Just stopped in for the Friday morning panels at the
Arthur Page Society's spring seminar, which took place over two days at the
Jumeirah Essex House - a great spot that faces Central Park.
Saw lots of top agency CEOs, a number of academics, and plenty of the group's corporate-side members as well. The membership group emphasizes recruiting senior-level PR pros that work in or on corporate communications.
The morning's speaker that probably impressed me the most was
Carlos Gutierrez whose resume includes stints as US Commerce Secretary and chief executive of Kellogg Company. In describing the value that communicators offer - whether distilling a 700-page new bill or a new product - Gutierrez remarked that "the real genius is in simplification." He surmised that "people can't agree with something they don't understand," nor can they "fall in love" with what they don't understand. That really struck a chord.
He ended by telling the receptive audience that their jobs are "one of the most strategic roles" in a corporation.
Too bad I missed Thursday's session. I hear
CNBC's Charlie Gasparino stirred up the strongest reaction.