Two Couples, Two Stories. One Day.

**UPDATE*** Shuttle launch has been scrubbed for 48 hours. This happened after original post.

There are two major stories happening today involving two couples. A prince and princess, and an astronaut and congresswoman. Two extraordinary couples.

First there's the Royal Wedding of Prince William and now Princess Katherine. We knew them as William and Kate, now officially they're the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They will be the focus of world-wide attention, especially the princess, the rest of their lives. An often ugly horde of "paparazzi" will follow "Kate's" every move as they did Prince William's mother. Let's hope for a happier ending. There's nothing like a prince, a princess and a castle to capture our imaginations. Here in America, which long ago threw off the yoke of British Monarchy, tens of millions got up well before dawn to view the nuptials. The media horde in London today is mostly comprised of Americans, and the British.

Closer to home at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, another story unfolds as Astronaut and Navy Captain Mark Kelly commands the crew of Shuttle Endeavour on its final flight before being retired from service. Most of us didn't even know who he was until earlier this year, even though he's an astronaut. Capt. Kelly is married to Arizona Representative Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords who was gunned down by a crazed assassin this past January, shot point blank in the head. Many died in the senseless slaughter but Giffords somehow survived, her recovery amazing everyone and today she's at the Cape to watch her husband blast off to the International Space Station. The Astronaut and the Congresswoman.

Prince William, an RAF Search and Rescue helicopter pilot is officially called Flight Lt. Wales when working his "Day job." Captain Kelly is a Naval Aviator today commanding an always dangerous mission to space. Both are highly skilled, doing something only a few are qualified to do.

Princess Katherine is an educated woman, hardly a "commoner" who embarks on a new life full of public scrutiny as she joins the family business. Rep. Giffords continues her remarkable recovery, defying extraordinary odds each and every day. The best part of her future is she has a future.

It's the Royals getting the lion's share of attention today, but  to me the big story is happening here at home. Mark and Gabby, two profiles in American courage in every way.

Here's to the best of outcomes for both couples in the future.

Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant

Conversation Starters Public Relations

The Art of the Trump aka Marketing 101

"The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. "-Oscar Wilde

Donald Trump is running for President of the United States. Maybe. Before continuing, this is not about whether he'd be a good President or a bad one, but an analysis of classic marketing.

Before I wrote this, I made a point of checking in with the weekend news/talk shows to see if indeed, Trump was still the big story. He was and is.

One columnist opined that voters are chumps, hence the popularity, at least for now of the idea of a Trump candidacy. The electorate is anything but chumps. What the public is, is pissed off. Donald Trump is tapping into that emotion. It's what marketing is all about. He seems to be about the only person who understands a lot folks are unhappy on Main Street.

It's fun to watch the news media come along for the ride. Left-leaning media (yes they exist) lampoon Trump at every turn. The right-leaning media (yes they exist,) pooh pooh's Trump at every turn. The rest of the media reports it all. Over and over and over.

All this coverage costs Trump nothing. Trump doesn't care what the media says, or thinks about him just as long as they're talking about him. He's a showman even P.T. Barnum would be jealous of. All he cares is that everyone spells his name right because if they spell your name right, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Unless it's your obituary; not my opinion but that of Irish writer Brendan Behan.

Trump is marketing the Trump brand, which may or may not be a political one. Either way, he has the full support of the media.

Before posting this I did a last minute spell-check and Trump is spelled correctly. You're welcome Donald.

Brian Olson
Founder/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations

To Two, or not to Two.

Leading up to last weekend's NASCAR race at Talladega, I didn't think much about the two car hook-up style of racing. It just looked, well, silly. That view was based on the Daytona 500 race in February.

But after Talladega, my view is changing and I'm looking forward to the July race back at Daytona. Here's why:

Drivers learned that to win, you had to have a strategic plan in place. Hendrick Motorsports understood that and their 4-car team of #5Martin, #88Earnhart Jr, #24Gordon and #48Johnson became two, two-teams with the #48/#88 combination winning the race in a thrilling finish. .002 seconds the margin of victory. Johnson wouldn't have won if it wasn't for his team mate, and teamwork from, Dale Earnhart Jr.

As a returning fan, it was fascinating to hear the strategies being developed during the race as drivers not only talked with their crew chiefs and sponsors, but could also talk with any number of potential "dance partners." It meant for some strange bedfellows but driver Carl Edwards summed it up best when he said they weren't getting married, just going to prom.

Lots of things could impact the future of the "Two Car Tango" including rules changes and simply wear and tear at both tracks in the coming years.

But for now,the grip is super and is the racing. I'm looking forward to see how this evolves leading up to, and during the Daytona race this July.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Our Royal Fascination-Britannia rules the Airwaves

The Royal Wedding is all set for Friday, April 29 at Westminster Abbey. If you haven't received an invitation, you're out of luck. (I didn't get one either)

News organizations, budgets already pummeled by events in the Middle East to Japan are mustering for breathless "Wall to Wall" coverage. The biggest scramble has been to secure the best "Royal Watchers" to add commentary in the crispest of British accents since The Masters at Augusta.

When it comes to pomp and circumstance, no one does it better than our friends across the pond. Prince William and Catherine Middleton will join hands in marriage and it's estimated 2-billion people will watch it live. A significant number of them will be here in the United States. All will have to getup either early, or very early in the morning depending on time zone to watch it all.

For a nation that threw off the yoke of British rule centuries ago, we remain fascinated by all things Royal. The most recent example being the critical and popular reception of "The King's Speech."

The merchandising of the wedding is amazing, and in some cases very tacky. Royal Souvenirs profiled this week in Businessweek Magazine include "Kiss me Kate Ale," iPhone apps, Toilet Seats and even--gasp--"Crown Jewel Condoms." I wonder if the Queen knows about this?

So while this nation's founders hated King George, Dodge Commercials show George Washington attacking the Red Coats and the whole taxation without representation thing, we still love the Royals.

A dear friend and colleague, knowing I was going to blog about this sent me this post:

"As a million little girls will tell you, a prince and a princess, a crown and a castle make for a mighty fine fairy tale. Even if it is politically incorrect."

The news each day being what it is, one can understand the attraction of a real life fairy tale once in awhile.

Coverage will certainly eclipse the nuptials of Prince Charles and Diana. Maybe this time we're all just hoping for a far happier ending.

Regardless, coffee pots, televisions and electronic devices will be on bright an early on the 29th. Social Media traffic is bound to be huge. We'll all be "A Twitter." Literally.

Britannia may no longer rule the waves, but it certainly will rule the airwaves.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversations about you"

New look at Wings over the Rockies

If you haven't been to Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum lately, you should go tomorrow. Be prepared for some amazing changes.

The staff and volunteers at the museum have been working for months and the results are spectacular.

For a sneak peak, here's the opening ceremonies for the new "Gateway to Flight to Flight" held earlier this week.



Tomorrow is also Open Cockpit Day, a chance to actually sit inside some fabulous and legendary airplanes. Cockpit hours are 10-2. My advice is to come early.

Enjoy your day at Wings over the Rockies!

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Southwest 737. What's age got to do with it?

Just about everyone has heard about the incident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737. When a piece of the fuselage tears off at 34-thousand feet it's a scary thing. Blue skies are better seen from a beach than your passenger seat.

All this, justifiably, has resulted in a lot of media coverage. We're a nation of fliers and chances are you've flown in a 737 at least once. A popular and very safe aircraft. I sure wish more of the reporting focused on how the flight crew landed the aircraft safely. The folks in the cockpit, and the team in the cabin train all the time for just this sort of thing. It's exactly why everyone lived to tell the tale.

Sadly, some news outlets have gone to extremes, one east coast operation used the term "Death Trap" in a news tease about the story. I guess the goal was to scare their viewers to death. But most media are at least trying to avoid sensationalism and stick to facts. That's a good thing.

One issue that comes up in a lot of the stories is the age of the aircraft. Age isn't the issue. In the past couple of years I've flown in a Ford Tri-Motor which was built in 1927. Another flight was in a WWII B-17 Bomber.

I made it back safe and sound. The aircraft are in great shape and well-maintained. The crews that fly them are very, very well trained.

Actually, an aircraft's age is based on "cycles." Cycles meaning the number of times a plane takes off and lands. When an airlines takes off, there is stress on the airframe. Cabin pressurization causes expansion and contraction of the airframe. A landing also puts stress on the airframe and landing gear. Sometimes turbulence makes for some bending of the wings. You've likely seen it.

Aircraft design allows for all this. If wasn't some "bend" involved in aircraft design, airplane parts would simply snap off. In the case of the Southwest 737, a piece tore off.

So what happened to that Southwest plane? Investigators will find out. If maintenance changes need to be made they will be. Stuff breaks sometimes, even on airplanes.

Flying remains an incredibly safe way to get from here to there and back again. The real danger of flying is the drive to and from the airport. If cars and drivers were held to the same standards as commercial aviation the world be be a far safer place for all of us.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

6 Minutes and 43 Seconds

What could you or your team to in 6 minutes and 43 seconds? Let me share about what one team does in that time.

This past weekend I attended the 140 WG Air Sovereignty Alert Building Ribbon Cutting at Buckley Air Force Base, HQ for the Colorado Air National Guard. A lot has changed since September 11, 2001 including our perception as the guard being "weekend warriors." Not any more, and that certainly holds true at Buckley.

The F-16's, the pilots that fly them and ground crews that keep them flying have to be on alert 24/7. The rules changed on 9/11. These crews now have a somewhat spartan, but new place to be at the ready working 24 hours on, 48 hours off. Akin to firefighters in a way. And when one crew is off, another crew is on alert. The quarters have sleeping, eating facilities and lounge areas right next to the F-16's they fly. The quarters replace trailers that were brought in after 9/11 to support this new mission. A much needed and deserved improvement in accommodations.

You've heard the stories about some plane flying where it's not supposed to, or passenger getting getting out of control on a flight. You also hear about fighters being "scrambled" to intercept the plane. It's part of the mission of the 140th.

Just in case.

There was the required ribbon cutting, but then we saw a demonstration of an alert scramble. When the klaxon sounded, crews headed to Ready Aircraft already fueled and armed. Pilots climbed aboard their aircraft in flight gear, ground crew members made final preps for flight including arming weapons systems. We then heard the sounds of jet engines coming to life and shortly thereafter aircraft taxiing for takeoff.

When it comes to keeping our skies safe, efficiency is critical. From the initial alert signal to the F-16's taxiing out to the runway for takeoff it all took 6 minutes and 43 seconds.

The crews we watched, and crews like them all over the country have our back just in case the bad guys try something again. They'll do it in just minutes from learning about the threat.

One more thing, that alert building has a number, as do all military buildings.

It's #911.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"