We’re just days away from finding out who our new president will be (unless Florida misbehaves again).

And regardless of who you’re voting for, you undoubtedly have an opinion on Sarah Palin.

She has a polarizing effect on people. You either absolutely adore her, or you hate her more than the guy who stuffed you in your locker when you were 13.

And although Sarah has been in the public eye for only a few months, her story has already become an excellent PR case study on how crucial a dead-on media strategy is to the success – or failure – of our clients.

The Beginning

At first, she came running right out of the gates. The polls soared for the Republicans. The Obama camp and its supporters got scared.

And then…something happened.

The Charlie Gibson interview…and the Katie Couric interview that cemented the deal.

The Fallout

What has happened to Sarah Palin is a classic story of media strategy mismanagement. A mix of an interviewee’s unpreparedness to speak and her handlers ignoring it.

No wonder Palin’s going rogue. She’s mad as hell. And she’s not gonna take it anymore.

Look at the video. She looks strained. Defensive. Angry. Unknowledgeable. She’s not speaking in full sentences. This may be just fine if you’re arguing with a friend, but when you have the entire world judging you, you can’t afford a slipup. And slip she did.

Her camp complained sexism with the first Charlie Gibson train wreck interview, but with Katie…there was no hiding the fact that Sarah just wasn’t prepared to answer the questions, and perhaps, even lead this country.

The media noticed. Regular folks noticed. And yes, even the Republicans noticed.

The McCain camp made a classic PR mistake – one that may cost them the election on Tuesday.

A Common-Sense PR Solution

If you have an unpolished client, the last thing you would ever do is have their first ever interview be the Wall Street Journal. Instead, you bring in a media trainer. You schedule less high-stakes interviews to build their confidence. You practice asking them the tough questions before a big make or break interview.

Instead, the McCain campaign – in an effort to minimize their exposure of Palin – only scheduled hard-hitting hour-long interviews on the main networks. Can someone from the McCain camp please explain how this makes sense? Seriously. I’m wondering.

A Hindsight Palin Media Strategy

Here’s an example of a better media strategy for Palin:

1. Intense media training before ANY contact with press. Ideally, this should have came before McCain even put Sarah on the ticket when the vetting process showed she needed some work. Unfortunately, she really wasn’t vetted at all.

2. Place Sarah on lifestyle shows to introduce Americans to her in a format that breeds likability. Potential options: The View (even if Joy would have bit her head off), the Today Show and campaign-released B-roll to the networks that shows her bonding with the troops. Anything to avoid the hard-hitting questions about foreign affairs, which she clearly lags in.

3. Offer Palin to mainstream print and TV media for short interviews focusing on domestic issues and issues she clearly excels at. If she isn’t ready to speak about foreign affairs, don’t put her in a position where that’s all she would be doing. Common sense!

4. Offer Palin for mainstream media interviews about the economy and foreign policy when and ONLY when she is ready. Don’t let her look unprepared.

What other changes to the campaign’s media strategy do you think could have prevented the Palin backlash?

Keep in mind that I’ve only explored this topic from a purely media strategy perspective. The real question – and one we all have to ask when we fill out our ballots – is should you ever have to do numbers 1-4 with a VP nominee for the United States?

Perhaps there are things that PR just can’t fix.

Even if you are sad, smile anyway. Soon, you’ll be smiling inside, too.

A great reminder for days like today. Even if the Dow did go up record digits.

Photo via chilie, Flickr

Through a Twitter peep, I came across this insightful post from the Careerealism blog that gives young professionals 10 otherwise unspoken career tips. The gist of the post (I’m generalizing) is that Generation Y-ers are often unmotivated and egotistical, and that they need to wake up and smell the proverbial roses of the realities of working life.

Harsh?

As a Gen-Y professional myself, I thought it was only fair for Careerealism to get some real feedback from the trenches.

My $.02 on the 10 Tips About Career (That No One Ever Tells You!):

TIP #1: You are the most educated generation to enter the workforce, but you are also viewed as the least prepared. Don’t be blind-sided by your generation’s professional reality.

It’s true there are more college graduates today than in years past, but I look at more workforce competition as a sign I just have to work harder. I have never been afraid of getting my hands dirty, which I attribute at least partially to the fact that my father emigrated from Iran when he was 18 without knowing a lick of English, worked multiple jobs to put his brothers and sisters through college and today has blossomed into a very successful businessman. He set a stellar example!

I certainly wouldn’t be where I am professionally today without college, but I also wouldn’t be here without work ethic.

New college grads need to understand that their education will only get them half the way to their goals – if that. The rest comes from motivation, continuously learning new skills and personality.

It’s what you DO with your degree that counts. Not that you have one.

There are even jobs, depending on your career goals, where a college education may be unnecessary (at least for your career…the experience is definitely worth something). One of my best friends is a Web programmer, for instance. Who cares if you have a degree if you’re a coding warrior?

TIP #2: The other generations in the workforce don’t have much compassion for your situation. You are being incorrectly perceived as lazy, entitled and arrogant. Don’t validate these beliefs by ignoring their concerns, instead, work to overcome them.

Okay okay. I get it. We are the “me” generation. Most of us grew up relatively privileged. We don’t remember life before the Internet, which gives us everything we’ve ever dreamed of on demand.

While I don’t think the generalizations about me and my peers are entirely true, I do agree there is a sentiment in some 20-somethings of entitlement and that hard work is for the folks who aren’t smart enough to find a shortcut.

Here’s the deal: If you are a young professional who fits into this stereotype, it’s time to get real and put yourself in perspective. You’re probably not as great as you think you are. Let go of the ego.

And if you beat the stereotype, then congratulations my friend! You’re already 10 steps ahead of your competition.

TIP #3: DON’T road trip, backpack or ‘take a year off’ without thinking about your career first. Those who delay to play, often pay!

I don’t entirely agree with this. I think traveling and “finding yourself” can be of great value. It is a LUXURY, however. I repeat. A luxury. Young adults need to view their post-college adventures as just that.

Sometimes, I really regret that I never spent a year abroad and wish I could go around the world traveling for a few months with no repercussions to my personal and professional lives. But I have bills to pay now and real responsibilities. If you have the luxury and need more time to figure out some stuff in your life, then I say go for it! In five years, you may be juggling marriage, kids and a demanding career. Do what you have to do now while you still can.

TIP #4: More degrees don’t mean more money! If you aren’t sure what to do next, the LAST thing you should do is stay in school.

Word.

TIP #5: Don’t succumb to Cinderella Syndrome. The sooner you break your addiction to acceptance, praise, grades, rewards and other bribes, the sooner you’ll find personally satisfying work that is professionally rewarding.

My generation does have the tendency to feel as if life will suddenly make itself better somehow because we deserve it. But the fact is that nothing replaces hard work, and I just don’t understand why some people – of any generation – can’t get this through their heads. Good outcomes, for most people, come from working at it. So hit the streets. Read about your industry in your down time to keep on the cusp of your field. Push yourself to be the best you can be to get what you want out of life. Life is not a Disney movie and thank God!

…and don’t expect a Nobel Prize for your hard work, either. The real world has no shiny gold stickers.

TIP #6: Got a Career Story? If not, then plan on a longer, more stressful job search.

Agreed. Know how to talk about yourself in context. I work in marketing and PR. Why should I expect someone to trust me to talk about their clients if I can’t talk about myself coherently?

TIP #7: Spray-and-pray job searches are for people who are willing to settle for what’s available. Get active, create a network, and you’ll get access to the hot jobs nobody else knows about.

Go beyond Craigslist. E-mail firms directly. Ask for informational interviews. Don’t look at networking as a short-term project to get a job, but as an opportunity to build long-term relationships. Get in touch with recruiters. Talk to people you already know.

TIP #8: A great mentor is worth a lot more than a good job.

Very true and I’m very lucky to have a few people in my life I would consider mentors.

Also consider finding someone – even a person outside of your industry – who you feel comfortable talking with about your career issues/problems and goals. Having someone to bounce ideas off of can help you realize what you really want and how you can get there. We often know the answers ourselves but don’t realize it until we talk everything out with someone we trust.

TIP #9: Want to quantum leap your career? Then learn to deal with the three C’s …now! (learning how to deal with conflict, criticism and causing disappointment)

I love criticism. Call me a masochist but I feel it’s the quickest route to personal improvement. It can be hard to swallow, yes, but also incredibly motivating. Look at criticism as an opportunity for you to get better at what you do. Would you want to be doing something wrong but never know?

TIP #10: Embrace the equation used by the most professionally satisfied people in the world. EXPERIENCE=LEARN=GROW

Remember work at the expense of life is unhappiness. Life without the experience of hard work is useless. Work/life balance is personal fulfillment.

I’m a self-admitted Type-A personality and have the tendency to overwork if I let myself. The problem? I drive myself crazy. To circumvent this, I put limits on myself about how much I can work, go to the gym every morning so I’m mentally/physically healthy and try to make time for loved ones as much as I can. I’ve realized that when I am personally happy is when I do my best work. It may have taken me a few bad experiences to see this, but it is a valuable lesson learned.