See a photo of Paul and John, their bios, Part 1 of this Q&A, and Part 2.
Q&A with Paul Furiga and John Durante, Questions 5 and 6:
Q: Paul, it is easy to determine how your journalism background fits in with PR, but how does journalism inform the storytelling side of your work? How about your political background; does that inform your storytelling work at all?
A: Great journalism is all about great stories. I was reminded of that again recently with the passing of Don Hewitt, the creator of the CBS News show, “60 Minutes,” and so much television journalism history. In a remembrance piece broadcast by CBS Sunday Morning, Hewitt said again and again that he had one guiding principle to journalistic success: “Tell me a story.” I agree. The memorable stories are the ones that unfold with the technical qualities of great stories. I’m not saying all journalism should read like immortal fiction. What I am saying is that great journalism employs the same storytelling techniques that produce great literature. I have learned the same is true in public relations.
As for my political experience, I had the great fortune to work in the U.S.
Senate for a brief period for a thoroughly decent man, late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois, himself a former journalist and the author of more than a dozen books. He understood the power of story and the importance of stories that move people. Washington, of course, is filled with storytellers. It was there, while in the Senate, on Simon’s 1988 presidential campaign staff, and later, while covering Congress and the White House that I truly learned that inauthentic stories may sound great at first, but as soon as the lies are discovered, there’s hell to pay. It’s a Washington story that’s repeated again and again. When this happens, as Shakespeare wrote, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves…” In the midst of it all, there are those who tell authentic stories and thus, enjoy authentic success.
Q: John, how does your background in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and B2B inform the storytelling side of your work?
A: Really much in the same way that Paul’s background has informed his. Marketing strategy and research work is really so much about asserting the competitive business facts and then plotting marketing and communication activities from there.
At the dawn of healthcare marketing (circa 1986) this approach was essential and remains important today. The pharmaceutical world has largely forsaken this approach for “direct to consumer” marketing approaches that in my view has proven to be very dangerous to consumers. Our overall economy and health care delivery system is still digesting the negative impact of this paradigm. In B2B it’s different in another way where integrated marketing is still relatively new, poorly done and widely patterned after B2C approaches that really do not fit. In gauging these shifts over the years I gathered great enlightenment about stories and their marketing communications impact.