Posts Tagged ‘facebook’

Newspaper Web Sites: More News, Faster; PR Opportunities Abound

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

LA Times Home Page

LA Times Home Page

Posted by Tom Gable

BIOCOM hosted a panel discussion today on “Social Media 2.0,” with Terri Somers, BIOCOM director of communications and former Union-Tribune life sciences reporter as moderator. The panelists: Mauricio Minotta, Director of Communications, The Salk Institute; Peter Pitts, partner and director, Global Health, New York, Porter Novelli; and Shari Roan, life science reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

The most compelling insights for the PR profession came from Roan. In a few minutes, she provided an incredibly succinct description of where newspapers are going in evolving from old to new models and incorporating social media to drive change:

  • The Web site is now their main product, not the print edition.
  • Most readers come from the Web.
  • As a result, the L.A. Times now reaches broader, more diverse audiences.
  • The Web site has 10 to 15 times more content than the print edition, which has its obvious production and distribution limitations.
  • They have more than 100 blogs, so can cover issues and ideas that wouldn’t typically get into the newspaper because of the size of the news hole.
  • With blogs, there are more opportunities to tell your stories and also stimulate comments, which help gauge public interest.
  • The blogs provide short snippets of news and are not fully reported out. They try to be fast in getting out the news and then provide links to stories or sources with more detail.
  • The beat reporters, such as those in sports, use Twitter to provide up-to-the-minute coverage. This has been valuable in covering breaking news, such as the recent fires near Los Angeles.
  • Twitter is used to Tweet on headlines and link back to the Web page.
  • Social media has made journalism more of a two-way street; they can engage with readers.
  • With an unlimited news hole on the Web, there is a greater need for visuals, including video.

Thanks to Roan for these important insights, including the latter. PR professionals, many of whom came out of print journalism (including yours truly), tend to think in terms of the printed word. Creating a visual communications strategy with Web sites, Facebook, You Tube, Flick, Twitter and all other tools and tactics can provide new power to any program, particularly those with difficult stories to tell in print but that can be covered in a three-minute video.

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Posted in Authentic PR, Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Clutter Busting, Hype Free PR, Leverage, Social Media | Comments Off

Politics, PR and Promotion: When is it good for business?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Attention Companies

Attention Companies

Posted by Erin Koch

As a rule, most companies, from small storefront shops to multinational corporations, try to avoid the appearance that they favor one political viewpoint over another … and with good reason.  If I am a strong supporter of Candidate A, and I see a sign for Candidate B in the window of my regular dry cleaner, I might choose to have my shirts pressed elsewhere.  Likewise, if I am a supporter of progressive causes, but learn that the former CEO of a nationwide pizza company gave millions to conservative groups, I might order my pepperoni pie from a competitor.

So, most businesses remain (publicly, at least) neutral, rather than risk alienating half of their customer base.  Two well-known companies recently contradicted this apolitical strategy – with very different results.

Since it was sold to a major food company in 2000, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has worked hard to maintain its image as a progressive, forward-, and free-thinking company.  Earlier this year, the company renamed one of its ice creams “Yes Pecan” to honor Barack Obama’s swearing in as President (a play on his campaign slogan “Yes We Can”.)  Then earlier this month, the company renamed its popular “Chubby Hubby” flavor “Hubby Hubby” to commemorate the fact that the state of Vermont legalized gay marriage.  (That new name will only be used in Vermont.)

While some may be annoyed at the ice cream maker’s partisan spin, I think their strategy is sound.  Why?  Because it remains authentic to their brand and their core principles.  Their loyal and generally liberal customers will probably love it.  And they’ll get lots of media attention, which means more mindshare and the potential for more customers.  (My favorite flavor is chocolate fudge brownie and, come to think of it, I haven’t had any in quite a while!)

A contrary example comes from similarly progressive mainstay Whole Foods.  Company CEO John Mackey wrote an op ed that was published in The Wall Street Journal critical of President Obama’s health care plan.  The resulting reaction has included storefront protests as well as a growing “Boycott Whole Foods” group on Facebook (now approaching 34,000 members).  There has even been speculation in the financial media that the CEO was going rogue, and acting based on his personal beliefs rather than what is best for the company.

While I certainly agree with John Mackey’s right to self expression, I don’t think the critical op ed was a wise move from a reputation management perspective.  Given the company’s progressive and politically active customer base, voicing a personal opinion that likely runs contrary to what most of his core customers believe could have been strategically misguided, leading to long-term damage to the brand image.

In sum, taking a highly visible political stand is almost always risky, particularly if (as for most companies) “being political” is not part of your corporate reputation and image.  But if you do find your company thinking about making such a leap, look first:

  1. Who is in our customer base and what will they think of this?
  2. Does this align with our core values and principles?
  3. What are the short term risks and benefits?
  4. And what are the long term risks and benefits?

Photo credit: zoovroo

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Posted in Authentic PR, Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Crisis PR, In the Beginning, Social Media | Comments Off

The One-Minute News Cycle; Social Media Critical in Crisis PR

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Deep, Fast Searching

Deep, Fast Searching

Posted by Liz Dill

According to an article in The Wall Street Journal entitled, “For Companies, a Tweet in Time Can Avert PR Mess,” many large corporations such as Ford, Southwest Airlines and Pepsi are creating social media teams. By closely monitoring social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) they can quickly identify potential issues, analyze customer feedback in real-time and craft effective communications strategies to deal with the breaking issue while protecting the reputation of the organization. The article specifically mentions a situation where a Southwest Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing and their emerging media team was able to scan social media sites for passenger response to the incident, and then was able to craft an appropriate message on behalf of the Airline based on their findings.

In an ideal world of strategic public relations, goals are set, actions carefully planned, core messages thoughtfully crafted and outcomes weighed. The same systematic approach is particularly important when confronted with a crisis situation. Avoid the urge to launch a quick reactive response. Use all the resources available to gather information and create an intelligent, insightful situation analysis on the impact of the situation in both short and long term. Gable PR has detailed checklist to help in the process.

Analyze the results and determine the strategic response. With the impact of social media and the impact on the velocity of news and buzz, clients, organizations and their PR professionals need to be up-to-the minute. Look beyond Google News and the other news trackers to monitor the pulse of the conversations and emerging tones in real time. Without intense scrutiny of the social media universe, an organization could see a small incident gain global buzz and quickly escalate into a larger PR crisis – one with long-term impact that extends beyond the short-term issue.

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PR in Social Media: Not a Campaign, a Relationship

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Building Relationships

Building Relationships

Posted by Krista Rogers

PRNewswire hosted a recent panel discussion about media, public relations and the impact of social media. One of the quotes that struck a chord with many attendees was from Becky Carroll, President of PETRA consulting.

Becky said, “Social media is not a campaign, it is a relationship.” Heads were nodding throughout the room and flashing thumbs quickly tweeted and retweeted her words.

A campaign has a distinct beginning and end, she said, where as having an effective social media presence is about communication and building relationships. Social media is not a tactic to check off of your public relations to-do list. It provides a platform to connect with those current supporters of your organization and find new ones.

In one example, Becky cited Coca-Cola currently, with over 3.5 million fans on their Facebook Page, where Pepsi has less than one-tenth that, around 250,000. The main difference? The human approach versus a corporate one.

Coca-Cola’s fan page was started by two men, Dusty Sorg and Michael Jedrzejewski, who simply enjoy the beverage and had no relation to the company. They care about the brand and are Coke brand advocates. Coca-Cola eventually approached the men and asked to partner with them on the fan page. Coke did not try to commercialize the fan because; its PR team understood that for social media to be successful it must remain authentic. The people who read and post on the page do it because they love the product and not because they are paid to post. Being involved on the Coca-Cola’s Facebook fan page doesn’t leave a feeling of being “sold.”

Companies often fail in their social media initiatives because they are trying to sell themselves rather than create an open forum for discussion and interaction. Many post corporate messages and re-packaged press releases on their social media networks. They don’t interact with their followers. For instance, Coca-Cola’s page has over 1,700 pictures that fans have uploaded from around the world to share with Coke and the Coke-loving community. Pepsi’s page only has 52.

Being involved in social media means relinquishing control and cooperating and engaging with your audience. As all the social media gurus note (Robert Scoble, Shel Holtz, Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, etc.), to be effective in social media requires an organization to open up to what others are saying. Listen closely and respond in an open conversation with a human voice. By getting beyond the one-way communication model, organizations can enjoy sustained interaction with their fans and expand the fan base, while letting traditional PR strategies such as media relations and news releases handle the heavy-lifting in an ongoing campaign.

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Reading Between the Tweets; Managing Multiple PR Channels

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Scrutinizing social media

Scrutinizing social media

Posted by Liz Dill

Julia Angwin, a senior technology editor at The Wall Street Journal recently posted a column entitled, “How Are You? No, How Are You Really?” which takes a look at the disconnect between status updates from friends via social networking sites and the reality she discovered when she talked to them.

After thinking she was up to date on her friends’ lives from their tweets and status updates, she realized after performing an experiment by calling several of her friends that she was wrong. According to Angwin, the digital small talk didn’t make up from the real small talk she was missing out on. She learned quickly that most people are “self monitors” and were managing their public image by not posting unfortunate events or telling the full story. She concluded that, “It’s not that digital small talk is deceitful (although some probably is). Rather, it creates a cocoon of information that may not paint a full picture of the truth.”

There are several good takeaways from this article from a PR perspective. First, what is being said on Facebook and Twitter does not give an entirely accurate representation of what is being said or going on in the “real” world. On the posting side, don’t assume that because you tweeted about something that all of your core constituents got the message or believed it. When planning a media relations or marketing communications campaign, don’t focus only on the social media world. Think strategically on how you incorporate social media with traditional media and all other potential tools and tactics for your program. Work backward from your targets. Where do they get their information? Manage the channels. Lastly, on the receiving end, don’t take for granted that you have a clear picture of a company, issue or person by reading status updates. There’s only so much you can jam into 140 characters or short updated on LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites.

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U.S. Fights Taliban with PR; Iran War Coverage Goes Online, Personal

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Posted by Liz Dill

The United States is trying a new tactic in the war in Afghanistan: Public Relations. According to a story in the AFP, the U.S. intends to devote more money and manpower to the “information war” in Afghanistan. The emphasis on public relations comes amid concerns about the effect of civilian casualties from U.S. air strikes. Civilian deaths topped 800 last year and the Taliban has actively sought to exploit public outrage over the casualties, which often happen because the Taliban uses residential and business areas as its staging grounds for terror.

One of the key tactics in the campaign will be to be to tell the news first. In the past, the U.S. was in reactive mode, responding to the Taliban’s comments. Now, the U.S. speeds to tell its story pro-actively and in real time with radio transmissions, a new website updated daily with press releases and audio cassettes passed out by hand.

This new campaign shows just how effective strategic public relations can be in influencing opinion and countering rumors and propaganda. The campaign will be crucial to convey the role of the U.S. to the Afghan people and to gain back their trust. It shows how being consistent and straightforward in telling your story and not letting others tell it for you can influence perception and pre-empted negative attacks. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in influence long-term perceptions of the U.S. while leading to defeat of the Taliban.

Simultaneously, online reporting and social media now serve as the top sources of news on the crisis in Iran. As reported by MSNBC, the Iranian government has shut down the international press corps from covering the post-election crisis. It notes that rapid reporting through online channels (blogs, video sites, Twitter and Facebook) is keeping the world informed of the growing torment. The Iranian government, now losing its total control of messaging and news, is threatening online users with prosecution and even execution for “incitement.” Will micro-blogging and social media bring down a government?

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Using Social Media in PR: Be Transparent, Authentic and Connect with Your Communities

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

wizardPosted by Krista Rogers

Are you the real-deal or a social media wizard behind a curtain?

People are looking to make a real connections with organizations. They jump online and join Facebook fanpages because they want to show support and stay informed. They follow companies on Twitter to track news and conversations. They read and admire your blogs when they are no longer solely about your products, but provide information and insights they take them to a higher level of understanding and knowledge.
Social media provides great tools to instantly bond with your audience, share information and interact with your supporters. However, communicators need to recognize the potential for abuse of assumed blogger-to-audience trust.

During a recent PRSA teleconference, participants debated the ethics of hiring social media mavens, paying for positive comments and employing ghost Tweeters. The unanimous response: it is all about disclosure. Retain authenticity and trust by being transparent about the source of those 140-character updates.

The Blog Council, a group of senior executives in charge of social media at some of the largest corporations in the world, created a “Blogging Disclosure” statement to share the best social media practices with the online community. Points discussed in the disclosure include:

1. Disclosure of Identity
2. Personal/Unofficial Blogging and Outreach
3. Blogger Relations
4. Compensation and Incentives
5. Agency and Contractor Disclosure
6. Creative Flexibility

An Associated Press story exemplified how easy it is to abuse audience trust and the dangers of when they revealed the identity behind a blog that told a story of a woman who chose to carry a terminally ill child to term. She garnered a genuine following online and prompted supporters to promise prayers and send gifts.

“But the story that drew nearly a million hits to her Web site was a lie. The blogger who identified herself online as “April’s Mom” is actually Beccah Beushausen, a 26-year-old social worker from the Chicago suburb of Mokena.”

Reputation can be forever damaged if you don’t protect the authenticity of your online relationships and remain transparent and honest. But unfortunately you have to maintain a high degree of skepticism about others. Look behind the post for possible motives and unauthentic behaviors.

Fraud and phonies are now discovered and revealed faster than ever. The phenomenon of Twitter has knocked down the walls of publicists and spin-meisters, giving the world instant access to the ins and outs of trends in society, celebrity lives, news, disasters and more. Famous for his full-disclosure tweets, Shaq posts tweet-ups, meets with his followers and has closed the big gap between famous to fan communication with his 1,274,280 followers who appreciate his authenticity.

That’s not always the case. According to the New York Times expose on ghost Twitters stars such as Britney Spears, Fifty Cent and Kayne West have admitted to paying for twittering thumbs, blogging and social media management to the disappointment of thousands of followers. To give them some credit, at least they told you. In the end, it’s your choice as to whether or not you want to continue following someone knowing that you may not be hearing the authentic thoughts of your favorite brand or celeb, but rather a social media wizard behind a curtain.

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Posted in Authentic PR, Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Hoax and Fraud, Hype Free PR, Social Media | Comments Off

Is Twitter the new Facebook?

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

Posted by Liz Dill

With the phenomenal growth, continued media hype and celebrity backing of Twitter, is the microblogging site becoming more popular than Facebook?

According to a posting on Socialtimes.com, a blog that analyzes social media, Twitter has surpassed 14 million users, up over 76.8 percent since last month when we wrote that they had surpassed 8 million users. This tally was before the Oprah effect that jumped traffic 40 percent in one day. Although Facebook has over 90 million users, the rapid growth of Twitter puts their projected year end user number at 50 million.

In my opinion, both have pros and cons. Twitter is incredibly interactive and you can reach far beyond your circle of friends, but the functionality of the site is limited (find other users, send messages, replies) and updates are restricted to only 140 characters. Facebook on the other hand has a multitude of functionality (find people, make connections, instant messaging, video sharing, etc.) but on the downside is more difficult to navigate and update. In terms of creating a sense of community, Facebook wins the battle hands down.

Both networks should definitely be included in every savvy PR practitioners toolkit to use when it makes sense for their client. Depending on the goals and targets of your PR campaign, one of the outlets might be a bit more effective over the other. Here’s a few tips:

1. Twitter can often breaks news faster than other sources
2. If increasing traffic to your site is your goal, Facebook seems to be the outlet to use due to the sheer number of users.
3. Twitter can work as a quick, easy and inexpensive opinion poll on your company/product.
4. Since friends and “opt in” to see your messages, your messages will be targeted to people who are interested in your product/service.
5. By using “Twitter Search” you can see if someone’s talking about your company and you can participate where it makes sense. This is a great way to monitor and participate in what is said about your company online.

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