I am a passionate Red Sox fan and can understand almost automatic Yankee/Red Sox response by many of today’s. But the story about the killing of a fan this week is really ridiculous — it’s still just a game. Really. 

I have been a Hillary Clinton supporter since the day she entered the race and I am constantly feeling like I need to defend that choice…..and the media coverage keeps swinging back and forth between the candidates. So today, I guess am on the “correct” side of the momentum.

Newsweek wrote an interesting article after Tuesday’s primary about Clinton and the narrative she needs to set moving forward for the superdelagates and what this means. They could be the deciding factor in the entire race and there will be a lot of spin from both camps in the coming weeks. The constant analysis of the minutia of the political race is fascinating to me….more watched and analyzed than any stock or cultural event.

Interesting story in BusinessWeek today about the downside of price/cost cutting for today’s business. Basically the story says that price is relative in how people value products or services. People could think you don’t have a quality product if you cut corners too much on cost and you loose a level of competitive advantage. This is really an interesting way to look at the topic and I think in some ways it totally makes sense. You don’t want to be too skeptical that the product or service isn’t worthwhile…..although finding a deal (when value isn’t a question) is still a lot of fun.

As a marketer, I know that there is a reason why there are books like Seth Godin’s ”All Marketers Are Liars” as there is a truely a prejudice against someone seemingly foisting a product on unsuspecting individuals….and I constantly try to never be that type of PR person.

That’s why I hate when people are incredibly stupid in their placement of information— ads for illiteracy placed on the last pages of books, PMS medication that says in the warnings you shouldn’t take it if you have an enlarged prostate (those don’t seem to match), or the disclaimers on ads that just seem completely obvious (something like: don’t jump off buildings, cause this product really doesn’t make you fly).

People can’t really be that dumb, can they?

The Times is now reporting more realistic information than earlier this week—wrote today that more than 80 percent of Americans surveyed say the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll — recording the highest measure of discontent since this poll started asking the question in the early 1990s. The survey finds 81 percent saying “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track.” Up from 69 percent a year ago, and 35 percent in early 2002.

Gotta love how quickly the media changes its mind on the market. After one day of gains, the New York Times is impling that the worst is over and that optimism about the economy is increasing. While 400 points up is nothing to sneeze at….its only one day. I understand wanting to have something to report about the possible improvements to the economy but it seems a little premature for these current articles.

So with my sister getting married in October– things are in full swing in the planning. She got her dress and we have picked out potential bridesmaid dresses and I stopped by David’s Bridal to try the dress on. There were like 80 people in there….it was a bit insane. I asked if it was always that busy and they said yes…”It’s wedding season”. I asked how long wedding season was and the salesgirl said March through November. That doesn’t seem so much a season as the three off months that aren’t “wedding season.” If “allergy season” was that long I’d go crazy.

I have no problem at all with the family of the “Pregnant Man” in their decision to have a kid. What bothers me is the publicity that the parents have decided to do around the pregnancy—being born into the world as a national story—it seems mean for a parent to subject a kid to that even before she is born.

John Bromley, a family friend of ours for many years, passed away yesterday after suffering for more than 6 or 7 years with testicular cancer. He was given only about 4-5 months at the time of his diagnoses—so the many years, world travel, family trips and ongoing connections he was able to make with everyone were a blessing. 

John was an interesting guy— very intelligent, liberal in a lot of his views, friends with many democrats — but called himself a republican and told me that as soon as I made enough money, I would want to be one too. At his core, he was actually as liberal as the rest of us. I think sometimes he just enjoyed being contrary to keep the conversation going. Makes me smile just thinking of that.

 John helped me decide my path after college. He said that I shouldn’t go to graduate school simply to go….but that I should only go when there was something I wanted to learn and no other way to learn it than to go back to school. Four years after I finished college he was one of the first people I told about my decision to go back to school part time to get my MBA. John would call my sister and I, Dear Girl, every time he spoke to us….I will miss the relationship I was fortunate to have with that remarkable human being.

Jamie Lee Curtis is in the news again just being herself and “showing the real person” that someone of her age is… brilliant public relations in my opinion. She is famous enough to be well known, but not necessarily an actress we would hear a lot about. By showing the “real her” she gets more publicity than some of her contemporaries that are still trying to pretend that they are 35 (Goldie Hawn, Melanie Griffith, and a few others come to mind).

Demi Moore is an enigma in that group—there probably is a painting of her in an attic somewhere that is aging slowly (ie-Dorien Gray).

Curtis shows a unique understanding that there are niches in the market and if you are willing to adapt, you can continue to gain notice. As a publicity practitioner, that is something I always try to keep in mind when working with the media. The more willing you are to adapt your approach the more likely you are to get noticed at a different level.