OK, so you're British Petroleum and you've destroyed habitats in the Gulf of Mexico.  And in the process are killing birds, businesses and communities.  Yeah, you blew it on the whole safe drilling and reaction plan things.  But how are you handling the PR nightmare 100 times the magnitude of anything the John Wilkes Booth family ever dreamed of.

And stupid, insensitive comments like "I want my life back," from embattled BP CEO Tony Hayward don't score points with the Gulf locals, shareholders or the rest of the world.

Sure, it's an uphill battle.  But I've seen some bright spots.  Certainly, setting up the $20 billion damage claims fund -- shakedown or not -- was a positive if unavoidable first step.  Then I saw this commercial last night that made me think BP really does care.  I guess that's the objective.

I even read a letter to the editor in the Courier-Journal  this week encouraging people to buy gas from BP!  True.  The writer's rationale was that if BP goes out of business, who's going to pay for the clean up?  Made sense to me.

As of today, I'd give BP an F-minus for environmentalism and a C-plus in post-disaster marketing.  For the long term, I'm afraid the picture is bleak for both BP and the Gulf.  Though, I think BP has the better chance of coming out of this mess.  And, as a marketer, I must admire their efforts to keep a positive spin on things.  They have little choice.

What do YOU think?  We'd love to see comments from UnderCurrent readers on BPs handling of the Gulf Crisis.   There's enough fodder here for a wide spectrum on opinions on the PR/marketing aspect of this.  Heck, even congress has taken up -- believe it or not -- polar positions on it (pick it up at 6:00 into the show).  So please, chime in yourself!

I had a client phone me yesterday while I was out of the office.  As is often the case I'd forwarded my desk phone to my cell while on my way to a meeting.  So he apologizes to me for interrupting acknowledging he isn't my only client.  "Chris, what have I ever done to make you think that?" I asked.

There was a pause at the other end and finally he responded, "well, now that you mention it, nothing."

Now this is a great client.  He allows us plenty of strategic and creative latitude, appreciates our efforts and our work and he spends a fair amount of money with us.  So he should feel like he's our only client, right?

I think every client has the right to feel like our most important, if not only client.  And unlike other agencies with the proverbial 800 Pound Gorilla, we're fortunate to have a few Gorillas, a couple of Orangutans, some Monkeys, Chimps and even a Tarsier or two.  Let's be clear before I go any further, this is NOT to imply that we think our clients are primates, I'm just carrying through with the 800 Pound Gorilla analogy.

Are we looking to add some Gorillas to our client list?  Of course we are.  But we also know that Orangutans and Monkeys can be great clients, too.  I've been with CurrentMarketing through some times when even a Tarsier was a great prospect and I think we look at every prospect today as a great prospect, regardless of their budget.  Essentially, we want to work with clients who have clear goals, will work collaboratively with us, bring us to the big table for strategic input and, naturally, pay us for our work.

When a CurrentMarketing client presents us with a challenge, I think every one -- from Gorillas to Tarsiers -- feels like they are our most important client. They believe that their challenge is the most urgent challenge on our plate.  And, at the end of the conversation, they will see that challenge as an opportunity for us both.

Oh, wait.  I gotta go.  My most important client is on the phone...

I'm proud of the account service staff here at CurrentMarketing for a number of reasons.

First, our lead account people approach client challenges from more than one perspective as communications professionals.  Our folks have worked in creative, media and production functions, here or at other agencies.   These rich, textured backgrounds allow our people to think in multi-faceted directions in addressing clients' marketing communication needs.

Second is the way this agency -- including our newly established HR Team -- prepares our people.  I just heard from three of our younger account execs/coordinators who are at an AE workshop in Chicago today. It sounds like they could have conducted the first half of the day, which was dedicated to essential internal and external communications on the clients' behalf.  Apparently the CurrentMarketing way of doing things is consistent with some of the industry's best practices.

Third is our thought leadership. At the Advertising Age 2010 Digital Conference, last week, it was the consensus of a panel of marketers that "they could care less whether it's a digital or traditional shop that takes the lead on a marketing campaign, as long as they figure out how to orchestrate campaigns consistently and collaboratively."  That's exactly the imagery we've used internally in recent weeks to describe what our account people do for our clients.  Because, no matter how many instruments are playing at a given moment, it's the conductor who must ensure harmony and integrity in the execution of the plan.

As clients, large and small, continue to seek out options for their marketing communication needs, many are considering multiple resources from multiple disciplines.  (I spoke with one local marketer last week who is using no less than five different resources!)  We tend to look at ourselves as marketing partners rather than vendors or resources.  Partners are concerned with outcomes and the long term.  Vendors and resources are interested in the next purchase order.  If I had to chase purchase orders, I think I'd have to get out of the business.

Naturally, we want to be a client's go-to team for everything communication-oriented.  But if not the sole player in the orchestra, we know we're the client's best choice to lead the other players.

Last, is the high praise I heard recently from a client (who once worked on the agency side of things) about our extreme level of service.  One of our account coordinators was working over the weekend, addressing issues for this small but always-important account.  "Megan," the client told me, "always makes me feel like I'm her only client."

That's the way we conduct our business.

Believe it or not, I completely missed this year's Super Bowl.  Looked like a classic Super Bowl ending, but with the ice storm, my cable and Internet were out for a more than a week.  And I just wasn't in the mood to venture out on a winter night, not having a dog in that fight.  (See, Dennis, it DOES sometimes pay to be a Cleveland Browns fan!)  So I looked at SB commercials online, at the office (after hours, of course) on Monday.  But ain't that kinda the way our world is going?

I'm kinda glad I missed it all because there just wasn't a lot a lot of great marketing in the first quarter.  I can't get all that excited about movie trailers (three in first quarter alone) since they just take great lines out of context and splice together thirty or forty-five seconds-worth of fun.  I thought the Audi Transporter and Toyota Venza spots looked like some frustrated filmmakers were stuck on Madison Avenue.  Talk about over-produced. Oh, and I own and Audi, so please to preach to me about reliability...I know better.

Pepsi's Forever Young  put a lump in my throat.  I have an a strong affinity for that song and for Dylan.  Unfortunately for the sponsor,  I don't drink Pepsi, but if I did, I'd feel better about my choice.  As it is, I'll just thank Pepsi for the warm tingles it gave me on a cold night.

The highlight for me was the Doritos Bus spot.   FINALLY.  A commercial that went beyond trying to make me feel good about identifying with a brand.  Doritos showed some product features, benefits (albeit hyperbolic benefits) and even rock-solid demonstration!  It made me want to buy the product.

I can't turn it over to Katy without asking GoDaddy.com: "You're joking, right?  Please say you're joking."  The only thing worse was the online continuation.  There's five minutes of my life I'll never get back!  I choose not to link to that spot.  If you haven't seen it, it's not worth your time.

Now, to Katy Miller on the virtual Steelers' sideline....

While businesses are universally tip-toeing into 2009 -- including so many in the marketing trade – the communicators here at CurrentMarketing are sprinting excitedly into the new year.

It's an electrifying time to be in this industry in spite of the economic climate.  Or maybe I should say more exciting because of the economic climate.

Because, beyond traditional media and creative – both disciplines that are core to how we help clients grow – CurrentMarketing is in the midst of re-shaping our company to capture the consumer's attention through a variety of interactive media opportunities that will continue to evolve into the one-to-one marketing communication we’ve referenced in this blog.  These interactive strategies and the corresponding tactics may not have the broad reach you find in traditional media.  But clients love the fact that they are conversing with their consumers in a more targeted and less costly channel than traditional media.

And we know the traditional media will be with us for a while now, so we’re constantly looking for the opportunities of integrating new media afforded by the Web with traditional media.

We're excited about these changes and have begun implementing Interactive Strategies for a number of clients in 2009.  In addition to the now-standard tools of opt-in email, text messaging, search engine optimization, social media and other avenues that increase website traffic, we're pushing ahead on all fronts.  Creating viral campaigns, user-generated content, monitoring Internet chatter and responding for clients are all part of the interactive world here at CurrentMarketing.

So buckle up.  I can’t tell you it’s not going to be a bumpy ride.  But I can assure you a high-speed connection will be to your advantage!

Tuesday was Veterans' Day;  remembrance of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month that marked the Armistice ending World War I and every war since.  I forgot to mention it to veterans I know and care about.  My sister, Judy Hulbert, an operating room nurse in Vietnam (think M*A*S*H, without all the funny parts).  Jim Lindsey, who attends regular reunions with his Army buddies but I've never heard talk about it.   Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient, Bob Manning; retired from the video production business. He founded and now devotes his time to USAcares.org. My nephew, Ryan Voelker, graduated college and promptly entered the Army as an enlisted man, only weeks before September 11, 2001.  And, of course, CurrentMarketing's favorite veteran-to-be, Air Force Academy Cadet Spencer Schardein.

I truly respect, appreciate and admire these and all veterans; their service and sacrifice.  If you know a vet, and didn't recognize them on Veterans Day, it's never too late.  Even if you disagreed with the wars they endured, they endured them for you.

Thank them.

This blog was inspired by a story in yesterday's Courier-Journal (yes, I still read the hard copy) about my friend Doug Julius' father .  Like so many vets -- especially those of the Greatest Generation -- Bill Julius was quiet about his  war experience.  It reminded me of a closing line from HBO's mini-series "Band of Brothers" when Dick Winters remembers his grandson asking if he was a war hero (which he was).  I can't watch that clip without choking up at least a little bit.

So, to all the heros, and those who served with them:  Thank you.

Is this a great country or what?  We get a choice -- right or wrong -- in who we select to lead us.  Wait.  If you're reading this on Tuesday and you haven't voted yet, STOP RIGHT NOW.  Go vote.  I'll wait....

(insert Jeopardy music here)

OK, thanks.  Glad to have you back.  Now, where was I?  Oh, yeah...choosing who leads us.  Our local lawmakers, judges, and national offices including federal lawmakers (ever wonder if we're making too many laws?) and the position often called Leader of the Free World.

No, the U.S. isn't the only country that chooses its leaders through elections.  But I defy anyone to show me another that has done it as long and as fervently as we have.  (I could go on a tangent here about the men and women who fought and died to preserve this freedom over the past two hundred and thirty something years, but you know all about that.  If you don't, email me and I'll give you a quick history lesson.)

When I left my house at 5:55 this morning to walk to my polling place, I was overcome with emotion.  Really.  That I have the honor and privilege to choose the Leader of the Free World is pretty heady stuff when you get right down to it.  I'm not saying all my choices will prove to be the correct choices once I have the benefit of hindsight.  And I'm not sure all my choices will be winners.  I'm just saying that they are MY CHOICES.

God, I love this Country!

So a group of writers sit around thinking it'll be fun to make light of infidelity, compulsive sexual behavior, abortion, atheism, vehicular homicide.  That's how The Family Guy kicked off its 7th season last night.  Wait. Come to think of it, that's just about every episode of The Family Guy.

Oh yeah, then there's the episode's main story line about Brian the family dog avoiding sex with his new girlfriend (human, of course) who he met over the bookstore's last copy of The God Delusion. Hold on, Brian's always obsessing about some human on a sexual level.

Wrong enough for you yet?

Probably.  Unless you're a regular viewer.  Then it's just par for the course.  Nothing is sacred and everything is the object of humor.  I think that's why I have become a fan of Family Guy reruns over the past few months.  I feel a little guilty every half hour I give up, but it's usually good for more laughs than anything else on TV these days.

I especially appreciated what seemed to some an incredibly off-the-wall running gag of "boom goes the dynamite."  That reminds me of the time somebody in the office shared a video clip of a student newscaster from Ball State University.   Brian Collins became famous with his on-air display of his need for more study in Broadcasting class.   Turns out Brian did land a job in television journalism; my dad taught me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, so I'll let you be the judge.

But I digress.  HA!  just like The Family Guy. That's part of its charm I guess.

Well, maybe after reading Katy's blog from Friday, you got a sense of what it was like running this office without an office.

Reminds me of the Ancient Chinese Curse - May you live in interesting times.   Boy, was last week interesting.

I spent my Sunday dodging limbs and 100 year Pin Oak trees that were falling in my neighborhood.  Lights out at 1:00 p.m.

Monday brought the scramble to connect.  No electricity at the office either.  Like others on our account service staff who were left in the dark, I camped out at the corner coffee shop to keep business moving. I quickly realized the early bird got the power outlet.  Kati Parrish, our lone Account Exec with power, set up a mini-agency with an Art Director in her home.  Jacky, Allison and I were nomads.

As homes and businesses lit up throughout the community, CurrentMarketing's and my own were way down the list.  So every day, I'd get up and run to the coffee shop by 7:00 to ensure electricity -- less than 50 yards from my own back door -- and catch up on emails, make sure clients were getting the info they needed, deadlines got met.   Associates outside the company never even felt a bump in the road.

Yes, CurrentTrack was a godsend last week.  And so many other internal lines of communication -- email, phones (forwarded to cell phones) flowed just like an average day at the office.

My goal as leader of the account service staff is to make every client feel like our most important.  So in the end, clients who didn't know our predicament conducted business as usual with us.  Clients who did know, saw our efforts to perform above-and-beyond.

And isn't that what you want from your marketing company?

The first casualty of the day.

In front of my home.

Trees all around, but (thank God) only on my lawn, not on my house.

Just a couple of doors down from me.

That's what it all boils down to -- speaking to your customer on a one-to-one basis.

I remember, while studying news writing and copy writing in college, the instructors -- respected journalists and professionals teaching part-time -- talking about one-to-one communication.

"Yes, you're looking at a camera and talking to thousands of people. But, you need to write, then read, your script as though you were talking to just one person."

That was the sage advice of these respected journalists and copywriters. That was at least a couple of years before the Internet, I'm sorry to say. Today, those professionals might well be teaching blogging and Twitting. A recent Harris Interactive poll showed European consumers say the Internet is their most influential medium. It's twice as influential as television, and eight times more influential than printed newspapers.

Wow.

But why not? The Internet is a great big give-and-take free for all! One of the bummers of this research is that consumers don't quite trust the Internet, yet. While two-thirds of Brits polled say they use the Internet to "help them make better decisions," only one-fourth of that same universe trust the information they get. Maybe they're following that old programming maxim of GIGO, or maybe they're just Brits (no wonder we left the empire!). Sorry for the digression, stay with me... it'll be worth it.

Among Blogs, on YouTube, on Twitter, in Social Networks and other Internet realms of user-generated content (UGC), people are talking. People give and seek opinions of others, especially those who've built an online reputation for areas of expertise (I've seen a dozen or so wine judging sites in the last couple of weeks alone!) Those people are your customers. And your customers are talking about you. So join in the conversation! When a blogger mentions she enjoyed your product at a party the other night, Thank her for trying it. Offer her more insights into why it's made the way it is. Invite her to try brand extensions. Welcome her to send you further feedback in the future! When a c-level executive opens that dialog with a customer, you score major goodwill and build stronger relationships... not just with that consumer, but all who read her blog. And, just as importantly, you get honest insights from people who use your product.

To paraphrase the philosopher Kramer, "You're out there.... and you're loving every minute of it!"

This is a gospel we've begun preaching to our clients. Time will tell when and if they can trace sales to chatter on the 'net. But, it's one of those things that just feels like the right thing to do -- speaking to the consumer in a one-to-one environment. It's where we're headed. So, buckle up. And those college instructors' advice, those twenty-something years ago, is going to come in handy!