But what I really want to know is how you feel about Pittsburgh.

It's probably a sin to take delight in other people's misfortune so the German's came up with a word for it: Schadenfreude.  So please let me apologize in advance for have more the one or two laughs about this article in PR Weeki: 

 A Tweet by a Ketchum staffer that was visiting the agency's client, FedEx, in its hometown prompted an angry memo that reached executives on both sides and the blogosphere.

A Twitter post made by the screen name “keyinfluencer,” which lists James Andrews, VP, director of interactive at Ketchum, as its owner, made the “true confession” that “I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say ‘I would die if I had to live here!'”

An employee of FedEx then wrote a letter to both FedEx and Ketchum leadership that said the comment was "inappropriate” and they were “confident” that “it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry.” The memo was posted on the blog of Peter Shankman. 

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What tickles my funny bone is that the story arrives at a perfect intersection for me:

1. It's about an alma mater, Ketchum, an agency for which I have tremendous respect and an agency with its corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh.
2. The protagonist of the story is a "creative director" for an "interactive group," which is just another way of saying that he probably doesn't have P&L or account responsibility.
3. The downfall comes through a message on Twitter as a result of a bit too much hubris. 

I can just imagine the reaction of Dave Drobis and Ray Kotcher and the other gods of Ketchum, current and departed, when they got the call from the client.  Day to day life is hard enough without some yahoo with a fancy title and no good sense upending a key account.  Oh my goodness.  Mr. Andrews will probably be on a very short lesh for quite some time. 

Oh, and Mr. Andrews' apology?  He blames the medium of Twitter and its 140 character limit and not his own lack of skills as a "creative director" for an "interactive group" at a top-tier, world-wide public relations firm.  --Amazing. 

Honestly though, this should come as no surprise.  His blog features sections called "Geek Sexy TV" and "Under the Influence."  But really, for someone who lives in Atlanta to throw rocks at Memphis, well, that's some nerve indeed.