Since making the leap to public relations, I’ve worked closely with TV reporters on consumer stories. These past few weeks, I’ve been reminded of wacky consumer stories I participated in.
You see, I served as a lowly newsroom intern during my first two years of college. Working for KM3 News was a valuable experience. I learned to love photogs. They truly are the unsung heroes of the newsroom.
I also learned about consumer stories. And what makes good ones.
Two come to mind, both of which I helped make happen.
The first story’s goal was to determine how accurate optical labs are at filling one’s eyeglass prescription. Given a generic prescription — one that wasn’t my own — I was sent undercover to a number of Omaha area optical centers to have glasses made. (Later, a licensed optometrist would test the glasses for their accuracy matching the prescription.) Anyone who wears glasses know they don’t come cheap; at least cool frames, anyway. Since I had to purchase four or five pairs of glasses in a single day, I was advised to buy the cheapest pairs possible.
The result: A 19-year-old college student was trying to convince eye technicians that I wanted — nay, needed — the cheapest, ugliest pair possible. That was fun.
And I’ve never been a good liar, so I imagine I came off a bit nervous while trying on oversized, pastel-hued frames for purchase. My whole reason for purchasing such putrid spectacles: “I just want an extra pair, should my regular glasses break.” What a pure load of steaming manure that excuse was.
The second story involved fake boobs. No joke.
At the time, Victoria’s Secret was selling these gel-filled globs that women were slipping into their bras and bathing suits for a fuller, more natural look. At the time, these boobs were flying off store shelves. Our consumer reporter wanted to test these boobs, so she had me, her intern, try on the boobs with a number of shirts, providing the traditional “before” and “after” shots.
But that wasn’t all.
She wanted to test them in the water. But, of course! So I had to wear a bathing suit with my new mammary friends and take a dive or two. I recall the story being shot in the winter and absolutely freezing when I left the indoor pool, wet hair flapping in my face.
And with this story, the swimsuit video didn’t turn out the first time. There was a problem with the tape, I recall, so I had to suffer the humiliation not once, but twice. However, the photographer I worked with (I still remember his name) was an absolute dream. If he had any dirty thoughts at the time, I certainly didn’t know about ’em.