Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Future of Public Relations: Utilizing both Old and New Media

Old Media and New Media, including social networks, press releases and search engine optimization (SEO) are fighting a war of attrition - and the smart money is on New Media to win, eventually. But at this point in time, they're neck and neck on the battlefield and the leaders of public relations will know how to work with both.

Digital online content swept the media world for the first decade of the twenty-first century like a grass fire consuming old growth in its path. Old Media, such as, newspapers, magazines, broadcast radio and television, has relatively high production values and controlled distribution. Above all else, Old Media is programmed, which means it's vetted, fact-checked and less speculative. On the other hand, New Media, by which we mean the Internet and the Internets intercept with targeted cable television is on demand, raw or refined, multi-platformed and always open for business. When a press release takes off in New Media, they tend to break in a big way because the audience becomes the promoter, linking to the story on blogs and Facebook pages, and e-mailing it to their entire address book. What was once water cooler gossip in the days of Old Media is now heard around the world. This particular phenomenon is called viral buzz.

In Old Media, a relatively small number of gatekeepers control the information flow. Cultivating relationships with these gatekeepers - whether you want a story to run or stop dead in its tracks - is of critical importance to the success of any public relations strategy.

The advent of the Internet created not only a new promotional medium for public relations, but also a new approach. On the Internet there are almost no barriers to entry. Every webmaster is a potential gatekeeper. The information is out there - and caching tools means it's out there forever. However, promoting any particular piece of information can be daunting. There are well over a hundred billion websites. But the Internet has developed a number of tools to narrow cast to segmented interest groups. Chief among these is the search engine.

A search engine is a computer program that uses mathematical formulas to seek patterns within content. The exact algorithm may vary from one search engine to the next, but generally relies upon some combination of meta tags, key words, external links and the position of elements on the web page itself. SEO is the art and science of assuring results by customizing your website or press release with hidden content that will score high on search engine probability indices. However, just optimization isn't enough. The most successful websites and press releases also utilize search engine ad word buys and reciprocal links to lure traffic. The rise of so-called social media brought yet a new personalization twist, further refining narrow casting through the use of browser cookies that reflect the search history of the person using the browser. It's very possible that two people typing the same search term into the query box will get widely divergent pages of results.

So what does this mean for PR? It means PR professionals should understand both Old and New Media inside and out. Further, if you're really good at it, you'll marry the two and find ways utilize each with help from the other.

Reformat your traditional press releases. Your traditional ones will not work on the Internet. If you want your press release to find an Internet audience, it must contain those triggers that guarantee search engine pick-up and distribution to your target demographic, while finding ways to be creative. Find ways to connect your keyword saturation.

Write for both New and Old Media at the same time. This makes a lot of sense: the most cost-effective strategy for any business is the creation of quality content that can be repurposed effectively both on and off the web.

Submit articles. Search engines are not the only way to distribute information across the web. Many members of your target audience have favorite sites they rely on for news and information. Don't forget to submit your content to these appropriate sites and articles directories.

Do social media bookmarking. Watch for community forums, blogs, message boards and content-centric sites and match the elements of your client and work them to get your messages out.

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Art of the Public Apology: Reactions to Wood's Public Statement

Last Friday's public apology from Tiger Woods spurred a wide range of reactions from the audience. I'm always entertained by these types of press conferences and thought that the Woods public statement was about what I expected. The public apology is an art and like always it has it's connoisseurs and critics. In case you missed the 13 minute extravaganza in which Woods apologized for the pain his marital infidelities caused his family, friends and fans (in that order), don't worry, I'm going to cover my PR thoughts as well as a wide range of public opinions on the topic.


(Professional apology expert consensus’s on Woods statement: Too long. Too much stagecraft. But otherwise, not bad.)


However, for all the expertise out there, and despite the fascination and great public demand for it, the art of apology as practiced by the average American person of prominence, whether in politics, sports, religion or business, remains by most accounts pretty unsatisfying.


There was Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina: "I've spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina" or Lloyd Blankfein, chief executive of Goldman Sachs, who offered a stinting apology for his firm's role in the financial collapse.


Experts in the field recorded other failed public apologies:


· A "Mark Stanford" is the sort of rambling, confessional apology that leaves you worse off than before.

· A "Mark McGwire" is the self-pitying apology that shows a lack of genuine contrition, and broadcasts your resentment at being caught

· A "John Edwards" is that apology which almost does not matter because you are for the foreseeable future beyond help.

· A "David Letterman" is one that works, but only if you happen to be a professional comedian with a goofy persona and late-night talk show.


Elin was not at the Woods press conference. I almost thought that Tiger’s statement was a, ‘please, please, Elin take me back’ press conference. I thought it was interesting how Woods kept stating that this issue was not Elin's fault, I kept thinking, when was it ever Elin's fault? Also, I thought it was interesting that he kept saying the issue was between him and Elin. We don't even know if there is a 'them' still. However, as Woods said, that is not our business.


In my opinion a good apology has to begin with a real connection between the apologizer and the offended person or audience. However, I'm not sure that most of the people who have risen to the top of their professions are narcissistic individuals and are just not capable of that.


I think the real issue with public apologies from prominent figures is that they don't sound trustworthy. It really hurts social trust when a public figure reveals to be other than who they claim, and then follow up with an apology that betrays them as having an immature personality, unfamiliar with the rigors of honest self-assessment.


Often times the person apologizing doesn't even state what they did wrong or how it's wrong, ask for forgiveness or ask how the offended how to make things right. I think there is not a lot different between a personal and public apology. In both you really should be specific, say what you did, ask the offended person not only for forgiveness, but ask them for what you need to do to make things right.


I like the public apology analysis an author at The New York Times took. He compared it to a cartoon features in The New Yorker last year: The woman stands over her shoulder-drooped husband. "I don't want your apology," she says. "I want you to be sorry."


Reactions to Tiger Woods' statement Friday Courtesy of The Associated Press:


__


Woods' Family


_ "I said, 'I'm so proud of you. Never think you stand alone. Mom will always be there for you and I love you.'" — Kultida Woods.


_ "I watched it but I have nothing to say right now. I have no comments." — Father-in-law Thomas Nordegren, in Sweden.


___


Olympians


_ "It's a bummer, his personal life. He's trying to deal with it and I don't think he knows how to totally express how he feels and I don't wanna say, come clean about everything, but explain what was going on. He's trying to pick his words very carefully and apologize. I respect that." — American gold medal snowboarder Shaun White.


_ "do we think this is coming from the heart or the paper! come on Tiger! give us some reality here .... thanks tiger. sweet hugs to your fam, can't wait to see you back out there!! Good Luck!! — American silver medal skier Julia Mancuso on Twitter.


___


Golf Community


_ "There is anger in some corners, but mainly it is a sense of sadness. He's an American hero, and he's had his issues. At the end of the day, he's a human being. We all make mistakes. We all have made mistakes. And when we're lucky, we learn from those mistakes and we get to be better people." — PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem.


_ "Today was a step in the right direction. ... We know what kind of champion he is on and off the golf course but this is a big battle he's fighting right now. He's going to show to the people he can be a champion off the course." — Golfer Mark O'Meara.


_ "It's not about words, it is about actions. It's all down to actions. I personally think if Tiger wants to be a family man, get out and play some golf and bring the whole family out with him. " — Golfer and TV analyst Nick Faldo.


_ "I thought it was an amazing conference. I thought Tiger was very humble. And, you know what? I think we all love him as a golfer and as a family man. And we want to see what's best for him." — Golfer Ben Crane.


___


Marketing/Public Relations


_ "He came off very Tiger-like, in that it was a little too rehearsed and a little too scripted for my liking. The more scripted you are, the more risk you run of not being authentic or sincere." — Bill McGowan, image consultant for Clarity Media Group.


_ "It looked like it was staged. These things should have come from his heart, but he was reading out of a script. I could see he was tearing up, but I don't feel like he was being sincere." — Puntarika Susuntitapong, public relations executive in Bangkok.


_ "What I expected to see today was some humility. What I saw today was arrogance. What I saw was anger. ... It was basically an infomercial." — Public relations executive Rick Cerrone on CNN.


___


Media


_ "One of the most remarkable public apologies ever by a public figure." — ABC's George Stephanopoulos.


_ "I think he was very genuine in his responses and his statement. I think we are entering a whole new era spiritually and emotionally for Tiger Woods." — Debert Cook, publisher of African American Golfer's Digest, on BBC News 24 television in London.


_ "Looked like a deer in the headlights — the kind of expression people have when they're playing with him on the golf course." — NBC Sports' Jimmy Roberts.


_ "I have never seen him appear so vulnerable. ... I was very impressed with what he said." — CBS' David Feherty.


___


Business World


_ "I don't think anyone would want to rush out for someone who, by his own words, says he still needs treatment." — Rick Burton, former chief marketing officer of U.S. Olympic Committee.


_ "It was good to see Tiger address the public today, and we're supportive of his focus toward family and rebuilding his life. He remains one of the greatest athletes in history, and as a long-standing partner, we look forward to seeing Tiger back on the golf course when the time is right for him and his family." — Peter Moore, president of EA Sports.


_ "It was 95 percent about contrition and 5 percent about golf, because the latter will take care of itself. Winning, good behavior and time can be his friends for the long term." — Vada Manager, former public relations official for Nike.


___


Alleged Mistress


"I would be open to a telephone apology from Tiger, but I really feel I deserve to look at him in person, face-to-face, in the eyes, because I did not deserve this. ... I am sorry for my part for any of their pain, but you can't help who you fall in love with." — Veronica Siwik-Daniels, who watched from Los Angeles.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines: 'too fat to fly' battle starts on Twitter

Over the weekend a large Los Angeles man, Kevin Smith, posted this on his Twitter page: "I'm way fat, but I'm not there just yet," and "If you look like me, you may be ejected from Southwest Air." He also posted a picture of himself sitting on the plane with his cheeks puffed out and make a podcast slamming Southwest Airlines for kicking him off.

Smith started this online rampage after a pilot ejected him from a Southwest Airlines flight, saying he didn't fit properly in a single seat. If you were Southwest Airlines, would you think his post is a big deal?

I'd say yes, because we've seen the impact social media can have and how famous it can make someone. Plus, this man is already famous for his work as a director (you may recognize him as the director of the new Bruce Willis movie "Cop Out," and he previously directed the films "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy". Furthermore, obesity is a hot topic right now.

Southwest handled the issue by doing the following:
  • Stating that their "Customer of Size" policy requires travelers must be able to fit safely and comfortably in one seat or make other arrangements
  • Issued an apology first from its own Twitter account
  • Later issued another apology on its website titled "Not So Silent Bob," a jovial jab at the Silent Bob character Smith plays in many of his films
  • Will accommodate Smith on a later flight by giving him a $100 voucher
  • Another apology - this time by phone
It should be mentioned that Smith and the airline stated that he had bought two seats for his original flight from Oakland, where he had spoken at the Macworld Expo conference. However, he was flying standby in order to catch an earlier flight and only one was available. Smith insisted that he was still able to put both armrests down and buckle his seat belt, which is Southwest's standard.

I think that Southwest Airlines did a good job handling the issue right away and taking responsibility for their decision.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Minneapolis Woman Puts 3/50 Idea on Blog & Now has 16,000 Supporters

The 3/50 Project started as a quick blog post by retail consultant and speaker, Cindy Baxter. Baxter was watching Oprah's talk show when Suze Orman was the guest telling viewers to cut out unnecessary spending in order to save money and help the economy. Baxter disagreed and posted "Oprah, you've got it wrong," in a blog entry, not knowing the post would launch a thousand e-mails and a new business venture.

Baxter's glob entry suggested an alternative: Pick three locally owned stores you don't want to see go away. Spend $50 a month among them. Keep local businesses humming. From there the idea went viral. Marketing expert Seth Godin stumbled across Baxter's blog and endorsed the 3/50 Project. Word spread quickly on Twitter. Businesses and individuals across the country became Facebook fans by the hundreds. Flooded with requests for more information, Baxter threw up a website and put together a ready-made marketing campaign that small business could download for free. She encouraged businesses to feature the 3/50 Project logo on their websites and to get fliers into the hands of customers who might not realize the power of their purse.

Baxter's fliers quote studies by civic Economics, an economic analysis consulting firm. That found that for every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 comes back to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. National chains contribute to about $43.

I wanted to inspire all of you to voice your opinions and ideas, either through social media or another outlet. Things can happen if you just speak up. This blog post was inspired by reading the Star Tribune this morning. Check out the article printed in today's Business Insider Section for more info.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Measuring the Twitter Bowl

Tops on Twitter:

Minneapolis ad agency Colle+McVoy tracked viewers' Twitter comments on Super Bowl ads via a proprietary Web tool called Squawq. The program declared Frito-Lay, the maker of Doritos, the Twitter winner, capturing 21 percent of the chatter on game day. Here are the top 10 tweet-generating advertisers.

  • Frito-Lay - 35,294 mentions, 21%
  • Anheuser - Busch, 22,211 mentions, 13%
  • Coca-Cola - 10,550 mentions, 6%
  • Unilever - 6,851 mentions, 4%
  • Audi of America - 6,261 mentions, 4%
  • Focus on the Family - 6,131 mentions, 4%
  • Mars - 5,797 mentions, 3%
  • Google - 5,442 mentions, 3%
  • Levi Strauss & Co. - 5,114 mentions, 3%
  • E-Trade - 4,969 mentions, 3%

Monday, February 8, 2010

HR and Facebook: Companies that use social networking sites to screen applicants could be breaking the law

It's hard for company's HR and hiring managers to weed out applicants during this time of high job applicant numbers and many are using social media sites to cut names, but they may be walking toward thin ice as they follow a national trend of using social media networks to screen potential employees. A recent national study found that employers were impressed by personality, creativity and communications sills found via the Internet. But employers also reject job candidates for inappropriate photo, content relating to drinking or drugs and misrepresentation of skills. However, these businesses could be violating, or close to violating, anti-discrimination laws that have protected workers for decades.

Right now, there are no case law restrictions to the use of social networks like Facebook and MySpace by employers, but there will be. Lawyers say they have already noticed an increase in interest from business clients about the do's and dont's with social media networks, particularly when it comes to hiring. Maybe 2010 will be the year for creating policies to guide the use of social networks for both prospective and existing employees.

In a survey of hiring managers conducted earlier this yer for CareerBuilder.com 45 percent reported using social media in their background checks of prospective employees, up from 22 percent a year ago. Of those 2,600 mangers, 35 percent found something that caused them to not hire the candidate. This type of screening is becoming much more popular, but there is very little legal guidance for people.

Since sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be personal, employers must be cautious that the information they obtain doesn't result in discrimination by race, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation. All are protected classes under law. For instance, employers would be breaking the law if they screened applicants, even before interviewing them, based on racial or ethnic details gleaned from social media sites. Also, employers are asking for trouble in thy reject an applicant who discloses union organizing,smoking r drinking on a social media site. All are lawful activities in the job candidate decision making process.

What you see on a social media site may not be true of the person or it could be dated or a misrepresentation of that person of it could be picture of another person all together. Advisers are telling employers to never use what they find to make hiring decisions based on race, age, or sexual orientation. Also, that employers should include a broad statement in their application process that makes any discovery found online about someone fair game, some statement that says 'we do reference checking, including use of information in pubic domain.'

Social Media Advice from Employers:

  • Have a consistent approach in the use of social media for screening job candidates' use it on all candidates for a position or none.
  • Do not access social networking sites through deceitful or fraudulent means.
  • Create a wall between the ultimate decision maker and the job screener so any legally protected information is not known by the decision maker.
  • Consider the validity and accuracy of online data before making a decision.
  • Tell all applicants in advance that the employer will be looking at social network sites as part of the review process.

Source: Star Tribune

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Toyota Grapples with PR Bungles and Tarnished Brand

Toyota Motor Corp -- one of the most savvy car brand-creators in Asia is floundering. Since the company has been faced with an unprecedented recall of millions of vehicles, rivals have been swooping in on its customers. The motor company has created a PR nightmare by consistently playing down the recurring complaints of unintended acceleration, breaking the cardinal rule in crisis management: assume the worst.

My PR background says that people want to know what's going on and that Toyota should fess up and take full responsibility, be empathic to the victims and their families and be in control by outlining the problem and how they intend to solve it. Right now, Toyota President Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, has not formally addressed the public or media on the recall problems. Even when they announced the recall initially, they shouldn't have just said "We're going to do a recall." They should have explained what was going on. Also, there should have been a heartfelt apology from the top.

Through November, the company continued to blame loose mats for the problem. That has eventually spread to a potential problem with accelerator pedals, and U.S. safety regulators are now renewing efforts to re-confirm whether the electronic throttle control system could have been at fault.

At a news conference in Nagoya n Tuesday,the first appearance by an executive form headquarters since the recall expanded last week, there was no deep bows, a standard fixture in Japan when a firm declares it is responsible for its mistakes.

Now, the problem seems to have spun out of control. At a more recent news conference, a Toyota executive in charge of quality, Shinichi Sasaki, said part of the reason Toyota decided to use U.S. auto parts maker CTS's accelerators was to help contribute to the local U.S. economy. That was not what customers want to hear, especially when tragic memories of the car crash incidents are still fresh.

So, what has Toyota done to reach out and communicate the problem with its customers? Toyota ran full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers on Sunday alerting consumers to the recall and production shutdown. Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., appeared on U.S. TV and expressed regret for worrying drivers of its cars. Lastly, they are conducting a very extensive recall, which shows they are taking the recall seriously.

Since this issue with Toyota, U.S. motor company's sales have been up. Toyota's sales have slipped 16 percent and it could fall further. They have lost an estimated 20,000 in sales after it stopped selling eight models because of the defective gas pedals. Ford announced that its sales have rose 25 percent, Hyundai said sales rose 24 percent for the month, GM said its sales increased 14 percent and Nissan rose 16 percent.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A Swift Backlash: Will Taylor's Album of the Year Grammy Hurt Her?

Taylor Swift has been the music industry's golden girl ever since Kanye West jumped the stage at the VMAs and interrupted her win for best female video. (And maybe even before.)

However, will her incredible run atop of everyone's list end soon? At the Grammys, Swift took home the album of the year Grammy, surprisingly, beating out Lady Gaga and Beyonce. (I like Swifts CDs, but I believe her 'Fearless' album really pales in comparison to Gaga's 'The Fame' and Beyonce's 'I Am ... Sasha Fierce.'

Swift has carved out an impressive career for herself at a young age by working hard and being well-rehearsed (see her 'surprised' reaction to every single awards victor she's had in the last year.) She prides herself as being a country princess who writes all of her songs and plays the instruments to accompany them, which I do give her props for. However, when her album beats out those more deserving and her live performances are clearly lacking, it makes me wonder what will happen next.

Since Kanye's outburst, everyone's bee cheering her on. But, will that end now that she's won awards she may or may not deserve?

I noticed that upon accepting album of the year, Swift didn't even thank the other nominees, as this standard is in most speeches, she just rambled on about how much the award meant to her -- a move that could further condemn her in the industry's eyes.

I thought it was hard to watch her awkward duet with Stevie Nicks. Next to Nicks, Swift looked and sounded like a terrified kitten who wandered up on the stage. Further, after watching Lady Gaga and Beyonce dominate vocally reinforced Swift's own shortcomings. I truly believe if Swift would have performed way in an American Idol audition, Simon would have told her it was dreadful and Paula Abdul would have started her comments by telling her how pretty she looked.

Regardless, Taylor Swift has won the awards she has and should be very proud of her accomplishments. Looking at it from a PR background, at this point I do not think Swift needs to say or do anything drastic to keep her image and stay at the top of her game. However, to fight these complaints I think she should strengthen her live performance skills and not always act so 'surprised' when she earns an award. Otherwise, her 'down-to-earth,' strong performer image will be tarnished and people will agree with Kanye that other had better albums.