Archive for March, 2009

Twitter: Boring and Banal, or Beneficial?

Monday, March 30th, 2009

Margaret Wente in a column in the Toronto Globe and Mail found Twitter banal and boring.

“If you thought Facebook was banal, try Twitter. It makes people who write their thoughts on Facebook sound like Shakespeare. Of course, it’s also possible I’m too old and out of it. According to new-media experts, the medium is greater than the messages. Twitter and Facebook are creating a new world of digital intimacy.”

She dismisses the ability to follow friends because “…Except that even over time, my friends’ and family members’ lives just aren’t that interesting. The lives of people I scarcely know are even less interesting. Spending time with them on Facebook is like having to sit through a detailed recital of someone’s winter vacation. I have tried and tried to get the hang of it, but I have failed miserably. I don’t care about any of these so-called friends. If I did, I’d actually spend time with them.”

Mark Evans posted a good piece on Twitterati in response:

“For me, Twitter is a professional resource. It’s a way to find newspaper articles (such as Ms. Wente’s), Web sites, and new services, thoughts about technology trends, and answers to questions that I would have otherwise never have seen or received. I don’t use Twitter to read updates on someone thinking of having coffee at Starbucks, and I don’t do updates about personal details that aren’t worth sharing. As a journalist trained to find and shape information, Ms. Wente should spend more time on Twitter to explore if there are ways she call pull value out of it. I’m sure, for example, that if Wente did keyword searches on Twitter to research future columns, she would find some valuable nuggets and new sources.”

I wholeheartedly agree and commented further on how to Twitter can be a powerful tool for PR:

“Twitter is a great research resource for my public relations firm. I set up search services for alerts on key words (clean tech, biotech, crisis PR, parody, wine, etc.). It’s a quick way to find out who is active in a given industry, niche, organization, cause or whatever interests you. From there, you can check the person’s profile and get a feel for their depth of knowledge and range of connections. The latter can provide leads for other good resources. I try to follow the experts who provide links to breaking news and trends in an area of interest. They often find great data in obscure places that I would never have found otherwise. I share the information within my agency and also with our clients. We combine it with information we get from RSS feeds and various news trackers. Knowledge is power and Twitter is adding to it.”

Posted by Tom Gable

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Client Service Results, Clutter Busting, In the Beginning, Team Play | 1 Comment »

Debate Underway About New PR Strategy and Position: the Ghost Tweeter

Friday, March 27th, 2009

The New York Times carried a story today on “When Stars Twitter, a Ghost May Be Lurking.” Many social media commentators and advocates of transparency in social media think the approach is bogus. The same critics have pilloried corporate CEOs who have their PR team blog or tweet on their behalf.  Is the voice real? Or cleverly crafted concepts strategically designed and rolled out to build image and reputation? The latter fails the transparency test.

Should entertainers, athletes and others in the public eye be held to a different standard?  Publicists for several, including Britney Spears, argue that the person is really a brand, so can have support in communicating through social media just like a car, beer or enchilada. I’d suggest that brand personalities lack something core to the discussion: a human voice. Books like “The Cluetrain Manifesto,” “Body of Truth” and “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” to name a few, talk about the importance of telling stories in human voices — being real. This should apply to stories told in 140 characters or less.

Posted by Tom Gable

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Hype Free PR, Hypemeister Honor Roll | 1 Comment »

Potential Split of FDA or “Peanut Butter vs. Pills”

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

 

Future FDA Regulatory Target

Future FDA Regulatory Target

Science Progress reported this week on the potential split of the FDA into two agencies, one focused on maintaining food safety and the other on reviewing and approving new drugs. This is great news for many biotech and life sciences companies with business before the FDA – and for many patients awaiting the approval of life-saving drugs.

In the past, according to the Associated Press, the FDA has become bogged down in managing understandably more-urgent food safety issues like the recent peanut butter scare, pulling resources away from drug reviews and approvals.

From a PR point of view, it will be interesting to watch how the FDA communicates on the split with the public as well as with stakeholders in the pharmaceutical/life sciences industry and medical professionals. “FDA-approved” is an extremely powerful label. To maintain public confidence in drug safety, the government will have to carefully research and manage its communications plan surrounding any announcement of a new agency. For example, renaming the new agency the “Federal Drug Approval Administration” would allow them to maintain the “FDA” label … a good first step in what will be a very complex and important communications strategy.

With two agencies, we hope that in the near future, we’ll be able to have our cake and our “FDA-approved” diet pills too!

Posted by Erin Koch

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Client Service Results, Horizon Management | Comments Off

Value of PR Validated by The Economist, Others in Council of PR Firms Posting

Wednesday, March 25th, 2009

In a insightful essay on the Council of PR Firms Web site, Kathy Cripps, president, provides the rationale for hiring a PR firm, especially now.  She cites stories in The Economist and data from Proctor and Gamble.  An excerpt from The Economist story:

“For business, public relations is an increasingly vital marketing tool-especially as traditional forms of advertising struggle to catch consumers’ attention.” The Economist (2)

That observation from The Economist was supported in part by a landmark study conducted by marketing giant Procter & Gamble in 2005. When P&G employed a marketing mix model for six brands over a one to three year period, it found:

* PR drives sales, often on a par with advertising;
* PR delivers stellar ROI (275%), much greater than advertising;
* PR Provides a halo effect over other marketing tactics.

The essay goes on to provide nine reasons for hiring a PR firm — definitely worth sharing with colleagues throughout the profession.

Posted by Tom Gable

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Clutter Busting, Horizon Management, Team Play | Comments Off

Fear or Facts — Best Tactic for Police Labor Dispute?

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Escondido POA labor dispute mailer

Escondido POA labor dispute mailer

 How to build support for a contract negotiation with a city? Not how it was done in Escondido, as detailed in an analytical piece by The Union-Tribune’s Logan Jenkins. He probed into an ugly debate between the City of Escodido and its Police Officers Union, including a direct mail piece meant to stir fear among older voters.

Jenkins did some digging and found a list of standard negotiating tactics recommended by the union’s law firm, which included having officers attend job fairs as a way of threatening to leave their positions, charging city council members with not caring about public safety, and a work slowdown to include calling for backup when it isn’t needed.

While they may be effective in the short term, these scare tactics actually undermine the work of police (and other) unions everywhere. A fact-based PR approach would use data to press the union’s case, such as:

• Comparing salary and benefits of Escondido’s police officers versus those in other cities
• Number of Escondido police officers who have left in recent months – compared with other cities in the region
• Crime statistics in Escondido. Is crime actually getting worse in certain neighborhoods? Does this coincide with decreased patrols?

Similar statistics are indeed present in the Escondido POA’s flyer, yet they are buried in small type and overshadowed by the fear-based finger-pointing approach.

 

The result? An irate city council, a 4-1 vote to impose the city’s labor offer, and a bunch of unhappy Escondido police officers.

Posted by Erin Koch

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Client Service Results, Crisis PR, Hypemeister Honor Roll | Comments Off

Whale of a Story — San Diego Bay Visitor Draws Major Media

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

In light of all the negative news we are inundated with on a daily basis, it’s always nice when a happy and uplifting story lands in our hands, or due to the dwindling print circulations, on our computer screens. The San Diego Bay is enjoying a visit by a 1-2 year old gray whale, who has been causing quite the stir. He is feeding, swimming and being a great attraction for families spring breakers and marine biologists, who say he is doing just fine, although lost. Meanwhile, the City of San Diego, is enjoying an abundance of (free) positive media coverage – something that is crucial in these hard times when advertising is too expensive, and the state’s budget doesn’t allow for, well, much of anything. The San Diego Union-Tribune is even having a reader’s poll to name the whale, with options including, Sushi, Baylee and Wayland. Just another story that goes to show how media can shape opinion, mood and perception – and even have a little fun with its audiences along the way.

Posted by Erin Kirkpatrick

Tags: , ,
Posted in Client Service Results, Clutter Busting, The Light Side | Comments Off

Two-Minute Survey on AIG and Crisis PR

Friday, March 20th, 2009

News media have rated the performance of the AIG CEO from below average to slightly above average. The political feeding frenzy was something to behold, with well-scripted soundbites and populist posturing all around.  Some claim it was a distraction, given that the amount of money involved was what accountants call a rounding error as a percentage of the bailout package — roughly one-tenth of one percent.

On how the Crisis PR was handled, what do you think?  Here’s a very short survey on awareness of the issue, perception of AIG before and after, and other thoughts. Results will be posted next week.

Posted by Tom Gable



Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Crisis PR | Comments Off

Rapper Reps Southwest Airlines; PR Goes Viral

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

The plethora of media coverage Southwest Airlines recently received for their “Rapping Flight Attendant” has reminded me once again how important visual and viral communications can be in building image of a company. With newscasts and papers constantly filled with doom and gloom about the downturned economy, media are hungry for lighthearted stories about companies and their employees. Southwest Airlines is known for great customer service and encouraging its employees to use personality in all they do. A flight attendant’s safety precautions rap went viral when a passenger recorded it on a cell phone and posted it to YouTube. The clip received thousands of hits and the story was soon picked up by major media, including The Wall Street Journal and CNN.

The lesson: look for ways of telling your story visually, driving views with the social media and sparking broader media interest. Here’s the link to the clip of Dave, Enjoy!

Posted by Liz Dill

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Client Service Results | 1 Comment »

Spring Break in a War Zone? Or Fun Zone?

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

For spring break and beyond, Mexico’s drug war threatens tourism, presenting a major crisis PR challenge for the short term and more important reputation management for the long term.

Coverage hasn’t been pretty. Danger warnings on “Mexico under siege” came Reuters and The Los Angeles Times.

The LAT even outlined one PR approach to the crisis:

Mindful of Mexico’s image troubles, promoters in the Cancun area are turning to a novel tactic: Don’t mention what country it’s in. Officials say they will downplay Mexico in advertising the beach zone, which has been relatively untouched by the violence.

But frankly, we’re not sure that avoiding the word “Mexico” is the best approach.  Mexico’s tourist industry might benefit much more from a more straightforward fact-based approach.  Authentic PR, rather than spin.  Here are some ideas:

  • Acknowledge the Problem – It exists and here are the steps being taken to solve it.
  • Map it – Which areas of the country (or specific cities) are safe and which should be avoided, based on crime statistics. Use color-coded zones to provide a compelling visual. This could even be accomplished using a Google Maps mash-up like this one from Chicago.
  • Count and Compare – Highlight the very low number of tourists impacted by the drug war so far and compare these figures with other popular getaway destinations.
  • Testify – Share firsthand accounts of positive and carefree Mexican vacation experiences with the media.

Those are just starters. Which PR strategies and tactics would you recommend to turn around this image, reduce concerns and increase tourism growth once again?

Posted by Erin Koch

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Client Service Results, Crisis PR, Horizon Management | 1 Comment »

Rebranding Blackwater as Xe — More Than Words?

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

Rebranding can change the discussion and refocus media (at least in the early stages)!  I saw a recent headline on the San Diego Union-Tribune’s home page: Southwestern to rework training contract with Xe.  But I didn’t click through.  Why not?  Because “Xe” didn’t mean anything or sound nearly as sinister as “Blackwater.”

Xe actually IS Blackwater.  The company went through a rebranding and renaming effort that was surely due to the many negative associations with the old name and its work in Iraq, as also covered in the NYT.  Rebranding can be hit or miss, but sometimes it is absolutely necessary when reputation and future business are on the line. More importantly, does the company need to change its core values and culture – to walk its talk in a new direction?  That’s the stuff rebranding is made of, not just words.

###

Posted by Erin Koch

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Horizon Management, Hype Free PR | Comments Off

« Older Entries