The Wah-Wah Pedal of PR

About 15 years ago, I was working for Yamaha Corporation as a PR consultant, fresh out of college. No, not the Yamaha motorcycle guys (the "cool" Yamaha), but the music products firm -- guitars, pianos, CD-R drives, computer speakers, etc. As we drove down a street together in Las Vegas, headed for another day at an industry trade show, my client -- Gerry Tschetter, a veteran of the music industry -- shared a story.

Have you ever listened to early 70s rock, and noticed the use of the wah-wah pedal in every guitar solo (and I mean every one)? It seems that when the wah-wah pedal was introduced, everyone rushed out to buy one, and not sure of how to use it appropriately, included it in every single song for the next two or three years.

"Heck, you couldn't even have a guitarist get through 'Happy Birthday' without some wah-wah," recounted Gerry. "But in time, musicians figured it out, and applied it where it was needed. We became more enamored with the music once again as opposed to a pseudo-musical tool."

As I walked the Marriott in San Diego today, comparing the '09 PRSA International Conference to Detroit in '08, I'm starting to hear a bit less social media wah-wah. Oh sure, there are pockets where the guys and gals are screaming for their social media rock stars, who are (over)using wah-wah to the hilt. But then there are also those among us who have eased off that pedal a bit... a cool pedal indeed, but one -- when used a bit more judiciously -- carries more oomph and wow.

And that's music to my ears.