The weather was getting nicer. Denos Wonderland and Luna Park recently held a blessing ceremony for the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone. The Polar Bears were getting ready to be Solar Bears. The lines at Nathan’s were getting longer, and people were able to sit outside and munch on their hot dogs without freezing.
Christy was excited. More people on the boardwalk gave her more targets. She had no particular care about who she attacked. Anyone was a target. The NYPD had its hands full with her. She launched her moldy bread everywhere. She was just wild.
Turns out she’s Jay’s cousin. But the two of them haven’t spoken in years. Jay is still getting high and fighting with glass. He still wants Jerry back from Anat. That wasn’t going to happen. Jerry was getting powerful and is now old enough to really understand how he wound up with Anat. He’s a happy kid. He enjoys doing all the things little boys do and cannot wait to be old enough to ride the Cyclone. He loves the Wonder Wheel and the kiddie rides at Denos and Luna Park.
Christy was going after the little kids who were waiting in line with their parents at Nathan’s. The NYPD tried to stop her. But she moved fast. They had no intention of opening fire. But knew if she didn’t stop, they might have to fire warning shots. Or fire at her.
She was firing off bread like the world’s best reliever was able to fire off his cutter. She wound up hitting the wrong person – Jerry, who was there with Anat. Suddenly, she was splattered with olives. Anat watched. She didn’t want to hit a teenage girl. But if she had to, she would. Jerry launched olives as if they were being fired out of an Uzi. Olive oil followed his shots, making her slip. He tried to run over to her. But Anat held him back. She thought he did what he had to do. Christy got up and started firing at Jerry. He fired back. Anat’s watchful eyes didn’t move. People were running away from Nathan’s. No one wanted to get hurt.
Christy kept firing. Jerry got nailed in the head. He stumbled. But regained his footing. Anat had had enough. She launched apricots, dates, and raisins. She was ready to fire off prunes. But Christy started running to the beach. Jerry looked at Anat and started to run after Christy. Again, Anat pulled him back. Christy reached the beach and jumped into the magical waters of Coney Island. She did a few laps and went under. She came up firing soggy bread at those walking around.
Jerry aimed from the edge of the boardwalk and nailed her in the chest. She went down in the water. But bounced up. Jerry fired away. Anat was shooting a video and sending it to Alana and Marc.
Some of us remember the phrase, “All politics is local,” used by former House Speaker Tip O’Neill throughout his career. His dad reminded him of that in the ‘30s, after he lost his first election while running for a seat on the Cambridge City Council. He took his own neighborhood for granted. It has been said to be a great learning experience for him. For me, too.
Let’s jump out of politics and go to PR. Trust me, as a long-time practitioner who started in NYC’s government, the profession has its politics. The key thing to remember is that all good PR is local. It is the best way to build. We will jump from Staten Island, New York, to Edison, New Jersey, other parts of the USA, and end in Sicily, Italy.
Fresh out of college and while in grad school, I started volunteering on local and city-wide political campaigns in NYC. I landed my first job as a staff member in NYC, moved on to the mayor’s office, and then went into the private sector. I watched each candidate and elected official fight it out and reach an agreement on local issues. It could have been infrastructure, for example, which district would get money for new sanitary and storm sewers or better bus routes.
After leaving politics and joining a tech PR firm, I represented the former Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association (CEMA), now the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). I was involved with this great organization for many years, both representing them and sponsoring their press room.
Composed of leading electronics makers, such as Bose, Panasonic, and Sony, which, along with others, made great audio equipment for cars. There was a time before you used SiriusXM or your iPhone to get your music in your vehicle. You pumped up your Caddy, Jeep, Nissan, Ram, Vette, Toyota, etc., with great speakers and cassette players. Then we moved onto CD players and theater systems in the cars. The car audio market was huge.
We sent local car audio experts across the country to explain why you should upgrade your vehicle with their equipment rather than rely on the dealer models. Our spokespersons traveled to top and secondary cities and did local newspaper, radio, and TV interviews. They popped into the local auto shows.
I remember when we had high-end cars with great sound systems and a spokesperson lined up outside of CBS’s studio in NYC. The story went national.
Years later, I worked for Vonage, the company that brought internet telephony to consumers. We first launched local area codes in NYC and Edison, New Jersey. One of my roles was to write the press releases when we launched in new locales. I wanted to interest the local writers. Sadly, in today’s world, many of those great folks are gone.
Vonage Device
Having watched some companies launch locally by saying, “We are now in Dallas, New Orleans, or San Diego…” I tailored the copy to make it sound like we were part of those cities. As soon as the releases crossed Business Wire and I personally emailed them to local reporters, we got coverage. Even better, retailers called and asked if they could sell our products in their stores. Civilians called to ask whether we were opening a store in their neighborhood and where to send their resumes. The service was sold online, for the most part. But we did sell the devices that connected to the service in local and chain electronics stores. So, we did our local thing, which may have helped local stores increase their revenue and the number of people in the workforce.
Jumping to marketing tactics in Sicily. I recently returned from Sicily. I highly recommend it. The sites, people, food, and drink are incredible. During my tour, I was fortunate enough to visit Savoca, where Francis Ford Coppola filmed several scenes from “The Godfather.”
While walking to the church where Michael Corleone and Appolonia wed, I saw a great local marketing tactic put into play by my local guide, a wonderful woman of British and Sicilian ancestry. She joined us for three days. Her intimate local knowledge was incredible. But her skills in helping people in small towns stood above it all.
As we walked to the church where Michael Corleone and Appolonia wed, we passed Dioniso, a great little store selling olive oils, spices, wines, and other great stuff. The store was not supposed to be open when we were touring Savoca. Our guide texted the owner and let him know she was bringing a crew of 45 people through town, and he might want to open. As we approached the store, we saw him opening the shop. She introduced us, and we did tastings and bought numerous items. He probably stayed open for just about an hour. He made many sales. Again, local marketing. Tell them we are coming and let them open; they will succeed.
Olive Oil from Dioniso
I remember so many calls from national reporters, particularly from the Associated Press or The Wall Street Journal, calling or emailing about things they read in the local news about the companies I worked for. I have seen this with social media. I run several sites for local organizations. We get thousands of visitors. Viewers of our work have increased donations of memorabilia and money, as well as visits to our location. Bottom line: start local and remember it will lead to growth.
Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc. 