February 2, 2011
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First, some backstory so this might all make sense a little more to anyone who might be new here:
These specific blue lollipops were an entity during the ages of about 12-18 for me. Not just me though, all the girls who played soccer at MAU. Soccer at MAU and that fall time of year was always this unexplainable force of goodness and incredible mojo. Like Texas loves high school football, Vermont loved soccer and not just for the sport but for the love of the whole package: The tryouts, practices, games, sleepovers, pasta dinners, chants, songs and laughter. I suppose every kid has some kind of “thing” that happens in high school when they learn the world is their oyster. Soccer, and the team was our “thing.” The time we spent together meant the world to each and every one of us. It was as if the outside world almost disappeared. We were simply loving life and living in our little euphoria that nothing else could touch. The blue lollipops were our common food group, nearly every photo of all those above stated games, sleepovers, etc. involved us all making blue-tongued smiley faces at the camera. They were the mascot of the team, that extra best friend and fun constant that never failed us.
Then August 18, 1994 happened. That’s when 2 of our best friends./teammates were killed in a car accident just as the season had started. Things would never be the same for any of us after that.
Fast forward to 2008, I want to start writing more and someplace bigger than my journals. I felt an overwhelming desire to share my life and stories about how lucky I have been to be healthy and experience all these amazing adventures and time with people I love. Of course the biggest reason why I had been able to do all these great things is because I had lived through this monstrous tragic loss and learned this horribly hard lesson that time and people are the only things that truly matter. Saying that, the only name/thing that entered my mind to brand my site was “Blue Lollipop” something. (The “Road” came after as an add on because I love travel.) I wanted this thing, this blog whatever it was to become to honor my lost friends, and my time with all the girls who made me laugh and feel alive during those soccer seasons at MAU.
So I write and babble and write and babble for hundreds of posts and nearly 2 years, thinking everyday about blue lollipops and my frends.
The 16/16 death anniversary (years lived/years gone) is approaching last spring and I can’t get out of my head that I need to drive to Alaska. I wanted to be there for the anniversary, to honor a promise made to my lost friends and myself to hit state #50. I drive alone to Alaska with blue lollipops in tow, am there for the anniversary, and leave blue lollipops behind for my lost friends.
Best thing I have ever done.
Driving through Canada en route to Alaska, out of nowhere I think yep, I am getting a tattoo. I’ll get a blue lollipop. Our blue lollipop to be more specific. I keep it a secret which is nearly impossible for me to do when I am excited about something, ask old soccer coach, mentor and one of the coolest women on the planet Traci to draw the tattoo that I will get, she draws it, and I brand myself for life 1 month ago with a blue lollipop.
Clearly these blue lollipops mean a lot to me.
I typically contact companies/people I write about thanking them for whatever yummy meal I may have had at their establishment, or their product or business I think is cool. Each and every person or business has been thankful, excited, and even done things like pass the link to my site around their office, welcome me back for complimentary meals, or asked me to stop by when I am in their town again. These responses have all been unexpected pleasant surprises. I’ve never asked for anything, I just think it’s nice to say thank you when you enjoy something/someone.
Of course throughout my writing and molding the future for Blue Lollipop Road, readers and friends have suggested I solicit sponsorships, or try to collaborate/work with these companies and things I write about consistently to help support myself so I’m able to continue to take time to write. Great idea right? Sure. I’ve been working on those potentials for a long while. Some have already happened, some are in the works, and more will be to come in the future. I have been most excited to talk with Tootsie Roll Industries where these special blue lollipops come from and Honda for my countless miles my Hondas have taken me. These are the two items/companies that I have written most about. I’ve acted like a free walking billboard for them.
Honda is great. I am in touch with them, we have some good things in the works, and the people who work for Honda North America have been very gracious, responsive and thankful about my enthusiasm. I’m very much looking forward to working with them.
Tootsie Roll Industries? Please see previous post to prep for what I am about to write.
I wrote to Tootsie several weeks ago now, with no response. I wrote them again. Just a note saying “Hi! I love your products and I write this blog. I’d love to talk with you!” (Reminder: I am not asking for anything and don’t plan to. I simply want to talk to them.) No response so I decide to call them today. Early bird gets the worm I figure, and who knows where my emails have gone to in the abyss of the internet anyway. I dial and here’s exactly how my call went:
Operator: “Tootsie Roll Industries?”
Me: “Hi, may I please speak to someone in marketing or public relations?” (In my most genuinely excited, hopeful, cheery tone that continues throughout the entire conversation.)
(She transfers me.)
Woman on other end: “This is Janet” (A painfully short, rude tone from here that continues throughout the entire conversation.)
Me: “Hi Janet! My name is Diane and I’m a big fan or your product, am a constant customer, and have written a blog for a few years that’s actually named after one of the Tootsie Roll products. I’d love to get to know more about your company as I continue to write.”
Her: “We do all advertising and marketing work in house.”
Me: “Oh, no problem, I am not asking to do marketing for you, I was just hoping to learn a bit more about the product and company.”
Her: “There’s product information on the website.”
Me: “Yes, I know that, I have read it through thoroughly, I’d just love to know a bit more about the company overall, possibly about any fun marketing campaigns you might do, or maybe your community involvement, programs, things of that nature. I’d love to be able to write more on my blog about any interesting things Tootsie Roll Industries does. I like sharing this information with my readers.”
Her: “We work with the military, that’s all we say.”
Me: “Ok, so is there any information you can share at all with me about any of the good things you do? Maybe you are involved with events, do sponsorships, or… (cuts me off.)
Her: “We don’t do sponsorships.”
Me: “I apologize, maybe I sound confusing. I’m hoping to get some sort of information about the product I love and promote, your company. I’d like to be able to continue to write about your candy and share news about any interesting, fun, or community type programs you all might be involved in.”
Her: “We don’t do that.”
Me: (At this point I wanted to tell her that she was a miserable moron and to throw me a freaking bone or something…but I didn’t. I continued my cheery and hopeful tone…) “Um, I am a bit disappointed. I am simply trying to learn a bit more about this product I love so much and that I write about. Are you telling me that you can share no information whatsoever about anything at all so I can bring back a great story to my readers? I just don’t understand.”
Her: “Sorry.”
Me: “I’m confused and again have to say I am disappointed. You are telling me as a longstanding customer calling you in hopes to continue loving your product, there is not the slightest little tidbit of anything you are willing to share about Tootsie Roll Industries? Is there a place I can go to research, just anything you can tell me at all?….Nothing?”
Her: “Sorry.”
Me: “Uh, er-Ok then. Well, if you ever become curious about where I have been writing about you for years in a positive way, you can see my blog at www.bluelollipoproad.com.
Silence.
Me again: “Well, I guess then good luck with everything and thanks for your time!”
Nothing.
I hang up and all I can do is shake my head.
I have encountered jerks in my life, people aren’t always butterflies and rainbows- I get it. Bad days, yadda yadda. This woman wasn’t having a bad day, she was just awful. I mean rude, short, and could’ve given a flip if I was the Pope calling her. She didn’t ask a single question of me. No gee thanks for writing about us but you are taking up my time. Not a you know what- I am not sure where you could find X,Y,Z but maybe you could read this article about us, or hey sorry- I’m not the right person to talk to, maybe Bob can help. NOTHING.
So there I sat, feeling deflated, disappointed and like someone just socked me in the gut. After 16-plus years of this thing, this company, this blue lollipop that means so much to me, the thing that is tattooed in ink on my body forever…that is going to be what I have in my head for where those precious blue lollipops come from?!
It gets worse.
I call back to the main #, the same operator transfers me back to the icy woman I spoke with. I remind her I just spoke with her, she remembers me and I ask her title and name. Her name is Janet Vasilenko and she is the Consumer Relations Manager. Thank you, I say repeating all this information back to her including the spelling of her name to confirm, then I hang up.
Mouth hits the floor.
ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME???!!! CONSUMER RELATIONS MANAGER?!
Wow. Shame on you Tootsie Roll Industries. You need some serious consulting on what community relations means.
I know some of you might be thinking, well Di- she could have been busy, maybe she thought you were asking for $, etc. Believe me, I wished it were that, but no. It wasn’t that at all. She just flat out didn’t care, she tossed me aside, and was completely rude from the get go. She was about as helpful as a screen door on a submarine. Words aren’t going to be able to convey her heartless tone, and utter I don’t give a shit attitude. Just terrible.
I am a big girl at 32 and sticks and stones. Come on- I can take it, but my god I didn’t realize until today how unbelievably protective I have felt over this little blue lollipop all these years. I couldn’t help but feel in that moment that this Janet Consumer Relations Manager woman stomped all over this thing that means so much to me.
I don’t ever want to be like Janet.
The whole point of Blue Lollipop Road is to promote learning, enjoying and appreciating the people and little things all around us. It’s purpose is to encourage all of us to go for what we want and live the life we love whatever that means to each of us. This post isn’t to hate on someone specific or a company. It’s to tell the truth and share how I will always keep pushing and keep a smile even when I’m disappointed. Anyone else out there, if you are knee deep in the middle of something you believe in and someone tries to bury you, keep digging. People can try to take things, break things and they might severely disappoint you at times, but only you have the power to focus and thrive and not let the misery of some others bring you down.
My idea of this place that makes my special blue lollipops is broken and bruised. I’m sure I will always feel disappointed about that, but it’s Ok. Just a hurdle in the road going exactly where it needs to. I know what the power of the blue lollipop means regardless of what life brings my way.
Dear Janet~
I really hope you find your strong mojo somehow. You are really missing out on this whole enjoying life thing.
Maybe you should try a blue lollipop.
Diane
