The Creative Capitalist:

I have a Gal. She lives online, she looks like me, and I love her. I got her off designhergals.com, and I am duty bound now to share the secret with all of you. Not only is it my own personal favorite site of the past several months, but it’s a smash hit with every woman (and man in the market for a gift) whom I refer to it. I’m raving. And loving. I’m encouraging you to check it out and to buy some product.

But first, let me tell you how I found the Gals.

It all started in Curacao, believe it or not. My friend Charyn had the cutest business cards, with a watercolor-style logo of a gal that looked just like her next to some fun supplementary copy. Not super-scary professional in the way of a corporate card. But then, we are not corporate people. By choice. In fact, Charyn is a food writer.

“My cards used to say, I want ALL the cake,” she confided.

I was, understandably, curious about what identity design firm would create such a sleek-looking logo and then let its customer announce “I want ALL the cake” on the collateral. Most identity designers don’t allow that sort of thing.

But this did not end up being the work of an identity designer. Instead, it was something Charyn had created herself on my new favorite site:

Guests utilize a Flash app to design a young lady, much like playing virtual paper dolls. You dress the image, accessorize it and upload it into the stationery product of your choice. (Charyn and I both chose business cards, but you can also get greeting cards, bookmarks, aprons, coffee cups and all manner of other customized logo merchandise.) A portion of the proceeds from every order is donated to a breast cancer charity, which makes the product even more appealing, in my eyes.

It probably took me an hour to design my Gal, and another to re-attire her and change the copy 12 zillion times. But still, it was less expensive and less complicated than any other stationery order I’ve ever made (and there have been many).

I used my (blonde, mini-skirted, magic-wand-carrying) Gal on plain white, standard business cards. (I suppose I could have ordered some logo coffee cups, but that would have necessitated my buying a much larger carrying case. Possibly a wheelbarrow.) I passed her out everywhere from the Las Vegas Convention Center to Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club to the American Lodging Investment Summit to the Rose Bar in Manhattan. She was a huge hit and inspired many women to ask where they could procure similar cards of their own.

This is what I told them:

Go to the site without delay, and design away. But know that once you do, you’ll be hooked. It’s free to create an image, and the site will store all Gals and product designs in your account forever. So if you feel like creating a sparkly Gal with a magic wand one day and a Gal in a business suit and briefcase the next, you can. Just don’t get carried away and start thinking you own the images, because the copyright belongs to the site owners. As it should.

That said, founder Jeanne Fitzmaurice is thrilled at the idea of entrepreneurs everywhere using her Gals to promote their businesses and inspired ideas.

“My mission is to foster fanatical fans of our brand, and continue to bring new products and benefits to those who enjoy using our site,” she told me during our first-ever communique. “We currently have nearly 250,000 community members on our site. But we have a big goal, and getting our word out is important to raising funds.”

Well, here’s fanatical fan No. 250,001, doing her bit to help out.

In the past couple of weeks, I have tried to utilize LinkedIn in the way its makers ostensibly intended. I have not attempted to “connect” with people I don’t know (that is the final frontier), but I’ve experimented with all the LI capabilities that relate to people I do know.

In a most unscientific manner, here are my findings:

• Only 20 percent of my contacts are on LinkedIn.
• Only 10 percent of them are active on LinkedIn.
• Out of 350 invitations sent, 120 still remain outstanding.
• Three people have already e-mailed me directly to inform me that they don’t use LinkedIn and would like to continue communicating using traditional methods.
• Four people have said they were going to accept my invite but didn’t, so I still talk to them via Yahoo Mail, on the phone or at happy hour.
• Three people have reported that they tried to connect but weren’t able to.
• Two people have emailed me back to say hello but have not accepted my LinkedIn invite.
• Six people have said they didn’t know me.
• Of that number, two realized straightaway that it was an accident. They tried to fix the record on LinkedIn, but it wasn’t possible. Three more would probably do the same thing if I said anything, but I don’t want to deal with it because we all have better things to do right now. When I do contact them again, it will be directly, for a specific purpose other than rectifying a social networking mixup.
• I asked five people for recommendations. Of that number, three recommended me. One ignored my request but updated my website (we’ve got a trade deal, and right now I’m getting the best of it). The final person said “No, because I think LinkedIn doesn’t do justice to either the recommending party or the recommendee. I will give you any personal recommendation you want and help you in any way I can, but I will not write anything on that website.”
• I recommended several colleagues. Only two wrote back to acknowledge that they’d seen and liked what I’d said.
• I forwarded two job requests from contacts and got no responses.

My verdict for LinkedIn’s potential as a a contact management/networking system? It takes too much work.

Too much exporting. Too many notes to write. Too much managing, mollycoddling and appeasing the LinkedIn police. Seriously. In a normal world, my contacts just sit in my address book till I need them, at which point I e-mail the appropriate person and say:

Hi! Here’s who I am, what I’m working on, and what I need. Can you help?

They say yes or no, and we move on.

In a LinkedIn world, I e-mail tons of them for no reason except to say: “Hi. Do you remember that we know each other? Okay, so let’s publicly acknowledge that we know each other, and then let’s go on about our business and not ever answer our LinkedIn e-mails anymore b/c we don’t really use LinkedIn for e-mail, we use Outlook or Gmail or Yahoo like every other person in the civilized world.”

Then you sit and wait for all those contacts to jump on your bandwagon. Probably only 50 do. An additional 45 languish in your archives. If you’re me (large network, but some of ‘em I only talk to once a year), a few people will e-mail to say “How do we know each other?” You explain, they say “Wassup? Good to hear from you!” and that’s the end of it.

The final two or three say “I Don’t Know This Person,” which makes you feel unmemorable, not very charismatic and also like a LinkedIn pariah, because you know you get spanked for those IDKs. So you e-mail them and say, “What the heck, am I that forgettable?” And they say “Nooooo!” and try to fix the setting but can’t, and then everyone’s irritated.

But still. I’m going to complete the final bit of this journal soon. I will e-mail five contacts and see whether the LinkedIn job networking thing really works. Maybe it will, and I’ll get tons of gigs and be forced to take back everything I said. Wouldn’t that be nice?

In the meantime, I’ve got 120 outstanding invitations that I really need to deal with, and I think sending 120 individual notes is the only way to do it. Which really defeats the purpose of LinkedIn, but reconnects with lost contacts; which is something worth doing, regardless of the communication mode.

Wow. I’m 10 days into my LinkedIn experiment, and it’s already becoming much larger and more unwieldy than I would have expected. I thought I would have Phase 1 finished a few days ago, but instead it’s looking like it may…never finish!

Here’s the update:

The best way to transfer your contacts into LinkedIn is to upload your address book. However (rather embarrassingly), my address book was a mess. I hadn’t updated it in four years. Instead I just archived all my emails and found contacts via Yahoo mail search as needed (surprisingly effective, but not ultimately the best solution.) So my experiment started out with a massive address book cleaning–long overdue, total pain in the neck, but it feels great to have done it.

Here’s my first week of LinkedIn, by the numbers.

• 35: Approximate number of hours it took me to clean up my address book.
• 4000: Approximate number of emails deleted from my archives.
• 800: Approximate number of out-of-date contacts deleted from my address book.
• 1200: Approximate number of current contacts added to my address book. (Just finished last night. Phe-ew!)
• 400: Approximate number of Yahoo contacts who are already on LinkedIn.
• 271: Number of “join my network” invitations I’ve sent via Linked In since 12/06.
• 154: Number of members in my network currently
• 3: Number of people who’ve said they don’t know me

This last number is a bit sinister because, apparently, whereas in the real world if people don’t want to know you they can just ignore you, if they don’t know you on LinkedIn, you get penalized. I don’t know how this penalization works yet, but I’m trying to find out.

I think the most frustrating thing about that is, if it turns out the person actually does know you and just spaced out (as was the case w/one of mine), that individual can’t go back and change his or her answer. So one hair-trigger response can affect you negatively, and the person on the other end may not be aware of it, and there’s nothing either of you can do.

I may be wrong about this. As I said, I’m trying to get an answer from LinkedIn customer service.

In other news, I have not received any job offers out of LinkedIn yet. This is somewhat disappointing–you will recall that it promised me 3.5 times more than I had been getting. And upon a closer look, the language goes, “you’re 3.5 times more likely to receive a job offer for every 5 contacts you add.” Oh really! So where are my, um, I guess that’s 2 x 3.5 x 24 (120 contacts added / 5 ) = 168 new gigs!

Ah, well. Perhaps in time.

Anyway, I’m being facetious, because I didn’t start this experiment with the expectation of getting 168 job offers in a week. I did it to explore the potential benefits. And here’s what I’ve experienced to date:

• Reconnected with several old friends and colleagues–always a pleasure, especially in the cases where we’d been out of touch for years.
• Have “met” a couple new folks, who had been on the books for some reason, but whom I’d never spoken with previously. They responded to my LinkedIn invite with a personal note, I followed up, and now we’re truly on each other’s radar. This always feels warm and fuzzy; whether you call it “building a network” or “making a connection” or (my personal favorite) “making a friend.” It’s good to know somebody out there is interested in you.
• Several people have reached out to me, to see what projects I’m working on and whether we might help each other. In one case, my answer was a definite “Yes, please, immediately”– and as a result, I now have two amazing leads on potential female protagonists for a documentary treatment I’m developing. Absolutely no way could I have found them without the assistance of one Karen Cleary of Boundless Journeys, who made the introduction without gaining anything for herself…all on the strength of one previous conversation and a LinkedIn invite.

(Shout out: Thanks Karen. PR types like you make the world go round .)

• Finally…and this is the most important thing for anyone w/questions of his or her own about LinkedIn: On Friday, I made the acquaintance of Marc Freedman–aka My LinkDaddy.

With 20,000 connections in his files, Marc is what some people call an “uber-networker.” I would have probably called him a “zealot.” However. Marc agreed to do an interview with me about LinkedIn–which we completed an hour ago (no dilly-dallying in these parts!). And while he’s definitely an uber-networker, he’s definitely not a LinkedIn zealot. Which makes him much more valuable in terms of answering questions.

I’m going to post the Marc Freedman interview as soon as I can edit it down to a reasonable length, and I definitely encourage everyone to read it. Not only is he knowledgeable, but he is the epitome of the “pay-it-forward” player. It was very interesting to tap into that mindset–particularly coming from Los Angeles, where the standard question tends to be, “What can you do for me?”

In the meantime, check out Marc’s page at: http://MyLinkDaddy.com

And/or join the experiment at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lenakatz

Send me a note with your invite, please–otherwise I’ll have to check “I don’t know this person,” and then the LinkedIn police will put a black mark by your name….

My agent Andrea Somberg is a champ. She’s tough but not terrifying, critical but not brutal, eminently supportive of her little brood of wordsmiths, and consistently responsive to requests–even those that her peers might deem superfluous and time-wasting. Without that final quality, this particular Q&A could not exist.

Below, I give you Andrea’s detailed, candid and thoughtful “Nonfiction Publishing 101″ treatise. I asked her every question I could think of on your behalf–and I’ve already thanked her effusively (though you’re welcome to post further thanks in the comment section). Not only has she shared valuable information, but she’s also proved that there are still some people who do nice things even when there’s nothing in it for them.

Before we start, Andrea’s professional bio:
Previously an agent at Vigliano Associates and the Don Maass Agency, Andrea Somberg joined Harvey Klinger Inc in the spring of 2005. She represents both fiction and nonfiction, including memoir, pop culture, how-to, self-help, humor, interior design, cookbooks, business, and health and fitness. Some recent sales include Devin and Cameron Lazerine’s Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide to Hip-Hop and R&B (Grand Central, February ‘08), Heather Maclean’s Baby Gear Buying Guide (Rutledge/Nelson, February ‘08), Kyra Sundance’s The Dog Rules (Touchstone/Fireside, spring ‘09), Kent Sayre’s Unstoppable Confidence (McGraw Hill, fc), Marcelle Karp and Pauline Wall’s Knitchicks (F&W, fc) and Eva Nagorski’s The Down and Dirty Dish on Revenge (Thomas Dunne, fall ‘08).

And now…the yummy stuff…

1. How important is it for an aspiring nonfiction author to have previous clips and/or published titles?
I do look to see if a client has published previous clips, in part because it establishes the writer as a professional and an expert in their field, but also because it helps me get a handle on whether an author has some sort of promotional platform. I can’t stress enough how important a promotional platform is for nonfiction writers. If I see that an author is a regular contributor to several magazines, I can then assume that they have relationships with these publications and will be able to parlay it into future promotion.

As for published titles, they can be a good thing, but they can also work against an author. Bookstores decide how many titles to order of a specific book in part based on the author’s previous sales. If those sales are weak, they’ll be less likely to buy as many copies of the author’s next book. Publishers know this, and so one of the first things they turn to when deciding to take on a project is Bookspan.

Authors sometimes come to me with their self-published book, telling me that it’s been carried in major bookstores. Unless that book has sold thousands upon thousands of copies, this will actually work to to the author’s disadvantage–the bookstores now have a record of previous sales and, if sales are low, it will be an automatic strike against them.

That being said, nonfiction can be a bit more forgiving than fiction. If the topic of the book is strong enough, it can sometimes overcome previous poor sales.

2. As an agent, what do you look for in a query/new author?
An engaging narrative voice, a promotional platform, and a book idea that has a strong marketing hook and fulfills a need in the market.

3. What can someone do to impress you right off the bat (in their approach, query, follow-up, etc.)?
Professionalism is always impressive.

4. What mistake would you caution would-be authors against making?
Don’t be rude or obnoxious! It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people cross the line.

5. What categories are the easiest to break into right now? What are the toughest?
Each category is challenging in its own right. Whatever the subject matter of your book, the two questions you need to ask yourself are:

• Who is my audience? Sometimes a book is too niche for a major publisher (for example, a book aimed at auto mechanics), in which case you’d be better off focusing on smaller, specialty presses.
• Does my book fulfill a need in the market that hasn’t been met by other books out there? There are so many books being published each month, it is not enough for your book to be well-written. It’s got to distinguish itself, either by fulfilling a gap in the market or by having a strong marketing niche. Preferably both.

Memoirs vs. practical nonfiction come with their own separate challenges. For practical nonfiction these days, it is really important to have a promotional platform. Cookbooks, self help/relationship books, interior design, health/fitness, parenting, business–publishers are looking for authors with a national presence. Humor books are a bit of an exception, in that it is possible to place a title without the author having one. Memoirs on the other hand are marketed more like fiction. An engaging story and narrative voice can be more important than platform.

6. What do you feel is the biggest misperception about the publishing industry, and could you clear it up for us?
This is a business. So if an agent or a publisher rejects your book, it’s not necessarily because they don’t like it–it’s because they don’t think they can make money on it. On the other hand, I will sometimes take on a project that I absolutely love, even if I think it will be a tough sale. But these are few and far between. I really have to fall hard for it.

7. A lot of people who aren’t writers feel that it would be either a pivotal career move or a significant personal/career milestone to publish a nonfiction book. Do you honestly think it’s worth the stress, legwork, time and tears?
In terms of a career move, in many situations, yes. Publishing a book can be a great way to expand your brand, and/or to increase your audience/business. In terms of a personal milestone, it can be very fulfilling. But it can also be frustrating. When authors think of publishing a book, they tend to daydream about the bestseller list. The vast majority of books are published, spend a few weeks in bookstores and then are quickly remaindered.

8. How do you feel about e-books or self-publishing houses?
The problem with self-publishing is a lack of distribution. How do you get your books to customers? Some people who self-publish do meet with great success, but it’s rare. Usually the author is on the lecture circuit, gives seminars, is skilled at web marketing, etc. E-books are still in their infancy. It will be interesting to see how that market develops over the next few years. But still, you run into the challenge–how do you make customers aware of your product?

9. What scams should newbie and/or aspiring authors be wary of?
Never pay an agency a “reading fee.” Also, don’t jump at the first agent who wants to sign you. For the most part it’s an unregulated business, so make sure you find out whether the agency is legit or not.

10. Please list three great writers’ conferences open to beginning authors.
Pike’s Peak, Writers League of Texas Conference (in Austin), Surrey Writers Conference. …There are a lot of good ones. One thing to look out for is, check out who the “faculty” will be. Make sure that they handle the type of books you write, and that they’re from legitimate agencies and publishing houses.

11.In your professional opinion, what does the perfect nonfiction query look like?
Short and sweet. I want to know the premise of the book, I want to know your bio, and I want to know what you can do to promote it. It’s sometimes good to include the “overview” as well, so I can get a sense of your narrative voice.

The whole subject of “getting press” seems to inspire a lot of questions, discussions and general bewilderment–not just on Entrepreneur.com, but everywhere in the business world.

Small business owners, in particular, see “press” as this mysterious, unapproachable, possibly malevolent entity. Which is soooo not true. If you’re a celebrity or a big business, press is dangerous. If you’re just a little guy, then they’re actually quite likely to be on your side. They’re just people, looking for good stories. And they’re more than willing to write about you–if you let them know you’re there.

Rather than write about the whole PR shuffle myself, I did a Q&A with Marcia Gagliardi of Tablehopper and got the journalist’s perspective on all things PR and marketing. I hope it’ll be helpful. (Note: yes, it’s from a restaurant-industry perspective, but a lot of the information can be applied to just about any retail business.)

How do you find restaurants to cover?
A combination of publicists, word of mouth, knowing people in the industry, reading food blogs. … Also, it’s a little unconventional, but I ride a bike to stay in shape, and I just look around a lot while I’m out and notice what’s going on. A lot of my column is finding out what’s new, so I’m always talking to people: restaurant owners, waiters, cooks, bartenders and so forth. I’ve lived in the city for 13 years, so I know folks from different walks of life, and that helps me keep up with what’s happening.

If someone doesn’t have a publicist, will it hurt them?

No, but I think they should familiarize themselves with local food writers. Write a press release, partner [or owner] bios and a fact sheet. That way if anyone inquires, you can send everything off to them so they have details. Enclose a menu, too. Or make the initial contact yourself. In a couple days you can figure out the writers of all your local magazines, newspapers and websites. I wouldn’t discount neighborhood papers either.

How can someone get all the writers’ contact information?

Usually on the company website, or on the masthead [for print publications]. A lot of magazine restaurant coverage is handled in-house. For freelance writers, run a search on their name.

How do you feel about receiving phone calls?

I feel it’s too pushy unless I’ve given someone my card, or unless it’s a friend of a friend. I prefer an email because I can answer it on my time. I’m a social person, but in this day and age writers get pitched so many things…

Is there anything you wouldn’t cover?

I don’t want to cover chains. There are nice restaurants that have multiple locations in multiple cities, but unless it’s something that stands out, I don’t feel a strong pull. I cover everything from taco trucks and small ethnic joints–even street food– all the way to high end dining. I think people love stories about family businesses. I love hearing stories about immigrant families who bring authentic food to a neighborhood. It’s something I seek all the time. Just ‘cause it’s not a big flashy restaurant with a full bar and valet doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I think most food writers feel the same way.

There are so many businesses. How/why would one stand out from the competition?

Writers are hungry for news. We’re looking all the time. But the restaurant business is really competitive—so yes, you have to do your part. Writers want stories. Is this an immigrant family? Are you making your own pasta? What is it about the ingredients that’s different? Really highlight your uniqueness. Or talk about how you’re providing something to a neighborhood that’s not being served. What makes you stand out?

I also think it’s smart to invite key media people in for dinner. Some press do accept comps. Offer to send a gift cert, or set them up. (Ed note: Even if they don’t accept, the gesture is always appreciated… and as any PR person will tell you, it’s standard procedure.)

Also—be nice to people in the industry. Sometimes, it’s something as small as calling back a writer who’s called your establishment. It drives me crazy when people don’t call me back. If I’m spending the time to hunt them down—especially if I stopped by—and they can’t call me back, I’m not going to be able to write about them. I know you’re busy, but I am too. Be respectful.

Pinpoint who the key communications person is. If your place is a mom-and-pop shop, just decide internally which person will answer questions. It keeps messaging consistent and gives the press a consistent contact.

When is the right time to talk to the press?

There are two phases. I think it’s good to have buzz before it’s finalized. People are hungry to know what’s moving in–it gets people talking. So even if you don’t have all the details ironed out yet, don’t be afraid to release prelim info. Pinpoint key people to release buzz to. Look at who writes buzz columns in newspapers, magazines and online

Start the second wave maybe a month before you open, to accommodate for print mags’ lead time. Make sure everyone knows when you’re opening. Let them know the concept, the chef, the hours, etc.

But if I promote things too soon, mightn’t it get me a negative review?

Reviews will start happening a month after you’ve been open—and that whole stage depends on whether you did your homework first. Do these publications even know you opened?

After the opening announcements, follow up with new info: menu changes, new features, staff changes, etc. Don’t inundate them every week, but I appreciate it when restaurants let me know they’ve changed things. Remind people you’re around, and give them reasons to write about you.

What can I do about bad press?

It’s a learning experience. The key thing is, the first month, get lots of feedback. Put your pride aside. Don’t just get friends who will say everything’s good. But maybe get them to write anonymous feedback. Your friends don’t want to say anything mean, but maybe it will save you from getting a negative magazine review that goes out to 250,000 people.

I think Yelp is a useful tool, though painful at times. There is some good info on there. Some people don’t have educated palates, and it’s easier to be negative than positive, but if you see consistent things in Yelp reviews, pay attention. Monitor constantly. The same goes for Citysearch, Zagat. etc. Also, I know some restaurateurs will contact posters from public forums directly. They’ll say, ‘Sorry you had a bad experience, come back and let us make up for it.’ It’s extra-mile stuff, but can go a long way in reversing negative feedback. People will sometimes revise what they’ve written online.

My brother-in-law asked for a marketing plan for Medici. I told him I’d write up a detailed email  outlining my PR plans, and CC the bar and kitchen managers.  A formal marketing plan would take too much time–plus everyone’s eyes would glaze over the minute they looked at it. They’re F & B (food and beverage) people, not cubicle drones.

 Here’s what I finally sent to everyone:

1.  First priority: Website. Crucial. Need it up and running ASP. Better if at least one page is CMS-maintained–we don’t want to depend on a Webmaster for updates. Maybe the news section? Probably I can get that as a feed on the homepage. Apart from that, we need an About Us/Bios page, a menu page, and a decor page w/pics. Since we won’t have pics for a while, we can just do a placeholder there. 
2.  I am okay to go forward with the color/graphics scheme Catherine has started. If you’d like her to play with it a bit more, that’s fine–and likewise, if you want her to begin by designing a logo or artwork, I can hold off on the Website for a week–but no more. It’s going to be the first place people go to learn more about you, and there needs to be something there.
3.  IF you have another designer in mind, please give me their contact info immediately so I can get proposals and initial ideas from all contenders. However, if you’re just kicking aorund the idea of considering other designers, I might caution you against it. Few of them are as efficient, reasonably priced and nice as Catherine is. I also think she has a good eye.
4. Once we’ve decided upon a designer, let me know whether you want them to elaborate on the existing design elements (my recommendation) or start from scratch.  Whatever your decision is, please let me know immediately, as I will need to manage the timeline and outline the deliverables.
5. Here’s my PR plan for the next few weeks:
6. Once you are *ready*, I can start feeding bits of info to the press. I am going to start by letting the restaurant industry trade pubs and the city blogs know that Medici is opening in the old Shadow Lounge space, and giving them Matty and Kevin’s names when/where applicable.
7. However. Before I do that, I’d like to at least get some temp signage in the window, and a tentative soft opening date.
8. I’ll write Matty and Kevin’s bios to coincide with the site buildout, since that’s the first place they’ll be posted. I also want to work with Kevin and Matty to come up with brief one-page backgrounders on the food and beverage menus.  Sample items, creative inspirations, spotlight products, etc. Greg, you can provide this for the wine.
9. Once we have a temp site, bios, backgrounders and menus in progress, it’ll be time to get Medici on the “Coming Soon” sections of various city sites and foodie newsletters. Probably this will be about 3 weeks to D-Day.
10. As Kevin and Matty solidify the basic menu parameters, I will start working with Kevin to reach out to liquor PRs, promo companies, etc.to see which liquors we will be featuring on the menu, and which products we want to align ourselves with at the outset.
11. Greg, I’m going to talk to people and find out what the process is for doing wine dinners, wine tastings, or any similar events. I’m not sure if you have to work through an importer/distributor or if you can go direct to winemakers. Do you know?
12. Based on what Matty comes up with, I’ll start coming up with different food-related angles. Signature items, signature samplers, organic/all natural product focus, food-and-wine pairings…all these things are potential hooks.
13. Once we have a solid opening date set, I’m going to reach out to journalists I know in the SF bay, and start the works in motion to get profiles of Matty and Kevin in the local papers, mags, etc.

It has been 10 days since I sent that email, and I haven’t heard a single word back from any of the boys, which pretty much confirms my suspicions about the futility of corporate communication tactics in the restaurant/bar business. At this point, I’m asking myself a variation on a classic question:

If a PR plan is outlined in the concrete jungle, and none of the management staff comment, has it really been outlined at all?