Memo To Fresh Air Fund
I beg you to stop asking me to blog nice things about you.
From their fourth email in less than three weeks to me:
Hi again Anittah
I wanted to reach out one more time as there is only a week and a half left in The Fresh Air Fund’s dollar-for-dollar gift matching program. We are so excited that this is happening and thought you could help by posting a mention, tweet, or by putting up one of our new banners on Anittah Patrick. Your efforts in the past have helped to generate awareness about our organization and we are so thankful for that. If you can help again, please feel free to use any of the images, logos, etc from our microsite…
Their overly pesky insistence on me blogging about them is especially Asperger-like given that I skewered their first attempt to get me to drive traffic their way. Good gravy!
Fresh Air Fund: your blogger outreach strategy is so ham-fisted that I now have a bad taste in my mouth about your organization and will never, ever donate to you ever again, let alone blog about you. Hiring someone who is clearly not a marketing expert* to help with your marketing has resulted in possibly hurting your long-term marketing efforts rather than helping.
FAIL.
=====
* Need more data points? Straight from the official bio of the “genius” behind the Fresh Air Fund debacle:
He is also an associate of Joseph Jaffe’s New York based new media marketing company, crayon LLC.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Joseph Jaffe?! That guy?! Sorry, but, the most interesting part of the time I chatted with him at an industry luncheon was me realizing two things:
- Basically anyone can land a book deal
- Idiot Americans assume that if you have a British or Aussie accent, you’re smart
Oh, man. The marketing industry is oh-so-teeming with non-great, unwashed drivel. It’s no wonder most people assume that marketers are idiots; most marketers are idiots.
Click here to understand why I think it’s okay to be such a biznatchee about this.
3 Responses to “Memo To Fresh Air Fund”
Anittah,
First of all, I apologize but I don’t remember meeting you and our conversation. Don’t take it personally…I meet a lot of people on my travels. Which luncheon was it again?
Just to be clear, Chris Abraham (if that’s who you’re talking about) is not an associate of crayon. He should not have that listed on his bio. We’ve done some work in the distant part and I wish him all the best in his endeavors, but as of the present, there is no working relationship.
As for your comments about me, I’m sorry I didn’t make a good enough impression on you. Re your comments:
1) I actually went the hard and long route to getting a deal with a reputable and estbalished publisher (Wiley). Today many “authors” self-publish. I’m actually working on my 3rd book right now so perhaps you should be saying, “anyone can land 3 book deals”
2) I’m actually ex-South African, but thanks for noticing. And as for calling American idiots, that’s very respectful, professional and mature of you.
Best of luck in all your future efforts.
Joseph
By Joseph Jaffe on Jun 18, 2009
Well geez, Joseph, you weren’t supposed to overhear my cranky ramblings. But since you have:
- Hey man, you’re the one that added _me_ as a contact on LinkedIn. It was a lunch probably funded by Advertising.com at a place in Midtown, probably during Ad Week or something. I don’t remember our conversation either. I just remember that the person I was at the time was grumbly that _I_ didn’t have a book deal and you did. “But he’s no more interesting than I am!” I wailed, in my head, to the gods, who I was certain must be crazy.
- That’s amusing regarding Chris Abraham’s listing of crayon in his biography.
- Please understand that the impression at the luncheon years ago (at least three) is likely not the impression that I’d have now.
- Congratulations on the third book.
- I don’t think all Americans are idiots; just the ones who are unable to tease apart accents from one’s intelligence. If you have a heavy Asian accent (like my mother), most Americans assume you aren’t smart. If you have a Brit, Aussie, NZ, or South African accent, then most Americans assume you _are_ smart. It’s accent-ist, and it’s deeply average behavior IMHO.
- Respect is something that I do not toss around like so many Halloween candies.
- Professional is situational. Wearing shorts and sneakers, getting sweaty, and shoving your elbows into people is not generally considered professional, unless you are a professional athlete.
- I’m not sure what calling a spade a spade has to do with maturity.
By Anittah Patrick on Jun 23, 2009
Thanks for being the one of the growing number of people who aren’t impressed by Jaffe’s ill-informed ranting. (Or his accent).
By Nobokov on Jul 24, 2009