Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Zuck, go back to living in your virtual world


Some of you may have caught Facebook code thief Mark Zuckerberg on 60 Minutes this week. For those who didn't, let's just say the guy is not ready for prime time. I really have to wonder what his PR team was thinking when they put him out there. I mean, where is the gain for them right now? Yes, they got a black eye on Beacon, but putting this nutmeg on the air wasn't the solution. I can't be too hard on the lad. Not every 23 year old has the where-with-all to go mano-a-mano with Lesley Stahl.....but that is why you think twice about putting a 23 year old CEO in that position when he is obvioulsy unprepared.

The only questions he answered well were the ones about how much money they (don't) make and about the pending lawsuits. The rest of it was just plain bad. It didn't instill the confidence his team was looking for. To Facebook PR-I've media trained dozens of young, startup CEOs since "the day." Give me 3 hours with the guy's undivided attention and I guarentee you will get something better than squirmfest on Sunday. In the meantime, please get the message across to him that if he wants to take the company to "the next level," he has to enhance the skills in his arsenal. I've worked with them all- from geek programmers who got lucky to guys who had little more talent than being able to BS VCs. MOST had the attitude, of "Hey I went from zero to a bazillionaire in 18 months. Don't tell ME that I need help dealing with the media."

Of course, guys like this miss the whole point of media training and got what they deserved. It didnt' take long be people realized the emporer had no clothes (although he did have a 'bleeding edge, game-changing seamless technology). The SMART tech execs out there who are SERIOUS about growing their companies understand that media skills make you stronger, and that when you have an opportunity to learn new skills, you jump at it and take it seriously.

Media training is NOT about "spinning" or presenting a false image of yourself. It is about learning how to accurately (and honestly) present all of the qualities that got you to whatever level you are in the first place. Anyone CAN do a successful 60 minutes interview just as anyone can drive a car. But you have to learn how first. Driving 70 miles down I-95 is not the right time to get behind the wheel for the first time.