By John Durante
In Bull Durham bonus baby “Nuke” Laloosh releases some of his bloated self-importance by telling teammate Crash Davis, “I’ve got a Porsche with a Blaupunkt!” The veteran, babysitting catcher responds by saying, “you don’t need a Blaupunkt . . . you need a curve ball!”
Little did Davis realize his admonition foreshadowed a common challenge in the business communications world. Laloosh’s self-indulgence shifted his attention (at least for a while) from one of the fundamentals of his trade. This parallels what I frequently observe in our profession.
To be a professional communicator is to facilitate “shared understanding” with an intended audience — most commonly in a story or narrative form. That’s about as fundamental as it gets for public relations and marcom pros. But too often this central premise is forgotten in exchange for something illusory.
Often we are preoccupied with technology and how we should effectively “harness” it for “maximum story exposure.” Or we spend hours pondering how to slice and “segment” audiences as though better defining a “target” somehow ensures a better story. While sometimes needed, too often energy spent here is excessive and quite frankly, silly.
Business stories die rapid deaths far more often from “what” is told than “how,” “where,” or with what “peripheral” entertainment value it holds. But these latter elements have too often become our professional Blaupunkt — seducing us from the “curve ball fundamentals” that drive great stories. And that’s unfortunate, unwise and also silly because after all, it’s Davis, the curve ball proponent, not Laloosh, the Blaupunkt buyer, who in the end gets the girl.
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John Durante is senior marketing associate for WordWrite Communications.
