Sources of Inspiration for a Life in Communications -- Yesterday and Today

We all have our inspirations, and I was recently reminded of one that led me to a career in communications.  The book -- Timothy Crouse's "The Boys on the Bus" -- chronicled the press corps following the 1972 presidential elections, spotlighting media superstars of that era (Teddy White, Hunter Thompson, RW Apple, David Broder and others).  This book -- together with Woodward and Bernstein's "All the President's Men" and Henry Beetle Hough's "Country Editor" (looking at his work with the Vineyard Gazette on Martha's Vineyard) -- inspired me to switch to a journalism major in college, which set the stage for a career in public relations and corporate communications.  Today's sources of inspiration go beyond books like these -- social media has created a channel for every one of us to share their experiences, present their thoughts and perspectives, and demonstrate their creativity.  At the recent Inbound Marketing Summit in Boston, I heard marketing strategist Dorie Clark talk about this opportunity, which is the subject of her book "Reinventing You."  I plan to check this out, as it promises to shed some light on the phenomenom that is enabling us all to be sources of inspiration for those who may have a future in media and communications.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is Here Too Early...For Shoppers and the PR Community

I'm not the first to make this point and given the trend we've seen in recent years, I won't be the last.  The promotion of our holidays is getting out of hand, and this has implications for shoppers and for PR and marketing professionals. 

I just returned from my local supermarket where I saw Christmas items featured in the "seasonal" section.  It's October 6, and I'm still trying to hold onto summer season -- ignoring the signs of autumn (apple cider, Halloween decorations, fall color floral arrangements) -- and what do I see but elf hats, Chrismas stockings and singing reindeer. 

The year-round acceleration of our holiday hysteria is forcing PR pros to roll out Christmas strategies in September, pitch national media on Valentine's stories in January, develop and place back-to-school articles in June.  Social media still offers opportunities to address the seasons in the season, but in most other ways marketing and communications professionals are expected to "greet the seasons" earlier and earlier -- and I don't see any relief in sight.