Working in the publishing field means reading a lot of press releases, most of which are targeted at your magazine's readership. Sometimes they aren't.
Today, ComputerWorld Canada got a couple of doozies, including one we got "free of charge" (?) from Seasmoke PR about the Infinity Bay Resort and Spa. Included is: "I'm sure you and your readers are interested in discovering this new Caribbean hot spot. Especially with weekly non-stop flights from Miami, Atlanta and Houston, other markets are soon to follow. I am sending you this story free of charge. I have stunning artwork to accompany the release, and would be happy to send it along."
Well, we'd love a free trip to the Caribbean, but it's not exactly a hotbed of enterprise IT.
If we were interested and needed to get down there, we'd know just who to turn to: a private jet! So says Public New York City PR: "Business travel needs to be effective, and more savvy business travelers-cum-private jet passengers are finding it just that...For example, in a New York to Boston flight charted by Blue Star Jets is about $4,700 for seven people. Rounded out, this becomes roughly the same price as a last minute commercial ticket."
Perhaps they should take their own advice and use the cost savings for another go-'round at PR school.