Thursday, January 3, 2013

10 cringe-worthy things #highered marketing professionals hear

One of my favorite PR news sites recently offered a list of 14 cringe-worthy things PR clients say. As a light-hearted first post for 2013 (following my extended maternity-leave blogging hiatus), I bring to you a version for those of us in higher ed marketing:
  • "Can you make our logo, phone number and web address fit on this pen?"
  • "I don't do social media. Can I have my student assistant run my Facebook page instead?"
  • "I need a link on the home page."
  • "This important official is visiting campus today at noon, and we need publicity. Just don't release his/her name for security reasons."
  • "Only five people have RSVPed for tonight's event downtown. Can you help us get a crowd?"
  • "I heard an ad for your college on the radio. Can we meet for 30 minutes to discuss how stadium bathroom stall advertising can help you reach your target market?"
  • "Can we use these photos from my flip phone in the brochure?"
  • "For some reason, that reporter at [national news outlet] seemed irritated when I called him the next day."
  • "Your design is OK, but we're tired of the school colors so we had our research assistant design something new in Publisher."
  • "Real writers use the serial comma."
Disclaimer: This blogger has worked in higher ed communications for more than 15 years and has heard many stories from many professional peers at many institutions. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

10 comments:

  1. A lot of these are pretty funny and relevant but I think the Oxford coma is on its way back!

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  2. Great list. My personal favorite that I hear is the ubiquitous "I need a new logo".

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  3. If these make you cringe, you ought to see the list my staff at our private liberal arts college could put together!

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  4. I agree about the usefulness of the serial comma. It adds clarity and aids easy reading.

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  8. These are hilarious, and also true! It's common in any industry, but seems to be notoriously prevalent here. Things are definitely getting better, as more younger folks step in and start making decisions, everything will "catch up", so to speak.

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  9. Visual planners who pay attention to their work would deliver around 20 introductory representations for a logo structure and after that branch out to make varieties of the first idea, creating 10 or so more examples.
    logo design service

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