Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

This was the advice given to me years ago by a reporter. If you want your story picked up, work in a dog somewhere. Even better if it’s a puppy. Pretty much anyone is a sucker for the furry little balls of drool. (Personally, I don’t think there is anything better than puppy kisses…they’re just so darned happy and full of joy! And, yes, I know where that tongue has been.)

Conservative columnist William Kristol decided the GOP is in for some dog days when President-Elect Obama talked about the puppy on election night. Mr. Kristol further decided it was going to be a “tough four or eight years for conservatives” when Obama compared himself to a shelter mutt in his first press conference.

“We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic. There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog, but, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me. So — so whether we’re going to be able to balance those two things, I think, is a pressing issue on the Obama household.”

Here, in a few sentences, Obama did the following: He deepened his bond with every dog lover in America. He identified with every household that’s tried to figure out what kind of dog to get. He touched every parent with a kid allergic to pets. He showed compassion by preferring a dog from a shelter. And he demonstrated a dry and slightly politically incorrect wit by commenting that “a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.”

Even the people at Fox News (”If I watched Fox News, I wouldn’t vote for me either.” - Barack Obama) couldn’t keep silly grins off their faces when talking about the Obama girls and their puppy (and their Daddy seemed a lot less threatening all of a sudden. People can relate the the family dog drama. “Really, girls, I know Daddy hasn’t been home much. But there’s a puppy in it for you!”)

So, it’s the seemingly little things that can make a huge impact. And, you can show your approachable, empathic human side without getting too personal (as President-Elect Obama has demonstrated with the puppy.)

Tags: marketing, marketing troubleshooting, public relations, PR, Barack Obama