Three Lessons from President Bush's Parachute Jump

Dan Poynter and the entire parachuting industry has been jazzed all month because former President George Bush made a parachute jump -- his second in his 73 years -- this past week. It's had wall-to-wall news coverage. But few know the story behind the news. I want to bring it up here because I feel there are at least three lessons to be learned...

First lesson: Any event can be dramatized to get publicity. When Dan P. called me to help him promote the parachuting industry's conference here in Houston in February, I told him I was busy finishing up my new book but to call local publicist Linda Credeur instead. He did. But he never expected to get someone so attuned to media needs or media opportunities. Linda heard Dan say -- in casual conversation one day -- that George Bush was the only President to ever parachute. A light bulb went on over Linda's head. She suggested they invite Bush to the convention, and to even give him an award. Dan was reluctant, knowing Bush charged fifty grand to speak. I urged Linda to find a way to reach Bush, knowing he would attend for nothing if he were at all interested in parachuting. He was. And his appearance at the otherwise mediocre trade convention put that convention on the map. Four news crews covered the event. And the parachuting attendees couldn't believe their eyes or their luck when they saw Bush appear. Again, any event can be made media friendly with creativity and courage.

Second lesson: You never know what will happen as a result of your efforts. As a result of his appearance, Bush got excited about parachuting and said he wanted to make another jump (at age 73). Because his first jump was during World War II and not a pleasant memory for him, he wanted to bring closure to the past by doing the jump again, this time by choice. He did. And the media covered it all week. I saw a thirty minute show on his jump Easter Sunday. It was touching to see this man cry as he recalled the near tragic event from his past, and it was inspiring to see him beam as he jumped and floated to the earth. I told Linda Credeur that she changed history when she got him to attend the parachuting convention. Bush became the only president to ever jump twice, but more than that, she helped a man heal the past and feel "like a spring colt" (as Bush put it). That's an amazing and unforseen event from just trying to get publicity.

Third lesson: Acknowledge the people who help you so they will help you again. I was not invited to the convention where Bush appeared (actually I was, but I didn't hear of the invitation until three days after the event). But what really got to me was that Linda Credeur, who planted the seeds for all of this to happen, was not involved or acknowledged when Bush made his historic second jump. She eagerly waited to hear when the jump would be. She had her media contacts sitting by their phones, waiting for her call to alert them. But when the jump was announced, Linda's name was dropped from the press releases and virtually no one involved her in the event. While publicists are often in the shadows and don't usually get media attention, not even having her name on the press releases that went out was insulting. I'm not suggesting Dan P. was involved in this, as I doubt that he was; Bush's jump was controlled by the government and the parachuting industry. But I do know that when key people are not acknowledged for their efforts, they are not keen to help again. The lesson here is to remember the people who help you move ahead.

I've written in detail about the Bush event because I knew quite a bit about how it came to be, and because I think there are lessons here for all of us.

Finally, if you want to talk to Linda Credeur about promoting your books or you, she's at +1 713-939-0680 -- Her E-Mail is: lcredeur@hic.net

I get nothing from posting her name and she doesn't know I wrote this.

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