c o m m u n i c at i o n s c o l u m n
Defending Fargo’s Honor
By Adrienne
Olson
N
ational
media
treatment of iconic
Fargo has become
somewhat polarized. On one hand,
we are a beacon of economic hope,
with our low unemployment rate, stable
housing market and thriving business
community. On the other, we’re an easy
target for “fun pokers” thanks to the
Cohen brothers’ cult classic film.
All of us in the chamber profession
are de facto representatives of our cities, which can lead to some interesting
phone calls from national reporters. In
December 2010, I received a call from
the Just Born candy company of Bethlehem, Pa., and was told their sales team
was given an ultimatum at their 2009
convention: Make your goals and the
2010 convention will be in Hawaii; miss
your goals and you’re going to Fargo.
The AP headline: “Not Exactly a Treat:
Candy Co. Staff Meet in ND.”
For weeks I received calls from news
outlets all over the country, and my inbox
filled with Google alerts. In case you find
yourself defending your town’s honor to
the world, here is what I learned:
Never repeat the reporter’s tough/
negative questions. Reporter: So what
do you think of Just Born holding their
convention in Fargo as a punishment for
not meeting their sales goals? Pitting
Fargo against Hawaii sets you up as the
opposite of paradise.
Me: Fargo as a punishment? Not hardly. The convention-goers will tell you
they are having a ball, living it up with
sleigh rides, nights on the town and dinner at the chalet. They’re getting a dose
of Fargo’s finest. It’s only the opposite of
paradise until you get here.
Official quote: Chamber spokesperson
Adrienne Olson says they visited “Fargo
as a punishment,” adding “it’s only the
opposite of paradise until you get here.”
32Chamber Executive Summer 2011
Anything you post on your Chamber
or your personal blog can and will be
used against you. I worked with the Just
Born people during their visit to make
sure they had a great time. They are wonderful people who gave no impression of
feeling “punished.” They used their time
in the spotlight to shout Fargo’s praises
and even promised to return to do some
community service as a team. I wrote
about them on the Chamber’s and my
own blog. My published quote:
“While the 10-day forecast will treat
them to temperatures in the low teens
(Honolulu will be in the low 80s), the
group has local manufactures’ representative and veteran candy broker Bob
Ward working to turn this ‘punishment’
into a visit they won’t soon forget.”
The reporter added: “Also, the beatings
will continue until morale improves.”
Don’t rely on the media to tell your
version of the story. In hindsight, the
opportunity to tell this story myself
on behalf of my Chamber and wonderful hometown was obvious. I have the
tools: a robust audience, strong social
networks, blogs, video and still cameras, unfettered access to the media
darlings. What a perfect opportunity
to be my own reporter. The national
media wanted the sensationalism of
the “punishment” angle. Some of my
actions and words actually helped them
get their scoop. But I knew the real
story about how much these people
were falling in love with my town. I
told the story to reporters over and
over again, but what made the airwaves
was “Fargo as a punishment.”
Capitalize on the attention. When the
media storm hits, don’t bother searching for your rain coat. Just jump in.
As people across the country Google
“Fargo punishment,” make sure your
story exists too. In fact, OWN the story.
I collected positive quotes from our Just
Born friends that are sure to show up
with fun pictures in our Chamber’s next
community profile. When they return for
their service work, our Chamber will be
the one to break the story.
Fargo has since secured the title in
The Weather Channel’s National Championship for the country’s “toughest
weather city.” I was ready for the calls,
armed with talking points and facts on
how Fargo’s weather — unlike many
other cities — rarely, if ever, results in
a fatality. Plus, I had quotes from Fargoloving longtime residents and newcomers alike. Unfortunately, this news broke
at the same time the mighty Red River
broke its banks for what’s become our
annual spring flood fight. And that’s
another lesson in national media attention entirely.
Adrienne Olson is the communications/
community relations manager for the
Fargo Moorhead West Fargo (ND/MN)
Chamber of Commerce and chair of
ACCE’s Communications Division. At
ACCE’s convention in Los Angeles, Aug.
3–6, she will serve on a workshop panel
discussing how chambers can deal with
negative media reports. She can be
reached at (218) 359-0524 or aolson@
fmwfchamber.com.