I received a mail a couple of days ago. It’s a mail about some local project, and part of the mail was a request that I forward the mail to other people and publicise the project on my blog. There are a couple of things I want to address about this email.
1. I applaud her for sending blind copies instead of making visible everyone’s email addresses.
2. I applaud her for finding bloggers a viable promotional tool.
So, I replied her mail, stating my interest in promoting the project and asked if there were any complimentary ticket. Note this, I “asked” not “requested”.
She replied my mail, expressing her thanks for my interest and here’s where she went wrong. She wrote this,
……Thanks for expressing your interest. Will have to check and get back to you.
Couldn’t find a counter on your blog. Don’t mind me asking, how many hits does your sit generate?
Cheers
(censored)PS - pls forward the mailer to your friends ok? excellent cast…(censored) for one. She hasn’t been acting for a while. (censored)- of course. (censored), (censored), (censored)…And of course the director himself - (censored), the one and only.
First of all, that one ticket cost less than a meal for two at McDonald’s. The reason I even asked if there were any complimentary ticket namely because…
1. She propositioned me.
2. Hello, I don’t know her personally. Give me one good reason why I should promote the project. No, “Support the local industry” is not good enough.
Asking me about my site’s traffic!? Expecting me to divulge it for her cheap FOC ticket? So yes, I am offended. Her second mail reeks of insinuation that I’m desperate for that damn ticket, which I’m completely not. Telling me about the project is one thing, whether I want to spread the news or promote it, that’s my prerogative. But since she explicitly requested me to promote and forward a spam mail to my friends……if that is not a proposition then what is?
Quoting FA, “it’s like a car salesman asking to see your bank account when you want to buy a Mercedes”. I think it’s like a car salesman asking to see your bank account when you want to buy a Chomel motorbike.
There’s no free meal in this world….unless I like you.
Another thing I absolutely cannot stand is the way she promoted her colleagues in the project. I’m sorry missy, but please reserve the compliments for the audience (ie: me) to make. You can tell me all about your colleagues’ accomplishments, whether they’re “excellent” or “one and only” is up to me to decide. Personally, I think kimberlycun.com is “excellent” and “one and only”. You can try kimberlycun.net and kimberlycun.org….but no, no, no. You can find no such sites.
Anyway, I may be completely turned off by the PR girl, but damn me…..I still want to support the local project. This is solely because that promotional poster is so provocative. So really, keep your free ticket to yourself, I can afford RM30. Lets just pretend you didn’t send me any mail at all.
p/s: Consider this an “excellent” and “one and only” teaser ad…
Related:
ST - “Yue May Not Mail Me Anymore”
Suan - femes… haha femes my head
FireAngel said:
on May 17, 2006 at 1:59 pm
pwned!
admin: oneoneeleventyone
suanie said:
on May 17, 2006 at 2:15 pm
I just deleted that email. Didn’t want to ruin my mood, you know, like with the OTHER show that I now have no interest in going to.
admin: no insider tips about the staff rotation ah? sien…
“Yue May Not Mail Me Anymore” » said:
on May 17, 2006 at 2:18 pm
[…] Kimberlycun has also posted about this: Bad Communication […]
ylchong said:
on May 17, 2006 at 3:03 pm
The only time I respond to such “unsolicited” propositions is when it cometh from an Educational organisation writing in bad “grammer” - I’d proposition it with the “corrections” in its copy, and ask gently if it can afford me as a” fee-lan” PR (yes, Propositioning Agent…) for RM20…I agree with you 100% there is no such thing as a free lunch — even this response which takes some 12 seconds to roll out has a “hidden” price — winning some “hits” from a cun site.
admin: hehe wicked!
GhOsT said:
on May 17, 2006 at 4:39 pm
Back from your break? So fast?
admin: it felt long enough
Dabido(Teflon) said:
on May 17, 2006 at 5:51 pm
Yes, no free lunch … a naked lunch, which has no lunchand nothing naked in it … [as per Nelson’s reference in the Simpsons], but no free lunch! I agree.!
[Except that time I had a free lunch … d’oh!]
How old is the girl doing the PR work? Seems like some pretty silly rookie mistakes. I wonder if they’re from High School and are doing the promo as part of a school project! lol
I get a few SPAMS from Malaysia every now and then, and I assume it’s due to my comments on peoples sites … any way, some of them come to me in Malaysian, so I just delete them anyway!
admin: w00t..free lunch eh, someone’s the liking the dabido hehe
btw, don’t think age has anything to do with it…some people are just naturally tactless.
earl-ku said:
on May 17, 2006 at 6:00 pm
YES YES
bash the fella, bash the fella
akaka
admin: you like to lend a hand?
As Suanie Sees It - femes… haha femes my head said:
on May 17, 2006 at 6:16 pm
[…] That’s why when a patronising something or someone comes along to make us feel that we are sort of obliged to do something to support the local theatre scene, chances are high that we won’t, ‘cos the method and content of communication doesn’t turn us on. Read more at Kim’s and ST’s. […]
kimfluttersby said:
on May 17, 2006 at 8:34 pm
“bad pr can be good pr” you know? i learnt this while studying pr.
now you got us curious on what project it is!
*starts checking other blogs to see what project is on…*
admin: know what you mean babe, but my post isnt the factor of the bad pr. her email was…..if i had just simply got pissed off and hadn’t written this post, she would have gotten zero publicity from me (which effectively murders the intention of her email).
earl-ku said:
on May 17, 2006 at 10:33 pm
kimfluttersby: yes i couldnt agre more, the very moment i finish reading kimberly’s post - i went to the KLPAC site … hmmm
admin: well, the intention of this post is not to sink the project but to highlight an email that left me with a bad taste. so i’m glad it arouses your curiosity about the project…do read my reply to kimfluttersby’s comment.
ah long said:
on May 18, 2006 at 8:23 am
kecoh giler. pasal ni pun nak kecoh.
admin: yang ko nak kecoh pasal aku kecoh ni buat apa?
ShaolinTiger said:
on May 18, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Bad PR can only ever be good PR in a few situations, mostly associated with hyping during a pre-release of a product…
Not associated with services or things like theatre, food etc..
Bad connotations stick around, and in PR, the last thing you want is a bad vibe attached to your organisation.
admin: it’s all down to PR to set the direction of a product/service.