Let's get started.

Now, many of us, have been forced from time-to-time to write a release that contains so much jargon and so little news that we cringed when we mailed it. There may actually be some news in the offending release I mentioned, but I have struggled to find it.

Before we review it, let's discuss the whys and wherefores of news releases. We send out releases for a number of reasons, some of them actually having to do with the press. We send them directly to customers and allies as a way to alert them to something happening at our company.

We use them as a motivational tool for employees, for instance to announce new hires or promotions. We distribute them via one of the paid wire services in order to help build an online database about our company in the hopes that someone using a search engine may find us. Finally, we use them in hopes the media will actually publish them!

Releases, in order to achieve our objective of being published, must contain news. They must grab the editor's attention quickly. They must be of enough interest to compel further reading. They should be brief and free of jargon, so that we don't waste the media's time or tax their ability to understand what we are trying to say.

Releases are not the best way to get publicity, but we'll talk about that another time. I have changed the names of the companies involved to protect them from further embarrassment. Without further adieu, let's go to the release.

Huh? I'm still scratching my head over all the modifiers. Now, a brief portion of the body of the release:

(Deleted), one of the nation's largest diversified architectural consulting firms, has differentiated its practice by developing a multidisciplinary approach to design that is made possible by the firm's innovative use of building industry solutions developed by (Deleted).

Headquartered in (Deleted), with offices across the United States, (Deleted) has expanded its core design services to include sustainable or "green" design analyses, facility management strategies, and virtual environment and graphic design services for workplace, retail, and community clients. To successfully deliver such a broad range of services, (Deleted) adopted the (Deleted) building information modeling platform after evaluating competitive software solutions. In an innovative current project for (Deleted), (Deleted) has used this (Deleted) strategy to address clients' strategic building lifecycle issues while completing construction documentation more quickly and accurately. "(Deleted) provides us with a competitive advantage," said (Deleted). "We can address design decisions and revisions more fully and more quickly than we have ever been able to before. Not only can we offer our clients greater speed-to-market and fewer change orders, we can also deliver daylighting, visualization, facility management, and other services to differentiate ourselves from other architects."

Spank me if you ever see a release like this with my name on it. For more on this subject, see this article on news writing.

However, when it began selling the cars in North America, the company advertising focused on its durability. Volvo got so much publicity from its safety belts, that it eventually backed into the "safety" position in its advertising. In 1996, Volvo won the prestigious Grand Prix at the International Advertising Festival for its ad that had no copy. It was a simple visual of a safety pin bent into the shape of a Volvo.

Of course, there have been some dunderheaded moves at Volvo since then that have hurt the brand. Volvo introduced a convertible. Now, explain to me how that fits the safety position. And they have introduced a series of performance cars. Again, I ask you, what were they thinking?

Harry, you're saying, they just want to expand their offering so they can sell more units. Consider this: there are an estimated five million "soccer Moms" in America who are keenly interested in safety. Volvo sells about 100,000 units annually in the US. Do the math.

See the Volvo ad here.