CustomScoop's PR Blog Jots

Going Behind the Curtain (and Other PR Blog Jots)

New PR, New Challenges

PR Squared

Todd Defren recently Twittered an important question: what is the single biggest challenge facing PR practitioners in the 2.0 world?  Amanda Chapel replied that PR will no longer be operating behind the curtain of secrecy, that adapting to transparency will ultimately be the biggest challenge we face. “Now our audience is growing exponentially large.  We can talk directly to them.  The good PR firms can be as smart and funny and accommodating to the ultimate audience as they had been all along to the media.  We can be strategic in the sunlight.”

Speaking of Transparency...

Communications Overtones

Transparency must be the nature of all online communications, not simply to avoid a scandal, but also because of the potential for networking. Kami Huyse discusses the recent flap over Topaz Partners ghost-writing a client blog, pointing out that the blog’s lack of transparency about its authors shut off possibly networking contacts. “One of the great benefits of a blog is that it connects you with those you may have never known. It is an incredible networking tool. Over the last year, I have partnered with several bloggers in projects for my clients… I have also gathered a vast network of my peers that I have called upon when I needed advice or even resources.”

Blogs Aren't for Everyone

PR Blogger

Examining figures from Technorati CEO Dave Sifry, Stephen Davies aptly points out that blogging may not be as booming as some claim.  He notes that of the 70 million blogs tracked by Technorati, only 15 million or so have been updated in the previous three months. This, argues Davies, may prove that while blogs remain as important as ever as communications tools, they are not necessarily for everyone. “People have active social lives, children to look after, outdoor hobbies, two jobs etc. And this statistic shows that a considerable number have given it a go and decided it’s not for them. Just because people have the tools to create their own media it doesn’t mean they’re going to.”

Important Reminder

BL Ochman’s What’s Next

With the quality of writing in public relations deteriorating each day (if the posts over on the Bad Pitch Blog are to be believed), BL Ochman offers an important reminder to PR pros: it’s all about brevity.  Pitches should be crisp and succinct, and avoid long rambling sentences and hyperbole. “Dear PR People: Please make your pitch in a couple of quick sentences, without superlatives, CAPS for emphasis or lots of exclamation points. Explain WTF it is you're writing about in the first sentence as artfully as possible. Do not blather on.”

Just Say No (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Know When to Say No

PR Squared

Todd Defren explains that part of the PR professional's job in this new era of communications must entail reeling in overzealous clients looking to cash in on the social media trend.  Citing an example of a client that wished to start up a fake blog (or “flog”), Defren argues that as blog-savvy PR pros, it is important to fully explain the facets of social media that can do more harm than good.  Namely, that transparency is rule number one. “Lesson of the day, for PR professionals:  Do not get sandbagged by clients experimenting in Social Media.  It’s good that they want to experiment; it is to be encouraged, but, it is our responsibility to hold their hands a bit.  After all, some lessons have been learned, and we must communicate these lessons to our clients and peers.”

No Content? No Press Release

Marketing Profs Daily Fix

Scott Baradell lays out eight specific problems he finds with the hundreds of press releases crossing his desk each year.  Mainly, Baradell argues that if you do not actually have anything to say, your press release is not going to go over very well; that is, content is king.  He also warns against being overly vague, using too many “silly superlatives” and industry-speak, and stretching too far with current events hooks. “If your company is so bereft of actual news that you have to hang your press releases on obscure ties to holidays and current events, I probably won't get past the headline. Don't bother.”

"Google Relations"

Communications Overtones

Kami Huyse underlines the value and importance of “Google relations,” which is basically another way of saying search engine optimization.  Pointing out that it is the top 10 or so results from a search engine that get the most traffic, Huyse outlines the various tactics and methods PR professionals can use to improve their search engine position.  According to Huyse, understanding search engines may be the most important technique to learn for PR 2.0 professionals. “The key is to become known for your keywords. To give you an idea, I went to my Google Analytics account to see what the top keywords were for Communication Overtones in the month of April (see above). I would suggest that you do the same for your websites and blogs to determine how people are finding you. Since 52 percent of all my traffic coming from Google (which I suspect holds true for most sites that have been around for awhile), it pays to know how people are finding you and then to build appropriate content to reinforce certain keywords.”

You Say 3.0, I Say Tomato (and Other PR Blog Jots)

PR Week Defends its 3.0 Assertion

PR 2.0

After lambasting PR Week for declaring public relations to be entering its “3.0 era,” Brian Solis praises the magazine for responding directly to the blogosphere furor the article caused. Solis still reminds the reporter, however, that vast numbers of PR professionals and businesses still don’t “get it” when it comes to embracing new communications platforms; he argues that the focus should be on bringing everyone up to speed, not charging forward. “This is an incredible opportunity for the PR industry to escalate its perception by integrating value, direct engagement, and an entirely new set of metrics that prove ROI. It’s up to us to put the “pro” back in the PR Professional title. PR 3.0 is only confusing the market more. This existing confusion is where we need to focus.”

Exercise Social Media Caution

Tough Sledding

Using Steve Rubel’s infamous PC Magazine faux pas as an example, Bill Sledzik argues that you can never be too careful when conducting yourself in social media. Anything you put out there can indeed come back to bite you, which is an especially important reminder for PR professionals. He notes that while Steve’s casual comments may have seemed innocuous to him at the time he wrote them, his massive global audience took an offhand remark into a major PR fumble, due to the casual nature of social media. “The paradox? Steve’s error was being honest when he really didn’t have to be. He put transparency ahead of discretion. We all do it, but most of us don’t have a global audience holding us accountable. Crazy stuff, this social media.”

Military Transparency an Oxymoron

Crisisblogger

Gerald Baron remarks on the coverage yesterday of Jessica Lynch and Kevin Tillman, who testified before Congress railing against the military’s efforts to turn war casualties into American heroes (in this case, Lynch and the late Pat Tillman).  Baron notes that this type of propaganda has been a part of the military since the dawn of its existence, but how can such actions last in this day and age, when social media all but requires complete disclosure and transparency? “We live in the age of embedded reporters who share the frontlines with soldiers dodging bullets and living in constant fear of IEDs. And we have no tolerance for spin–not even from our military leaders. I can imagine the Army Public Affairs officers in the 50+ category shaking their heads and wondering, what is happening here. The ground has shifted under our feet and we naturally feel unsteady. And the problem is, it keeps shifting.”

Easy as 1-2-3 (and Other PR Blog Jots)

PR Week Needs to Take it Down a Notch

PR 2.0

In a much-linked, fiery (in a good way!) post, Brian Solis argues that PR Week jumped the gun in a recent article arguing that PR has officially entered a “3.0” era. The article cites “astounding” growth at major PR firms and appears to determine PR’s new era solely on the basis of increasing revenues.  Solis points out that the PR industry is still working on 2.0, and that while the evolution thus far is impressive, to call it “3.0” at this point is quite a leap.  “New PR, PR 2.0, whatever you want to call it, is more about being “smart” enough to participate at an entirely new and more valuable level of engagement. It’s about reading the publications, blogs, networks, where you want to participate. It’s about living and breathing the product/service we represent. It’s the difference between spin and evangelism. It’s also the difference between storytelling and influence. It all eventually merges back into PR – with a long trail of communications professionals that will be forced to jump ship for the betterment of the PR industry as a whole.”

Why Not 5.0?

Murphy’s Law

In a somewhat more irreverent take on the kerfuffle surrounding PR Week’s “3.0” assertion, Tom Murphy points out the inherent silliness in applying numbers to any sort of industry evolution.  He argues the practice is really a little pointless, and that the conversation ought to be about the new methods and tools, not what to call them. “There appears to be a growing number of PR people on the InterWeb with ADD. Rather than just discuss the changes taking place to PR in terms of new tools (e.g. blogs and podcasts) or practices (e.g. conversation) they have to give it a new moniker - normally a number. Why? Use what works, watch what’s interesting and discard what’s irrelevant.”

On the Offense

Strategic Public Relations

While remarking that certain customer service disasters (such as Jet Blue’s Valentine’s Day “hostage” crisis) are beyond help after a certain point, Kevin Dugan pushes companies to view smaller incidents as opportunities to aggressively seek out positive word of mouth—or least reign in the negative. By going above and beyond to meet the customer’s needs once the complaint has been registered rather than doing the bare minimum, companies will see positive returns and avoid potential blogosphere disasters. “It may read unrealistic and it's certainly not universally applicable. But you’ve already identified the customer as vocal. Why not use it to your advantage and give them something great to talk about?”

MSM Finally Coming Around

The Flack

Peter Himler praises the mainstream media reaction to the Virginia Tech shootings, noting that they seemed to embrace social media elements in the wake of the tragedy.  Newspapers purchased keywords on search engines, NBC News set up a Facebook account to encourage students to share their stories, and many outlets monitored student blogs and networking sites for up to the minute information. “Obviously, there are countless other instances of how this one story provided a showcase for the practice of journalism in this day and age. And I believe it's just the tip of the transformational iceberg.”

Stealth PR, Blog Outreach Lessons, and Other PR Blog Jots

Going Negative

Strumpette

In his weekly “Gospel” for Strumpette, Phil Hall argues against using what he deems “stealthy PR” in an effort to smear the competition.  Hall argues that any attention (even negative) given to the other side, particularly if it is a smaller competitor, is more than they would normally receive, so why bother? Furthermore, the aggressor in these situations is almost always found out, and winds up looking like a sleazy bully. “What is the best way to smear the competition? Play up your client, company or organization with killer, high-profile, positive PR. Smear tactics are for idiots, not PR professionals.”

Pitching Bloggers Takes Finesse

Shel Holtz

After reading a post at Church of the Customer warning against pitching to bloggers you don’t already know, Shel Holtz advises that reaching out to bloggers, while surely different than reaching out to mainstream media sources, is a vital element to communications—so long as it is done correctly.  In a great post, he outlines the various nuances a PR pro needs to know before reaching out. “I’ve never had anyone reject my outreach efforts or suggest that I was a clueless PR person because I had contacted them on my client’s behalf. And the outreach generally produces exactly the desired results.”

Tragic Impact

Crisisblogger

Gerald Baron seeks out how the tragedy at Virginia Tech last week will ultimately impact the world of crisis communications.  He notes that one major thing to remember when dealing with a crisis of such massive proportions is that the media, especially what Baron calls the “infotainment jackals” are always looking for someone to blame (in this case, much of the focus has been on the university’s president). But the ultimate change coming from this horrific event will no doubt be in mass communications via SMS messaging, better known as text messaging. “I suspect that many people will soon start to ask the question–if a university can reach all students by cell phones and text messaging, why shouldn’t I be alerted if there is a rape, or murder, or bomb explosion, or toxic release, or some other health and life event taking place in my town, my city, my neighborhood?”

Censorship, or Just Good PR?

Tough Sledding

In a final reflection on Don Imus’ recent firing for using racial slurs on-air, Bill Sledzik ponders the implications for media and PR professionals.  He notes Imus has learned the lesson that “free speech isn’t free,” and that while a popular public relations decision that was ultimately more economic than moral, the firing does amount to censorship.  Sledzik wonders if future satirists or insult comics will end up thinking twice before they speak, lest they wind up in the middle of their own PR crisis. “On the positive side, maybe a few media loudmouths will choose their words more carefully from now on. But others may say nothing at all for fear of offending someone and ending up unemployed. Political comedy and satire in media will be under the microscope like never before.”

Adding to the Murdoch News Empire (and Other PR Blog Jots)

MyNews

Simonsays

Rupert Murdoch purchased the popular social networking site MySpace last year for a tidy sum, and has now turned it into part of his ever-growing news empire. The launch of MySpace News combines some elements of both Google news and Digg, allowing users to rank stories. More importantly, according to Simon Collister, the service will eventually allow users to submit news stories themselves. “This is possibly the most significant piece of information about a MySpace News portal. With this, the site stops being a Google/Digg mash-up and starts becoming a potentially significant user generated news site.”

Learning From Past Mistakes

Media Guerilla

In complimenting Nikon’s recent promotion of their new D80 camera, Mike Manuel compares the product sample program (in which cameras were distributed to certain A-list bloggers to try out) to Microsoft’s similar program for their new Vista platform earlier this year.  Manuel notes that Nikon’s marketing department has clearly learned from the much-maligned Microsoft/Edelman program, and that theirs was a flawlessly executed program that may become the benchmark for future campaigns. “Too often we hear (and I write) about companies that are awkwardly stumbling through the new media landscape, each trying to find a marketing formula that works, only to find, sadly, that more damage than good is done to their brand in the process. Because of this we tend to hear and talk more about failures than successes these days … so thank you Nikon for taking a risk with this project and doing it with smarts and style.”

More Lessons from Virginia Tech

Bulldog Reporter Daily Dog

In a thoughtful post in today’s “Barks and Bites,” John Harmon notes that the tragedy at Virginia Tech this week will likely alter crisis communications at universities and other large organizations forever.  He points out that while most organizations have communications plans in place for communicating to the public, few make plans for communicating within themselves and to important stakeholders.  Social media will play a major role in internal crisis communications in the future, as students at Virginia Tech in particular used Facebook and other social networking to stay informed in the aftermath of the tragedy. “Crisis plans often focus on the mass media with inadequate thought paid to other important stakeholder groups. Every large organization's crisis plan should include rapid means of communicating with all stakeholders, in the manner most effective for reaching each group. Don't overlook social media, such as Facebook for today's university students; myspace for today's high school students; and likely something else altogether tomorrow.”

2.0 Overload? (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Pitching Change

PR Squared

Todd Deferen has already helped change the way PR professionals send out pitches as one of the innovators behind the Social Media Press Release. Today he reports on PitchWire, an interactive site launched recently that aims to bring influencers together with journalists and publicists. Todd is wary of the site, but willing to see how it works. “quick scan of the site suggests that PitchWire is powering influencers to create and edit the equivalent of their own MediaMap (err, re-named Cision, this month) entry.  PitchWire is not quite cutting out the middleman, but it appears to be trying to more quickly and accurately communicate influencers’ preferences (broadly) and current projects (specifically) to the salivating hordes of PR pros.”

Blackberry Crisis: Where was RIM?

Neville Hobson

Peppering his post with amusing quotes from Hill staffers who felt as though they’d lost a limb during this week’s Blackberry outage, Neville Hobson wonders where Research in Motion (the company behind the mobile devices) was during the outage. While the service has been restored, Hobson argues that a shout-out from RIM would probably help smooth things over with any disgruntled Blackberry users.  “An alarm bell for RIM. Silence doesn’t work. While I’m not sure I’d call this a communication crisis - not yet, anyway - the fact that RIM are not out there communicating means that others will fill the vacuum; before you know it, RIM will have a crisis on their hands.”

Where's the "Real" PR?

Murphy’s Law

Noting how of the hundreds of PR blogs currently operating, very few discuss much else besides what he calls “Noun 2.0,” Tom Murphy wonders what happened to good discussion of non-Internet public relations. He argues that too many in the industry think that only the newest tools and technology matter anymore.  He points to an excellent article highlighting the best of the PR basics. “It’s an open letter from Geri Denterlein, President of Denterlein Worldwide to her past, present and future clients about how PR works, how to work with an agency and how to increase your hit rate. Read it. It’s about real PR, not the Kool Aid.”

If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say...(and Other PR Blog Jots)

PC Magazine vs. Rubel

Strumpette

After the extremely popular Edelman blogger Steve Rubel made a somewhat disparaging remark about PC Magazine over Twitter, Strumpette opened its pages to the magazine’s editor, Jim Louderback, for a rebuttal.  While Rubel has since apologized for his remarks, the post from yesterday is still worth a read, as Louderback threatens a boycott of all Edelman clients as a result of Rubel’s perceived hostility. Amanda Chapel recalls an old adage that holds true in these days of instant communication. “It's a perfect example of when organizational interests clash with the now sacrosanct ‘conversation’. Here, it's simple: When everyone's a potential corporate spokesperson, the potential (read likely) results are nothing short of a type of systemic Tourette's. The lesson? The phrase ‘loose lips sink ships’ is still in effect. With one little comment on Twitter last Friday, Edelman PR SVP Steve Rubel dissed an audience of 11 million. Now that's PR!”

Crisis Communications Technology

Crisisblogger

Gerald Baron notes that one of the many results in the aftermath of this week’s terrible tragedy on campus at Virginia Tech is that it will cause universities and other similarly large entities to reflect on their crisis communications systems.  Some have been critical of VT’s perceived slow response to the initial incident, but Baron argues that even with top of the line communications technology in place, the logistics of acting in the midst of a crisis are still complex. “It is one thing to have the technology that will enable virtually instant multi-mode communication with an entire university community. It is quite another to have the plans, policies and people in place to make the right decisions and to be able to act on them in concert and efficiently. The challenge is huge and those who would too easily criticize those who were in that position probably have never been in a similar situation.”

Don't Choke on the Foot in your Mouth

The Bad Pitch Blog

Remarking on the Rubel/PC Magazine kerfuffle, Kevin Dugan points out that PR professionals can and will put their feet in their mouths with reporters on occasion.  He argues that all is not lost when this happens; often all that is needed is a brisk apology, and to move on.  The blogosphere tends to seize on these incidents (Dugan calls it “PR blog catnip”), but he underlines that moving on to what’s next is often the best solution to avoid dragged-out drama. “I’m bringing it up to remind everyone of a simple, important lesson in media relations. If something’s gone wrong, and a reporter calls you on it, the door to that relationship has not closed. Yet…But as it relates to the above drama, if you screw up, admit it. Don’t fall on your sword, but be honest and focus on what’s next.”

Communications in the Wake of Tragedy (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Social Media and Citizen Journalism at Virginia Tech
Tough Sledding
While the unspeakable tragedy at Virginia Tech unfolded yesterday, many students and others used social media to communicate what was happening to the outside world. Bill Sledzik compiles the various outlets used to get information to the media and public, including student blogs with firsthand accounts, the now-infamous cell phone video, and the websites of both the student newspaper and the university itself, each of which updates frequently with new information. “The Va. Tech website shows an institution prepared for crisis, and we expect that in today’s world. But it’s a sad reminder for PR pros that nothing — and I mean nothing — can be left off our list of worst-case-scenario planning.”

Communicating Through Tragedy
Online Public Relations Thoughts
Jim Horton wonders how the university will deal with the potential forthcoming backlash for what many perceive as an error in judgment: allowing classes to continue after the first early-morning shooting (indeed, the university is already taking heat from the media, as Matt Lauer grilled Virginia Tech’s president this morning on the timeliness of the school’s response to the first shooting). Horton argues that with a situation of this magnitude, all that can be done is to communicate as many facts as possible as often as possible. “The university's president is dealing with a crisis that will define the school for decades. There is no communication at this point that can make what happened any better. The effort now should be to explain what happened in as great a detail as possible.”

Media Insensitivity, or Thoroughness?
Cybersoc.com
Linking to a student blogger who was inundated with media requests after posting an account of his girlfriend’s experiences during the Virginia Tech shooting, Robin Hamman questions how the media should interact with citizen journalists in the midst of a crisis. The Live Journal blog in question included dozens of comments from journalists seeking interviews, even as other commenters condemned such actions. Hamman wonders how thorough the media needs to be when it comes to linking to blog accounts of media-covered events. Is hounding the citizen journalist for confirmation necessary? Or does it turn the media into vultures? “Unsubstantiated rumour should never be presented as fact by news organisations but, perhaps, it's just fine to link to it so long as we add clear disclaimers. Surely that's better than dozens of journalists, researchers and reporters contacting the same student, who, along with his girlfriend, is likely to take months or years to fully understand the emotional and psychological effects of yesterday's tragic events.”

The PR Tortoise (and Other PR Blog Jots)

Most Companies Still Behind the Times

PR Squared

After a successful presentation to Fortune 500 marketers at the Corporate Image and Branding conference in New York, Todd Defren realizes that while PR and marketing bloggers are already heavily invested in the 2.0 universe, most in the corporate world are still playing catch up to all the new communications possibilities. He argues for the possibility of taking a step back and waiting for the rest of the PR world to catch up. “Good news: these marketeers are intrigued, engaged, even cautiously experimental.  The top-down, command-and-control mentality about “brands” is starting to crumble.  Yay! Bad news: if you’re into all this 2.0 stuff, you are still way, way, way ahead of the curve.”

"Brand Imus" Still Marketable?

The Flack

Now that Imus has been officially fired from both his MSNBC television show and his CBS radio broadcast, Peter Himler wonders if his brand is perhaps even more marketable now that he’s achieved infamy.  Noting the myriad examples (Michael Richards, Paris Hilton, the ubiquitous Britney Spears) of celebrities whose fame only grew after winding up with media scandals, Himler speculates that Imus as a brand may still be profitable, despite his poor reputation. “Consumers of popular culture simply make little distinction between the famous and the infamous. We live in an age where headline-making notoriety too often translates into greater marketability. The egregiousness of the crime seems to matter less in the equation than the volume of media coverage it spawns.”

Personality Theft can Leave a Reputation in Ruins

Canuckflack

Some refer to it as your “digital fingerprint.” The information tied to you online can come to define who you are and affect your life in many ways: personally, financially, and in the eyes of your employer (or future employers).  Colin McKay examines the world of “personality theft,” the trashing of a person’s online reputation through false MySpace or Facebook pages, blogs and other forms of social media.  The effects, according to McKay, can be every bit as hazardous as the more widely-known identity theft. “The impact of this type of identity theft, though, can be a long-lasting as when your bank details are stolen. For a generation that lives its life online, your online record is your portable biography. If the information becomes corrupted, it not only casts doubt on the social network but on your real-life personality.”