From my inbox today (name of actual person who signed off on the email redacted because I don’t wanna be mean).
I especially love all the cheery exclamation points!
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Hi Katie,
I work for the company that is producing Mutual of Omaha’s “proud sponsor of life’s aha moments” campaign– visit www.ahamoment.com to see what an aha moment is and the great real stories we filmed during the campaign in 2009.
Associated to that, we have a 34-foot Airstream mobile film studio that is traveling the US on a 25-city tour to capture the country’s aha moments. We are headed to Knoxville this upcoming Monday, June 21st & Tuesday, June 22nd, and would love to invite you to share a defining life moment – large or small. I came across your blog and think you would have a great story to share! You would just have to step into the Airstream studio for a few minutes and tell your story on film, which would be posted to www.ahamoment.com .
We would love to have you if you are interested! We will be parked at Market Square (at approximately 398 Union Ave.), Monday, June 21st (11am to 7pm) and Tuesday, June 22nd (11am to 7pm).
Let me know as soon as possible and I can reserve some time for you, thanks!
Blog Link: http://blog.ahamoment.com/
Follow the tour on Twitter: @myahamoment
Follow the tour on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/myahamoment?ref=ts
Check into your tour stop on foursquare: http://foursquare.com/user/myahamoment
Name of Person
Email Person’s email address
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So I’m wondering what she thinks my “aha” moment would be? Maybe, “Aha! My child just died!” or “Aha! I haven’t stopped crying for two weeks!”
(This is a good reminder to PR folks to READ BLOGS BEFORE YOU PITCH THEM. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?)
I wish I could give her a life-defining "AHA" moment right now.
Dana – But it really is pretty hilariously awful, isn't it? Henry would have found it very amusing
– Katie
Oh my, my stomach churned when I read that. Surely she didn't mean, Hey, come share your grief and insights with us!
Blech. So sorry.
Your family remains in my thoughts.
It truly truly is hilariously awful, Kate. I'm speechless at the moment.
Just wondering–are you going to contact her and tell her what's been going on with her? Sure, she'd feel awful–she SHOULD–but you'd be doing her a favor in the long run.
What's been going on with YOU, I meant, of course.
So many PR people just blast out emails to everyone on their list. My favourite was the time I was emailed a PR pitch to the email address associated with my now-defunct blog, where the post at the VERY TOP OF THE PAGE is a farewell post saying I am no longer posting at that blog and my new blog address with my new (unrelated) topic area (that wouldn't be interested in her product) is located at . She didn't appreciate my reply suggesting politely that she might read the blog before pitching me. Guess she's too busy to vet all the blogs she's mass-emailing to check for relevancy first.
I'm sure lots of PR folks are cringing right now. It's never okay to forget there are real people behind blogs – and sometimes it's just not the time to be sending out pitches at all.
I think they didn't read your blog at all. Nobody would dare ask you to label your loss an an epiphany or whatever, Isn't Mutual of Omaha an insurance company
Honestly, even if they had the unimaginable poor taste to ask you to come tell your story so soon after Henry's passing, you'd think they would have phrased it a little less… well… bubbly.
I would wish bad karma on these people, but I really can't imagine they're intelligent enough to deserve it. This looks like a case of stupid, not a case of horribly bad taste.
that is truly, hilariously awful. and so classy. if you weren't so raw it would be almost entertaining to actually show up and give them a real little aha moment.
i got one of my first blog pitches during my miscarriage in 2007. i was waiting through the excruciating 10 days or so between bad u/s #1 and confirmation of lack of heartbeat, and writing my way through my misery, when i got an email saying, basically "i've been reading your blog! it's so wonderful and heartfelt! wouldn't you like to write about our wonderful laundry soap?" i wish now i'd written back with "heartfelt THIS."
Unbelievable. I'm glad you can find the "humor" in this.
As a PR person, I cringe when I read these completely oblivious, mass market pitches.
But I'm so glad that you were able to find some humor in it.
Now you're pioneering a new genre I never thought possible…grief humor. Hilariously awful nails it. I give this woman a giant SHEESH!
Katie, I think you should definitely contact her and show up for your video-taped 'aha' moment…
I suggest your sharing start with something like this: "Having recently been forced through the human equivalent of a meat grinder when facing the injury and eventual death of my much beloved first born son, and while still dealing with many uncertain, injurious public press, police and political issues surrounding the events of my family's personal tragedy, AND (point out your fully bloomed stomach if he/she fails to take note)while simultaneously grieving while attempting to maneuver the emotions of a pregnancy…I believed I had encountered nearly every hurtful situation that might come my way. BUT THEN I EXPERIENCED MY AHA MOMENT in the form of your cheery invitation to be here with you today and felt I REALLY NEEDED TO SHARE WITH YOU PERSONALLY and with your listening audience its profound effect (affect??? I never know this, sorry)…
I'm sure you can take it from here, Katie — but this is how I suggest you might consider starting.
Arrrrrgggghhhhhhh!!! (those are NOT cheery exclamation points, btw)
oh. man.
wow.
that is all.
As a social media manager at an ad agency and a mom I am doubly horrified! Either A.) she has no idea about the recent content of your blog or B.) she actually thinks that this is something you would want to climb into an Airstream and talk about while being taped! CRAZY
Eck. I'm a PR person and I HATE it when people do that. Unfortunately, if she missed what's going on in your life and how inappropriate it would be to pitch this to you, she won't see her mistake laid out for all to see, either. I'm sorry. I'm glad you could see the awful humor in it.
OUCH!
I've recently stumbled across your journey. I feel a sense of connection and loss… and I don't even know your family personally.
Background… Our family experienced a traumatic accident Friday of Memorial Weekend a year ago. One of our daughters (6 almost 7 at the time) was involved in an accident with her school bus… just her and the bus. The helicopter was standing by but thankfully the paramedics were able to call it off.
Long story short, we are extremely lucky. But as we continue to process that life experience, I can't help but process all the other scenarios that could have easily happened. I can't close my eyes without seeing it ending differently any number of ways. We just passed our year anniversary and it often still feels so raw. Unfortunately everyone else seems to move on like it was just another day… but allow yourself that time to experience those feelings. It won't ever be just another day for you and it shouldn't be.
This e-mail that you received reminds me of our experience just yesterday. We had a regular follow up appt with the Orthopedist, back at the hospital that I would love to avoid forever. They send us down for x-rays, we expected that. Of course the techs don't know what happened and they don't need to know. We're just another patient being pushed through their system. BUT… of course curiosity gets the better of them and they ask. I provide a simple/basic answer with what one of her injuries were. I mean, they should be able to see some of it on the films! They then immediately assume it was her fault and my momma claws came OUT.
This is where it gets good… On our way out a tech commented to another tech… "The bus didn't see her?” Of course my daughter is hearing this whole dialogue so upon returning to the waiting area we chat. People say the DUMBEST things. I wanted to know what she heard and what SHE thought about it all. These little conversations have really helped her/our healing. It helps us keep a pulse on what she's thinking.
My daughter’s response? "The BUS can't SEE!" (and she laughs)
I feel for you. I cry for you. You sound incredibly brave and strong. Feel what you feel and life will be what it will be. Love on your family and let them love on you.
Peace
I really like Jane's suggestion. I think you should absolutely forward that to the company.
Finding the funny in this is one for your side Katie.
I'm so mad they sent you this. So incredibly tasteless.
huh. nice. yeah.
Look at it another way: here's an opportunity to carefully craft a message about how our country (doesn't) handle(s) teenage drug use and how you suggest it could be done better. Imagine how many people might see/hear what your family has learned the hardest way possible.
Too bad this isn't happening some months from now when it would be more appropriate/when you might be ready to tell the story.
Black humor…yah.
Oh, noooooooooooo! While hurting so badly for you having to deal with this stuff on a variety of fronts and for what could be a loooong time, I am actually sort of embarrassed for the poor intern who must have sent you this.
Ugh. This definitely makes the top of the list of absolutely horrific and terribly uninformed pitches. Good think you seem to have a decent bit of armor (albeit with many dents now), as this seemingly neverending stuff could drive anyone to her wits' end.
I got the same email this week, albeit different interview times.
I would give the sender a break, she probably has no knowledge of your crisis. Your name could have come to their attention because of previous writing, as mine did.
The timing is unfortunate, but not everyone is going to be tuned in to what's happening in the lives of others. I'm sorry that it hit you hard, but I would say let it go. I don't believe any harm was intended, and I believe they would be horrified if they knew the circumstances and how their email caused you more pain.
OMG… just… um, wow. What a delightful idiot!
OH SNAP!
Oh my goodness. That is just horrible…..
I wonder if a swift kick to her arse would count as an "aha moment"?
I am thinking she didn't read your blog because if she did, she has no compassion at all.
If you feel up to it, Katie, I'd email this person the link to this blog post and say, "I recently shared your invitation with my blog audience and my reaction to it. Please read it and let me know at your earliest convenience if you believe that my recent experiences are appropriate for your project." Her reaction would let you know whether this was a hideous mistake or the result of a complete lack of human decency. (And if she was so tactless as to ask you to still come to her event, you could say "Thank you, but the crisis care of myself and my family don't allow for that.")
This kind of thing is why I loathe junk mail. These people may not have intended to cause you pain, but the very practice of mass-mail guarantees that someone's circumstances will be such that the junk mail is inappropriate at the least and painful at most.
Remember the Mutual of Omaha jingle? "Mutual of Omaha are people…you can count on when the going's rough…." Uh….yeah. I like SD's suggestion.
1. Sweet fuck, what an idiot.
2.I thought Oprah owned the right to define and publish our collective "Aha! Moments"
Well let's hope she didn't read your blog thoroughly and come to that conclusion. Even if she was following you on T, still she should have known….wow. What absurdity.
Ugh. I really hope she did NOT read your blog first and think this would be o.k.
It might be easier just to e-mail her back with a link to your blog, ask her (nicely, of course) to read the last month or so of what you have written, and then ask her if this is the "AHA Moment" her company is looking for cuz I seriously doubt it is.
Glad you could find the humor in it, cuz I am having a very hard time not going to the site and asking WTF is wrong with people these days!!!
Try to get out in the sunshine if you can, the dark only keeps you dark.
xoxo
Apparently "class" is not handed out equally. She seems to have been horribly short-changed.