By Service or Practice

The Nuclear Pause

Two White House Writers, G. Philip Hughes and Mark Davis, in a groundbreaking piece express concern about continuing reductions in U.S. nuclear forces in a world in which China and Russia are rapidly modernizing their forces, and proliferation is increasing. This is a special concern, since the United States is the only nuclear power in the world that has relinquished its ability to serially manufacture new nuclear weapons.  Hence, their call for a “Nuclear Pause” on new reductions agreements, and a “Plateau” in overall force levels.

Tonys producers to TV audience: Let me entertain you

Last night’s Tony Awards reminds me of an interesting question: What makes the Tonys consistently the best of the showbiz awards shows? (An opinion backed up by the fact that the annual Broadway Awards show wins so many Emmys.)

1. They focus on what people care about. They only present the ‘big’ awards during the actual televised program — awards like Best Musical, Best Play, Best Actor and Actress in each of those categories, Best Revival. The rest of the awards — such as costume design — are presented earlier, with the winners announced during the actual show. If they went through the whole process (presenters , presenters open the envelope, announcing the winner, hearing the winner’s speech) for every single award, they would be on all night — to a continually shrinking home audience.

2. They are unique — they offer something people don’t normally get. One of live theatre’s few advantages compared to movies and television is that the theatrical product is something people don’t get to see every day. When most people see a musical number from, say, Book of Morman, they are seeing something new to them. That’s not like the Oscars or the Emmys, where we have seen the movies or TV shows already, or where the clips are slightly longer versions of scenes we have already seen in ads.

3. The Tonys are entertaining. This is partly a natural follow-on from points 1 and 2 above. Spending less time on the secondary categories leaves more time to entertain the home audience. And because they are offering something different, it has more entertainment value.

But more than this, the Tonys make a big effort to entertain. They realize what some awards show producers don’t seem to — bore your audience for one minute and you lose them for the rest of the night.

When you add it up, the Tonys’ follow the same formula that makes sense for any speech, or any effective communciations product: Focus on what people care about, offer a unique product or message, and entertain the audience.     

Energy Company

Launched a message campaign that freed a global energy firm from unreliable foreign partners.

Car Company

Gave the legal team of a major automotive manufacturer the confidence to aggressively respond to the threat of antitrust action by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Hoover Institution

Raised the Washington, D.C., profile of one of the world’s great centers of independent thinking.

CSX Transportation 2

Saved a client from a “death penalty verdict” by assembling a team of legal experts to expose the unreasonableness of a runaway jury. 

CSX Transportation 1

Secured the regulatory approval of a major railroad merger by working with customers to organize a grassroots campaign.

Northrop Grumman

Orchestrated a thought-leadership campaign that effectively countered a policy proposal to virtually eliminate America’s ICBM deterrent.

Verizon Communications

The White House Writers Group has consulted to the Washington and General Counsel’s offices at Verizon since 2001.

Mining Company

Crafted a satisfactory response to an EU inquiry for a global mining company that was in the crosshairs of a well-funded NGO attack.