I wouldn’t say that people underestimate PR, at the rate PR agencies are paying and nicking individuals with natural PR skills to said industry. In fact, i wholly respect those who have the ability to sweet talk and assert themselves as friends in the first ten minutes upon meeting anybody when it’s not an easy task.

Moving on, the reason for the title of the post was ignited by a small incident that happened last week at an event. A fellow blogger came up to say hi, that they’re coming for CGYT and, hey, by the way, could you take a picture with this phone?

I replied, “Urm, yeah, sure,” till i saw the brand of the phone.

Now. I wouldn’t have petty beef with the brand unless it was something that really ticked me off. And when i say really, i say it with memory of the profound annoyance i felt at the time.

This was sometime mid-2007 when particular mobile phone brand approached me for blog advertising and viral blog marketing. I readily agreed and we went through the pipeline to get the project through.
Countless emails.
Meetings.
Phonecalls.
Drafts of ideas.

You get my drift.

When push came to shove, my finance consultant and i sat down to work out the quotation. Emailed it in. Never got a reply.

I thoroughly respect how it works when it comes to pitches.
You pitch, it doesn’t work out, hey no problem, thanks for trying, move on.

What pushed my our buttons was that after chasing me for this and that, you disappeared out of thin air.
I called. Left a voicemail. Emailed you, so what’s happening?

No reply.

Wow. Can chase me day and night, tiba-tiba no reply?
To think the PR people in your company have no, well, PR courtesy (and common sense) to merely email, “Hey, we don’t think this is working out, but thank you very much for your effort and time,” didn’t go down well.

And you think, hey, this will blow by, bla bla bla.
Pfft. You think by foregoing a small email, it’ll blow away but the toes you stepped on remember.

Ever since then, i swore never to buy a phone from your brand.
Not because i hate your brand. But because i disrespect the PR people you hired.

I’m not one to hold grudges easily, but the amount of hours that was required to pitch for the project minus a singular line of rejection is unacceptable.

When i was hunting for a new phone to buy early this year, someone pointed out your brand, “Hey, what about this one? Slim, something you want right?”
Glancing at it, i said firmly, “No. I will never buy that brand. Show me any other phone except that.”

And i will never buy your brand. It’s funny cos i used to think it’s quite cool. Now every time i look at it on a phone, i can’t help but scoff inwardly.

And that. Is why. PR is so important.