Who am I NOT? (and a VICTORY!)

Want to call your attention to Stephen Denny's current post over at Note to CMO on "Profiting Badly".   If you don't yet know of Note to CMO, it's a beefy blog--in fact what Mario would classify a "steak" blogger--and takes the stance with each post of "If you could write a note to the CMO to straighten everything out, what would you say?".

Obviously there's a LOT to straighten out but this post really hit home. Since it was announced last week, the whole O.J. Simpson $3.5 million book deal (debacle?) has been weighing on me. If you've not yet heard, O.J. Simpson, in a two-part interview on Fox (surprised?), tells for the first time "how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes."

The interview will air days before Simpson's new book, "If I Did It," goes on sale Nov. 30 (what, this makes for a good Christmas present?). The book "hypothetically describes how the murders would have been committed." Obviously I have strong personal opinions on the matter but hey, O.J. is broke and the only brand he can leverage is to put the victim's families through yet more torment (yep, right in time for the holidays).

But the real question is not to O.J., it's, as Denny points out, to the network and the publisher: what role should the business community play in matters of right and wrong?

When I commented on this post Denny brought up yet another stellar question: Our choices brand us -- after all, one of the key issues we face when developing robust branding is, "who am I NOT?" and consequently, "what am I willing to walk away from?".

In branding and strategy exercises for my clients I often look into who they are, how that is meaningful and how to differentiate them...but I've not always asked the question "who am I NOT?"  I'll not make that mistake again.

Thanks to Stephen for the heavy-lifting on this heavy issue. As for O.J., Fox and the publisher, you get no thanks --and NO bucks--from this girl.  Here's the post.

***MAJOR GOOD NEWS UPDATE (as of late Monday afternoon): NEW YORK —  NewsCorp., the parent company of book publisher HarperCollins and the FOX network, has canceled publication of the O.J Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."

"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson." Here's the article in full.

P.S.: Thanks Stephen for staying on top of this and for e-mailing me as soon as you found out :-).

Comments

[David Armano]

Tomorrow I hope to pen a quick post related to when we need to say "Thank You".

Thank You for writing about this. I'm disgusted and saddened by the whole OJ book spectacle. It's times like this when my hope for humanity really gets shaken to the core. We are capable of such highs... and lows.

[CK]

David: Yes, thanks go to Stephen as I've been trying to find out HOW to post on this atrocity all week...but couldn't. Thankfully he placed it in a business light so we all can take POSITIVE actions on fronts both professional (press the business community to be responsible) and personal (don't buy it, don't watch it).

[Neil Vineberg]

CK, By posting and raising any questions related to the book, you give it more life. You end up making the same choice as the publisher: banking on a moral dilemma, fanning the flame on a hot topic and generating more discussion. Is that what you want? I think you want the opposite. You probably know the answer before posing the question. I loved your discussions of Darfur, Katrina and issues like it. Talk about a great guy: Michael J. Fox running around the country, recording commercials and lending his fame to local political races to get the votes for stem cell research. That is inspired marketing. This other stuff is the gutter. It's not worth your time.

[CK]

Neil: I hear you, I do. Especially since you're in PR you know what type of coverage can have the opposite effect than intended.

But I don't believe I've made the same choice as the publisher. I'm focused on what the business community (in this case the publisher and network) should do in matters of right/wrong and what they should be more responsible in walking away from. That to me is worth discussion.

[David Reich]

CK, I agree that FOX and publisher Judith Regan are profiting from blood, and shame on them. I read an interview somewhere over the weekend where Regan claims she was a victim of domestic violence, or was touched by it somehow, and that she did this to try to get OJ to admit his guilt. What B.S.! She's a low-life who has profited on other people's grief in the past, and I'm sure this all about money for her. And FOX... it's about ratings, baby.

The only way to stop this kind of profiteering in the future is to encourage everyone you know not to watch the interview and not to buy the book. If sleeze no longer sells, then publishers and networks will not be so quick to try to peddle it.

I disagree with Neil that this discussion simply brings more attention to the book and the TV show. This is a smaller forum, not a mass medium, and readers and participants of this blog may at some time be in a position to guide a marketer about dpoing the right thing rather than "profits at any cost."

[Stephen Denny]

Neil: thanks for your note above. I couldn't disagree more.

Fox and Harper Collins are banking (literally) on a dilemma -- this discussion is exposing one. Pretty huge difference here.

I'm sure someone can come up with the source of, "evil triumphs when good people do nothing." Pointing out why this is wrong is our collective jobs as thought leaders in our community and has already caused several Fox affiliates to cancel the special.

What is the marketing community's role in choosing what we promote? If you were the EVP of Merchandising for Borders Books, what would you do? (Or if you know the EVP, please invite them to comment).

All PR is not good PR. Just ask Michael Jackson.

Regards.

[CK]

David R: Thanks much. It's just despicable. I like what you said about "profits at any cost". What Denny's post illuminates is just how MUCH this will end up costing these respective brands.

If anything, it just show me how desperate Fox and the publisher are. Ugh.

And hey, if our little blogs can make a positive impact, it's all worth it on that front alone.

P.S.: thanks for the info. on what Regan is doing to try to vindicate herself. Ugh.

[Stephen Denny]

NEW YORK — News Corp., the parent company of book publisher HarperCollins and the FOX network, has canceled publication of the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."

"I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project," said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. "We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson."

See? All you have to do is post a blog entry or two and everything figures itself out in short order... or something...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,230838,00.html.

[Lewis Green]

CK,

The "what am I?" and "what am I not?" questions remind me of our discussion centered on why we should interview potential clients as carefully as they interview us. Sometimes we need to leave the money on the table.

By the way, I completely disagree that we avoid discussing subjects that disturb us. We do want these subjects discussed: For if they aren't, what hope do we have of changing minds? This isn't about PR; it's about doing the right thing.

Bravo on your choice.

[CK]

Lewis: True 'dat. They did the WRONG thing (and no amount of money makes it right). Money indeed should have been left on the table.

All: I am SO relieved that the victim's families can get some peace back in their lives--and that the public will NOT stand for this disgust. Phew!

[David Reich]

What WAS NewsCorp thinking? $$$$$$$$$, that's what.

They should a) run Judith Regan out of town on a rail, b)make a BIG corporate donation to some battered women organization, and c) apologize to the American public for even thinking of doing what they almost did.

[Cam Beck]

Booksellers are in a predicament.

If it were me, I would choose to NOT sell the book - to not make it available for purchase at my store (online or offline). But doing so would reveal my disdain for and distrust in America's criminal and civil courts, which contradictorily found OJ not guilty, but responsible, for the murder of two people.

But from a business perspective, coming out and admitting such disdain is probably not ordinarily wise. I think this case could be an exception, but for the racial tensions that could result in implicitly stating that I believe OJ is guilty of murder and therefore won't give his book a "fair" shake.

Sometimes you have to take a stand, though their be hell to pay.

So what of us? Do we have a responsibility to, not only refuse to buy the book, but also boycott the bookstores that sell it? That's a long list... I'm not sure I'd ever read another book if I did that.

What power do we really have?

[Cam Beck]

Oh... Look at that. They canceled. Thank goodness. I can read again.

[CK]

Cam: You asked a good question with: What power do we really have?

Apparently we have LOTS more power now that we can organize and voice our views :-).

Phew! Hooray!

[Tim Jackson]

CK- Excellent post. It does prove that we have some small sphere of influence, though we are undoubtedly one small voice that has joined with a much larger chorus of voices. We're part of the solution though and that counts for soemthing.

David- Interesting comments; "They should a) run Judith Regan out of town on a rail, b)make a BIG corporate donation to some battered women organization, and c) apologize to the American public for even thinking of doing what they almost did."
But what would that prove? Nothing really. Fox isn't sorry. Not one little bit. They are still profiting from this. They were talked about again and they stirred up more curiosity and controversy. They could spend the time and money to say they are sorry, but I would bet my entire ass that they aren't sorry even the tiniest little bit. It'd just be insincere blood money. The problem is a much larger one that stems from our society's insatiable appetite for sensationalist news. Tom and Katie getting married and having the entire world watch their every move is a prime example. It's just a wedding people!

It is precisely books and TV deals like this that help to give marketers a bad name in the public eye. Somebody thought, "this is gonna be huge!" And they were right, just the wrong huge. I'm glad that so many of us are appalled by their actions. Hopefully we can help to steer ideas away.

As marketers, but also as a society, we all need to know when to turn the TV off and not watch or simply say, "no, I can't and won't do that."

Thank God the whole thing worked itself out, to some degree. I just feel for the victim's families. This isn't over for them yet and they deserve for it to be.

[CK]

Tim: “It is precisely books and TV deals like this that help to give marketers a bad name in the public eye. Somebody thought, "this is gonna be huge!" And they were right, just the wrong huge. I'm glad that so many of us are appalled by their actions. Hopefully we can help to steer ideas away.”

Yes, this is the WRONG huge--and why we all look like such evildoers. And yes…we can steer these ideas away—as it was the collective voices via telephone, letters, blogs, etc. that quashed this deal that should never have been.

I’m so relieved. And the poor families never deserved this…at least they see that the public is with them. Though I can't begin to imagine how much this has put them through yet again.

[Stephen Denny]

Cam:

I sympathize with your plight. If I boycotted every company that offended me, I'd be a lonely guy with an empty fridge, too. Sure, we all get thick skin over time. And every once in a while, an OJ situation comes up that makes you say, "OK, this one stinks." Must be that Malcolm Gladwell 'thin slicing' or something -- a Blink? -- that says, "I'm perfectly fine drawing the line HERE."

So let's all bask in the glory of a good day (not spent) at the office and relish the fact that News Corp is licking their wounds and eating the entire first production run of that HEINOUS book.

[V-+a%S(p#E*rsT=`hE..]gra_Te[]

We must hate, persecute, and destroy what is wrong, not for our own glory but for truth.

We need much more aggressively combative voices to be raised against such things as the OJ Simpson book and interview.

I expect every marketing blogger to voice an opinion on such ethical and controversial topics. If we are silent, we may be aiding and abetting the evil in our midst.

If I was dying of cancer and had only a few days to live, I would personally go kill OJ myself, the sadistic arrogant bastard.

[V-+a%S(p#E*rsT=`hE..]gra_Te[]

P.S. I know for sure OJ is guilty, since he had no trouble removing the bloody glove, though he faked having trouble putting it on.

For the judge and the prosecutor to miss that is totally unacceptable.

[Mario Sundar]

I'm glad you noticed, CK -- Fox canceled the show!

Well, thanks for referencing my kebab-steak definition :)

I still wonder how to classify your posts...more shish-kebab, I guess!

Mario