Tonight at The American CLub in downtown Sydney I am giving the keynote speech at the Thanksgiving Dinner. I don’t plan to review the history of the holiday in much depth. In past years the Club’s President Ted Blamey and Club member Sam Weiss offered exceptional overviews. Attached are their marvelous speeches for all to reference…
History of Thanksgiving - Speech by Ted Blamey - November 2005
History of Thanksgiving - Speech by Sam Weiss - November 2006
In 55 days president-elect Barack Obama takes over running the United States of America. One “Letter to the Editor” this weekend sought to remind Australians that he’s not in charge of this country - despite the exalted media coverage.
What can Australia expect from President-elect Obama? In short - not much.
Barack Obama inherits a dire economy plus two wars and starts with a newly-minted team. His dance card, as they say, is full.
Australia has not been part of the problem. We are not likely to get much attention - unless we implode or cause another global economic ruction.
Instead Australia needs to show it is part of the solution.
Our best chance of gaining traction in Washington early next year is to be an active contributor to the global economic solution. This will rely more on Wayne Swan than Kevin Rudd. And instead of jetting overseas for talk-fests like APEC, Swan and Rudd need to develop model policies that work in Australia - and may be exported to the USA.
Obama is a left-of-centrist new thinker much like Kevin Rudd. And both have strong public support and a majority in government. One year in Rudd understands the challenges facing any new leader. Yet Obama takes charge at a more perilous time - the world has changed for the worse in 12 months.
Perhaps the greatest gift Obama can give Australia is certainty. His ascension to power will end the leadership vacuum that has exacerbated the global crisis.
Australia expects a lot out of president-elect Obama. But we may have to wait our turn. 305,741,847 Americans expect even more and they are first in line.
It’s hard adjusting to the new world order. Citigroup owes its future to a US$300 billion rescue package from the government. Detroit is crying calamity if they don’t get money - US$25 billion is a start.
Consumers are about to get angry.
The bail-out fall-out is going to be surprisingly nasty. In the aftermath of Enron and Worldcom we consumers sat back in shock. Now with direct government support the levels of participation and demands will ratchet up.
Minimum requirements going forward will be transparency in use of government funds. More likely will be calls for active, hands-on governance as vested parties. The American public will feel entitled as owners of Citigroup and possibly General Motors to be involved in the decision-making.
For other companies, you can expect greater scrutiny on financial solvency and demands for the greatest level of transparency possible.
The bail-out fall-out is you’re going to have to share enormous amounts of information now and forever.
We’re experiencing once in a lifetime structural change to our economy. Last week the CEOs of the major car firms boarded their private jets and flew to DC begging for financial relief. Today Citigroup is seeking a bail-out. The brands we knew that dominated global finance are shrinking rapidly.
In the aftermath of losers will come winners. It’s anyone’s guess who will remain in finance. Auto companies may be unrecognisable - especially if GM is broken into three, as some suggest. By the time this is over - say another two years - we’ll have a new portfolio of companies in key industries.
Don’t look for GM, Citibank, AIG or Yahoo! Do expect HSBC, Toyota, Allianz and Google in their place.
We have a lot more pain in the coming two years. And when it’s over we’ll be scarred and bruised and cynical as hell. And the companies that remain will have to earn every cent of our business.
Every client in every industry is feeling the full frontal hit of the economic crisis. I was in Beijing last week and the impact is truly global. Public relations professionals from as far afield as Nigeria to Poland, Peru to China, Australia to Turkey all bemoaned the downturn.
It’s going to be a nasty new year.
But not for undertakers. My son goes to pre-school and a fellow parent manages a funeral parlour. Good times and bad people die. And their loved ones want to send them off in style.
Beer companies also see an upturn in sales during economic downturns. Seems we like to lubricate ourselves against ignominies while we’re above ground.
These two industries got me thinking. What other businesses are recession-proof?
I was in Beijing for a week and got home yesterday - I attended the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) semi-annual global conference. This was a great event with attendees from every corner of the world. I met Nigerians, Poles, Swedes, Americans, Canadians, Peruvians, Taiwanese and Chinese public relations professionals. Day One began with a session in the Great Hall of the People on Tienanmen Square.
Yet I could not blog during my visit. WallyDownUndy is blocked in China.
It’s odd to encounter censorship first-hand. As an Australian-American I have always enjoyed freedom of speech. And part of that freedom includes being critical of government when you believe government is wrong or irresponsible. (From Monica Lewinsky to Weapons of Mass Destruction I’m an equal opportunity critic.)
In the past I’ve blogged about China. An earlier post shows the Tibet riots on YouTube. Whenever I mention Taiwan my readership spikes - even more than the time I mentioned Pamela Lee Anderson! (Go Taiwan!) So a censor in China decided my blog did not meet their readership criteria.
I didn’t cotton on immediately. It started when I was trying to mark a comment as spam. (Note to spammers: Comments about ’sex tapes’ do stand out on a blog about global public relations trends. Our executives are not that spicy.) I assumed it was a bad Internet connection and tried the next morning.
Given that I could not managed comments and could not post, I then tried to read the blog. It was then I realised it was blocked. Other blogs were open and available.
So my apologies to anyone in China who previously enjoyed my blog. And to fellow bloggers, a recommendation: Denounce China in any posting and you’ll be censored.
It’s all happening in the automotive industry.
An analyst in the USA predicted a government bail-out of General Motors would supersede any shareholder rights - the prediction is shares are worth $0.00 (US dollars). No that’s not a typo. Shares in GM are worth nothing.
In the meantime Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Industry & Innovation Minister Kim Carr announced an automotive support package to drive the industry in Australia. The primary reason is to secure Australia’s manufacturing future. The secondary reason is to support the 3,000 component manufacturers in Australia.
The auto industry is the first victim in the “real economy” after the global financial melt-down. Let’s hope the industry’s future is secured here in Australia - too much is riding on it! (Forgive the pun.)
The founder of now-bankrupt Rubicon Holdings continues to blunder in the media. When asked how much he earned, he said “I haven’t added it all up yet” (see today’s The Australian).
Yet investors can quickly tabulate their losses. Rubicon has collapsed in value from$870 million to today’s $15.5 million.
There are recommended ways to handle challenging questions, especially in times of crisis. Mr Fell needs to exress some more empathy for fellow investors - and showcase actions underway to resolve the issue. Finally some perspective on the overall, global economic situation should be offered.
Instead Fell distances himself from audiences - and any sympathy.
I’d strongly recommend in-depth media training immediately. And re-development of the core messages. Until then Gordon Fell is likely to be the media’s whipping boy.
In “Cabaret” Liza Minelli plays down-on-her-luck Sally. Plucky, determined, forthright and ultimately a loser sent packing all alone.
It’s hard not to imagine Sarah Palin humming “Maybe This Time” on her flight back to Alaska. The night of the long knives is underway. Something’s flowing and it sure ain’t praise:
What do you do when you’re cornered and it’s coming at you from all angles?
Palin has strengths including mass public appeal. She needs to return to Alaska and govern, then appoint herself as Stevens’ replacement (Senator indicted for felonies but not sentenced yet may narrowly win his Senate re-election; once a convicted felon he cannot serve and Alaska’s governor Palin gets to name his replacement). She need to forge her reputation in the Senate and help rebuild the Republican Party.
Today’s insults and barbs do not merit responses. It’s time to lie low and re-emerge stronger, cleaner and smarter.
Then perhaps she and her fellow Republicans can sing another “Cabaret” classic - “Tomorrow belongs to me.”
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