Posts Tagged ‘public relations’

Network by Rubbing Elbows (Literally)

December 8th, 2011 by Jamie Porter

Thanks to an innovative airline, the CEO you’ve always wanted to meet may be just on the other side of the armrest.

According to the Huffington Post, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines announced a future service allowing passengers to attach social media profiles to their seat assignment. Using “Social Seating”, fellow travelers will be able to search LinkedIn and Facebook profiles for a perfect seatmate at online check-in. 

Social media is now a standard way for people to connect, but rarely has it led to almost instantaneous face-to-face rendezvous, (outside of location-based services such as “FourSquare,” of course). If “Social Seating” sparks a trend it could make dating, job-hunting and forming business partnerships a little easier.

 And what could this mean for PR? Sit next to a top marketing exec and your impromptu pitch lasts coast to coast. Sit next to a news editor and land your client a feature by the time you land. 

 Well, it’s probably not that simple. But, “Social Seating” may at least help establish long-term business relationships. A busy editor could forget which Twitter follower pitched him as soon as the story goes to press, but might correspond regularly with the guy he chatted up on his 2-hour trip home. (Or there’s always the flip-side where he might purposely avoid sitting next to a PR person to avoid a pitch!)

 How many people actually welcome in-flight conversation? Some look forward to the few hours of connectivity-free peace. It will be interesting to see if fear of getting stuck next to a chatterbox hinders the optional “Social Seating” use.

 If the airplane isn’t the correct venue, perhaps more traditional hang-out spots will use social media in similar ways. (That is, if social media privacy isn’t a concern.)  

 What do you think? Would you try “Social Seating?”

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=982

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To Tweet or Not to Tweet?

September 27th, 2011 by Kristin Scheidegger

Over the past few years there have been thousands of articles discussing social media strategies, highlighting how or when social media is right for a company. While most have already taken the plunge, there are still some who wonder when and if your company should jump into the social media sphere? And furthermore, once you’ve taken the plunge which of the various social media tools are right for your company.

While this is a complex question, as each company is unique, social media plans need to be highly tailored to the needs of each company as an individual. There is no one size fits all answer when it comes to effective social media programs.

Each company needs to be practical about its bandwidth when considering adding social media to the mix of existing communication strategies. The bottom line is: while social media is a beneficial addition, it can be VERY time consuming. As such, some companies have gone as far as creating full time social media positions to handle blog writing and managing various social media sites. Others have PR agencies manage their program.

Social media is the start of a new relationship with a company’s audience and just like any other relationship it takes a commitment and regular maintenance. It is not perceived well by the social media audience if a company’s last blog post was months ago, or if the Twitter handle hasn’t been tweeted from for even a week. A major component of credibility in social media is in the real time updates and real time interaction so before a Twitter handle or Facebook page is created, you must first consider: Do we have the time and resources to dedicate to social media?

Once the logistics of bandwidth and frequency have been sorted through, a company must then consider the various social media components that will be best suited for that company. A strong rule of thumb is to start with a Twitter handle to help build a social media following and help the company get a better handle on what’s involved with a social media program. While there are numerous social media tools to consider, the most commonly used forums by companies include a corporate blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Explore the Top Four

Corporate Blog
A corporate blog allows company visibility for potential clients, business opportunities and target audiences. It also gives the company the opportunity to generate conversations through thought provoking pieces, from the company execs to the sales people, reflecting on topics relevant to the company’s industry. It is a welcomed addition to any thought leadership program.

Twitter
Twitter is a highly effective means for reaching editors within your industry, target audiences, potential clients or customers, competitors, investors and so forth. The ability to reach target audiences of all facets at no cost can be extremely valuable to your brand. In 140 characters or less, your company can communicate its key messages, thoughtfully interact with industry leaders, provide thought leadership content via articles and websites or share its latest company news. For a company, Twitter is essentially a way to have continual and ongoing two-way conversation with significant stakeholders within its industry.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional social media forum that effectively acts as a digital resume. It’s definitely worth having for any company who is embarking in social media. LinkedIn gives your company presence in the social media world by providing company history and background information. From the company standpoint it is also a great tool to recruit new hires as well as post new company positions. LinkedIn is a more corporate form of social media where different forums can be created by industry or by topic to discuss current industry issues with a likeminded audience.

Facebook
When most companies think about social media they automatically think that they must have a Facebook page because it is so popular and widespread. However, Facebook isn’t the right fit for every company. Before starting a Facebook page, consider your target audience and how you would like your brand to communicate with that audience. As Facebook is predominantly made up of a general audience of consumers, it is more effective for brands who interface directly with this audience compared to a brand who has a niche value proposition for a segmented audience (i.e. semiconductor company to engineers).

Additionally, from a media relations perspective, Facebook is not a tool where connecting with key analysts and editors happens as easily because of the exclusivity with privacy settings and having to “add friends” in order to have a public conversation. Aside from not reaching as an extensive audience as Twitter, most companies generally end up posting the same content on Twitter and Facebook. In a sense, this creates extra work but lacks reaching the broad audience of Twitter.

Still Confused?… Don’t be!

As more social media sites continue to emerge, the debate between which forums are right for your company will continue. It’s important to always remember that not every social media channel is right for every company. It’s also critical to be realistic about bandwidth and the company’s capability to efficiently manage each social media platform with thoughtful, real-time updates. All in all, companies do need to be involved with social media to some extent, it’s just important to thoroughly evaluate which tools are right before implementing a program. Now join the conversation!

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Think Before You Tweet

June 17th, 2011 by Kristin Scheidegger

Children all over America are taught to think before they act. In today’s 21st century shift to all things digital, one would think that wise phrase would still apply. Yet over the past few months I’ve noticed many scandals in the public-sphere that occurred as a result of thoughtlessly or even recklessly posting private information on Twitter. Perhaps people are unaware that an estimated 20 million people visit Twitter each month, and its network comprises hundreds of millions of users.

In an age where hackers are breaking down corporations like Sony, it’s hard to imagine placing content on the web, regardless of privacy options, without thinking that you distributed information that is accessible to the masses. Unfortunately many reputable brands have made costly mistakes via social media platforms.

What we must understand about social media tools is that thinking before we post is not merely about the content a company puts out, but what that content can potentially do for a brand. After the uprising in Egypt, Kenneth Cole distastefully sought the revolution out as a way to promote their new spring line, tweeting “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo, rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo.” As you might imagine, this tweet spread like wildfire to Twitter’s unhappy users, and Kenneth Cole was forced to take down the offensive tweet and donate money to the cause.

Soon there after, the country of Japan was devastated by an earthquake and a related tsunami. Microsoft was quick to jump on this tragedy by tweeting “How you can #SupportJapan – http://binged.it/fEh7iT. For every retweet, @bing will give $1 to Japan quake victims, up to $100K.” Had Microsoft not learned anything from the Kenneth Cole situation? This backed-handed scheme to gain more followers of Microsoft’s new search engine was a tasteless way of taking advantage of a tragic situation.

More recently Duke Nukem, a video game that has seen many iterations over the years, was on the hot seat for their PR firm’s tactics. The firm publically threatened outlets who reviewed the recently released game Duke Nukem Forever tweeting, “#AlwaysBetOnDuke Too many went too far with their reviews.. we r reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn’t based on today’s venom.” Although this type of retribution had been going on quietly behind the scenes in the world of game reviewing, this was the first time anyone ever had the nerve to announce it so plainly. Review us well or we’ll make it hard for you to do your job.

This type of public intimidation has the potential to harm Duke Nukem’s credibility as a video game company, while simultaneously calling into question the professionalism and ethics of the PR firm.

And, dare I even mention the ongoing Representative Weiner twitter scandal? I think it should be obvious by this point that posting lewd pictures of oneself and posting it to Twitter is not positive publicity, no matter how buff.

What I am getting at here is that our social media tools have a very real capability of going viral and reaching millions of people. Once a message is disseminated into the masses, it’s out forever, even deleting from your account doesn’t really fully retract a statement. Who would have ever thought that the integrity of a brand could be lost by the simple click of a single button?  It’s imperative to remember that one negatively skewed 140 character tweet has the power to reach the same number of people that a positive tweet would.

So think before you tweet – it’s that simple.

 

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What You Can Learn about PR from Moving

June 10th, 2011 by Mark Karayan

I had to move to a new apartment last weekend and even though I’m finally happily living in San Francisco (a goal three years in the making), it was a process that was incredibly stressful and overwhelming.

From XKCD

Similar to launching a PR campaign for a client, no matter how many times you’ve done it before and planned in advance, there are always new problems that arise and make your job more difficult. Here’s what I learned from moving recently that I can tie back to a career in public relations:

  1. Timing is Everything
    I’m not sure why I planned my vacation to Hawaii in the same month that my lease ended, but I did, and it will be the last time that ever happens. 

    Whether you’re launching a campaign or announcing something over the wire, you will know when the industry trade shows are, typically down to the week. ALWAYS have these shows in mind when planning with your clients, otherwise your top editors will often be too busy to focus on your news.

  2. Have a Backup Plan
    U-Haul was kind enough to not have ANY record of my confirmed truck rental the day I was moving (did I mention it was pouring rain outside?). Even with the printed e-mail and confirmation number on-hand, they had to scramble to try to find a truck with my requirements or face my wrath, which would truly have been a terrible sight to behold. I should have rented a second truck at a competing company and canceled it when it wasn’t necessary. Often times your credit card isn’t charged until the job is complete and the cancellation is easy to do. 

    I’m not saying that your wire service will lose your release, but there are times that releases aren’t approved to go out till the last minute. Who puts that over the wire? Is he or she available and aware that this is his or her responsibility? What happens if a company within your sector comes out of stealth mode the same day and gains all the press? Anticipate the worst and propose these scenarios to your client so alternative plans are clear ahead of time.

  3. Everyone Should Help – You Don’t “Got This”
    Originally I had three friends assigned to help me and I had turned down help from all others…that changed about an hour in to the process when everything in the truck was getting wet so we had to move faster and we needed another set of hands to tie down equipment (and also needed the actual rope to tie things down with >_>). 

    Utilize your staff. Not the team, your staff. Pull resources from other groups if you have to; get the interns to quadruple-check material that had already been triple-checked before; ask the woman down the hall who always says “hi” to you in the elevator to pitch in if you need to. Don’t feel that any incremental help is “a waste.”

  4. The Small Things Matter:
    Why did I leave my ironing board, desk lamp and bathroom mats behind? You will feel pretty ridiculous walking around San Francisco with an over-priced ironing board you had to re-purchase under your arm like a surfer looking for the beach. 

    In our business, attention to all the small details is crucial, but it should always be emphasized as the small things are easy to disregard and can mean big disasters.

  5. Have a Beer and Pizza:
    Or a glass of wine – to each his own. Nothing celebrates the completion of a hard task better than some cheap food and an alcoholic beverage. Seriously. Whether the move/campaign was a success or not, this is where you are now. Sit back, take it in and know that you deserve this moment of bliss after all the hard work.
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I’m not that Timothy Johnson

April 13th, 2011 by Tim Johnson

For the last six weeks, a wave of emails has gone back and forth over an email exchange between mig33’s PR representative, Timothy Johnson and TechCrunch. For those who believe all publicity is good publicity, think again. I’ve received a bunch of emails asking if I’m that Timothy Johnson. Happily, I am not.

Questioning and berating decisions by editors at an influential source such as TechCrunch is typically not the path to success. PR teams must be passionate about the clients they serve and should absolutely report significant client milestones to media, industry analysts and other influencers. Unfortunately, sometimes these influencers might think our client’s milestones aren’t as significant as we do, are less important than other companies’ milestones, or may be swamped with other news to cover in a given news cycle.

In that kind of situation, our role is to develop new, creative strategies that create value for the influencer and encourage them to take a new look at our clients. New strategies might be to tie a client’s news into a new, previously unreported trend, hold the news about the milestone and tie it to a more significant piece of news, such as a new product announcement, or generate our own news, by executing a survey, for example, that reveals new twists on end users’ attitudes and behaviors.

However, TechCrunch editors should remember that PR people spend a lot of time providing useful information that editors wouldn’t otherwise have the time to uncover, given the level of cutbacks at many media these days. It’s as incumbent on media to create a modus vivendi with PR people as it is for the PR community to establish fruitful working relationships with media.

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Mobilize Your Communications Program

April 11th, 2011 by Pam Njissang

Morgan Stanley indicates that mobile internet browsing will exceed desktop internet by 2013. Gartner predicts that by 2013 mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide. It’s not news to anyone that the mobile web is the next frontier of communications.  But, in order to avoid being blind-sided much like many were with the social media phenomenon, the time is ripe for assessing how this will impact your communications program.  Per the statistics noted above, not just mobile phones, but new handheld devices currently making a splash in the market like netbooks, the iPad and other tablets mean that mobile browsing will only continue to grow.  As such, communications practices will have to adapt to how people access their information.

This shift represents an evolution of the “always on, always connected” consumer.  Much like how social media extends the engagement of a brand or product away from the desktop, mobile devices allow people to stay in touch with their networks anywhere they are and during any time.  Imagine the boundless opportunities for your communications program.

What exactly will change and how will you adapt your communications plans to include a mobile strategy?  The first step is acknowledgement.  Be proactive and include discussions about your mobile communications strategy NOW or at least in your next planning meeting.  While the best mobile communications strategies are still being debated and tested out, it’s imperative that mobile is part of the dialogue when thinking about future communication plans.  At the very least, keep yourself in the loop by reading up on best practices currently being shared online so you can be prepared to provide some insight when your CEO asks what your mobile communications strategy consists of.

As for us, we’re keeping ourselves busy brainstorming, testing out and soon implementing some of these new strategies.  We’ll be sure to share our experiences and hope to hear about yours.

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21st Century Media: A Forum for Airing Dirty Laundry?

March 17th, 2011 by Kristin Scheidegger

With the rise of all things digital, media outlet offerings have dramatically changed from once-a-day news briefings to instant news updates. This real-time reaction has become the new norm as editors and journalists are able to get the latest and greatest story out there immediately using their online editions, blogs, and even twitter. But, are these instantaneous news flashes always a good thing?

Over the past week, online publications have been flooded with stories about AOL’s $315 million acquisition of the Huffington Post. Stories have expressed skepticism, questioning future plans, and editors leaving AOL. While we expect to hear buzz surrounding a large merger, the one involving AOL and the Huffington Post has been amplified by the fact that this has been a media merger. One particularly interesting story that has emerged has been the feud that has arisen from the acquisition; some are going so as far to call it a celebrity media death match.

Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, wrote an article in NY Magazine late last week, which ruffled some of the feathers of staff at the Huffington Post. Keller accused Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor in chief of the Huffington Post, of aggregation that stemmed back to a panel they both sat on last April discussing the outlook for journalism.

And thanks to today’s real-time reporting, by 7 p.m. that same night, Arianna had posted a heated article refuting Keller’s allegations of aggregation.

Over the past week I’ve followed this public dispute via Bill Keller and Arianna Huffington’s Twitter feeds, and I’ve also read various online publications that have been commenting, blogging and tweeting as the clash continues to unfold. As a PR professional, I can’t help but raise the question, is this type of reactive communication good for your brand? Remember, your brand is you; it’s all that you have in the public forum, good or bad.

As two prominent public figures, is it safe for them to air their dirty laundry on two particularly reputable publications? As the digital age reshapes the way editors and journalists play the media field, I believe it is still most important to keep your own brand in mind. That said, should this really be a public conversation?

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You GO Girl!

March 8th, 2011 by Pam Njissang

Today is the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day.  Did you know that?  I didn’t, but my curiosity about today’s Google logo led me to do some digging and find out some interesting facts related to women’s contributions.  According to Google, women perform two-thirds of the world’s work and produce half the world’s food, but earn just 10% of the income and own 1% of the property.*  As a woman executive, this is mind-blowing and led me to do even more digging.

While I’m ashamed it took Google to enlighten me about today’s special occasion, I can say I’m proud to be part of a profession that enables women to excel and have their voices heard (albeit even if our voices are used mostly to help promote our clients, but that’s an entirely different blog post).  I ran across this paper on PRSA’s website that I thought would be appropriate to flag on this day of recognition.  Suzannah A. Patterson, Assistant Professor at Valdosta State University (at the time of writing) wrote an essay called, “Examining The Role of Women in the Development of Public Relations”.  In it she documents women’s contributions to the history of public relations by highlighting the work of 27 women throughout American history (from the 17th – 20th century).

Her introduction notes:

With women representing up to 90 percent of students engaged in the study of public relations in most universities, they must be provided an appropriate history that includes appropriate role models.  Today’s women public relations students not only wish to make a living in the practice of public relations, but like their predecessors, wish to evoke change through their effective use of public relations.  In addition, the early contributions of women to the development of public relations are both noteworthy in their own right and essential to a comprehensive understanding of the field.  These early women provided voices for those silenced, marginalized, and disenfranchised.  Furthermore, these early women spoke in the service of a free, peaceful, equitable, and civil society.

While written about a year and a half ago, the message in this paper is still very relevant in this growing field of public relations.  In short, it’s an empowering read especially considering the fact that just a couple of generations ago women didn’t even have the right to vote.  Patterson ends her discussion with a powerful statement that makes me, as a woman practicing public relations, not only proud and honored to follow the in the footsteps of these women who came before us, but also reminds me of the impact our profession has on the way businesses, governments and people convey their messages.

“The practice of public relations involves the negotiation of power.  Those with power can exercise coercion to mandate change.  Those without power must be persuasive to evoke change.  From the seventeenth century until they won the right to vote in 1920, women determined to change the structure or function of society had little choice but to employ public relations strategies, tactics, and tools” (Patterson).

So, to all women in the field of public relations, three words… YOU GO GIRL!

P.S. Adding a plug for Google since they hipped me to today’s special day.  Please visit http://www.google.com/events/iwd2011/ to find out more about International Women’s Day and to select a cause to support.

 

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BP’s Public Relations Less than Slick

June 1st, 2010 by Tim Johnson

We certainly do not know every detail of how BP has handled communications surrounding the oil rig explosion on April 20 and ensuing oil slick, but it is safe to say that the only thing spreading faster than the oil is the number of people pointing fingers.

It is clear that BP did not get in front of the issue and allowed itself to be put in the position of reacting to events, rather than driving them. It’s not too late for BP to create a leadership position, but will require expansive thinking and fast action. Management should first stop casting blame on its contractors Halliburton and TransOcean. This type of activity simply begs Congressional Committees to dig deeper. Even President Obama got into the fray and told the CEOs of the three companies to stop the blame game

Further, BP should consider a bold step that will show Congress, regulators and the oil industry at large that it is serious about both safety and environmental protection. Something like creating a consortium of energy companies that develops basic procedures and safety standards, as well as creates a fund that would be used to clean up spills and protect the environment going forward.

Next, BP needs to get in front of the liability question. There is currently a $75 million cap that will be a drop in the final clean up cost bucket. At a recent press conference, BP was pressed to define its statement that it will pay “all legitimate claims.” While reluctant to extend its already massive liability, BP should more carefully define what it will pay – or Congress may define it for them.

Finally, BP must address the environmental issue. New reports contend that there is an enormous pool of oil under the service that is cutting off oxygen to sea life. This pool is potentially more damaging than the slick on the surface. BP has to come clean about exactly how much oil is surging from the well, the potential environmental effects and announce a plan to mitigate these effects.

Capping the well is critical, trying to cap off the flow information about the disaster is a failed strategy and is ensuring that new details leak out piecemeal and prolong the public relations disaster for BP.

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