The Hired Hand

As someone who grew up in the Florida panhandle, I viewed the entire BP oil spill disaster with more than just mere distaste. I viewed it as an assault to my home, my memories, and to some of the most beautiful beaches around.

I visited Pensacola Beach in the summer of 2010, just a few months after the disastrous event. Telltale signs of the oil spill were everywhere. Docked in Pensacola was a huge contraption, what appeared to be an oil-removal system. It was a sobering symbol of the spill. The Escambia County Health Department posted signs at the beach warning beachgoers of tar balls and more. The fresh fish and seafood I so longed to eat was in short supply, thanks to the oil spill.

Tourism, along with the commercial fishing industry, is the Gulf Coast’s lifeblood, particularly in Florida. According to an analysis by Oxford Economics, the BP oil spill is projected to impact Gulf Coast tourism for at least three years, and cost the region $22.7 billion.

According to the BP website, “BP has committed a total of $92 million over a three year period for the states to use to promote tourism.” Of course, the section of the site devoted to the recently launched ad campaign, “Best Season,” never once mentions WHY the company is sponsoring the tourism ads. Out of the goodness of its own heart? Out of guilt? Fear of further lawsuits?

The ad campaign does more than tout Gulf Coast tourism; it indirectly – yet blatantly – promotes BP itself. You see, the BP name and logo appear at the end of each spot. Sort of like a tar ball on pristine white sand.

If you ask me, it’s a bit self-serving for BP.

You can see the BP ads here: http://www.youtube.com/bp#p/u/2/sKCdZcMM9BM

As for the ads themselves, I like the fact that they feature people who actually live and work in the area. Now that I live in the Northeast, I miss that Southern drawl.

As for the motivation behind the ads, I’ll say this to the folks at BP: Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves, ya hear?

PR folks all across the country are waxing poetic about Penn State’s public relations catastrophe. Commentary has mainly focused on PSU’s action, inaction and reaction to the PR crisis.

While I wholeheartedly agree that this is a PR crisis of the greatest magnitude, there are other PR-related issues to consider. The main issue is one of ethics.

As an outsider, I can’t say what PR staff members at Penn State knew or when they knew it. However, this scandal is rife with lessons for the PR community. It’s the perfect opportunity for all public relations professionals to be reminded of industry-accepted ethics.

The code of conduct for the Public Relations Society of America – the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals – includes the following values (followed by my somewhat rhetorical questions):

• Advocacy: We serve the public interest….

Would knowledge of or participation in a cover-up of sexual molestation of youths be considered in the public interest?

• Honesty: We adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.

The operative words here are “accuracy” and “truth” – do these seem like an oxymoron when used in conjunction with Penn State’s handling of the situation?

• Expertise: …We build mutual understanding, credibility, and relationships among a wide array of institutions and audiences.

Has Penn State’s credibility as an academic institution suffered due to the scandal?

• Independence: …We are accountable for our actions.

Can Penn State officials sleep soundly at night?

• Loyalty: We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.

If there is a major conflict between the two, who wins?

• Fairness: We deal fairly with … employers, competitors, peers, … the media, and the general public.

What’s fair about no one speaking up on behalf of innocent boys?

Another area of public relations that begs discussion in light of this scandal is that of branding and reputation. We’re talking Joe Paterno.

Undoubtedly, those who suffered the most here were the youths allegedly taken advantage of by Jerry Sandusky. But football coach Joe Paterno is also a victim of the tragedy. While his downfall was precipitated by his lack of action or follow-through, this whole debacle has nevertheless sullied his good name.

Let’s face it, Paterno was a legend on – and off – the field. He remains a legend on – and off – campus. He donated millions to the Penn State library system. A library is even named after the Paternos.

What this scandal illustrates, however, is that no matter how much good one does for society, it takes only one negative news story (or a barrage of news stories) to obliterate it all. Will Paterno be remembered for his gridiron greatness or for his role in the Sandusky scandal?

Only time will tell.

A contraption for mixologists and lexicologists

After a hard day at work, slaving over my keyboard, it’s often nice to relax with a drink in hand. Now, thanks to this hand-dandy invention, I can use a keyboard to mix up my very own libations.

It’s called the Typewriter Cocktail Machine, and it lets you mix your own drinks by typing in a word. Let’s say you’re a copywriter looking for a boost of creativity. Just type in “creativity” and see what concoction you’ve created.

Oh, for those of you who don’t know what a typewriter is… it’s what those of us used in the Dark Ages before computers. It involved paper, a ribbon, ink, and the clickety-clack of typewriter keys. And Wite-Out.

I’ve often eaten my own words, but never drank them. There’s a first for everything.

If I got my hands on the Typewriter Cocktail Machine (literally), I’d want to know what “rainbow” tastes like. Or “espionage.” Or “genius.” How about “Zumba”? Or maybe “world peace.”

Actually I’ve always wanted a taste of “success.”

Now that’s my “type” of drink. L’chayim.

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Some people talk the talk. And some walk the walk. And some, like entrepreneur Jeff Pulver, do both.

Pulver organized the recent BrandsConf – “Exploring the Humanization of Brands” – in New York. As emcee for the daylong event, Pulver certainly put a human face on the conference. He gave each presenter a big hug as he or she walked onstage, and another hug after the presentation. You could say he Pulver-ized the participants by embracing their ideas – and embracing them literally.

The BrandsConf was part of the #140Conf series, with individual presentations limited to 10 minutes and panels from 10 to 20 minutes. These events are based on the Twitter concept of brevity, where posts are limited to 140 characters. It was like speed dating on steroids for branding; the day featured more than 50 presenters.

Successful brands must know their audience, and Pulver’s format was perfect for this attention-deficit group. A glance around the darkened audience revealed the eerie glow of laptop, tablet and smart phone screens. But were these audience members really engaged?

I can think of several times during the day when the audience was riveted to the stage. As if reinforcing the day’s themes of community and storytelling, all eyes where on the big screen (not laptops, tablets or smart phones) when Tony Heffernan showed a video tribute to his young daughter, who died of Battens Disease. The father from Ireland, whose son also was diagnosed with disease, launched beeforbattens.org to provide support and information. His story made an emotional connection with others, compelling them to engage.

Greg Corbin also managed to grab the audience’s attention. Corbin, executive director of the Philly Youth Poetry Movement, is passionate about what he does. It shows. And it’s contagious. He shared a poem with the audience, and they listened. There’s a lesson here as well. Sometimes, if we change the manner in which we present our message, it’s more likely to be heard. I’m not saying all our ads need to rhyme like Dr. Seuss, but we need to make our message stand out from all the clutter.

It’s no surprise that Mallika Chopra, CEO of Intent.com and daughter of physician/spiritual healer Deepak Chopra, asked the audience members to close their eyes for a moment of meditation. It was a brilliant exercise, for it forced the digital addicts to turn their attention inward – away from their devices – if only for a short time.

Gideon Gidori and Leah Albert also managed to capture the attention of the audience. So who are they? The masterminds behind Fortune 500 companies? The next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg? They’re more likely to be the next Neil Armstrong or Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (she’s the president of Libya, BTW, and the only elected female head of state in Africa). You seen, Leah and Gideon are 7th-grade students at the Shepherds Junior School in Tanzania. So what where they doing at a brands conference in New York, you ask? Their moving stories illustrated how personal experiences can be used to help garner support for a cause and help shed light on social justice issues. Their tiny yet confident voices resonated with the audience, proving that you don’t have to shout your message in order to be heard.

In a brands conference that focused mainly on social media and online communication, it’s not unusual to hear the term bytes or to discuss cookies and their impact on marketing. However, it was the edible kind of cookie that was mentioned on more than one occasion.

DoubleTree Hotels celebrated the 25th anniversary of its popular chocolate chip cookie last summer with a cross-country Cookie CAREavan. A hotel-sponsored food truck visited major cities, giving out free cookies at every stop. The event was considered a huge success, resulting in more than 2 million media impressions and 35,000 Facebook friends.

Jonathan Kay, ambassador of buzz for Grasshopper.com, used cookies to thank a blogger. Grasshopper provides virtual phone systems for small businesses. A blogger with a modest following wrote about the Grasshopper service, and Kay said Grasshopper sent him three homemade cookies as a thank-you. It’s another example of how a brand can connect one-on-one with its customers.

If you were to ask organizer Pulver, he’d probably say social media is one big group hug. It’s about reaching out to your audience, listening, and responding in a caring and informative matter.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a group hug.

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Living within a train ride’s distance from New York City has its advantages. Like being able to sit in the audience for a national TV talk show.

Two years after my friend had applied online for free tickets, she received confirmation that she had finally received them. You’d think she had won the lottery.

I was one of her lucky friends invited to accompany her to The Big Apple. We began our journey at the crack of dawn, and it paid off – we got to the studio so early that we were allowed to sit in on two tapings that day. A stand-up comedian (actually more like a cheerleader on speed) and snacks were part of the effort to “prime” the audience for the actual tapings.

During the first taping, everyone in the audience received two tickets each to a Broadway show. As someone who’s usually on the other end of product placement, I had to laugh at the audience’s naïveté. It was obvious that the majority of those in the studio audience thought the tickets were courtesy of the show itself. Of course, I knew better.

If I were to thank anyone, it would be the producers of the show and the theater hosting it. The tickets were for a weeknight performance, most likely when ticket sales are lower, and probably given as an effort to fill the house. To be honest, I don’t care who donated the tickets or what the reasons were; I was just happy to have two tickets in hand.

There’s another element of PR that was lost on at least one of the TV hosts. During breaks in taping, the hosts would come out on the set to interact with members of the studio audience. My friends and I noticed that all but one of the hosts came out to mingle with the “commoners.” We couldn’t help but wonder: Was she too good for the likes of us? Is she a diva? Who does she think she is? She fell several notches on our PR Richter scales.

As we sat through taping of the second show, we hit the jackpot. One segment was devoted to showcasing the season’s “hottest” products. I’m sure that “hot” was defined by which company was willing to cough up enough swag for the couple hundred people in the studio audience.

But that was irrelevant to us. Everyone in the audience won a tablet and accessories, worth more than $400. We also received online vouchers for shoes (two different brands), apparel, food and more. And we had to lug home on the train a kitchen item and other goodies. At least we also received a large tote bag in which to stash it all.

To be honest, I had never purchased anything from most of the companies providing the swag. Did it convert me into a paying customer? Maybe. I had thought about purchasing at least one of the items previously and, after having an opportunity to try out the product gratis, I was sold.

So is product placement of this magnitude worth it to a company? I think it depends on the cost of the product – and use of the product. A food item, for instance, is enjoyed and then gone forever. Even though the tablet was a high-ticket item, it will be used often – and for years. A company must weigh the cost of the promotion against the prospect of acquiring loyal customers. Calculating the lifetime value of these new customers will help determine whether a company should go the swag route.

However, the true value of the swag is not with the studio audience, but with the millions of viewers in TV land. The cost per number of impressions for on-air swag, compared to the exorbitant cost of a 30- or 60-second commercial, is nominal. Plus the company enjoys the PR benefits of additional airtime and the perceived endorsement of the TV hosts.

As a member of the studio audience, however, I would beg to disagree. I think we won the lottery.

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I recently attended a networking event in Philadelphia sponsored by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). In case you were wondering, IABC is a global network of communication professionals committed to improving organizational communication.

Guest speaker for the evening was Mark Schulman, international chair for IABC. He admitted that he started out “old school” (typewriters and carbon paper) but has transitioned to “new school” (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Schulman referred to the journalistic style of writing known as the inverted pyramid – the most important information is first, followed by less important details. (We’ll discuss this further in an upcoming article.)

Those of us in the audience who went to journalism school nodded as he reviewed basic news style: the five W’s and the H (who, what, where, when, why and how). He says all that has changed. Thanks to the Internet, people have a hunger for instant communication. He proceeded to explain how we all can reinvent ourselves in this new playing field. Conveniently, the points he made formed a familiar acronym:

I – Insight

Learn about the audiences we’re trying to reach. That makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? If you don’t know your audience, how will you succeed in selling them your product or service?

A – Access

Give your audience access to experiences. Your goal should be to create an experience for people that will motivate them to share with others. Online, in person, over the phone – that means giving them not only the chance to listen but to be heard.

B – Business

It all comes down to return on investment (ROI). There’s much more pressure today to be accountable. You must be able to measure results, whatever you do. For example, what exactly is the impact of social media on your business?

C – Craft

For the communicators in the audience, that meant we must continue to refine our craft – the message. For business owners like you, it means going back to basics. Set objectives. Measure results. Commit to clear thinking and communicating.

The CEO needs to rethink his or her title as Chief Experience Officer. Offer opportunities for true two-way interaction with your customer. If you decide to blog, remember that it’s a conversation, not a soapbox.

So get out there and talk to your customers and potential customers. But when you do, be prepared to listen.

By the way, I hold professional accreditation from the IABC. Its website offers many resources accessible to non-members as well.

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Where do you begin if you want to promote your business, its products or services?

First, get out there and network. Go to a local chamber of commerce meeting. If you’re a woman business owner, find a women’s networking group in your area. Hook up with a networking group such as Meetup or LeTip. Offer to be a guest speaker at a Rotary, PTO or other community meeting.

Think like a politician. Be a presence (have a booth/table) at local community events. And if you do, be sure to have signage, marketing materials and a sign-in sheet to capture the contact information of potential customers. You also may want to hand out freebies with your company’s name/logo on them. Don’t forget to follow up – send a simple email or make a quick phone call thanking each person for stopping by your booth.

Start branding your business – in print and online. Have professional brochures and/or fliers printed that you can leave at locations in your area. Check with your library – many libraries offer bulletin boards for free posting of community news and happenings. If you’re on the road a lot, have magnetic signs made for your vehicle.

Even if you’re not selling your product/service online, you need an online presence. Sites such as GoDaddy.com have templates that make it easy to get started and monthly fees for hosting your site are reasonable.

Once you have a site, submit it to the search engines and business directories. Write articles for your site – and others – that position yourself as an expert in your field. Links from other sites to yours will boost your ranking in the search engines.

Get to know the local media. While you may have your sights set on the area’s major metropolitan daily newspaper, start with your community publications first. These smaller publications are usually short-staffed and are looking for news items. In Bucks County, for example, the Courier Times business section runs a feature article a local business each week. If you can tie in to a current issue in the news, such as the lagging economy, even better. Of course, you always can pay for advertising as well. Remember, it’s a business write-off.

If you have a brick-and-mortar business, have signage that shouts “Grand Opening” so that passers-by will know you exist.

Don’t forget word-of-mouth marketing. Tell all your friends about your new business, and encourage them to spread the word.

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You’ve heard the story of the cobbler’s kids. Their father was so busy making shoes for everyone else that his kids went around shoeless. I haven’t been exactly blogless. I have a blog – I’ve just been remiss about posting regularly.

When Barack Obama was elected president, I had planned on blogging about it. Fortunately, our president is still a timely topic – especially when it comes to public relations.

Think about it. The president is the ultimate pitch man. During the campaign, he was busy pitching the voters. He even went abroad to prove himself in the arena of world politics. Since his election, Obama is still pitching. Depending on his audience, he’ll throw a fastball, a curveball, a breaking (news) pitch.

This is PR 101 at its most basic. We distinguish between internal and external communications. The president – and his speechwriters – must put a somewhat positive spin on any given situation, for any given audience. But, as with any message, the content is only part of the package. He must be perceived as sincere and believable.

The key word here is “perceived.” It’s all about perception. Obama could give the speech of his life, but if it isn’t well received, then it’s all for naught.

The same holds true for advertising. You can have a great campaign but the claim must be believable. You also have to be careful that the creative is not so clever that it overpowers the brand (as is sometimes the case, as with big-budget Super Bowl TV spots). How many ads can you remember from the Super Bowl? How many of those ads can you associate with a brand?

Which brings me to “Mad Men.” (Yes, I had an ulterior motive here.) I think it’s brilliant TV. And it gives an honestly brutal look at the ad industry of yesteryear. Having worked on both the agency and the client side – and having witnessed my share of smoking and boozing along the way (notice I said “witnessed,” not “participated in”) – I have to wonder just how much (or little) the industry has changed in the past few decades.

We may have migrated from radio to TV to the web to mobile advertising, but these are all just channels. The message is still king (or queen, to be politically correct).

Long live the queen.

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So what does the Phillies’ World Series victory have to do with PR?

Let’s start with Comcast and “the curse.” Philadelphia lore has it that no building was to be taller than city hall, with William Penn’s statue at the top. No Philly sports team has won a championship since the 1987 construction of the One Liberty Place skyscraper, which overshadowed City Hall. And thus the Philadelphia sports curse began. In 2007, the Comcast building rose in the Philly skyline, becoming the new tallest building in the city.

A few months ago, Comcast decided to reverse the curse by placing a miniature statue of William Penn atop its building.

And tonight, it appears the curse was broken. Good PR move, Comcast.

In truth, the last time Philadelphia won a championship title was in 1983 with the Sixers basketball team.

Here’s where the story becomes personal. That year – 25 years ago – also marked another momentous event (at least in my own life). In 1983 married a Philadelphia native who was, at the time, a sportswriter. We were living in Florida at the time. On our honeymoon in Hawaii, I (whose sports loyalty was limited to the Florida Gators) could not comprehend why my new husband refused to leave the hotel room. And it wasn’t because he wanted to consummate our marriage. The Sixers were playing in the championships on TV!

In retrospect, I now understand his obsession.

Fast forward to 2008. After a 25-year marriage and two sons, my husband and I are divorcing. And Philadelphia has finally won another sports championship. Coincidence, you say? Philly sports fans may now be cursing us, wondering why we didn’t divorce decades sooner and put an end to the curse.

Let’s hope it doesn’t take another 25 years for me to write another blog post…

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OK, so I’m name-dropping here. But I am sincere in my thanks to Mr. Shankman. You see, tonight I heard him speak at a River Communications Network meeting in New Hope, PA. Peter waxed poetic (if you can call his energetic, albeit ADD-induced speech poetic) about social media.

He asked the creative types in the audience to raise their hands if they have a blog. I sheepishly raised mine. You have to understand that, if this had been a classroom say 35 years ago, I’d have been raising my hand feverishly in a “Pick me! Pick me!” sort of gesture.

However, tonight I was hesitant to raise my hand because, while I have a blog, I have been remiss in posting. So thank you, Peter, for inspiring me to get off my tush, so to speak, and write.

Peter gave numerous examples of how social networking has benefited his own business. He also asked who had both LinkedIn and Facebook pages. I proudly raised my hand this time (which would be much to the chagrin of my college-age son, if he only knew).

As both a writer and a “PR person,” I also have to thank Peter for starting his HARO (Help A Reporter Out) group. I’ve used the list both as a journalist posting a query to PR folks, and as a PR person trying to garner product publicity.

Enough of the Peter Shankman love-fest. I mean, after all, the man does have a drawback – or two. As in two cats. Sorry, cat lovers, but I’m partial to canines. Hands down. Or is that paws down?

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