Make a Splash

I’ve always been fascinated by the nature of the media beast. (FYI - I wrote this without reading Guy's post on Perspective in the Media from yesterday). At times it seems as though Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, was correct when he stated “Any press is good press”. In other words he didn’t care if the media coverage on the Dallas Cowboys was negative; as long as the team was making the headlines they were on people’s minds and that's all that mattered. When it comes to our personal lives we are stringent with morals and ethics. How could you possibly be close friends with someone who committed adultery or released a sex tape? Yet we hear sensationalized stories about celebrities on a regular basis and continue to watch their TV shows and movies, buy magazines and gossip to our friends about the latest headlines. Consider Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian who went from spoiled daughters of successful parents to ‘celebrities’ in their own right. How? They created a media craze after home videos containing revealing content were ‘leaked’.

These individuals aren’t as stupid as they seem. The formula for creating a buzz / making a splash / separating yourself from the pack goes something like this:

1. Do something outrageous that gets people talking
2. Let the story flow through the media and watch the number of Google hits of your name go up
3. Sleazy companies and entrepreneurs are the first to pounce, closely followed by more credible companies looking to ride the wave of can’t miss marketing
4. Acknowledge that your actions were of questionable taste and character, apologize and move on
5. Everyone forgets why you are suddenly famous but it doesn’t matter because your name is in the headlines

Here is one of my favourite examples of the phenomenon: Rome vs. Everett

Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host who is a very polarizing character… you love him or you hate him. But it doesn’t matter what you think because he’s one of the top sports personalities in North America and brings in millions in salary per year. He went from cocky host on a disregarded television show to international leader is sports talk. How? What you saw in the video clip was Rome calling Jim Everett “Chris” (after Chris Everett, the female tennis player) because he felt that Everett was soft and shied away from getting hit as a quarterback. Rome gained notoriety for the incident and gained the respect of the masses for his ballsy display.

The examples that I have provided involve questionable behaviour but the same phenomenon can be achieved through positivity. Riding across Canada or Australia to raise money for juvenile diabetes, taking part in the Ironman to raise money for cancer (ala Scott Rintoul) or completing extreme events such as the Del Sahara are very impressive feats that will create a buzz. If you want to fly under the radar and you’re content being the quiet, consistent type that’s fine. If you want to separate yourself from the pack and market yourself and the company in a positive light, remember that anyone can do it with some planning and a large stride outside of your comfort zone. Ask yourself if this is a step that you need to take to be more successful and if so, plan what you can do to make a splash.