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What we don't do
12/07/07 11:17 AM Filed in: General
Happy Now, Mr. Brabender?
This Persistent PR Man Is Offbeat Yet Practical,
Just Like the Fish 'n Flush
By BARRY NEWMAN
December 19, 2007; Page A1
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Hi, there. Hope you are well. We thought you'd like some information for an interesting feature. It's about a Kansas public-relations professional who has carved a unique niche for himself by sending the nation's media outlets thousands of copies of news releases for "practical yet peculiar" consumer products.
He's Todd Brabender -- whose clients include the SummerSled (it works on grass) and Litecubes (the glowing ice cubes). His latest PR pitch, for the Fish 'n Flush toilet fish tank, begins: "It's a unique new product whose decorative appeal could turn the bathroom into the most talked about room in the house."
Mr. Brabender, who is 41 years old and a former media person himself, is the kind of PR guy journalists hate to love -- but love nevertheless. An old-fashioned press agent with newfangled powers, he blasts emails far and wide from the basement of his flagstoned mid-American home. Media elites may fume over coverups and spin, but for reporters with holiday news holes to fill, a bulletin about guppies in the toilet is cause for elation.
As Lisa Reicosky wrote in the Canton, Ohio, Repository: "Sometimes in this business we receive press releases we just can't ignore." That was the first sentence of her story on the Fish 'n Flush. "The toilet fish, yeah, that caught my eye," says Ms. Reicosky. "I'm part time. I need the PR people to give me my ideas." The Repository (circulation 65,000) gave the Fish 'n Flush 241 words.
This story lead, from the Dec. 19, 2007 Wall Street Journal, is a good example of what we don't do. You don't have to go to Lawrence, Kansas, to find someone equipped to send out thousands of news releases on a goofy product. Plenty of basement shops in Indianapolis. We're equipped to do that as well. But at Executive Media, we're generally concerned with issues, ideas and reputation.
We like to work long-term with clients and to build lasting relationships with members of the media. Nothing wrong with what Todd Brabender does. We're just glad there's someone out there to handle the novelty end of the business.
This Persistent PR Man Is Offbeat Yet Practical,
Just Like the Fish 'n Flush
By BARRY NEWMAN
December 19, 2007; Page A1
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Hi, there. Hope you are well. We thought you'd like some information for an interesting feature. It's about a Kansas public-relations professional who has carved a unique niche for himself by sending the nation's media outlets thousands of copies of news releases for "practical yet peculiar" consumer products.
He's Todd Brabender -- whose clients include the SummerSled (it works on grass) and Litecubes (the glowing ice cubes). His latest PR pitch, for the Fish 'n Flush toilet fish tank, begins: "It's a unique new product whose decorative appeal could turn the bathroom into the most talked about room in the house."
Mr. Brabender, who is 41 years old and a former media person himself, is the kind of PR guy journalists hate to love -- but love nevertheless. An old-fashioned press agent with newfangled powers, he blasts emails far and wide from the basement of his flagstoned mid-American home. Media elites may fume over coverups and spin, but for reporters with holiday news holes to fill, a bulletin about guppies in the toilet is cause for elation.
As Lisa Reicosky wrote in the Canton, Ohio, Repository: "Sometimes in this business we receive press releases we just can't ignore." That was the first sentence of her story on the Fish 'n Flush. "The toilet fish, yeah, that caught my eye," says Ms. Reicosky. "I'm part time. I need the PR people to give me my ideas." The Repository (circulation 65,000) gave the Fish 'n Flush 241 words.
This story lead, from the Dec. 19, 2007 Wall Street Journal, is a good example of what we don't do. You don't have to go to Lawrence, Kansas, to find someone equipped to send out thousands of news releases on a goofy product. Plenty of basement shops in Indianapolis. We're equipped to do that as well. But at Executive Media, we're generally concerned with issues, ideas and reputation.
We like to work long-term with clients and to build lasting relationships with members of the media. Nothing wrong with what Todd Brabender does. We're just glad there's someone out there to handle the novelty end of the business.