What Good Public Relations Cannot Do

Often I've heard about some one's bad experience with a PR firm that has spiraled into a strong dislike for PR people. It's painful to hear criticisms and generalizations about my business, but I can't resist jumping in to diagnose the problem myself. My feeling is that 95% of client-agency problems comes down to one thing: expectations. On both sides. Expectations for publicity outcomes, service levels and overall return-on-investment are not always articulated during the courtship, or even the negotiation phase of the relationship. However, many times clients have circled back later usually causing misunderstanding and disappointment. This has caused me to think about a few things that event the best PR programs cannot accomplish:

Replace a sales and marketing campaign. PR is actually a very unreliable tool when it comes to driving sales of a product or service. Yes, a strong publicity placement can make the phone ring, but a PR campaign more typically works to drive brand visibility and favorability over time. It's just not a demand generation tool.

Serve as as cheap or "free" advertising. A good way to look at the difference is like this, use advertising for frequency, but PR for depth. Altogether a good, social PR campaign usually has increased visibility as a long-term goal, it's very difficult to achieve an ad-like level of control and frequency with earned coverage.

Overcome a bad product or customer service. PR can help repair customer relations after a service interruption or problem, but unhappy consumers will always share their feelings, and social media is a powerful megaphone. What's more typical PR tactics like implied endorsement from third-party expert or celebrity can actually make matters worse if there's too great a contrast between the PR and the reality.

Make you famous. PR can help you build a brand or personal reputation, and raise your profile in professional circles, but it won't make you an overnight celebrity.

Cure a crisis. Most situations we term "PR crises" result from poor business practices, not faulty communications. Yes, a good crisis program will help you prepare for a problem or issue, and sound communications handling can mitigate its effects, but PR can do little in the face of unethical or shortsighted actions.

Dina Lohan Finds a Way to Blame Judge and Defend Daughter on Today Show

If there was someone that needed media training it was Dina Lohan. Last Friday, Dina Lohan appeared on the "Today" show to set the record straight on what happened during her daughter Lindsay's very public court battle. Her interview did not help Lindsay's case.

During the bizarre interview Dina Lohan repeatedly accused Judge Marsha Revel of "playing hardball" by sentencing Lindsay, 24, to 90 days in jail. Lindsay served 13 days and was released August 2.

"I'm not condoning drinking and driving, but she's still paying the price for what she did in 2007," Dina Lohan said, referencing her daughter's two DUI charges. "She's changed. She's grown up considerably."

Lohan also said "information would be coming out" showing that Revel was forced to remove herself from the case or risk being fired because of alleged wrongdoing in the proceedings.

Matt Lauer, who was interviewing Dina, said that it seems as if Lindsay's family and friends haven't done their part in helping her get out of trouble. Lohan answered that as a parent she had to grand Lindsay some freedom.

"When she went out to Los Angeles, she was 19," Lohan sad. "I had to let her go an fall and fail. Without failure, there is no success."

It's interesting that in Dina's mind, she has found a way to blame everyone else but Lindsay and herself for the things that have occurred. It's no wonder Lindsay feels the way she does. I wonder how her career will do after this entire fiasco. Right after Lindsay got out of jail she posed for Maxim magazine. Do you think Lindsay can still sell? For now, Lindsay will remain in rehab unless the case's new judge, Elden Fox, order her released. We'll see what happens next.

Watch the Today Show video for yourself here.

Bad PR move for Apple? Steve Jobs ticks off his rivals

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs and antennagate aren't out of the news yet. Instead of of just offering up a quick apology and a free case for the iPhone 4 reception issues, Jobs fired up many smartphone competitors during the press conference last Friday.

Jobs pointed out antenna issues on phones from RIM, Motorola and HTC. He stated that they experienced the same dropped calls if gripped on the side in poor signal areas.

CEOs from RIM, who makes the Blackberry, and Motorola are miffed with Jobs for dragging their names through the mud with him, as if that was going to take the heat off of Apple a bit.

"Apple's attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle is unacceptable," say Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, co-CEOs of Research In Motion, which makes the BlackBerry. "RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovation designs, which reduce the risk for reduced calls."

"It is disingenuous to suggest that all phones perform equally," Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha says in a statement. "In our own testing, we have found that (Motorola's) Droid X performs much better than iPhone 4 when held by consumers."

Apparently, the PR team at Apple thought it would be a good idea to make sure those who haven't purchased an iPhone 4 yet were informed about the short-comings of the competition.

Is that a brilliant public relations move for Apple or just another lame attempt to keep people from straying because their are so many smartphone choices?

Oh Mel...

I've been a fan of Mel Gibson for a long time and until a couple of years ago he was one of the most well-respected and highly-paid actors in Hollywood. I can't understand why he is ruining his career and personal life. In 2006, Gibson was arrested after drunk driving and making anti-Semitic comments. (However, those comments were expunged from the arrest report.) Then last year he went through a divorce with his wife of 28-years, and who he had five children with, because he had an affair and got pregnant Oksana Grigorieva, who he eventually married. Now, he's going through another divorce with Grigorieva, because she claims he's been verbally abusive (claiming Gibson uses foul and threatening language towards her as well as the N-word) and physically abusive. Mel is not new to being an adult, so I'm not sure why he's making such poor decisions. Is the scandal with Oksana the last straw for Mel Gibson's movie career?

Mel needs to make a serious effort to save his public relations. Last Friday, after the news broke, Gibson's agency, William Morris Endeavor dropped him. Then Monday, new audio surfaced, capturing more of the former A-lister's angry and expletive-laden rant to ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, I'm beginning to wonder if anyone will want to have him in their film or any audience would want to go see a movie starring Gibson.

Now, the LA County Sheriff's Dept. is investigating the actor in a domestic abuse case because Gibson seems to acknowledge that he hit Grigorieva, the mother of his child, when he responds to her mention of him hitting her by saying, "you... deserved it."

After all this, I can't say I still think highly of the man. And, I'm not sure I would go see a film that had anything to do with him. However, I can't say this is the end for his career success. If Mel wants to make a comeback, as I said before he needs to make a serious effort. He should make an apology and admit he needs to figure out what is wrong with him, whether it be alcohol abuse, drug abuse, etc. Then he needs to recognize that he has a problem and show how he is going to solve it.

Mel Gibson is an artist and knows how to produce good work. He needs to focus on this self-quality and maybe if he produces great work again, he can resurrect his public image. However, this situation is a catch-22. He needs to resurrect his public image before a studio would probably hire him to work.

What do you think? Would you go see a movie produced by Gibson or starring Gibson?

When PR Doesn't Matter Anymore: The BP Oil Explosion

BP engineers have been unable to stem the torrent of oil gushing by the hundreds of thousands of gallons into the Gulf of Mexico each day following the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig last month. Weeks later, the BP oil spill is still a environmental catastrophe and PR nightmare. Tar and oil are still being found in new places, more wildlife is dying every day and BP still has not fixed the spill. Shouldn't companies have a contingency plan that prepares them to quickly fix their wrong doing and respond to the public well when a worst case scenario happens?

Of course a company should! This is a perfect example of a corporate responsibility and public relations disaster. Regardless of how BP responded right away, apologizing, taking responsibility, trying to fix the spill, etc. Yet, BP hasn't fixed the problem! That's when a strong brand history and an immediate PR crisis communications plan just don't matter anymore. PR needs to be followed up with action. This why there needs to be a complete contingency and response plan for every company. Especially for something that truly could happen. For example, if you're an oil company, you should probably have a response for an oil spill at any drilling area of yours.

I was angered after watching Mike Williams 60 Minutes story on the spill. According to Williams the BP explosion was the result of the company's desire speed up drilling and to save money. Drilling faster actually made the bottom of the well split open.

Williams story told that just four weeks prior to the explosion, the well's most vital piece of safety equipment was damaged when a worker accidentally bumped into a joystick that applied hundreds of thousands of pounds of force onto a closed blow out preventer which was closed by a rubber gasket called an annular. Congress is currently looking into other things incidents that occured at BP leading up to the spill which is becoming known as the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

In my opinion, it will be amazing if BP can 'dig' out of this huge hole they're in. I'm not sure they'll have the money of the customers to stay in business after everything is finally cleaned up.

The BP Oil Spill PR Catastrophe

BP, the British company, is working frantically to stay ahead of the growing disaster and the blow to its carefully manicured image of environmental responsibility. However, the way in which their image is repaired really depends upon how they handle this whole situation. This whole story makes me extremely upset, especially after seeing the movie Oceans just last week. It's a public relations disaster, especially after all the new CEO has done to redo BP's image. I think it will take people a long time to shake this off their minds, but so far I believe BP has done a decent job (besides their initial downplay of the spill) responding to this crisis and taking responsibility for their mess. I just think their emergency plan has taken too long to activate.

Seeking to blunt criticism of its emergency response, the British oil giant BP vowed Friday to harness all of its resources to battle the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as the company worked frantically to stay ahead of the growing disaster and the blow to its carefully constructed image of environmental responsibility.

Louisiana and federal officials said BP's efforts so far were "not adequate" and that the London company should do more, even ask for help from competitors, to contain the approximately 5,000 barrels of oil leaking each day after last week's sinking of the oil rig Deepwater Horizon.

On Friday BP mounted a spirited defense of its work to seal the leaking oil well and contain the spill, which could surpass the1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska's Prince William Sound as the worst in U.S. history. BP is the majority owner of the oil field and, with its partners, is spending about $7 million a day on the problem while BP's falling stock price has sliced about $25 billion from the company's market value.

BP said it took responsibility for the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and said they will clean it up and pay all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs. "We are determined to fight this spill on all fronts, in the deep waters of the gulf, in the shallow waters and , should it be necessary, on the shore," said BP Group Chief Executive Ton Hayward.

BP has a lot to defend. In recent years, BP has spent heavily to position itself as an environmentally friendly company, redesigning its logo into a green-and-yellow sunburst and advertising its $4-billion alternative-energy push to move "beyond petroleum." In addition, BP has been plagued by safety problems, including a March 2005 explosion at BP's Texas City refinery, which killed 15 workers and injured about 170.

Hayward became CEO only three years ago and has worked hard to restore the company's public image. This week, after an initial bobble in which the company downplayed the size of the leak at about 1,000 barrels a day, BP appears to be doing many things well to avoid outrage, down to framing itself as an ally fighting against a common enemy, experts said.

Federal officials shut down fishing from the Mississippi River to Florida Panhandle on Sunday. Sadly, the environmental disaster is still expected to take at least a week to cut off.

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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

NBC's Poor PR : Conan O'Brien reaches deal to exit `Tonight'; deal includes severance for staff

It's officially official now. In a $45 million deal, NBC and Conan O'Brien finally reached a resolution to the issues surrounding O'Brien's contract to host The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

Under terms of an agreement that was signed earlier today, NBC and O'Brien will settle their contractual obligations and the network will release O'Brien from his contract, freeing him to pursue other opportunities after September 1, 2010. O'Brien will get more than 33 million and the rest will go to his 200 staff in severance. O'Brien's last show on The Tonight Show will be this Friday, January 22.

NBC stated that Jay Leno will return as host of The Tonight Show at its regular time starting March 1st. NBC Universal Entertainment's chairman released this statement:

"We're pleased that Jay Leno is returning to host the franchise that he helmed brilliantly and successfully for many years. He is an enormous talent, a consummate professional and one of the hardest-working performers on television."

NBC should be embarrassed about the nightmare they've created. This controversy has started a ton of bad press and public relations for the entire network. First, they should have given O'Brien more time. Especially after most of the people involved uprooted their lives and moved across the country for this opportunity. Most businesses take over a year to really get going; O'Brien only had seven months! Second, the network is spending millions to break O'Brien's contract. This is such a waste for the company and shows very poor leadership. I think that NBC's chairman should resign should resign when this mess is over. Also, NBC doesn't have any 'big' shows on right now; they need some better programming. NBC could be blowing this whole situation out of proportion because of their bigger problem - poor ratings across the board. Third, Leno's current show is just bad and needs a lot of work to get back to up to the quality it was at before and ratings for that matter. Also, Leno hasn't been saying much about the matter; I think that's pretty smart. He's in a tough spot because he should support NBC for giving him a job, but at the same time, shouldn't show too much support in fear of showing agreement with their terrible process. I'm curious to see how Leno does when he returns in March, I will be stunned if he is successful.

I think that Conan's doing an awesome job handling the whole situation. His jokes about NBC are very funny and creative, yet tactful. NBC claims that O'Brien's argument to demand severance for his staff is a 'PR-ploy,' but regardless is smart. I think he's doing a great job building an audience to move to another network and start a new show and want to wish him the best.

Tiger Woods Engulfed in PR Storm

Within less than a week Tiger Wood's image has been damaged greatly. Since the report of a car crash involving the superstar, the story has grown and spiraled into allegations of a long-term love affair. Woods has yet to say anything aside from postings on his website. My public relations background and friends say this is not the way to handle his PR crisis situation.

Woods said on his website "Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn't have to mean public confessions."

I think that David Letterman did it right, he addressed his affair and alleged extortion attempt quickly. I believe that Woods has waited too long and has used vague words like "transgressions" in his online apology. If you tell all the facts, tell the truth, nothing else will stand the test of time and get it done quickly. If you tell it quickly there will be no holes for other people, such as journalists, to fill.

I must say, I am surprised that Tiger's main sponsors such as Nike, Gillette and Gatorade are still supporting him. However, I suppose he still is a good golfer and will continue to be. Maybe his career is the reason they are still holding on.

It will be interesting to see if he can recover his brand and image. The next few weeks and months will tell.

Black Friday Nightmare Makes Change

Tomorrow marks one of the largest shopping days in the year. Stores will offer great sales on products and customers will line up early (some even today) to get their hands on them. I was disappointed in the human race when I heard the news last Black Friday that a Wal-Mart employee died from being trampled by shoppers after opening the doors.

The 34-year-old male employee was pronounced dead an hour after shoppers came through the doors of the shopping center in Valley Stream, Long Island, about 5 a.m. and knocked him down, police said. Wal-Mart called the incident rare and said they didn't know of any other employee deaths related to Black Friday. A Wal-Mart representative Dan Fogleman called the incident a "tragic situation, ... The safety and security of our customers and associates is our top priority," Fogleman said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this difficult time. Police said about 2,000 people had gathered outside the doors before the Wal-Mart opened at the suburban location about 20 miles east of Manhattan. A crowd pushed the man to the ground at 5:03 a.m., three minutes after the store opened, leaving a metal portion of the door crumpled like an accordion. Wal-Mart worked closely with the police, but those who trampled the man to death could not be identified in order to prosecute them.

Wal-Mart is making big procedure changes for this year's Black Friday sale after what happened. This year the company is keeping its stores open 24 hours on Thanksgiving Day. That will make it unnecessary for shoppers to converge outside for pre-dawn openings. Other changes include handing out maps so shoppers can quickly find hot sale items, and keeping those items far apart so big crowds don't form. Other retailers are making similar changes. Prosecutors considered criminal charges after the guard's death. Instead they let Wal-Mart Stores pay a nearly $2 million settlement after it agreed to the sweeping.

I think this is a terrible situation and I blame the public much more than Wal-Mart. Overall, I think Wal-Mart did a good job handling this crisis. I do not know what more they could have done except give the man's family more money, but that doesn't really fix anything.

I will be out there shopping tomorrow, I don't mean to frighten you off! Hopefully nothing like this ever happens again, it makes us as people sound terrible. I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving (and Happy Black Friday) too!

On Santa's Wish List: H1N1 Vaccine

Why not eliminate the potential PR crisis and give Santa the H1N1 vaccine? Santa America, a group representing Santa impersonators, is asking the federal government to put Santa on the priority list for getting a swine flu vaccination, similar to healthcare workers or infant caregivers. Also, the group is asking parents not to bring sick children to the mall.

Right now unless the people playing Santa or his helpers at local malls and events have a preexisting medical condition that qualify them to get the shot, they are not eligible to receive one. Officials said more groups may be allowed to get the vaccine in the future, but right now vaccine supplies remain limited to certain high-risk groups.

Just think what a public relations nightmare it would be if one of the most popular Santa’s in the Twin Cities, such as the one at Macy’s, Bachman’s or the Mall of America, caught H1N1 and gave it to a child (or many!) Yikes! I’m surprised the actual employers of the Santa's are not supporting the idea more. No matter what I think that those who are going to be Santa this holiday should be put on the H1N1 vaccine priority list. Their job makes them them very acceptable to catching something, especially H1N1 since little people often are carriers. If a Santa caught the disease it would be very dangerous to themselves and to their other little visitors.