Happy Thanksgiving everyone. We live in a great nation, that despite it's many faults remains a government of the people. Let's not forget it's our government, and we only lend power to those we elect to represent us.
We're thankful to be able to start a business and still be in business! We're thankful for our first clients like the Hallmark Channel and Chemo101.com who believed in us.
We're thankful for the many potential clients we're talking with and look forward to adding them to our roster of clients who are more than simply "accounts" but organizations and teams we truly believe in.
We're thankful for our Joint Venture Partners at Baldwin Media Marketing, here's to a grand future together.
We're thankful for the men and women stationed around this world, often in harm's way, on the front line, taking the battle for freedom to the enemy.
Have a safe, peaceful and wonderful day.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you" (Please pass the turkey, thank you)
Showing posts with label Conversations Starters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conversations Starters. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
BEVO Blog: Being humbled is so humbling.
There are two schools of thought about UCLA's drubbing of Texas last weekend:
1. The 'Horns were "looking ahead" to Saturday's annual clash with OU.
2. The 'Horns aren't living up to advanced billing.
I've chosen to enroll in the latter school. (The enrollment standards are much lower) Texas fans have had a great run the past few years, but things came to a screeching halt against 'Bama when Colt McCoy was knocked out of the BCS Championship game.
We were at the Texas-Wyoming game a couple of weeks ago in Austin, frankly the team was curiously flat. Compared to most teams, the Longhorns still rock. But in Texas there's winning and "not exactly."
QB Garrett Gilbert follows in the footsteps of Vince Young and Colt McCoy, but in his first full season as QB1, he's hearing the footsteps of defensive players instead. Running game? Haven't seen one yet. Mistakes? Far too many to be a factor in this year's BCS equation. Which equates at best to a 9-3 season. Maybe the Aloha Bowl?? Alo-HOWDY!
But betting on the outcome of the annual food and football fest in Dallas is a foolish thing. It's a game that brings out the best and worst in both Texas and OU. (And their fans) It's a sea of burnt orange and red, evenly divided.
Nothing about the game or the outcome will surprise me, or likely most members of Longhorn Nation.
So belly up to the chocolate covered bacon stand and enjoy the game. Don't forget to check out the fried butter.
There are a few other games of note, not the least of which being:
Alabama and Florida
Stanford and Oregon
Check out the full schedule here.
HOOK'EM HORNS!
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
1. The 'Horns were "looking ahead" to Saturday's annual clash with OU.
2. The 'Horns aren't living up to advanced billing.
I've chosen to enroll in the latter school. (The enrollment standards are much lower) Texas fans have had a great run the past few years, but things came to a screeching halt against 'Bama when Colt McCoy was knocked out of the BCS Championship game.
We were at the Texas-Wyoming game a couple of weeks ago in Austin, frankly the team was curiously flat. Compared to most teams, the Longhorns still rock. But in Texas there's winning and "not exactly."
QB Garrett Gilbert follows in the footsteps of Vince Young and Colt McCoy, but in his first full season as QB1, he's hearing the footsteps of defensive players instead. Running game? Haven't seen one yet. Mistakes? Far too many to be a factor in this year's BCS equation. Which equates at best to a 9-3 season. Maybe the Aloha Bowl?? Alo-HOWDY!
But betting on the outcome of the annual food and football fest in Dallas is a foolish thing. It's a game that brings out the best and worst in both Texas and OU. (And their fans) It's a sea of burnt orange and red, evenly divided.
Nothing about the game or the outcome will surprise me, or likely most members of Longhorn Nation.
So belly up to the chocolate covered bacon stand and enjoy the game. Don't forget to check out the fried butter.
There are a few other games of note, not the least of which being:
Alabama and Florida
Stanford and Oregon
Check out the full schedule here.
HOOK'EM HORNS!
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tonight's Line-Up
I can forecast with reasonable certainty that these stories will be covered on the traditional network shows tonight.
1. Arizona Immigration Law.
2. Oil spill in the Gulf.
3. President Obama on "The View"
4. Afghanistan. At least a good chance of coverage.
Missing from the list is what our military continues to do in Haiti. I talked with my daughter this morning. She's on a mission trip in Haiti at an orphanage. She shared with me that our Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines are all involved involved in humanitarian efforts. She said helicopters are flying by where she's working all the time. Also on the scene are UN Troops from several South American Nations.
I had no idea.
Apparently the folks in New York don't know either, or worse, do know but don't want us to know. Heaven forbid we hear this sort of thing about our men and women making a difference.
But at least we'll see the President on The View. Should be a cute story.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"
1. Arizona Immigration Law.
2. Oil spill in the Gulf.
3. President Obama on "The View"
4. Afghanistan. At least a good chance of coverage.
Missing from the list is what our military continues to do in Haiti. I talked with my daughter this morning. She's on a mission trip in Haiti at an orphanage. She shared with me that our Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines are all involved involved in humanitarian efforts. She said helicopters are flying by where she's working all the time. Also on the scene are UN Troops from several South American Nations.
I had no idea.
Apparently the folks in New York don't know either, or worse, do know but don't want us to know. Heaven forbid we hear this sort of thing about our men and women making a difference.
But at least we'll see the President on The View. Should be a cute story.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Perception is Reality-The "Oops" Factor
"I'd like my life back"-Tony Hayward, BP CEO
Oops.
"We care about the small people"-BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg.
Oops Part Deux
Of all the thousands of words spoken by both men, these are the quotes that have stuck, especially along the Gulf Coast. Adding additional oil to the wound is Hayward's British Accent and Svanberg's Swedish Accent. I've lived, worked and vacationed many times on the Gulf Coast and believe me, they want information straight and in an accent like their own. It's just the way it is.
I honestly believe that neither man meant anything malicious by what they said. As the saying goes, words got "Lost in translation." Svanberg likely speaks other languages besides his native Swedish and English. Good for him. But that doesn't matter. It's the perception of what they said.
As one of the best media consultants around, Frank Magid Associates once taught me me, "Perception is reality."
This is a classic case that skilled executives can, and let me be blunt, really suck at PR. Some, like Warren Buffet and Charlie Ergen are good at it.*Hayward and Svanberg aren't and should never have been allowed in front of a microphone unless asked to do so by Congress or the Courts.
Hayward testifies in front of Congress as I'm writing this. He'll be under oath, he'll have legal counsel at his side, and at the end of the day it will be one slip of the tongue that will be the lead quote in every news, information and especially mis-information pipeline. The politicians on the panel will do everything they can to goad them into a verbal faux pas.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking sides in this issue, just commenting on what happens when things get lost in translation, when an innocent remark becomes the sound byte heard 'round the world.
It's unlikely your company or organization will ever find yourself in the position that BP is. This is a catastrophe of huge proportions. A disaster that keeps on giving.
But bad things happen to good people. It's important to have a crisis plan in place and identify people on your team who are best equipped to speak about it. Or the right partner to do so on your behalf. Your crisis plan should also be reviewed on a regular basis, not stuffed in a drawer.
Perception is indeed reality. The key is making that perception positive.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you"
* Disclaimer: I own Berkshire-Hathaway and Echostar Stock. I'm also a DISH Network Customer.
Oops.
"We care about the small people"-BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg.
Oops Part Deux
Of all the thousands of words spoken by both men, these are the quotes that have stuck, especially along the Gulf Coast. Adding additional oil to the wound is Hayward's British Accent and Svanberg's Swedish Accent. I've lived, worked and vacationed many times on the Gulf Coast and believe me, they want information straight and in an accent like their own. It's just the way it is.
I honestly believe that neither man meant anything malicious by what they said. As the saying goes, words got "Lost in translation." Svanberg likely speaks other languages besides his native Swedish and English. Good for him. But that doesn't matter. It's the perception of what they said.
As one of the best media consultants around, Frank Magid Associates once taught me me, "Perception is reality."
This is a classic case that skilled executives can, and let me be blunt, really suck at PR. Some, like Warren Buffet and Charlie Ergen are good at it.*Hayward and Svanberg aren't and should never have been allowed in front of a microphone unless asked to do so by Congress or the Courts.
Hayward testifies in front of Congress as I'm writing this. He'll be under oath, he'll have legal counsel at his side, and at the end of the day it will be one slip of the tongue that will be the lead quote in every news, information and especially mis-information pipeline. The politicians on the panel will do everything they can to goad them into a verbal faux pas.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking sides in this issue, just commenting on what happens when things get lost in translation, when an innocent remark becomes the sound byte heard 'round the world.
It's unlikely your company or organization will ever find yourself in the position that BP is. This is a catastrophe of huge proportions. A disaster that keeps on giving.
But bad things happen to good people. It's important to have a crisis plan in place and identify people on your team who are best equipped to speak about it. Or the right partner to do so on your behalf. Your crisis plan should also be reviewed on a regular basis, not stuffed in a drawer.
Perception is indeed reality. The key is making that perception positive.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you"
* Disclaimer: I own Berkshire-Hathaway and Echostar Stock. I'm also a DISH Network Customer.
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