Applause, Applause

Last night I watched with glee as “Slumdog Millionaire” claimed victory at the Golden Globes, winning best picture of the year in the drama category. Mr. Boyle, I – like so many – have nothing but “mad, pulsating affection” for your exhilarating story. But it wasn’t until this morning when I read the post-show coverage (and was again struck by how bizarre Renee Zelwegger looked, a sort of thespian Q-tip) when I realized that “Slumdog” can teach us PR folks a thing or two about our work.

No amount of glitz or flash can take the place of an inspiring, authentic story. As we work with brands and those who steward them, we have to keep pushing to find the storyline...the one that’s true, that will affect the way our audiences feel, act, react, behave. We can fuss with words and schematics, write and re-write messages until we run out of PowerPoint slides – but unless we’re staying true to a story that will mean something to our audiences, we’re just falling through a hole into a big pile of... (if you’ve seen the film, you get where I’m going.)

Set goals and stick to them. Goals, objectives...call them what you will. But in that movie, the kids knew what they wanted and they didn’t stop until they got there. The same applies to communications – we have to make sure we’re clear from the outset, and keep going back to those goals to make sure we’re on track.

Success is a team effort. I won’t spoil “Slumdog’s” ending for those who haven’t seen it, but I can tell you that it took all three of the Musketeers to make it through...and in our business, we’re nothing without a strong agency/client team approach.

So as I join Brad and Angelina (who might just be the most perfect looking people in the galaxy) in our march toward Oscar, I’ll keep looking at the big screen for inspiration in my work. I’ll also wonder if we’d win more business if we ended every pitch with a big Bollywood dance number...

Mike Doyle