There’s no denying it, I love a good TV show. I was brought up in a household with a fine taste for television – from cheap reality to thrilling dramas, there’s nothing I’m too proud to check out. I remember being a young lassie watching X-Files with my father and thinking “the truth is out there!” then hopping on my mothers lap and watching Brian Boitano do a triple sow cow with the greatest of ease.

Today, I have a few shows that I really truly follow (and trust me, it’s an effort now that I don’t have cable TV) In my humble opinion, some of the best shows out there are Mad Men, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Breaking Bad (close runner-ups include Community, 30 Rock and the always classic Seinfeld).

These shows, I believe, can teach us a little something about PR. For those who have never seen these, I’ve precluded my takeaways with a brief overview, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Mad Men:
Mad Men is set in the 1960s, initially at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City, and later at the newly created firm of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The show centers on Don Draper (Jon Hamm), creative director at Sterling Cooper and a founding partner at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as well as those in his life in and out of the office. It also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America.

PR Takeaway: Creativity
The advertising industry is charged with the task or being creative. Some people are naturally creative while others have to work a bit harder. At Sterling Cooper, it seems some of the more successful campaigns have been hatched by none other than Don Draper – the embodiment of an always-says-the-right-thing businessman. Don Draper seems to be able to find the “wow” factor for every campaign – something we’re often faced with doing in PR. If you’re like myself and don’t necessarily have the wow-ideas flowing like wine, try a brainstorming session! I find that being creative comes much more easily when you can bounce ideas off your colleagues. The more dialogue you have going the more creative you can become for your client.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia:
The series follows The Gang, a group of five depraved underachievers who run Paddy’s Pub, a run-down bar in South Philadelphia. They are dishonest, egotistical, greedy, unethical, lazy, arrogant, and antagonistic, and are often embroiled in controversial issues. Episodes usually find them hatching elaborate schemes, conspiring against one another or others for personal gain or the pleasure of watching their downfall. Their tactics often rely on inflicting emotional and sometimes physical pain on individuals both deserving and undeserving. They regularly use blackmail and manipulate one another and others outside of the group. Their unity is never solid; any of them would quickly dump the others for quick profit or personal gain regardless of the consequences. Almost everything they do results in competition between them.

PR Takeaway: Don’t take yourself too seriously
Yes, they’re crazy. Yes, they’re wild. Yes, I love them anyway. The antics of these five friends are truly outrageous, making for great TV and often leaving the audience both slightly offended and majorly entertained. The pilot show was filmed on a hand-held video camera and reportedly shopped around from network to network, where the pitch consisted of the creators simply showing the video to the executives.

These guys had a product they believed in, but didn’t overly exert themselves to make other people feel the same. The bottom line is if you have something good, other people will see the value in it as well. In PR, this can relate especially to social media, as many companies are slow to adopt or nervous about what to say. The important thing to remember is not to take yourself too seriously. The first and most critical step is just getting out there and start participating!

Breaking Bad:
Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer at the beginning of the series. He breaks down and turns to a life of crime, producing and selling methamphetamine with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) in a desire to secure his family’s financial future.

PR Takeaway: Grab the bull by the horns
I can’t say enough about this show – perhaps my all time favorite. When Walt realizes his impending death, he becomes fearless. He decides to do anything and everything to make sure his family is provided for once he is gone, even if it means doing something he would never normally do – manufacture drugs. I’m by no means advocating illegal activity, but I do admire Walt’s take-no-prisoners attitude. In PR, I see this a couple different ways. In one regard, it means rolling with the punches, taking whatever is thrown at you and making lemonade out of lemons. On the other hand, I feel like we can learn something from Walt – be fearless. Do what you need to do (within the legal limits of course) to be successful both for yourself and for your client. You never know what can happen if you don’t take a risk from time to time.

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Technorati Tags: Always Sunny, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, public relations, Social Media

There was a big group participating in this week’s PRobecast! In this episode, Alison Raymond, Paula Slotkin, Amy Krigman, Wendie Larkin, Renatta Sierwert, Mike Sapienza and Joanna DiTrapano talk social media, cell phone usage on planes, Scott Brown and the influence of Mommy bloggers. Here are some topics we covered:

Twitter’s launch of @earlybird – The group buying trend is becoming increasingly popular. Many smaller merchants are finding that it is a great way to market their business – but what should they be thinking about before joining in?

The influence of Mommy Bloggers – The media landscape has changed tremendously throughout the last couple years. Blogging isn’t just a pastime anymore. Bloggers can be highly influencial, especially mommy bloggers.

Are we in an Analytics Era – PR and marketing professionals are being asked more frequently for results of campaigns as more and more sources and platforms are used.

Usage of Cell Phones on Airlines – It might not be long before calls are allowed on domestic U.S. flights. Do you want to hear someone talking next to you while you’re flying? Will this be beneficial for those travelling for work?

Brown backing financial overhaul – Thoughts on Brown’s decision to back the financial overhaul.

Success of the Old Spice Man Viral Marketing – Old Spice has done an excellent and hilarious job responding to people’s tweets via YouTube. Is this something that more companies should be doing?

Let us know what you think!

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Old Spice’s recent commercial features a man talking to women (really the tv) about why their significant others should start wearing Old Spice and the brand has recently started a series of YouTube videos in response to different tweets. If you haven’t seen the original commercial, the Old Spice guy walks through stereotypically “manly” scenes, all the while promoting Old Spice and saying why ladies should have their men start wearing it.

I have to say it’s a pretty funny commercial.

Spawning from the commercial is a series of YouTube videos responding to people’s Tweets. Responses to whom include well-known people like: Kevin Rose (founder of dig), Alyssa Milano (actress) and Starbucks.

Kevin Rose tweeted that he was sick and the Old Spice guy responded to his tweet with a comical video saying things like:

“Feeling better I hope. I personally have never had a fever because 98 percent of my body is muscles… Although I am clearly winning in the physical department, you seem to have the edge intellectually”

Then he goes on to rambling off some code. Well, Kevin Rose (who has over a million followers) then responded to the video saying it was the best get well message ever.

If this isn’t a great viral marketing campaign, what is?

As of right now there are over 100 customizable responses on YouTube.

While this approach might not work for every business looking to promote its product, Old Spice has definitely proved that thinking outside the box and pushing your promotions virally can stir up a lot of conversations.

What do you think about this marketing campaign using the Old Spice man and his YouTube responses?

For those that haven’t seen the original commercial:

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