Future On the Road editions are planned, apparently.
 |
| Banikarim |
Also, it reflects an inevitable crossover to the turf of Robin Pence, the vice president of Corporate communications since July 2009. I say that without meaning to feed rumors (so far, without evidence offered here) of a battle between the two women -- one of whom, Banikarim, ranks much higher, as a senior vice president on the top-tier Gannett Management Committee.
(Also perhaps inevitably, the note also touches the territory of Corporate's News Department, under Vice President Kate Marymont, which in years past published a weekly News Watch newsletter highlighting work at the U.S. newspapers.)
Finally, the note's text is in a format that can't be easily posted to, ahem, a blog. But perhaps that wasn't even a consideration.
Here's the text
On the Road with Gannett CMO, Maryam Banikarim
I had the chance to go on some great site visits in May and see first hand the amazing work that's being done across this company in print, broadcast and digital. Here are just a few highlights that I wanted to share with you so that you too can get a sense of what is happening around Gannett.
You can click on each link to get the full experience.
I want to hear directly from you about the projects you are proud of so I can share them with out colleagues in future editions. Please e-mail or call me. look forward to hearing from you.
Best, Maryam
PS: We're playing with the format of this e-mail so all feedback is welcome.
Wow. The Des Moines Register is covering the Iowa caucuses. Now that's an innovation we can all imitate.
ReplyDelete"Hi, here's some pointless expense on travel to create something no one is going to click on or read. Enjoy! Please let me know if there are any other junkets I can waste corporate funds on. I need the Marriott points."
ReplyDeleteI find it harmless. At least she is at work and doing something, which I think is the message she wanted to send. What do we know about what these other execs do from day to day. Dickey never tells us about all his golf trips during his workdays, for example.
ReplyDeleteIt maybe indeed a slap at Robin: "I'm still there, Ha, Ha."
ReplyDeleteThis sounded to me as if she's contemplating starting up a complementary blog. Maybe she's found this site.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know she had taken over as editor of the Gannetter. This is what she was hired for?
ReplyDeleteDunno what it means, but I note the Gannett is in the same Verlag typeface Robin boasted about using in her flubbed branding campaign. Maybe I am reading too much into this. Or maybe not?
ReplyDeleteThey ran the Gannett branding campaign ad on CNBC today at 8:26 a.m. Robin fights back.
ReplyDeleteRobin works under Maryam and all these rumors of a turf war are rediculous. They are working together on many initiatives.
ReplyDeleteStay focused on truths here....if possible. It's not a secret that Maryam has PR/Corporate Communications under her jurisdiction. Robin is the PR Director.
There should be a Level 1 snark alert on this comment string. 7:46: Just click the link in her e-mail to see how innovative the caucus coverage is. Or go here:
ReplyDeletecaucuses.desmoinesregister.com/data/iowa-caucus/candidate-tracker/
8:47 I am sure they are bosum buddies. Robin is trying to climb as close to anyone in power these days after last week's unbelievable disasters. I'm sure she sincerely regrets trying to sabotage Maryam's new branding efforts, although someone at the Crystal Palace keeps paying for the old branding ads to run from a campaign EVERYONE says was a dud. Everyone, except...
ReplyDeleteWhat a waste of time and energy that could be used to produce real marketing initiatives. How does this help Gannett market and sell to more advertisers? Or position the brand in any way?
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from an executive but we need to see what initiatives are in the works. We all know how to visit site websites and read the news.
9:34 Agree. If you work for Des Moines, it must be a real bitch to come up with some new idea for generating interest in the caucuses every four years. Keeping the caucus relevant is as important to them as your local NFL franchise.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 8:27 used the same font as Anonymous at 8:23. I think there is some kind of secret war going on here under the surface.
ReplyDeleteThere's a chance I could be creating drama out of nothing. But I don't think so.
...and the size of the corn harvest.
ReplyDelete10:32 you give Ms. Pence far more power than she has. Anything as big as the branding effort obviously has buy-in by the executives running the company, including the board.
ReplyDeleteThey are not likely to change course just because Maryam is here.
She supports it, I suspect.
I love GannettBlog: damned if you do, damned if you don't. Lay off and give the woman a chance to actually screw up before you attack her for having screwed up.
ReplyDeleteIn the grand scheme of things, this is next to harmless. If you can't see that, you clearly need to prioritize. The terrible attitude of the commentators here is appalling.
This is why we can't have nice things. Well, and Craig's inability to give up a massive bonus.
Sometimes a newsletter is just a newsletter. We probably wouldn't pay much attention to this if it weren't for the increasing intensity of the Robin-Maryam feud.
ReplyDelete10:45 your comments are getting old. I only see Ms. Pence working hard and Ms Banikarim working hard. Both are professionals.
ReplyDeleteMove on. Your agenda is so obvious.
10:51 Pence working hard? What is she drafting another screwed up press release with lifted quotes? Haven't heard from her since then, have we?
ReplyDeleteKate who? I had forgotten we were supposed to have a vice president for news.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately for present day, I have worked for Gannett long enough to remember John Quinn and the wonderful journalistic clout he wielded within the company. Phil Currie, not so much, but at least he was a presence (albeit sometimes an annoying one).
Today, there seems to be a journalistic vacuum at the top.
10:39 is correct. The new branding compaign would have been previewed by the board of directors, at which point it would have been approved -- or sent back for revisions. Bear in mind that the board includes a director -- Scott McCune of Coca-Cola -- with marketing expertise.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Banikarim surely thought the branding campaign was at least workable before she agreed to take the CMO job. Otherwise, she'd be setting herself up for failure.
This sort of conversation would have been a non-starter, had it occurred during her job interview:
Dubow: So, what do you think of the branding campaign we just spent a year developing and millions to launch?
Banikarim: It sucks, and I won't work for you unless we can start all over.
10:38 Most people reading this blog work in the newspaper business, so everyone knows what Verlag means and it's no really big thing. But if you are an outsider, and unfamiliar with the culture, you could be flummoxed. No big deal, really, but I notice little things like this because someone is sending a message.
ReplyDelete11:14 But Maryam can't start up her thing until the branding campaign comes to an end, and it ain't ending since the ads are still occasionally running. You can only have one message at a time.
ReplyDeleteYes, simple: message inside a message.
ReplyDeleteThe feud between Maryam and Robin is real. I just saw Maryam pull Robin's hair. It was brutal.
ReplyDelete11:18, this is not junior high. No one is sending a message. Please, grow up and take off your tinfoil hat.
ReplyDeleteJim says: "Proceed with caution. This is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct and clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch it all. Keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. I often review comments in advance, to reject those that are inappropriate. And I ignore abusive posters, and recommend you do, too."
ReplyDeleteJim, how about you start moderating the junior high school personal attacks. They diminish the credibility of the blog. Feels like middle school drama.
Whether or not Maryam likes or dislikes the new branding campaign is really not the point. The key point is that Gannett senior management hired her AFTER launching the branding campaign was launched. It defeats all logic.
ReplyDeleteThe concentration on Maryam and Robin (who are not feuding, by the way), or the fantasy that Maryam doesn't like the G A N N E T T branding campaign (which was unveiled not by Robin but by Dubow and Gracia), is indeed a waste of everyone's time here.
ReplyDeleteThey changed the logo and came up with a service phrase. No big deal and nothing to be "opposed" to.
At most organizations, the chief marketing officer job would get a shrug and disappear into the organization. Only at the Gannett Blog is she afforded the power and spin beyond what is due.
Come on people. The stakes are way higher than inventing imaginary feuds and inner dialogues just for the "fun" of it.
11:18 No, this is the definition of junior high. I remember it well.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I could give a crap about her On the Road trip. Id like to see some tangible business as a result of her hiring. Same with Pence, just do your p.r. job and leave the branding campaigns to non neophytes. You haven't proven you are adept at basic press releases.
ReplyDeleteAt least you LTs are consistent. Every manager is stupid and lazy and you have the cure for every problem. How proud you must be Mr Mirror Award winner!
ReplyDeleteI thought Robin was instructed to stop posting on this blog. Guess she doesn't follow intructions, even from lawyers who have her interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteSee folks this is what LTs do, 2:43, rather than generate a mature point of view they choose instead to disparage the easiest target. Still waiting for someone to edit these immature personal attacks.
ReplyDelete2:56 you will be waiting a loooong time. If Jim edits he loses donors. Not going to happen.
ReplyDeleteNot My Boss: I attended a presentation Maryam made to a group of digital, broadcast and print folks on Tursday. Her presentation was awesome. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything like it before in Gannett. Give her a chance friends she is going to shake things up. She has a lot of pans in the fire. Lots will be accomplished by September.
ReplyDeleteRobin: poof
ReplyDeleteSeptember???? She'll have been on the job 7 months. We could be down 5000 jobs by then.
ReplyDeleteLooks to me as if they have a whole passel of redundant execs out there, and could achieve big savings by sending a few off to the glue factory. I think Q2 results are certain to be absolutely miserable, but I also don't see them making that size of a cut. Yes, I have followed this issue for several months now.
ReplyDelete11:14 There's plenty of time, so let the current branding campaign die naturally of its own causes and meantime hone your long-term plan and get it circulating. It's going to eventually result in a better campaign but there's no particular hurry about rolling it out. It will come naturally with a little bit of encouragement and nudging.
ReplyDeleteThere's been no evidence here that Pence or her staff have been, as 2:43 says, told to stop posting anonymously to this blog (if, indeed, they've ever posted at all).
ReplyDeleteMaybe she can accelerate her marketing efforts by curtailing the in house travelogue. If she is looking for more to do in the interim, she could provide better oversight and scrutiny of the corporate p.r. dept.
ReplyDelete5:01: Then explain 2:56.
ReplyDelete5:12 People can be critical of me and others on this blog -- they can defend management and the status quo -- without being on Pence's payroll.
ReplyDeleteTrust me: There are folks of all stripes who don't like me or much of what appears on Gannett Blog.
5:26 there's a whole, huge Internet in which they can scream their message of how great and effective this company is. They could launch their own blog Robinblogspot.com to crow about the effectiveness of Gannett's huge, lumbering p.r. machine (which doesn't do much work, and what it does it gets wrong).
ReplyDeleteYet these people come here. Hmmmm. Why is that?
Why would anyone possibly believe there is any substance to what is posted anonymously by people who don't want their names disclosed publicly?
ReplyDelete5:34, stop being clueless. Your conspiratorial view of how things work just doesn't match the facts, or common sense.
ReplyDeleteThe people vehemently on one said or the other here -- including me -- are just ordinary people, workers, disgruntled Gannetteers, satisfied Gannetteers (a small number that must be!), lurkers, observers.. To attribute every post you don't like to some corporate conspiracy is simply silly.
Respect this blog enough to take each post onm its own merits, good or bad, and not trying to figure out some "big name" executive who must have written it. That's infantile.
5:34 Actually, I already own this Robin Pence blog; I just haven't posted anything to it yet.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, Jim. We almost have enough material to put it together. But I fear you will run yourself to exhaustion. I don't know how to manage to get any sleep because you seem around at all hours.
ReplyDelete5:51 For the life of me, I can't even remember why I created that blog. But I also own these, too: Craig Dubow blog, Gracia Martore blog, and Bob Dickey blog.
ReplyDeleteAnd I spend far less time blogging than you might think. Much of my work is spent reading comments, and I do that from my iPhone anywhere I can get a signal.
What's the word around Ganettland about our new World Class mission? I think our CMO should talk about that. What exactly is World Class to her? How does she plan to help us achieve that status? Who is the team behind this initiative - besides the Barbie twins?
ReplyDeletePlus, 5:51, you've inspired me to create Maryam Banikarim blog, which I now also own!
ReplyDeleteExactly. Think of the donations and ad revenues that would flow in. Even if it's not as productive as this, any money doesn't hurt.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of sour pusses. Look back over these posts and ask yourself when the last time any executive of this company indicated the least concern in what you were doing. Morale is our problem, remember. So if Maryam wants e-mailed suggestions of good stories, then send what you like to her read. Maybe one a day would be too much to read, so how about the best project of the week. Let her sort through and come up with things she likes. We've got nothing to lose, and it's much better than sitting her baying at the moon over and over and over again.
ReplyDeleteWith all the serious problems facing Gannett now dripping down the hallowed walls of the Tysons tomb, Banikarim chooses to put her focus on a vanity email with her seriously dated photo plastered right on top. LOOK AT ME. LOOK AT ME. Maybe she better get off the road and start doing her job instead of pretending to take credit for everything while she obviously does nothing except hire more and more consultants. I'm sure this brilliant idea cost us plenty in consultant fees.
ReplyDeleteHow about a running "lifted quote of the day" feature for Robin's blog. Gracia can offer a "really gifted fiction book" of the day somehow missed by the New York Review of Books. Dubow's blog could pick a Gun & Garden feature with Craig and Denise, "Picking and placing 7 sofas in a five-bedroom $3 million mansion. Dickey: Tiger and Me, segments from the tell-all clubhouse interview.
ReplyDeleteGarden & Gun: Wonderful magazine of the New South, which they seem to define as everything Washington, D.C. and below. It's the New Yorker of the south and the circulation is exploding. If you live in that area, take a look. If not, don't bother because you won't find it of much interest.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIf the "On the Road" e-mail is the best she can do, her next e-mail will be entitled "Out the Door."
ReplyDelete7:20 you crack me up! You're not serious right? I smell some serious jealousy issues! Calm down girl
ReplyDeleteThe postings of referencing lemming trolls had me puzzled. So, google time:
ReplyDelete1. subarctic rodent: relevant.
2. doomed conformist: a member of a large group of people who blindly follow one another on a course of action that will lead to destruction for all of them
Using this definition, it's those like 8:45PM that are lemming trolls. The pro-corporate, status quo posters.
Not those who voice dissatisfaction with the practices of Gannett and it's management.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteSee 10:08 you can't have it both ways. Voicing your dissatisfaction is the American way. Resorting to personal virulent attacks against anyone at Gannett, in all cases, no exceptions makes you an LT! Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteA lot of these comments are out of line.
ReplyDeleteMaryam was a vanity hire. If actual workers get laid off to support her salary and the bonuses sure to come, if reporters can't travel because she's flitting around the country putting together a greatly abbreviated Gannetter with a couple of links, that's not really her fault.