This post is a hat tip to Frank Roche at KnowHR, who recently riffed that Joe Cocker is a poor choice to handle your HR Communication needs:

"Your HR communications need to be clear. Think Frank Sinatra, not Joe Cocker. You want your employees to understand the words, not make up words of their own. Misunderstood lyrics are funny, but they sure as heck are ineffective."

First up, I'm anointing Frank as the godfather of HR Communications - he always provides a simple, insightful read.  Less is more, and FR is always on point with clean, classy thoughts.  Subscribe today if you haven't already...

Next, I'm adding my submission to the hall of entertainers whom you don't want handling your employment branding.  My pick?  Old school on this one, I'm tapping Manfred Mann's Earth Band as a fun, but ineffective choice for your next employment branding campaign:

"Madman drummers bummers,
Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat"

Verdict?  Not qualified to find innovative ways to say, "we pay at above market rates, and are advocates of pay-for-performance".  Or at least do that AND be understood by Mary in Accounting at the same time...

Editor's Note - I've been encouraged by the purists out there to make sure that everyone knows that "the Boss", Bruce Springsteen, actually wrote this song.  So noted.  I saw that in the research for the post, but decided the delivery of MMEB was the focus.  Come to think of it, early Bruce had a way with making you wonder what the heck he actually said as well.  -KD