Better Product Needed

Felix Salmon notes the curious case of the wireless telecom executive who, according to a spokesman, "was traveling and couldn't be reached." Methinks this staple of the PR field has become a bit obsolete.

Comments

Hey, sometimes it's true. I'm in PR. I should know.

Posted by Jeff | October 5, 2007 12:57 PM

I realize "traveling and couldn't be reached" is bullshit most of the time, but maybe the dude's on a personal vacation. I wouldn't interrupt my vacation for a reporter's call, and I wouldn't want my office calling unless it was life-or-death important.

Posted by too many steves | October 5, 2007 1:14 PM

Also, if you're actually on a plane, you probably can't be reached.

Posted by too many steves | October 5, 2007 1:15 PM

Maybe he was traveling in Colorado. I have trouble getting a cell phone signal in my own house in Boulder. I had to go back to a land line.

Posted by fostert | October 5, 2007 1:54 PM

funny coming from Sprint - but often true. as a corporate pr schlub myself, I find one of my biggest challenges is dealing simultaneously with journalists' need-it-now reality and executives' heavily scheduled lives and the expectation that anything they do they'll receive a briefing memo on two days before. When people are travelling and away from their assistants, getting them to focus on my need to have them talk to a reporter or give me the information I need to make the call myself is damn near impossible.

Posted by Flack | October 5, 2007 2:30 PM

I called for someone at an office once, and heard, muffled over the phone:

"Hey Bob, do you want to take this call?"

"No"

"I'm sorry, Bob's out of the office at the moment, can I take a message?"

Posted by graeme | October 5, 2007 6:06 PM

Flack -- Yep. I'm an agency guy, not corp., but getting an executive's time to talk to a reporter is the bane of my life ....

Posted by Jeff | October 5, 2007 7:51 PM