“I’m nothing more than someone who was made fun of a lot as a kid, and now have a thicker skin. I’m someone who’s made a life, a career out of being different. And creativity does not equal brilliance.”

However, many of Shankman’s schemes, or, shall we say, ideas, sounded nothing short of brilliant. During the Titanic movie craze, Shankman printed up t-shirts reading “It sank. Get over it.” and sold 5,000 in the course of a day in Times Square. He also printed out two 4x3 foot copies of his resume, fashioned a sandwich board, and wore this while handing out a thousand paper copies on the street. He was rewarded with 400 interviews.
“Why do x, if you can do x, y, and z with reward times 3?” Shankman said, his wide smile widening further while offering one of many motivational quotations of the night.

“To be creative, change up what you normally do. Doing the same thing over and over won’t make you creative,” he advises. But according to Shankman, you don’t necessarily want to be too different. “Being 1% different makes you different enough so that people take notice. You don’t have to be 180% different, which can make you just look crazy.” Discussing publicity stunts his firm had undertaken, Shankman discussed the two types of public relations, which could be interpreted both in business and personal terms: traditional, boring PR, and creative, exciting PR.

“People are used to getting terrible service. To get noticed, treat people just a little bit better than bad. If you make a small effort, you’ll reap the rewards.”
Other notable quotes of the evening:
“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
“Good isn’t good enough when better is expected.”
It was precisely Shankman’s quasi-stand up routine and self-effacing jokes that kept the crowd laughing and comfortable enough to ask questions.
The Q&A segment kicked off with an observation from McCloskey, also Madame X’s owner for the past ten years. She noted the use of lazy language and individuals not making the effort to intelligently explain their opinions. Shankman’s response discussed the PC [politically correct] movement, and how it, too, hinders people’s ability to express their perspectives.

The next question came from a woman who was notified of the Social Salon through the entrepreneurial assistance group, Ladies Who Launch. She questioned different methods of government and how some citizens want to be coddled while others find the coddling intrusive and offensive. In response, a man in the audience quoted from history.
“Our founding fathers said ‘Give me liberty or give me death!’ but now we agree to being searched on subway.”
Shankman’s responses were poignant, but his humor kept the mood light.

The minute I saw the title of his book, I knew he was going to be the perfect first speaker,” said Eberson, after the event. Giddy with excitement at the evening’s close, the two women gushed over the event’s unfolding. “The crowd certainly seemed to remain interested,” McCloskey said. “Now we’ve gotten our feet wet, so we’re very excited to keep developing this.” “Our goal is to start conversation. This will not be a learning annex,” she added. “We want open discussion, interaction generated after the event has ended.” Eberson nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, meaty conversation,” she said.

Look for the next Social Salon event to occur in May or June, with another presentation from an expert or personality who is sure to break open a topic that will intrigue and enlighten guests. For more information, visit www.thesocialsalon.com.


Links:
The Social Salon
PRDifferently
Can We Do That? Outrageous PR Stunts That Work - And Why Your Company Needs Them
Geek Factory
Madame X
Jackie Beach
And Then What Happened