One of this year's early hot sellers was a book about the "quarter-life crisis," written by two women in their 20s who maintained that life was tougher than it looked for Gen
Xers. That crisis now seems irrelevant and superficial compared to the real thing going on among twenty-somethings in New York and Washington, DC in the wake of September 11. The
unparalleled heroism of rescue workers, airline passengers and Americans in uniform have jarred some of the profession's youngest pros, who are now struggling to find the value in
their own career paths.
"Younger people have been affected by it, not more dramatically, but differently," says Ray Kotcher, CEO of Ketchum. "The generation coming out of college right now is very
career-focused and very ambitious. They really want to make a mark in the world, and now everything has changed. They have 35, 40 years left [to work], and all the rules of the
world have kind of been up-ended."
Paul Hicks, managing director of Ogilvy's New York office, agrees. "I've seen some of those under 30 have a little bit more difficult time than those over 30. It's a
generational difference -- my father fought in World War II, and I grew up in the Vietnam era. For someone born between 1970 and 1980, the Gulf War is the only thing they've ever
known, and it was a resounding victory."
In the days following the attacks, Hicks met with his staff to discuss how the crisis would affect the country, the city, the firm and their New York office. During that
meeting, one of his top account executives voiced the question nagging many young PR pros: "Why does it matter what we do when people are dying?"
Senior execs at agencies across the country are challenged to put the crisis into perspective for their youngest employees and find ways to reestablish the value of PR for
them. Many have turned to President Bush's urgent call to Americans that we can beat terrorism by swiftly returning to business.
Follow The Leader
"We all have a role, however distant from Ground Zero, in helping the country heal," Hicks says. "I'm too old to go to war -- the military wouldn't have me. But terrorism is a
political act designed to disrupt the population. It serves the firm's short-term objectives for us to go back to work, but it serves a longer-term, patriotic objective to go
back to work with an enhanced passion for the American brands we serve."
Rob DeRocker, EVP with Development Counsellors International (DCI), a New York-based agency specializing in economic development and tourism, embraces the same philosophy with
his staff. "For most of us, the role is to do as honorable a job as you can. Most of us are not going to be shipping out to Afghanistan or digging in the rubble."
Redefining 'Normal'
When inspirational words fail, however, management has to step in with innovative solutions to build a new version of "normal" for young employees. Hicks, for example, spent
time in staff meetings in the days immediately following the attacks giving "history lessons." He talked to staff members about World War II and how the country pulled together
following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "We tried to give this historical context and get them thinking about how they can make a contribution to the success of our country by
getting through this on a personal level."
Kotcher has mobilized a work group of 60 senior managers at Ketchum to build a "going forward" strategy document. The group is examining how the new world order will impact
business for Ketchum and how it will reshape PR in general. The firm also has developed an intranet site that includes tools for everything from finding grief counseling to
conducting media relations in a wartime environment. The agency's national media department offers constant updates on big news of the day and how to pitch the media in light of
the attacks, helping employees who are concerned about the appropriateness of pitching to find the right balance of sensitivity and get the job done.
Pro Bono Healing
Agencies have also stepped up their philanthropy and pro bono efforts, not only to help in the relief efforts, but to underscore for young employees that their skills as
communicators can make a contribution to the nation's healing process.
Susanne Hackett, an account executive for Edelman's DC office, has been assigned to the firm's pro bono efforts for Wash America, a kid-operated car wash project benefiting the
Red Cross.
The work has not only been heartwarming, it has helped Hackett see the value of her skills. "The office was pretty somber, like all other offices in DC for a week or so after
the attacks," she says. "Everyone was aching to do something for the relief efforts, and it was nice to use the skills we've developed as communicators."
DCI put its profit-sharing program to higher use in September, encouraging employees to donate funds to the relief effort out of their monthly profit-sharing checks and then
matching those funds. "The program makes little owners out of everyone" on a regular basis, DeRocker says, but this month it helped employees to feel their work was even more
important to the country as a whole.
While they're searching for ways to get their young employees back to business, agency execs are also accepting that their junior staff members need to explore their
professional doubts. "This situation should call values into question," DeRocker says. "Most publicity is product-related, and that may be seen as superfluous in the wake of
something like this. They may want to reevaluate whether promoting eye shadow is what they want to do in their lives, but there is honor in doing your job."
(Contacts: Rob DeRocker, 212/725-0707, [email protected]; Susanne Hackett, [email protected]; Paul Hicks, 212/880-5309, [email protected]; Ray
Kotcher, 646/935-3900)
Apropos PR
Many PR practitioners -- young and old -- have worried about the appropriateness of pitching in the current media environment. As the industry debates proper pitching
approaches, some have suggested abandoning phone pitching, especially to broadcast outlets, until the climate changes. Maury Tobin, president of Tobin Communications in Maryland,
refutes this idea:
"While we must continue to study the place of public relations in today's media climate and employ sensitivity and wisdom when pitching stories, I think it is far from prudent
to suggest that media companies should no longer phone news directors/producers. We should be sensitive and skilled enough to research and gauge which reporters, outlets and
markets are ready to work on other stories, and which aren't."
(Maury Tobin, 301/ 392-9173; [email protected])