What’s New, Pussycat?

I’m working on a number of projects for my clients right now to introduce “new news” to media influencers. New-ness is the lifeblood of a lot of public relations work: new products, new scientific studies, new insights, new trends, and new expert talents all make a talk-worthy debut in our discipline with the right strategy and executional planning. The opportunity to figure out how share new news feeds some of the most creative and rewarding moments in my day. (The delight that lurks in the task to make old news become new again is a topic I’ll save for another post ;)

I’ve been thinking a lot these past few months about the allure of the new as I introduced a new friend and neighbor to the attractions of our shared Manhattan neighborhood. I’m a textbook influential :finding the perfect ‘hood hangout for brunch (in my case, Ze Café) is only truly sweet if there’s a friend with whom to share your discovery. A laugh-out-loud movie (in my case recently, The Hangover) or memoir (I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti) gets a second lifespan of enjoyment when it’s passed along.

Speaking of textbooks, any good bookstore’s business section shelves are groaning under the weight of shiny tomes that promise to reveal the winning strategies of successful influencer marketing and driving word of mouth ~ and yet still, getting it right remains an art, not a science.

So, I’m curious: what was the last time you told someone: “you’ve got to watch/read/see/visit/buy this?” And what moved you from a “get it” to a “gotta share it” mindset?