Interesting mix of examples to learn from: more BIMBO comments from Dr. Anthony Fauci, a New York designer, Kyrie Irving, and professional cornhole players. Wrong Thing to Say example from KFC in Germany (needed a history lesson) and a statistics example from Ticket Master—they can’t get Taylor Swift tickets or communication right. A noteworthy understatement and a great example of using humor from (of all places!) the TSA.
THE WINNING BIMBO
Twitter “cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!" said Elon Musk, in a message to advertisers, as he took possession of Twitter. Musk filled up a BIMBO newsletter all by himself, firing and driving out approximately half of the company’s employees using inflammatory language. Musk said he required employees to be “hardcore” and to work long hours. He also speculated that he might declare bankruptcy. While we gather that this is a negotiating tactic, we think introducing the concept of “bankruptcy” is a big mistake and that it changes how key audiences listen.
The Wall Street Journal, “Elon Musk Says Twitter Won’t Be ‘Free-for-All Hellscape,’ Addressing Advertisers’ Concerns,” Oct. 28, 2022
THE RUNNERS-UP
“I didn’t try to commit fraud,” said FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried as his companies and empire blew apart with growing charges of – you guessed it, “fraud”. As it turned out, he had commingled funds from companies he owned with Alameda Research. Now – if only intent was what mattered. Bankman-Fried told reporters, “I had a bad month”. Our prediction? It’s going to get worse.
BBC, “Ex-FTX boss Bankman-Fried: 'I didn't try to commit fraud,'” Dec. 1, 2022
“Just because something is transparent or sheer doesn’t mean it has to be slutty or trashy,” said New York designer LaQuan Smith whose collection of see-through clothes may have looked great on the tall, young, skinny models, but on the rest of us…
The Wall Street Journal, “‘Where’s the Rest of Your Pants?’ Designers Churn Out Sheer Bottoms,” Oct. 31, 2022
“And it’s not that I don’t believe the Holocaust occurred,” said Nets star Kyrie Irving as a controversy erupted when he posted a link to a website with antisemitic material which included denial of the Holocaust. The Nets prodded him to apologize, and he responded (but didn’t apologize) repeating, “It’s not that I don’t believe in the Holocaust. I never said that. Never ever have said it.” He kept going like that for a paragraph which puts it into the “Thou doth protest too much” category. Irving’s thinking is really flawed. He ended the session saying, “I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.” What should he do and say? He should take a guided tour of the Holocaust Museum in Washington and probably one of the concentration camps like Auschwitz in Germany and say he wants to learn. The fact that this cost him playing and pay for five games is nothing to a player making tens of millions. Three days later: Irving finally issued an apology, “To all Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected by my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain and I apologize.” The immediate reaction was that this was too little too late.
The New York Times, “Nets Suspend Kyrie Irving Indefinitely After Antisemitic Movie Post,” Nov. 3, 2022
“I have nothing to hide,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci at his last farewell and final press conference from the White House.
National Review, “‘I Have Nothing to Hide’: Fauci Vows to ‘Cooperate Fully’ with House Republican Oversight Efforts,” Nov. 22, 2022
“We do not boil the bags,” insisted Philip Lopez in an escalating scandal dubbed Bag Gate. Yes, there is an American Cornhole League for the game where players toss bags filled with resin “beans” through holes in slanted boards. Seems some players bags were sliding in with suspicious ease. Complaints were filed. Accusations flew. Not surprisingly, players have developed subtle techniques to flatten and otherwise change the bag or bean structure, so the bags slide in more easily. The WSJ with its customary thoroughness investigated. They found a lot of techniques players claimed other guys were doing. Boiling bags might work but Lopez and his partner insist their win isn’t by boiling.
The Wall Street Journal, “Professional Cornhole Has a Cheating Scandal Called BagGate,” Nov. 1, 2022
INTERNATIONAL WRONG THING TO SAY
KFC has apologized after sending a promotional message to customers in Germany, urging them to commemorate Kristallnacht with cheesy chicken. The message, heavily criticized for its insensitivity, was later blamed on "an error in our system". Around an hour later another message was sent with an apology, according to the Bild newspaper. "We are very sorry, we will check our internal processes immediately so that this does not happen again. Please excuse this error," the message is reported to have said.
BBC, “KFC apologises after German Kristallnacht promotion,” Nov. 10, 2022
STATISTICS
Taylor Swift’s much anticipated tour got off to a rocky start when fans overwhelmed Ticketmaster’s site. Hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of fans came up empty handed. Ticketmaster compounded the problem by trying to downplay it in a blog post saying, “only 15% of customers had problems.” Of course, 15 percent of a million is still a lot of fans! They should have said that this is an ongoing issue, and they are committed to working with the artists and their fans to provide an important service. Meanwhile, the real issue of bots and unrealistic pricing continue.
The Washington Post, “Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster meltdown: What happened? Who’s to blame?” Nov. 18, 2022
UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE MONTH
“Surveilling employees might also lead to unintended consequences that could hurt hiring and recruitment,” said workforce development firm Delta Hire in an article about the methods and lengths to which employers are going to track employees as a result of the explosion of remote working. (No kidding!)
The Business Journals, “Employers are ramping up employee tracking — but it may have unintended consequences,” Oct. 24, 2022
GOOD EXAMPLES
Humor – from the TSA of all places!
TSA, Twitter, Nov. 7, 2022
A welcome good example from the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team when a reporter from Iran asked pointed, hostile questions charging the U.S. with hypocrisy for the team’s visual statement of support for the young Iranian women and demonstrators. The reporter referenced discrimination against minorities and tried to equate our history with oppression and violence. See the response of the team captain at the press conference. A great teaching example particularly of using personal testimony.
PR News, “How the U.S. Men’s Soccer Captain, 23, Delivered a Pitch-Perfect Response,” Nov. 29, 2022
The BIMBO Memo is a reminder not to repeat and deny a negative word because of how the listener hears words. When you repeat and deny a negative word, the listener is likely to overlook the denial and hear the opposite of what the speaker is trying to say. It’s named for the young woman who was caught with a high profile, but alas married man. She held a press conference and announced, “I am not a BIMBO,” thus causing everyone to think she was.
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