All of us, whether we admit it or not, are fascinated by taboo subjects like sex and death.
Just look at the cult status of hit HBO TV shows Sex in the City and Six Feet Under, which attract millions of viewers around the world every week. These shows tackle touchy subjects like death, sex, mental illness and drug abuse head-on, and audiences eat it up.
Watching sex and death on the TV screen is one thing but when it comes to discussing taboo topics, some of us are still very uncomfortable. Mum’s the word in some households when it comes to these issues.
Look at the recent Doonesbury imbroglio, with dozens of newspapers, for the first time ever, refusing to publish one of Gary Trudeau’s comic strips because it mentioned masturbation. Doonesbury characters have been indulging in all manner of subversive activities for decades, but in 2003 they can’t ‘self-date’ without upsetting lots of people.
So have you ever wondered what it would be like if your job demanded that you discuss taboo subjects every day? And if you’re an IRO, what would it be like to explain sex or death to investors, who are not traditionally the most liberal-minded souls?
This month’s cover story answers those questions by talking to IR professionals working for companies in the sex, death-care, gambling, alcohol and tobacco industries (see With a twist, page 24).
Along with their regular IR duties, these professional communicators have to mention unmentionables every day and sell their companies’ stories to an investor population that may or may not be tuning in to Sex in the City.
They have managed to figure out tactful ways to get their messages across. They pick their words carefully and have created ways to address the taboo nature of their businesses in order to appease those who don’t feel entirely comfortable with the company’s product or concept.
What’s interesting is that most of these taboo businesses are highly successful. As expressed by Andrew Harris of the Daily Planet, an Australian bordello, ‘Sex absolutely sells – and at a very high premium.’ The fact that sex, death, alcohol and gambling are solid, cash-rich industries definitely says something about where we like to spend our money.
Overall, what we found about IR professionals in these industries was both expected and highly unusual. They all claim to be doing an ordinary IR job – which is true on many levels. From a practical standpoint, their job is like any other IR position. Where they differ is in the subject matter they discuss in investor meetings and conference calls – subjects most of us will not talk about (regularly) in the workplace.
