| To have impact, persuade, entertain or inform--first | | | | meal--were dropped to 1916 levels, the year he was |
| understand that all human enterprise has emotion at | | | | born. His fans jammed over 100 bars and restaurant |
| the center. You must know your market, their wants | | | | where they share in his favorite repast for just $2.25 |
| and needs, and how to emotionally connect with them. | | | | and recall a ritual repeated millions of time over nearly |
| Nothing is more democratic than Web 2.0. Only one | | | | 60 years by socialites, worker bees, CEOs, and |
| thing can stop you here and it isn't your age, gender, | | | | cabbies alike: reading Caen's San Francisco Chronicle |
| race, weight, looks, social or economic status, | | | | column first thing in the morn. |
| geographic location or even your educational | | | | A few months later, on February 7, 2007, I attended |
| credentials. Where we have it on the line is with the | | | | his memorial service at Grace Cathedral. Mayor Willie |
| consistency of 'brand' message coupled with the ability | | | | Brown, actor Robin Williams, his son, Christopher Caen, |
| to emotionally connect with your audience. | | | | and Strange de Jim gave eulogies. And San Francisco |
| Consider this perfect match of content provider and | | | | Symphony conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas, played |
| audience alongside: | | | | the piano. Then later, friends and I joined tens of |
| I observed Pulitzer Prize-winning, long-time San | | | | thousands for a huge nighttime bash for Herb along |
| Francisco Chronicle columnist, Herb Caen, up-close and | | | | the Embarcadero. There were fireworks, dancing to |
| personal in June 1996 when was 80-years-old and | | | | big bands, and more bargain priced martinis and |
| dying of lung cancer. San Francisco came to a | | | | meatloaf. |
| standstill to throw him a citywide fete, Walter Cronkite | | | | I never missed reading his column, and saw him often |
| was there and marveled, "To love San Francisco is | | | | on Fridays at Le Central on Bush Street sitting in the |
| easy. But to have San Francisco love you as San | | | | front window playing dice with Mayor Brown, bon |
| Francisco loves this columnist...is...truly incredible." | | | | vivant Harry de Widt, and haberdasher Wilkes |
| The reason Caen was so beloved by San | | | | Bashford; presumably for the lunch tab. In fact that |
| Franciscans is the key to success for content | | | | was the last place I ever saw him. |
| providers everywhere--whether their be Facebook, | | | | He, and the entire city, knew his timecard was nearly |
| Youtube, a newspaper column, or an Internationally | | | | punched. I was walking past Le Central's front window |
| read blog. | | | | and there he was. I tapped. He looked-up and smiled. I |
| The salute to Caen began with a motorcade of 48 | | | | blew him a kiss. He 'grabbed' it out of the air and put it |
| antique convertibles that cruised from his newspaper's | | | | on his lips. A true gent. |
| headquarters and three miles down Market Street to a | | | | Herb Caen's power was to connect. In San Francisco |
| bandstand on Herb Caen Way. There, in front of the | | | | this meant he arrived from Sacramento and became |
| Embarcadero's Ferry Building, Herb remarked to the | | | | the ultimate San Franciscan. His column was a daily |
| ritzy and rabble, which included Robin Williams, Willie | | | | ode to what makes this city snazzy and by extension |
| Mays, Amy Tan, Bill Walsh, Chinese lion dancers, bike | | | | he made us all feel pretty swell that we had the |
| messengers, mounted police, the Sisters of Perpetual | | | | chutzpah to live here. |
| Indulgence, jugglers and the cable-car bell-ringing | | | | Long before the Age of Personal Media, Herb Caen |
| champ: "When I get to heaven, I'm going to say: It ain't | | | | had that gig down flat. |
| bad, but it ain't San Francisco." | | | | So, who is your audience? And who are you and |
| Read those last eight words again, kiddies. Why was | | | | what are you trying to say? What does your audience |
| Herb Caen so popular in San Francisco? Here was a | | | | want/need to hear? How can you affirm their |
| major International city stopping traffic for the day on a | | | | collective values, beliefs, desires, point of view? Back in |
| major shopping and traffic artery to stage a grand | | | | 800 B.C. Homer reached his audience in such a |
| shebang for a newspaper columnist. And the parade | | | | universally resonating and inherent way that his |
| was just the start. | | | | message rings true today. Ditto with Herb Caen. |
| All over town prices on martinis and meatloaf and | | | | Whatever your message or medium--connect, amigo. |
| mashed potatoes--Herb's favorite drink and | | | | |