"Stuff White People Like" -- and how we get information

Yesterday while we were watching TV, my husband was also scanning the Internet, looking for the blog "Stuff White People Like" (http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/), which he had heard mentioned on NPR and then told me about. I continued the cycle by going online myself, checking out the blog, then clicking on a link to "The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard" (http://www.storyofstuff.com/), which gave me the idea for this blog, and now I'm writing to you.

Think about how old (TV, radio) and new (blogs, Web sites, streaming video) media work together with face-to-face communication to generate a conversation. Can we doubt, as PR practitioners, that we must think about how people think (often as a "stream of consciousness") and make sure we provide information in many ways so that our publics can find our messages?

The blog "Stuff White People Like" started as a distraction for young author Christian Lander, who worked in advertising. It's described as being for "left-wing, upper-class Caucasians." While I don't fit into the "upper-class" category," I find his blog hilarious ... and right on the mark. Here are a few of the things he says white people like: hummus, sea salt, "The Daily Show"/"Colbert Report," being an expert on YOUR culture, public radio, New Balance shoes (that's all my husband wears), promising to learn a new language, grammar (ahem) and recycling (double ahem).

Of course, this is an oversimplification, but it does play into the idea of a buyer persona -- knowing whom you are targeting with your messages, products and services.

While scanning the blog, I saw a reference to "The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard" (http://www.storyofstuff.com/). I just had to click on it ... and then, I just had to keep listening to the 20:40 minute streaming video (because that's what guilt-ridden white people do). In the process, I found an answer to a question I'd posed to myself last week: How is it possible for a company to sell something (e.g., a cotton blouse made in China) so cheaply (e.g., $4 on super sale) and still make money? What about the cost of planting, harvesting and milling the cotton; cutting and sewing the blouse; packaging and shipping the garment from one continent to another; warehousing and then shipping the garment to the store; advertising, displaying and then selling the blouse, packed in a store-brand bag; and, somewhere along the line, paying rent, utility bills, wages and taxes? Well, "The Story of Stuff" answers the question.

As PR professionals, we must be aware of how people get information and how we can help them find what they need and want to know.