the(new)mediaslut

Remember the Atos Origin country manager who blew up at Smartbrain and personally kicked him off a trip to China because he found Smartbrain annoying and didn’t want “people like you” associated with his precious Olympic Games?

Well, Atos Origin has recently posted an urgently required job wanted ad on jobsdb for, surprise surprise, a PR manager starting right away.

Anyone who applies, please get in contact with Smartbrain and do tell him what Atos Origin means when referring to “people like you”. If you can spin yourself out of that one, then you are definitely one class act of a PR and will make it to the top of the industry in no time.

Actually, if Smartbrain were the elitist country manager who views “people like us” as not worthy, he would actually include this case as part of the job interview with a question along the lines of, “So I managed to screw up and call this journalist “people like you” on my official company email. How would you say I get out of this mess?”

Atos Origin. That is the name of the company who would undoubtedly has won 2007’s junket cancellation excuse of the year award if there was one and this post is a story about why they should so be honoured.

Cancellations happen all the time. Sometime the unavailability of the speaker is genuine, other times they want “Mr Editor” but needed a good reason to get rid of “Mr Reporter”, not that there is anything wrong with that. Only giving a nice, civil reason is preferable to an elitist slur calling the journalist, “people like you”.

A while back, around a month ago, a PR agency in Singapore contacted Smartbrain inviting him to view the Atos Origin operations centre for the Beijing Olympics. Little did any of us expect that it would soon descend into an acrimonious exchange of messages.

On 30 October, Atos Origin asked Smartbrain where to return his passport in a strangely terse email that made no mention of the travel arrangements. Later that day the country manager (who I have been advised not to mess with as his business partner turned father in law is a well known arms dealer) sends an apology to say (nicely) that the trip has been cancelled. Smartbrain asked why, but got no response.

On 31 October, Smartbrain asks again in an admittedly colloquial and short email, “Knock knock, anyone there? Any reason the trip was cancelled?”

Apparently that touched a raw nerve and this was the reply from Atos Origin in full, except with names removed.

Khun [Smartbrain],

I think your attitude towards us is quite a surprise to me. Let me remind you that its an opportunity for the newpaper you work for to attend this, and the cost is being paid by Atos Origin. I certainly do not need to answer to you, and justify why I have personally cancel your trip. I would have no problem in giving you the reason, why I have cancel this trip, but now I can tell you that I do not like your attitude, and do not want to associate something I feel very special for us, with people like you.

[Country Manager].

To which Smartbrain replied immediately after his hands stopped shaking:

Wow.Talk about hitting a raw nerve. Sorry… I usually have my emails quite colloquial and I would like to remind you that it has been more than 24 hours since I got the cancellation and not have had any explanation as to why it was cancelled. Anyway, thanks for letting me know that you personally cancelled my trip because of not wanting to associate the event with “people like me”.

I am still trying to understand what “people like me” actually means, but…

Because of your trip, I had to pass up two other trips overseas for [vendor] and [vendor] so I do consider my time invested a major investment, not just for myself, but for my readers.I think that out of courtesy I at least deserve an explanation, but as you so eloquently put it, you do not need to give me one. Fair enough.

Perhaps the other journalists you work with work only on money and free meals. I plan my work mainly around interesting stories.

Was the cancellation because you managed to get me rejected for a visa? Or was it for some other reason. That is what I wanted to know.

While I appreciate that you are paying, I would also like to point out that I did warn you from day one of the problems that the Chinese embassy have with issuing J2 visas. I did warn [PR Agency Person] from the outset that the rules state you need a “letter from a competent Chinese authority” to back up the visa application. In the case of [a Chinese IT company], they got me a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledging their event. I did suggest a number of alternatives, such as the Olympic committee even.

In particular, I was appalled at your staff’s attitude to the visa application. [Dumb blonde secretary] said she would apply for a tourist visa, hence my first email warning you of the difficulties you may have. She said that it is easier to get a tourist visa and even went so far as to say that the letter I got from the [publication] (which included the invitation letter from [PR Agency Person]) was not needed as it was not a business trip. When I requested the day flight, the immediate reaction I got was that there was no such flight.

TG614 is the flight I took last time to Beijing and it was a day flight.

If anything, I think I should be the one feeling irked at you for the outright lies (that there is no day flight) and attitude you have in maybe getting me blacklisted from the Chinese embassy in applying for a tourist visa where a journalist visa is required.

..

I’m still wondering what made you hate me so much. My colloquialism? Perhaps. The fact that I wanted you to obey the rules for the visa? Or the request for the day trip. Never mind.

My only regret is that I really, really supported your relative in his fight against the previous regime and it saddens me that such a great man has a relative like yourself.

:)
[Smartbrain]

On a side note, it is interesting that the Country Manager cc’d the Vice-President of Atos Origin on the “people like you” email. That makes one wonder if it was a slip of the mouse, pressing reply-all without thinking, or if the higher echelons of Atos Origin actually agree with that reprehensible point of view. At the very least, they have not apologised for it.

Also, to make the timing clear, the event was cancelled before the “knock-knock” email so his dislike of my attitude must have preceded that email, not stemmed from it.

For the record, Smartbrain has never dealt with Atos Origin before; never written about them; never even seen a press release from them on his desk to ignore; never met with the country manager before either in this job, or in his previous job.

Would Smartbrain accept another Atos Origin invitation to an event or press conference? Probably not for an overseas event in which they painfully remind us that they are paying for it and that we poor “people like you” journalists are beggars who cannot ask any questions of their hosts. But for a press conference, definitely and my first question would be, “What did you mean when you emailed me on 31st October referring to ‘people like you’?”

(sigh) Smartbrain’s much more expensive DSLR and powerful flash simply overwhelms this picture and the balance is all wrong. Unlike Boo’s simple compact, the screen became too dark and only the Yahoo logo was visible on the Motorola, while nothing was visible on the Nokia.

Still, that event does bring back memories (oh, wait, it was a different event than Boo’s. Never mind).

Smartbrain: Can I have the agenda?

PR: It’s in my room, I’ll get it you at dinner.

Smartbrain (at dinner): Can I have the agenda?

PR: Oh, I forgot. I’ll give it to you first thing in the morning.

Smartbrain: Agenda?

PR: Here it is, here it is (five minutes before the event starts).

Smartbrain: … 

PR: Oh, here’s the file for this evening’s one on one (given at half past two, in a plenary session with the one on one at four and no time in the middle to prepare).

Smartbrain: … (tries to concentrate on the presentation on stage)

At four…

Smartbrain: So how is your company tapping into this new mobile micropayment space?

Anonymous interviewee: Well, that’s not really my field of expertise… (and goes on to talk about handsets).

Smartbrain: (Trying to look smart) How about the breakthroughs in near-field communication that I’ve heard. Surely that’s a hot topic now?

Interviewee: Well, that’s not really my field either… I’m the product selection and placement guy (and continues to talk about handsets in certain local markets)

Smartbrain: (trying to look like he is in position of a brain, asks first relevant question) So how are the differences when it comes to EDGE and 3G markets that you see here?

Product placement manager: (gives meaningful answer).

What happened was that the PR, in a frenzy of expensive restaurant dining and furniture shopping sprees, simply grabbed the company’s last ten or so press releases, including a couple on near field communications and micro payments, and handed them to Smartbrain. No information on the interviewee was in the file received.

The motto of the story is that in order to be the in-house PR manager of a major multinational telco, the only thing needed is a pleasant demeanour and the ability to lick ass while taking Journos out eating or shopping. The ability to hand in a meaningful agenda in a timely fashion, warn of one on one interviews more than a few hours before the event and provide relevant information as to the one on one is strictly optional.

Viva TMS.

themediaslut’s "Your worst PR client story" has two entry over the weekend.

One from a confused journalist amazed by the actions of clients, the other is one angry agent of public relations.

From Whisperer the Journalist:

1. First was when I had a TV crew and a number of filming requirements at Singapore Expo for pure editorial coverage (not paid). PR insisted I decamp to Raffles at my expense to interview his client. On way, find PR phone is shut off and no sign at Raffles. 45mins after scheduled appointment, PR turns phone on and tells me that client decided to go to Expo. Pretended Raffles arrangement never happened. Film crews aren’t cheap! Said client is multi billion dollar company.

2. Second was when I attended a multivendor conference and had a scheduling clash with a main speaker. So I sat next to guy on bus and interviewed him there and then. Clearly a on-the-record chat and it was made clear I could not participate in the formal interview. Speaker was then later taken aback when his quotes appeared in print and demanded PR call me - several times - to retract it. Trouble was the PR’s attempts to converse with me were unintelligible and apparently never thought to put the request in email. Never interview people on a bus!

3. Third was when a now bankrupt satellite company flew me to Japan and insisted at great length that I catch the train to the hotel from Tokyo airport using some kind of voucher. Trouble is that the plane arrived well after the last train at 1am and as a result was forced to wear the US$100 taxi ride. Then found there was no real hospitality planned so as the “senior” journo took all the press attendees out at my own expense for a very beery night on the town.

4. Final one is just amusing: the company that wanted to fly me at great expense to a major global customer conference for THREE DAYS but told me I couldn’t attend the conference. I was offered one one-on-one during a tea break and the chance to be at a dinner in the same room with their execs. I made my excuses and declined their generous offer!

themediaslut isn’t sure if Whisperer’s contribution counts and will decide later. Thanks for the contribution though. 

Angry PR Consultant decided to submit his/her worst PR clients story to date.

From Angry PR Consultant:

This particular client wanted to do a launch event and we were engaged to provide PR consultancy. From the very first week of the project, our entire team HATED THEM.

They are the type of client who pays very little and thinks you owe them the world. They call/ sms us almost every night (yes, after 8pm even when it’s nothing urgent) and sms / call us on weekends too for “updates”.

They are the type of client who can’t tell the difference between PR and advertising, insisting that we tell the editors/ writers to mention every sentence and word they want to include in an article and send us nasty notes if they didnt like the article (even though the stories are all positive and good).

They are the type of client who insists on talking only to the directors and ignore the managers/ executives who are managing the account. And from their top management to the lowly, pathetic executives - they are simply RUDE RUDE RUDE.

They are the type of client who has no respect for the PR consultants and will not hesistate to yell at us to fetch this, pick that, move boxes, hang this and that, during an event, as though we were their servants (and no, we were not paid to manage the event as the client think they are too smart and can DO IT THEMSELVES).

They are the type of client who (because of some old media contacts) think that they know the world.

They are also the type of client who can’t speak and write proper English but insist we change sentences in our press materials according to what they want - after which, we are too ashamed to even put our names on the release.

This is the client - WE HATE.

You often hear journalists lamenting about lousy PR pitches. PR also sometime strike back, off the record, on journalists who cut and paste press releases and claim their own.

That gave themediaslut an idea. This contest is for all public relations agents out there on the 3 Ws (World Wide Web, duh).

So to all agents of Public Relations in the world, send in your worst PR client story and themediaslut will let readers poll which stories are the worst. The winner gets a USD100 Amazon email gift certificate , courtesy of themediaslut.

So email them to themediaslut(at)gmail(dot)com or you can drop your story at the comment below.

themediaslut will keep your identity totally anonymous and themediaslut understands the dangerous position you will be putting yourself in for sending in the story.

The names of the clients will also be replaced with a more generic term so it will be very hard to link the story with the contributors.

May the best worst PR client story win! 

Entry for the contest closes on June 16, 2007,  12:00pm (+8 GMT or Singapore time) and the winning story will be announced on June 20th, 2007.