Jet Blue Avoids Fresh Disaster (and other PR Blog Jots)
Social Media Club
Jason Chervokas gives a good breakdown of last week’s “Twittermania,” advising even the Twitter-Haters among us to take into consideration the enormous buzz the program has created. At the very least, he argues, we should not be too quick to dismiss an application capable of creating such a stir. Chervokas points out that while the incessant chatter surrounding Twitter has annoyed many, it’s proven that there is high demand for such a portable instant communications tool. “Still, whether or not Twitter itself is the solution of doom, the Twitter eruption of 2007 has exposed the enormous latent demand for low-cost, everywhere messaging that effortlessly crosses platforms and unites messaging channels.”
Jet Blue Gets this Storm Right
Online Public Relations Thoughts
After Friday’s terrible weather on the East coast, Jet Blue cancelled its flights without delay, learning from their public relations disaster following the Valentine’s Day storm that left disgruntled passengers stranded on planes, sometimes for hours. Jim Horton wonders when an airline will have a PR problem from delays caused by weather, and when passengers will be willing to forgive. It seems that passengers are most forgiving when cancellations are uniform and immediate. “This raises an interesting question for PR practitioners and operational managers at airlines. What is a failure in the eyes of the public versus an act of God that passengers will forgive, even though upset? It seems that the line between passenger anger and acceptance is not well defined. It appears that if all airlines act as one, cancellations are acceptable but if some cancel and others don't, that might be a situation in which passengers become angry.”
Neville Hobson
Summarizing a recent virtual publicity event for the live-action/computer-graphics movie “300,” Neville Hobson argues the merits of Second Life as a public relations tool that companies should be working to integrate into their long term PR plans. The event included avatars for the movie’s actors, producers and director, all participating in a Q&A with the audience. Neville points out that in a real life press event, attendees would not have the access granted to them in the safe confines of the virtual world. “This event is a good indicator of yet another way in which Second Life can be a means to do something a little differently and bring something new to the virtual table, in this case not only a movie but also the leading actors, the director and the writer of the material on which the film is based.”
Common Sense PR
Proving the value behind the name of his blog, Eric Eggerston offers advice to flacks looking to capitalize on a public relations boon and ride the wave to its maximum potential. He also encourages preparation for the opposite, noting the possibility that something bigger could pop the same day or week you were hoping to launch an attention-getting campaign. Eggerston calls for utmost flexibility should the worst happen, particularly if a news-making event that eclipses a PR push is something completely out of one’s control (using September 11 as an example). “Riding a wave of attention means dropping everything and making the most of the bursts of attention that come your way. Don’t fret about why another of your tactics didn’t net any attention. Respond to as many calls, e-mails and other queries that come your way. If you put in 70 hours one week on media responses, be glad. You may not get a wave like that for a long time. Ride it as far as it will take you.”
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