Ron Stein
December 9, 2016 | 10:42:17
Albert Schweitzer once said that there are two means of refuge from “the miseries of life” — music and cats. We think most public relations people would agree with that, at least about music. We also believe music can be a great motivator. It’s paradoxically a stimulus as well as a way to calm down and concentrate. As we head into the New Year, here’s a playlist of songs that can help do all of that and more.
When you’ve received a less than stellar response to a client proposal. Crank up Bruce Springsteen’s uplifting classic “Badlands” to give you the extra jolt of motivation you need to up your game – For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside/That it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive/I want to find one face that ain’t looking through me/I want to find one place, I want to spit in the face of these badlands.
So psyched! You and your team just won a major piece of business. A lot of blood, sweat and tears go into researching, constructing and presenting the perfect proposal. But the excitement at being awarded the new account is exciting and meaningful whether its the first time or the 50th time. Once you land that new piece of business, it’s party time! And Fat Joe and Remy Ma’s “All the Way Up” is the perfect party anthem – I’m all the way up, all the way up/Nothing can stop me, I’m all the way up.
The agony of waiting to hear back from a journalist on a story opportunity. You know your pitch was perfect, the media contact has covered the category and you’ve followed up in a non-annoying manner exactly 1.5 times. In many PR situations, there’s nothing you can do except wait. Backed by the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty understands how difficult this feel is, as evident on his hit single “The Waiting” – The waiting is the hardest part/Every day you see one more card/You take it on faith, you take it to the heart/The waiting is the hardest part.
You’re on a tight deadline and it’s coming down to the wire. Every year PR earns the dubious distinction as one of the most high-pressure jobs. It takes grit to work in an industry full of deadlines and high client expectations. But PR die-hards thrive on such pressure and pride themselves on managing it with grace and aplomb. And Freddie Mercury of Queen and David Bowie understand what you’re going through, as evident on “Under Pressure” – ‘Cause love’s such an old fashioned word/And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night/And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves/This is our last dance, this is ourselves/Under pressure.
You’ve had a busy week and you’re ready to get the weekend started. After a demanding week of satisfying client and company commitments, the entire PR profession takes a much deserved break (except for those weekends when there’s a client event, trade show or crunch time on an RFP.) It’s time to turn on some music and forget about the stress you’ve endured the previous week. “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake is a perfect way to slip into the weekend – I got this feeling inside my bones/It goes electric, wavy when I turn it on/And if you want it inside your soul/Just open up your heart, let music take control. Seems there’s a perfect tune for every public relations situation.