Framing

Life can be a real challenge sometime but how you frame it dictates if it is a good experience or a bad one. 

Shaving

As you are well aware, at Straightface we want to make it easier and simpler for Kiwis to have a great shave. To do that we have to get attention and interest. 

The best way is word of mouth, and for those of you telling your friends about us and giving them the offer code SHARING to give them a discount and you get a discount on your next order, we really appreciate it. It is the best thing you can do to support us.

But apart from that we have to do marketing. Facebook, Google, Youtube, it is all a challenge trying to figure what is working, what isn't working, what is luck, and what part of the process do we control.

PR

To try new things, we got in touch with a PR person. The hope was that their connections, knowledge, and way with words would help us get into magazines, the radio, maybe even onto some of the breakfast tv shows. 

We got nothing.

Zero.

Nada.

Didn't get into any magazines. No articles will be written about us. Didn't get asked to go on any radio shows. No tv shows wanted us to jump on and have a chat.

At the end of it, the PR person was great. They apologized for the outcome and gave us a discount. They also wrote a summary about how they thought it went. They suggested that the timing of the PR push wasn't ideal, which I agree with, but sometimes you have to take the shot.

They mentioned a few other things, but the big one was that we didn't have any celebrity involvement and in our modern world celebrity captures attention.

And unfortunately for me, I am not a celebrity so we were of no interest to the media world of NZ. 

Framing

So how does this PR failure relate to framing. 

I could be sad that we spent money with no outcome (yes it really does suck). I could be disappointed that no one found our story interesting or cared that we want to help Kiwi's feel better about themselves by helping them look great. 

I could look at all the bad things, but that wouldn't help me grow or the business grow. So the challenge is to frame it not in a positive or negative way but it in a growth opportunity. 

What can we learn. We might need to collaborate with someone famous and see if that can generate some more media interest. We might want to get involved in more charity stuff. We know the story doesn't work today so we can work on that pitch more. 

There was lots to take away so that we are better at marketing for tomorrow. 

And this isn't to say that you should only feel positive. I hated it. It  was a real kick in the teeth to be told you are unwanted, but their decision doesn't define us, so we learn and we move forward.

Moment of Gratitude

It has been a fun week where I got to see a lot of friends. Some local that I hadn't seen in a while. Covid is a real knucklehead. Others from out of town. 

No one person in your life is going to provide you with everything you need. Emotionally, Physically, Spiritually, Intellectually, Creatively.

Hopefully your partner provides a lot but they can't do it all. The old saying is a village raises a child, but also we need a village to make us whole too.

It was great to see different people that inspire me or challenge me in different parts of my life. They are all different interactions but equally enriching and inspiring. 

Shave well, be awesome, frame that challenge for growth, go spend time with people you love.

Luke