August 22, 2011 11:59 am : Comments 000
One of my biggest sources of pride in running Starkman is when critical functions are performed extraordinarily well – and I had absolutely nothing to do with the effort.
Starkman’s internship program is certainly one of them. Identifying, recruiting, and training exceptional young talent is a formidable challenge for any company. It’s something Starkman excels at; our previous two interns are now valued full-time employees. That said, I’m clueless as to how we do it.
At some point during the first week of June each year, I show up for work and am introduced to someone identified as our new intern. Jackie was long responsible for the program, but this year she gladly handed the baton to Lauren, who interned with us two years ago. In what I first suspected was some sort of practical joke given my penchant for confusing names, Lauren introduced me to this year’s recruits as “the Katha(e)rines.” Technically, that’s not quite true as the two share a first name but use different spellings. There was Katharine Rose – with an “a” – and Katherine Blackburn – with an “e.” Our deep appreciation to Ms. Blackburn’s parents, who raised her with the nickname “Kate!” It made things much less confusing.
Katharine is a student at the College of the Holy Cross, which has an impressive internship support program: The school’s alumni cover the costs of an internship stipend, provided participating companies ensure a meaningful work experience. Kate, who was referred to us by someone whose impeccably high professional standards we very much admire, is a student at Wake Forest University. Coincidentally, we have clients who are active alumni from both schools.
During a particularly busy time for Starkman, both Katharine and Kate proved to be fearless and relentless, and quickly demonstrated an impressive command of the client accounts they were assigned to work on. Within days, Katharine could explain why the housing crisis is far from over and Kate readily understood that a BRIC is not something used to build houses. For Lauren, the duo was an immediate godsend, as they relieved her of some critical time-intensive account support activities.
But it was not just their work ethic that won the Starkman team over: Katharine and Kate also revealed an appreciation for cupcakes and bagels and were sympatico with our firm’s food-obsessed culture — the icing on the cake, so to speak. Their will to pursue new lunchtime adventures (such as Cuban pork sandwiches) and their appetites for new culinary endeavors impressed us as much as their drive and determination.
Both Katharine and Kate successfully managed multiple projects with varying deadlines throughout their internships. We often asked them to quickly shift gears between tasks, and both did so without blinking twice. When they finished one task, they immediately asked for another, ultimately assuming more work and responsibility than typically should be expected of a college intern. As for their dedication, on multiple occasions they both asked if it would be possible to work beyond their designated hours so they could see various projects to completion.
As for being the proverbial team players, Katharine and Kate were more than gracious when the hiring of a new employee required them to sit at a somewhat isolated workstation internally dubbed “Siberia.” Indeed, as best we can tell, Katharine and Kate don’t have a capacity for complaining. They also upheld another record: Never once has a Starkman intern shown up late for work.
Actions speak louder than words, so here is the ultimate endorsement of Katharine’s and Kate’s talents and abilities. We’ve let them know they are welcome back as full-time employees after they graduate. It’s another tradition we are hoping they will help us continue.
Blogs by Kate and Katharine:
La Vita è bella – In America, that is by Katharine Rose
Did a Company Really Tweet That? Don’t Make Me Twiggle by Katherine Blackburn
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August 10, 2011 11:16 am : Comments 002
My ability to communicate with those around me is something I’ve always taken for granted. Never have I appreciated that skill more than when I found myself in a foreign country being yelled at by a hotel housekeeper, getting more worked up by the moment as I struggled to translate what she was saying. My Italian language skills are good, but not THAT good.
I was in Florence at the time with my mother, panicking as the hotel employee, her hands flying recklessly around my face, repeatedly yelled at me, “Non è funzionata! Non è funzionata!”
It all started when I tried to tell her that we returned to our room from a morning of sightseeing to find our door not only unlocked, but wide open. Surely we hadn’t left it that way.
Something obviously got lost in the translation.
“Non è funzionata! Non è funzionata!”
Random and irrelevant Italian words kept popping into my head as I frantically tried to find a different way to get the “conversation” back on track. Finally, I realized she was saying something about a new light bulb…so, I just blurted out, “No! È funzionata prima!”
I had told her the light bulb was previously working. So much for reporting our security breach!
And so it began – my weeklong adventure in Italy, full of one communication crisis after the other as I navigated my way through situations without relying on my native language, agonizing over word choices for fear of stumbling into another “broken light bulb” conversation, and trying hard to communicate as clearly, respectfully and effectively as possible (something I have been doing as part of my summer internship here at STARKMAN – only in English. Pheeew!).
While I enjoyed my time in Italy with all its rich culture and ancient history – which, as a history major, I had been studying since high school – I must admit I had a few moments of culture shock. Communication is not just about language, of course, as we “say” just as much about ourselves and where we come from through our non-verbal cues as we do through speaking. From body language and facial expressions to how we dress, socialize and use our personal space…all of it is a treasure-trove of meaning for those who study people and cultures.
Accordingly, my experiences in Italy taught me something about both the country I was visiting and the one I had left behind. It is only by stepping outside the known that these differences become crystalized. Following are a few that I stumbled on while traveling in Florence.
When it comes to things like train schedules, hotel chains, and post offices, things in America are, generally, consistent and reliable. You know what to expect and are fairly certain you’ll, indeed, get it the way you expect. That goes for our social institutions and public services, as well as for how commercial entities market themselves. As an intern at STARKMAN, for example, I’ve seen firsthand the diligence with which corporations ensure that their customers “experience their brand” in a similar manner regardless of whether it is online or off.
It was a different story in Italy.
Take something as simple as hotel maps. When my mom and I checked into our hotel, we received a local neighborhood map. Having managed to lose it while exploring the city, we requested a replacement the next day from the concierge. But, the map we were presented with did not resemble – in no way, shape or form – the one we had been given the day before. It was not that they had run out of the earlier map, so much as it was that their stack consisted of maps of all different sizes, shapes and types – some of which were not even of the surrounding area. In contrast, I’m fairly certain that the Marriott has one standard map vendor for its New York hotels and regardless of which hotel you’re in or what time of day it is or how many times you ask, there’s likely only one map they will hand to a guest.
Similarly, on one particularly hot afternoon, my mother and I stepped into a small convenience store to buy a bottle of water; nothing in the shop had a price tag on it. The next day, the same bottle cost an extra euro. No explanation. It was just an extra euro. Well, I guess that explains the lack of a price tag! As I would come to learn, Italians seem to do (or charge, for that matter) whatever they deem appropriate at that moment.
Even signed shop hours were open to interpretation. A shop I wanted to visit was closed one afternoon and had posted that it would reopen at 3 PM; I purposely came back at the appointed hour and waited until 3:30 before giving up. This happened to me numerous times. While it was easy to bark at their perceived poor customer service standards, there’s a bigger lesson to be learned no doubt about cultural differences regarding the importance and value of time. But, I will leave that for the sociology majors.
USPS, You Have my Stamp of Approval
They say at home that southerners can always tell New Yorkers by their impatience; I think I understand that now, due to the experience my mom and I had at a post office in Florence. Mailing a letter or buying stamps in Italy was, for us, a bit like a trip to Motor Vehicles – lots of lines, lots of people, lots of waiting, lots of confusion. After waiting for 30 minutes in what turned out to be the wrong line, we finally got to the front of the right one. Despite the irrelevance to the question I was actually asking (I think), the clerk just kept repeating in Italian, “how many stamps?”
When we finally gave in and bought stamps, we had to go to yet another line to actually mail the postcards. By the time we left, I think it is fair to say that we were more confused than when we had entered – and more than a little frazzled. Had there been anyone from the Carolinas, Georgia or Mississippi in that post office, they’d have pegged us as New Yorkers in a heartbeat.
And a New Yorker I have certainly been this summer! What I have come to realize, however, is that the way we live our lives and go about the day-to-day business of sharing a community, country and culture says something about the things that matter to us – what we find to be of value or noteworthy. Far too often, when people travel outside their homeland, they tend to evaluate whether the cultural differences they encounter are better or worse than what they know back home. I admit that my first reaction to the post office debacle was that Italians should learn from the U.S. Postal Service how to organize their business – that we have it figured out so much better. Yet, ask an Italian visiting the big post office at 33rd & 8th what they think, and I’m sure they’ll have the same reaction to the newness of it that I did.
Needless to say, my experiences in Italy and my interactions with Italians taught me a lot about them and myself. Indeed, in each situation I found myself in, I become more aware of the intricacies of communication and the preconceived biases we carry as part of our cultural baggage. It did not take me long to notice that, while interacting with me or observing my behavior and conduct, the locals were often also interpreting me through the lens of my “Americanism,” passing judgment on my country as much as they were on me. To avoid further cementing the impression that Americans are “irrispettoso, scortese, e odioso” (disrespectful, rude and obnoxious), I admit I tried to do a little “reputation management” for my home country. (Hmm… I wonder if I can I put Interim Unofficial U.S. Ambassador to Italy on my resume?)
In a way, this experience may have been the beginning of my interest in public relations and, in a very roundabout way, to what I now understand to be the notion of brand management.
Despite the numerous mishaps and unexpected surprises I had during what would come to be an unforgettable adventure, my long-held passion and love for Italy remains steadfast (after all, I will be graduating with an Italian minor in December). But, perhaps most importantly, despite my attempt to act, dress and speak like “una signorina italiana” (an Italian young lady), I left very much an American – granted, one with a newfound appreciation for our postal service, hotel maps and price sticker practices.
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August 8, 2011 1:58 pm : Comments 002
Can you imagine wearing flip-flops and shorts around the office, or writing to colleagues, clients, or customers with “LOL” and “BRB?” A tad inappropriate and rather awkward…right? Maybe not, judging by much of the corporate writing seen on the Internet today. Many companies have turned to online mediums to engage their customers directly, bypassing traditional advertising for social media platforms. And when it comes to grammar, it’s like the old rules don’t apply. Abbreviations, slang terms, fragmented sentences and even made-up words are the bread and butter of today’s corporate online marketer.
Since first learning to string words together into a sentence, teachers and now college professors have steered me away from playing fast and loose with grammar. They’ve imprinted upon me the absolute necessity of suitable sentence structure and precise punctuation in achieving the correct (non-colloquial…) tone in writing. This, they would say dramatically, was to prepare me for the dreaded “real world.”
Coming to STARKMAN this summer reinforced what I learned about using formal language and maintaining the proper tone when communicating with clients. I’ve learned how to craft a memo and a press release into something unique and interesting while still using accepted business language.
However, a significant aspect of my internship here at STARKMAN has involved keeping up with the news on behalf of clients, which means spending quite a bit of time reading a broad range of publications. As a committed member of Generation Y, that means more than getting a little newspaper ink on my hands. I compliment traditional news mediums with online ones, such as blogs and Twitter. All of these sources play an integral role in my daily interactions with the outside world. Twitter has real time news updates that keep me current, and blogs are particularly poignant when searching for opposing opinions on a trending news story or seeing what major industry players are talking about on a given day.
Interestingly – and opposite my expectations – I found social media content from corporations to frequently disobey the golden rules of grammar, punctuation and style. And I’m not quite so sure that’s necessarily a good thing.
For example, consider a common blog and Twitter occurrence: the made-up word. Pronouncing a word wrong and creating a new one in error has happened to everyone – even Sarah Palin (see the completely fictional word ‘refudiate’), but the type of word to which I’m referring is when two words are forcibly smashed together and form a new, (supposedly) more accurate word (such as the word in this title – twiggle: a giggle caused by twitter). This used to be a common tactic of branding professionals to develop names for companies and products, but now it seems everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.
Let’s look at a few self-crafted words for reference:
While it is expected that conversations among friends and family will be peppered with informal words and incorrect usage, corporations used to adhere to some degree of formality in their communication with targeted audiences. But, not anymore. Why is that? An easy explanation may be that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck – it probably is a duck. Corporations are delegating the role of social media upkeep to Gen Y employees thus ensuring the authenticity of their communication to the target audience.
Without a doubt, however, it also reflects a desire, almost desperation to connect to the everyday reader or, as marketers like to say, “to engaaaaage” their audience. There is so much competition in a consumer-driven world that every entity trying to reach a consumer (or more specifically, their wallet) must differentiate themselves in order to be heard above the din. Corporate lingo and buzzwords don’t resonate well with the everyday consumer, as companies now increasingly recognize. And, as the list above illustrates, even professional journalists are throwing out their AP and MLA Stylebooks in favor of a more relaxed writing style.
So while the made-up word may be silly sounding or even a ridiculous substitute for a perfectly reasonable real word, it pays, literally, to be accessible to all the Gen Y-ers out there with massive consuming power. Because, while I might not know what a Spux is at first, with closer inspection, I realize that a tux made from spandex is equally as ludicrous as the word Spux. I’m able to appreciate the humor and relaxed tone the writer is trying to convey with this type of word. However, my appreciation for this type of humor doesn’t necessarily extend to corporate-to-public communication. While I understand that print publications are fighting to regain the credibility they once had and connect with a new generation of readers, this may not be the route to take.
When readers look to a source for reliable, trustworthy information, they don’t want to feel like the subject of a marketing campaign. A reader wants to know that they are being passed correct information and being taken seriously, not as mere lemmings seeking entertainment value. So while the medium for connecting with readers might be changing, the language should not. A real word can easily take the place of a fictitious one and can create an appropriate tone for a publication or company pursuing a credible image.
Sadly, this means that although its summer for a while longer, leave your flip-flips and “LOLs” at home with your personal life and pull out your loafers. After all, a well-crafted message using strong key words can still make a reader twiggle.
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