#HelpMe.
On the regular, Jeanne is asked how PJP V. 2.0 differs from PJP V. 1.0. And Jeanne always has a litany of differences to share, with the most obvious that she and I have a completely different dynamic together than she did with her best friend, Peg. But what I think is most notable between the two iterations of PJP is the impact of social media on business. During the reign of PJP V. 1.0, the Internet was barely A THING. In fact, until the final location on Chapel Hill, Jeanne's office didn't even have a computer. And then when it did, she had to pay for a separate phone line so that she could have Internet and leave a line open for customers to call the store...even though she likely only checked her hotmail email once a week or so. (Oh goodness...the mere thought of dial-up Internet access leaves my blood cold.)
And now here we are, phones with Internet in our hands and the ability to interact with the world available with just a button. Today, we styled a beautiful photo of our new Butter Pecan pie. And by "we", I mean mostly that Jeanne styled it and I took the picture and then we both hovered over my phone looking at Instagram filters. Sometimes choosing between Juno and Mayfair is a nail biter.
We love this photo. It is visually compelling and evokes a nice warmth that I hope is portrayed in our store. Within 10 minutes, I had it on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, sharing with the world what we do best - making pies...(and maybe picking Instagram filters).
Because the response to the picture was overwhelmingly positive across all three accounts, Jeanne was encouraged and suggested we send the picture to some major glossy magazines who might appreciate pie and our artful work. And while she started to draft an eloquent letter to the Editor-In-Chief, I just started tweeting it...a very microcosm of the different ways we approach a task in 2016.
There was no end game for the tweets, just the hope that maybe our work got a brief nod of appreciation from someone somewhere that works at Food Network, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Southern Living, Midwest Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Pioneer Woman, and/or Bon Appetit magazine. Ahem. (Ok, so maybe I expected an immediate call from Paula's people...I mean, it is BUTTER PECAN. Really.)
In the end, Midwest Living and Better Homes and Gardens favored our tweet. I'll take it with pride. And tomorrow, I get the joy of explaining what a favored tweet is to Jeanne. #helpme.