Great analysis, Peter. Thanks. It’ll be interesting to see how each candidate bears up under the intense media scrutiny in the weeks to come.

I guess my short and long-term memory are both fading, Chris. Thanks so much for the nice note. Glad to know that P'comm was a good experience for you.

Thanks, Marian. You raised a critically important subject. I liken PR people as the Millennial children depicted in Ron Alsop's seminal work, 'The trophy kids grow up.' Our US PR employees show up, play nice and make warm, safe programs. Meanwhile, their edgy, irreverent peers in digital and advertising shops around the world knock down walls, take bold chances and explore new borders (and don't give a damn if they offend someone along the way). PR has become the Mr. Rodgers of integrated marketing. And, the cooler kids are seizing the future because we're too caught up with being politically correct. My kingdom for a PR trade journalist who will finally wake up and write an investigative piece about this Stepford Wives saga gone bad. Now.

Great observations, Sam. I purposely avoided Salzman's 'ballsy' observation because I've met plenty of women who are a whole lot tougher and more creative than men. And, I agree that edgy ideas are gender neutral. What resonated with me, though, were her observations that our industry has become too feminized (and the numbers sure don't lie about that) and too politically correct. That's why I pointed the finger at trade journalists. A quick read of any PR trade publication would make one believe we work within a true Utopia (whereas the reality is quite the opposite).

They sure were in the late 1970’s, Syd. Truckers were a kinder, gentler lot than today’s thugs.

Fair enough. And, certainly true that I didn't understand the only limitations in life are the one's I placed on myself. So, if I knew then what I knew now...

Great quote. Brevity is in short supply these days. Tis the era of the passive, run-on sentence, Julie.

Thanks for the note, Phil. You’re probably right.

The blog was not intended to be exclusive, Stephen. Sorry about that. For the record, I'm thrilled that departing employees feel empowered to share each, and every, high and low point of their time at P'comm. I just find it different. Not good or bad, just different.

Heavy, man. Heavy. So, I must have missed the non-Millennial departure e-mail (probably fell asleep at my desk). Am I safe in assuming that, god forbid, you ever leave Peppercomm, your departure e-mail will be as laden with empty calories as the clients you represent?

Thanks so much, Joe. Really appreciate it.

Duly noted, SJWR. That said, I'll stick with: 'Gone climbing. Permanently.' I think less is more.

And, in 1978, a guy named Ronald Reagan was contemplating another run at the White House. And the Red Sox blew a 14-game lead over the Yankees. And, I believe I was dating a woman named Angela Hetzel at the time (a former Miss New Jersey, thank you very much). Maybe youth is wasted on the young.

Will wonders never cease? I've surprised Ann Barlow? Wow. To answer your question, I've been open and engaging with employees for each of Peppercomm's 18 years. And, e-mail has existed that entire time. Yet, these departure e-mails are a very recent phenomenon. That's what surprises me. I think Sam Earl hit the nail on the head in his analysis. It's part of the DNA of our younger, Millennial employees. And, as other readers have posited, this trend is not limited to Peppercomm.

Your analysis was well worth waiting for, Sam. Thanks. It does shed much-needed light on the subject. I do get it. But, allow me to ask the co-author of 'Spreadable Media' a question. Don't these office-wide missives violate a fundamental principle of successful social media engagement? Departing employees haven't listened first to know if: A) their audience wants to hear from them in this way. B) their audience will respond and engage as a result of the e-mail. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

Yes, indeed Book. It's the very same tie. I kept it as a memento of my first day of work at Hill & Knowlton in 1978. The photograph was snapped during my first month at work (and used as part of a new business pitch to American Trucking Association). My first assignment was to try and convince the American public that truck drivers were safe, fuel conscious dudes.