Meet My Mom... Snickers Speaks
We haven’t had a chance to meet yet. Tara Hustedde, my mom, does most of the talking for Pure Public Relations and Marketing, and I love her, but that woman sure can talk.
I’m Snickers and a man of few words. Well, in part, because I’m actually not a man but a Boxer. I feel like I know every one of our clients because I’m typically sitting smack up against Mom – Tara – each day as she helps businesses plot their marketing strategy and find their way through the PR jungle. You know, we dogs never get lost (it’s the nose) but public relations takes more than someone who can follow the scent of a good publicity lead. It also means being able to sniff out those unexpected, not-so-traditional PR opportunities. And Mom may know how to talk, but she’s got an even better schnozz, too.
What I’ve learned over the years while I’ve been dozing on Mom’s feet is that PR is really all about the client: respecting and understanding who they are and sending that message out into the world. Part of that respect is staying loyal to your client through the good, the not-so-good and the went-for-a-walk-and-forgot-to-bring-the-scoop kind of days. It also means ensuring confidentiality and keeping everything private between you and your client unless it’s mutually decided that news should be shared with the masses. Now, granted – I am privy to some pretty heavy stuff as Mom’s home office foot-warmer. But no one understands loyalty and trust more than I do, and since I am a dog, my chances of shooting off a client’s unflattering email to TBT or disturbing audio to TMZ.com are pretty much slim to none. Again, dog here. Remember?
I know this Pure PR blog is not the place for me to be gushing about how great PR strategy extraordinaire Tara Hustedde is (did I go overboard, Mom?) but if you’re a business looking for solutions to a publicity headache, an entrepreneur seeking a plan to blitz the media or an established but quiet mover and shaker ready to raise your voice and get noticed in the 21st century media landscape, I know I’d hire my mom. She’s smart, loyal and hard-working (and I ought to know as someone who has to nudge repeatedly with the leash just for a short morning stroll). But most of all, she really looks out for her customers, just as she looks out for me, because she cares.
Now if that doesn’t score me an extra doggie biscuit I don’t know what will.