Who’s behind DIEM?

Before we jump into who we are, maybe the best place to start is why we’re here. It’ll come as no surprise to readers of this newsletter that there’s a huge tension between the amount of time you have to be productive each day and the sheer number of notes that can land in your inbox. And let’s be honest, there’s not a ton of motivation to open, much less read, an email unless it’s making you money or making you smarter. 

Enter Does It Even Matter.

Our aim is to consistently bring you sharp, informed analysis of the stories that matter most to people operating at the intersection of brand, reputation and advocacy. Companies, nonprofits, advocacy orgs, political action committees – and the people who run them – continue to weave consequential threads throughout our social fabric. Understanding the motivations behind why these actors choose to promote or diminish various issues can make us all that much smarter and effective in our roles.

Which brings us back to who we are.

This newsletter’s been years in the making, and born of the fact that a huge vacuum exists in the knowledgeable discourse about the influence brands have in our cultural zeitgeist…and how they exercise that influence. These impacts often have second- and third-order effects on the lives of different communities.

Think about the small town whose health destiny is changed forever for the worse when a company funds a massive greenwashing campaign just so it can clandestinely dump hazardous materials in a remote area but poisons a groundwater supply.

Think about the war-torn nation that depends on the good graces of an overtly narcissistic CEO for access to a private satellite network in order to defend its people from attack. 

Seriously…think about that poor PR manager who spent a Friday night rewriting the draft of a campaign brief because the client hated the first three options that were pitched! 😬 #RoughLife (No PTSD here.👀)

There’s no better way to really understand this type of decision-making and the resulting cascading effects than to be in the trenches when these actions are considered by leaders at some of the most disruptive brands of our time. And that’s the gap we’re looking to address.  Sitting in the war room when two international airlines formally launched their intent to merge – check✔️. Launched and organized the social media reveal of an historic automaker’s first EV in the U.S. market – check✔️. Guided scenario planning while sitting next to the general counsel of a  multinational health company moments before an industry-shifting legal judgment was handed down – check.✔️.

These experiences – and much more insight gained over the years – have shaped our ability to think through what really matters, and they inspire us every day as we continue to “do comms” in our day to day.

So DIEM (i.e., Does It Even Matter) will be a place where these insights can come to life, and create greater understanding for PR, marketing and brand pros. And beyond just a place where we discuss our biggest interests…we plan to create experiences and meaningful exchanges with our subscribers.

To that end, we definitely want to hear from you. Hit us in our DIEMs at DIEMcomments@gmail.com and let us know the stories or topics you’d like covered here in the weeks ahead.