cookie Day. Those of you who know about Toastmasters are aware that the non-profit trains public speaking. And it does that at an affordable fee, compared to most commercial programs. For new members that's a mere 20 bucks for enrollment, then 60 bucks every six months. Peanuts. No, you can't beat the price. You are able to sit in on a few minutes free, without pressure to join. Of course, I came to Toastmasters a month ago for that: the public speaking training. But the experience has been much more. In my late 70s, I left what has been my comfort zone for the last 40 years. Let me put it this w

  " A white-shoe law firm [Sullivan & Cromwell] whose clients have included Goldman Sachs, Google and Tesla will screen job applicants to determine whether  they took part in incendiary anti-Israel protests  -  The New York Post,  July 2024  To ferret out those alleged miscreants Sullivan & Cromwell contracted with HireRight to do background checks on law graduates applying for jobs at that law firm. Based on what turns up the applicants might not be offered employment. Partner Joseph Shenker seems to be establishing the force field for this initiative.  Other law firms might also adopt such a policy, which of course is controversial in some circles. Already Davis Polk and Winston & Strawn have snatched back offers to those who had made public anti-Israel statements.  This could be confusing being critical of the politics and military actions of Israel with anti-semitism. It will be interesting to monitor if law firms which have been visible condemning anti-semitism su

  There is a  bit of buzz  about Donald Trump's lack of aggressive response to the public unmasking of Joe Biden's cognitive decline. That clears the establishment and social media stages to focus on how such a development has generated turmoil in Democratic Party networks. The pummeling of Biden and the condemnation of his reelection-campaign determination is being left to the Democrats.  Such a laying low strategy is atypical for Trump who historically has been without a filter. That's the genius in this approach. So, here we have this kind of comment on a  YouTube site  saluting this move: @jamesberonja1539 "When your enemy is digging his own grave why help? Trump doesnt have to do anything." Meanwhile Biden has managed to position and package himself as a power-consumed player who is ignoring the greater good. Already his legacy is tarnished. In general, the Democratic Party comes across as not able to lead within its ranks. So, the question arises: How can it

  "American allies fear Biden is finished and can’t beat Trump"   Politico , July 6, 2024  That's the horrific term -  finished  - that careerists fear. Now it's being applied to Joe Biden's reelection efforts.  Sometimes, in our darkest moments of reflection, we put that label on ourselves.  Often, whether the assessments come from external forces or from our own inner turmoil, it can be a positive development. We have direction: We can let the pursuit go. In our professional life, that's known as career change. That's hard, as I discuss in this article in  O'Dwyer's Public Relations , but increasingly necessary in this volatile era. The wise get out before they're finished. We can do extensive course correction, as did media personality Megyn Kelly. We can ignore and blow it off, as did politico Winston Churchill. There is that very old adage in life and in careers: It's not what happens to you, it's how you handle it.  A curious phen

  Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) may come to discover they like reading. Their new favorite social media app is  Noplace . It's free to download but only available to iOS users (download through Apple store in which it ranks #1 right now).  What's novel is that it is kind of retro social. It only allows text, no photos/videos. Since there is no opportunity to share those vacation selfies or videos a generation may come to understand the concept of "oversharing." The objective is to reestablish an old-fashioned sense of a community connecting on a deeper level. Launched by Tiffany Zhong, with investors such as 776, it opens the door to a bit of customizing. That is by permitting members to introduce their own color for their profile. It contains a top 10 friend section.  Interestingly, it awards badges for posting, commenting and encouraging others to get more involved. Incidentally, some members of the professional network LinkedIn are grousing about the commercia

  " ... [A] Kennedy relative told me he has warned RFK Jr. that he would become the target of a Democratic machine that would have no choice but to destroy him.  " Joe Hagan,  Vanity Fair,  July 2, 2024 Hagan's very very long-form hatchet job on spoiler Robert F. Kennedy Jr. raises the issue in some of our minds: Who else might be a casualty of volatile Election 2024.  For example, will the sustained outspokeness that Joe Biden should step down by political strategist James Carville be punished? US Senator John Fetterman lashed out in the media for Carville to shut up. Obviously Fetterman et al. have more power and reach than does Carville.  On the other hand, there are those insiders such as Jill Biden and sundry White House close aides who are encouraging Biden to hold on. If the White House and too many seats in the US Senate and US House go to conservatives, they might become The Unforgiven. And what about those progressive law firms, which  Open Secrets  documents at

  " For a number of institutions [of higher education], the year began with bad news: announcements of program and job cuts, the result of ongoing financial pressures and enrollment challenges." -  Inside Higher Ed , January 2024 There are fewer "safe harbors" within academia. For example, it had been assumed that career-oriented subjects such as public and professional writing would be a secure niche to bank college-teaching on. Yet, at Youngstown State University the faculty positions in that field were among the 13 cut - right along with music.  The faculty job security issue is projected to worsen, reports  Axios . That is primarily because the number of high school graduates is expected to peak in 2025 or 2026, then decline.  In addition, many public universities are facing the realities of state/city leadership focused on financial matters. For example, in New York City there is a push for deficit reduction. Queens College, part of the CUNY system, laid off 26

  "President Biden is a great guy, and I‘m a great guy, too. I don‘t have any business running campaigns anymore!"  - James Carville, on Fox, July 2, 2024  In his time, as the saying goes, genius political strategist Carville created the direction and the slogan for a winning Bill Clinton campaign: It's the economy, stupid. But there he was on Fox conceding that with aging that kind of work goes off his menu of skills. No longer can he orchestrate a whole major campaign. That's the takeaway those in Joe Biden's inner circle should pay attention to. Aging does impose certain realities. Biden is 81. Carville is 79. Even before my current age - late 70s - I phased out being an influencer. Once so much fun it didn't feel like work, it came to feel like too much work. What a chore to keep coming up with provocative new ideas to hold on and hopefully grow my followers.  Meanwhile, the youngest of the hard-charging boomers could be facing a reckoning of when to take

  It was the meme of the Ford Administration (1974 -1977) that First Lady Betty Ford was Gerald Ford's number-one asset. America's Everywoman she was just like us. Actually, she owned up to being a bit less put-together than some of the rest of us in when admitting a challenge with booze. Eventually, through her recovery the nation wound up with a world-class rehab center.  How we need that kind of real-person ethos now, and not just in the White House but amid myriad corridors of power.  The August issue of Vogue presents the antithesis of one-of us. The cover, documents the New York Post , features Jill Biden in a Ralph Lauren dress which retails for $4,499. The Post does a hatchet job not just on Dr. Biden (who has that title for what isn't a medical degree) but the entire Biden continuum. Here is one example: "They are arrogantly operating in a bygone era, when glamour moved voters. Relying on showbiz and fashion to make their desired illusion reality." So fa

"[Restoring the Starbucks' brand] ...  also means reinvesting in comfort and amenities for people who want to hang around."  From Harvard Business Review article "How Starbucks Devalued Its Own Brand," by B. Joseph Pine II and Louis-Etienne Dubois. From financial performance to employee relations, Starbucks has mutated from the setting to have coffee and more to a troubled business - and brand. Pine and Dubois attribute that to the compromising of the in-store experience aura to profits.  There was a time when we hung out at Starbucks. Like the old-fashioned book store it was a place to schedule meeting up with friends in a genteel environment. We could also bring in our PCs to do work, with the pressure of the office, including the home office, seemingly off. All that was worth the premium price of the beverages and food treats. There was a mood lift. No more. The seating - hard-backed chairs - has no ethos. Electrical outlets aren't so plentiful. The staf