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Strategic Public Relations To Make Your Business Bloom
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Watch Out A-Listers: The Natives Are Restless
A few years ago, the blog universe was very small -- and the PR blog universe was positively microscopic.
Today, not so much. Lots of folks are out there blogging away. Some are very, very smart. Some have impeccable media, marketing and PR credentials.
And some think the little group that started it all wants it to stay that way -- a little group. Or at least, they want their little group to be in charge of things.
We'd like to share excerpts from a few posts we've read recently from talented bloggers; perhaps you haven't seen them yet.
From MyNameIsKate.ca:
Shel Israel complains about McDonald's initial foray into public blogging with their new corporate responsibility blog, "Open for Discussion". He also offers them further (unsolicited) advice in a later post. Jim over at One by One Media joins in by admonishing their "feeble attempt" and says "I will use this as an example of how not to conduct a company blog".
I was astounded by the arrogance of the tone:
"Oh by the way. Welcome to the Blogosphere. I know you have internal blog champions. I do hope you continue your blogging effort. I hope you get blog smart enough to actually find these postings I, and others are doing but I suspect that has not yet happened. Don't just take us as negative voices. Listen to what we are saying. Really listen."
Holy crap. Will people just get over themselves? If they had hired B.L. Ochman or Hugh from Gaping Void would you then cut them some slack? If they ordered copies of Naked Conversations for everyone would that change your opinion? Beyond Madison Avenue takes a more humorous approach: I have decided that if I want to be an A-lister, then by gum I better start acting like one ...
Robert Scoble has a great post on his blog today about what a great guy Jeff Jarvis is. In the comments, Steve Rubel linked to a great post that Hugh mentioned on Gaping Void where he brought to our attention what a great blog Micro Persuasion is. These guys get it. They remind me of Guy Kawasaki and Steve Hall. All of them geniuses. Dennis Howlett also chimes in: In a heated exchange at Search Camps, [Robert] Scoble said: "The world is following me." No Robert, the world doesn't follow you and he already knows that. Techmemeorandum follows you ... Techmemeorandum may be self-selecting, but with a touch of human intervention, and, inevitably, bias. Is it all just envy? Do these critics all have "secret, hidden motives" -- as Hugh Macleod said of Media Orchard after we had the temerity to call one of Steve Rubel's posts "snotty"? (Steve, by the way, was great about it; he accepted the criticism as constructive and moved on.) It doesn't matter. Even if it is all jealousy, anger is anger -- whatever the motivation. And since we're guessing all you blog experts would advise McDonald's to never, under any circumstances, anger the blogosphere, perhaps it would be wise for you to take heed yourselves. Just a little. (Via Bloggers Blog.) Technorati tags: Bloggers, PR, Public Relations, Marketing
Is PR Directing ABC's Woodruff Coverage?
John Gilardi posted an intriguing letter on Romenesko this morning. While expressing sympathy for Bob Woodruff, Doug Vogt and their families, he asks some pointed questions about ABC's coverage of the story:
I can't help but wonder whether the ABC News team has full editorial freedom on this story or the network's PR department is dictating the coverage.
Why does the public have to rely on publications other than ABC News to get a realistic view on the medical conditions of these journalists? Why do the New York Times and others such as USA Today give us fact-based, unsensationalistic assessments of the severity of Woodruff's condition while the ABC News coverage smells of a good spin doctor at work?
Seems to me another case of separate standards for sensitive issues involving journalists ... it's time for ABC News to stop sugar coating the story. Media Orchard hasn't followed this story closely enough to offer an opinion. However, we do know, from working for media companies both on the business side and in the newsroom, that the news is covered differently when it's about you. Perhaps that's not how it should be -- or perhaps it's unrealistic to expect anything else. In any case, that's just how it is. With or without the PR department's involvement. Our thoughts are with Woodruff, Vogt and all the other journalists who have stood side by side with our troops in putting their lives at risk during this war. Technorati tags: Bob Woodruff, Public Relations, Media
Enron's Code of Ethics
As jury selection begins in the trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, The Smoking Gun has made the ill-fated company's 64-page employee ethics guide available for download.
Excerpt:
Relations with the Company's many publics -- customers, stockholders, governments, employees, suppliers, press, and bankers -- will be conducted in honesty, candor, and fairness. Sometimes marketers and PR people get caught up in how a company talks about itself; that, after all, is central to our job. But we would urge you to take a step back periodically and ask yourself, "Is my company (or client) living by the values it communicates?" If it's not, you've allowed yourself to become part of a lie. Your integrity is too important to let slip away, molecule by molecule, without stopping to take notice. Technorati tags: Enron, PR, Public Relations, Marketing
Pick of the Orchard 1.31.06
Jeremy Pepper Joins Weber Shandwick, Expands Firm's Online Campaign Expertise (Weber Shandwick)
Beyond Payola (Holmes Report Blog)
LAFD PR Listens, Engages and They Even Blog (Micro Persuasion)
PR vs. Marketing -- Balance Sheet vs. P&L (LeverWealth)
The Survey Says ... (Think)
That's a wrap, folks (Media Culpa)
Technorati tags: Web 2.0, PR, Blogs, Websites, Public Relations, Marketing, Advertising, Media
What PR People Should Avoid at All Costs
How to Grade Your PR Agency
Media Orchard's traffic is growing by leaps and bounds; since November, we've actually quadrupled in unique visitors.
So for all the newcomers, we'd like to call your attention to a couple of tools on the Idea Grove site:
1. PR Agency Assessment Quiz. This 20-question quiz helps corporate clients grade an ongoing agency relationship.
2. PR Agency Selection Score Sheet. This printable score sheet helps companies to compare and rank firms during an agency review process.
These tools are useful not only to PR clients, but to agencies as well. Several firms have e-mailed us to let us know that they use these tools as part of their business development efforts. They're a great way to initiate a discussion with corporate decision-makers about their communications goals.
We invite your agency to use these tools freely -- as long as we're not competing for the same account!
Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, Marketing
Pick of the Orchard 1.30.06
TV News: Selling Ice to Inuits?
Ted Koppel has a thoughtful column in the NY Times today, with a great title: "And Now, a Word for Our Demographic."
Excerpt:
When the Federal Communications Commission was still perceived to have teeth ... network owners nurtured their news divisions, encouraged them to tackle serious issues, cultivated them as shields to be brandished before Congressional committees whenever questions were raised about the quality of entertainment programs and the vast sums earned by those programs...
The goal for the traditional broadcast networks now is to identify those segments of the audience considered most desirable by the advertising community and then to cater to them. Most television news programs are therefore designed to satisfy the perceived appetites of our audiences...
Indeed, in television news these days, the programs are being shaped to attract, most particularly, 18-to-34-year-old viewers. They, in turn, are presumed to be partly brain-dead -- though not so insensible as to be unmoved by the blandishments of sponsors...
No television news executive is likely to acknowledge indifference to major events overseas or in our nation's capital, but he may, on occasion, concede that the viewers don't care, and therein lies the essential malignancy. Ted is basically saying that the TV news business is attempting to sell ice to Eskimos -- oh, we mean Inuits. Which means that crushing the ice, or shaving the ice, or flavoring the ice, or otherwise screwing around with the ice will not necessarily make the ice something that Inuits want to buy. What they really want is the fur coat of entertainment programming. And as long as news decisions are dictated by dollars, we'll inevitably see "news" programming evolve into just another form of entertainment. Technorati tags: Ted Koppel, Journalism, Media
Pick of the Orchard 1.29.06
Live at BarCamp Dallas
Here's Scott looking confused. He doesn't understand most of what's being said. That's OK; he's used to it. He also had a great talk with Mike from Texas Gigs, although he hasn't connected with John from Random Culture yet. Brian, Alex and the other organizers have done a terrific job. Read more about the event here. Technorati tags: BarCamp, Dallas, Marketing
Pick of the Orchard 1.28.06
"Who Wore It Best?" -- Baby Edition
On Thursday, we teased the celebrity pubs for trafficking in cruelty-based features like US Weekly's "Who Do You Think Is Older?"
This, in turn, caused us to wonder, "What might they stoop to next?"
Our guess: "Who Wore It Best?" -- Baby Edition.
The contestants:
Kal-el Coppola Cage
Sean Preston Federline
Don't worry; we didn't ask "100 people on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive" to rate which baby looks better in his adorable blue outfit, and we're not going to rate them, either.
But mark our word. We have seen the future of celebrity pubs -- and this is it.
Technorati tags: Media, Gossip, Celebrities
Pick of the Orchard 1.27.06
Reporter Turned Press Secretary Says the "Dark Side" Is Really Not So Dark
Will Shuck, a former daily newspaper reporter, is now press secretary to a member of the California Assembly. He writes in Capitol Weekly, via Romenesko:
It's not like anyone wakes up one day and thinks, "You know, to heck with all that honesty and integrity. I'm going to go peddle malarkey for a living."
By the time a reporter makes the leap "to the dark side," and walks the halls of the Capitol in the service of one party or another, he or she has probably taken a pretty good look at what's ahead and picked the best team. Anyway, that's my experience. It had nothing to do with my perception that newspapering has about as much growth potential as steam locomotive repair...
You also discover some startling truths, like a chief of staff isn't necessarily lying when she says she's trying to get the member to return a reporter's call. It always seemed so bogus that a Senator was "booked back to back" and couldn't make a five-minute call to the hometown paper. But, well, it happens. It is true, however, that the biggest paper gets the fastest call back...
It's not unnatural or unwholesome to take those skills honed through reporting and put them to use in another setting. That's why so many reporters do it. And in the Capitol, skills like keen observation, healthy skepticism, quick analysis, and the ability to make your point, seem to fit nicely. Well said. Kind of makes Media Orchard want to resume that little book project...
Will the Chris Matthews Boycott Work?
Liberal bloggers are encouraging an advertiser boycott of Hardball host Chris Matthews. From the new blog organized for the campaign:
Chris Matthews has repeatedly compared Americans who are concerned about the war in Iraq to Osama bin Liden. We are asking companies to refrain from advertising on Matthews' MSNBC TV show "Hardball" until he publicly apologizes and promises to stop his right-wing bias. Our guess is that the boycott won't work, but that the attention to this issue will force Matthews to tone down his rhetoric a bit. Matthews strives to be balanced, unlike an O'Reilly, so this kind of pressure is likely to have an effect in his case. Of course, then the right will hammer him about something, and he'll have to adjust again. The Matthews boycott notwithstanding, we've found some of the behavior of liberal bloggers irritating of late -- particularly the vicious, uncalled-for attacks on Washington Post ombud Deborah Howell. Liberals aren't doing themselves any favors by acting like lefty Rush Limbaughs. Technorati tags: Chris Matthews, Media, Politics, Liberals
Shock Treatment: PETA's "Milk Gone Wild" Campaign
PETA, the much-vilified animal-rights group, has launched its latest campaign -- and like most of its recent efforts, it seeks to shock and awe people into paying attention.
As Adrants puts it:
Those radical exaggerators over at PETA are up to their old sensationalism again with the launch of Milk Gone Wild, a spoof on the Girls Gone Wild series which uses titillation and human udders to call attention to the apparent health hazards of drinking milk ... PETA has, again, done what it does best; use sex and controversy to bring attention to its causes. All true. PETA is radical. It does offend. In fact, what's even more disturbing than the "Girls Gone Wild" parody is the actual glimpse into the life and death of dairy cows on the "Milk Gone Wild" site. If you'll indulge us for a moment, we just want to throw a little thought out there, for discussion purposes only -- and then you can tell us how wrong we are. Here's the thought: In the antebellum United States, most people -- North and South -- didn't want to know about the messy details of slavery. Even plantation owners shielded themselves from it, leaving it to overseers to do the dirty work. People just wanted their cotton shirts and the other benefits of forced labor, and didn't want to think about where it all came from. Abolitionists, as a result, were much-vilified. Today, we want our gasoline, we want our perfume that's been tested on animals, we want to have sex and abort the consequences, we want to eat meat but not see what happens in the slaughterhouse, and on and on. We live in a world where if we don't want to see all the unpleasant ingredients that go into the soup of our lives, we don't have to. And we choose not to. It's a big cultural secret, the emperor's new clothes. And the media, more often than not, is the royal tailor. OK, so tell us we're full of it. We can take it. Technorati tags: PETA, Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing
"Who Do You Think Is Older?" -- Media Edition
We all know that celebrity weeklies can be catty. But US Weekly actually made us cringe (just a little) with a feature in its January 30 issue called "Who Do You Think Is Older?"
In this latest example of US's much-copied, parlor-game brand of journalism, an intrepid staffer shows pics of various pairs of female celebrities to "100 people in NYC's Rockefeller Center" and asks ... well, you know.
And so we end up with side-by-side mugs of Felicity Huffman and Julianne Moore, with US reporting that 90 out of 100 people thought Felicity looked older than Julianne -- even though she's actually two years younger!
Um...everyone, including Felicity, knows this, don't they? You're just rubbing it in to be nasty, aren't you, US Weekly?
But really, it's kind of an interesting concept. So we decided to gather the photos of the editors of some popular magazines and pose the same question: "Who Do You Think Is Older?"
Here's Match-up No. 1:
Martha Nelson, editor, People Group (People and Teen People).
Bonnie Fuller, editorial director, AMI (Star and Celebrity Living).
Do you have your answer?
Now, here's Match-up No. 2:
Janice Min, editor in chief, US Weekly.
Atoosa Rubenstein, editor in chief, Seventeen.
OK, have you voted?
The actual ages of these editors are ...
Match-up No. 1:
They're both 52, we think; we didn't have exact DOBs. We polled the Media Orchard household, including our Cavalier, and everyone thought Martha looked older.
Match-up No. 2:
Janice is 36 and Atoosa 33, more or less. We're sure everyone got this one right.
See, the difference between Media Orchard and US Weekly is that we actually feel a little guilty right now.
(US Weekly pic from Amy's Robot, which claims to have invented the "Who's Older?" concept.)
Update: "Who Wore It Best?" -- Baby Edition.
Technorati tags: Journalism, Celebrities, Publications, Marketing
Pick of the Orchard 1.26.06
Are You Dealing With an Ethical Journalist?
The current payola scandals are harmful to the public relations profession. They are also bad for journalism.
And they only happen when both PR practitioners and journalists act unethically.
While the PRSA has released a statement on the issue, and while the organization's Code of Ethics clearly prohibits payola, it occurred to us that many PR people may not be familiar with another, related code of ethics: that of the Society of Professional Journalists.
All PR practitioners -- particularly those starting out -- should read it and respect it. It represents the flip side of your interactions with the media.
Among other things, the code requires journalists to:
- Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
- Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
- Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
- Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
- Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
- Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
- Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.
The full code is here. Technorati tags: Journalism, PR, Public Relations, Marketing
Power to the People: Ad Firm's Fake Wikipedia Entry Has Been Deleted
OK, maybe we've been a little obsessive about this issue. But it has been resolved. North Carolina ad firm McKinney's fraudulent Wikipedia entry for Pherotones has been put out of its misery.
Thanks, Constantin, for the heads up.
Technorati tags: McKinney, Advertising, McKinney-Silver, Pherotones
We Are Delighted to Report That CEO Communications Have Become Significantly More Candid and Conversational in an Effort to Better Serve You -- NOT
Steve Crescenzo, whom Shel Holtz calls "the ultimate critic of crummy CEO and president columns," now thinks CEO communication has turned a corner:
It may be my imagination, but I think CEO Columns-R-Us may be going out of business. I'm seeing more and more CEO columns -- both in print and online -- that are willing to deal with real issues. I'm seeing CEOs tackle bad news head-on. I've actually seen a couple of CEO blogs that are conversational -- rather than "corporate" -- in tone. Right -- a couple. Hey, we'd like to think the author of the Corporate Hallucinations blog is not merely hallucinating, so we did a quick tour to find some CEO communications on the Web. First, our methodology: We entered the term "CEO letter" in Google, and pulled excerpts from the first five letters that came back in the search results. Here are those excerpts -- 1. FEI Company. While 2004 was a year of great accomplishments for FEI Company, we believe it is just a milestone in our growth as a leader in tools for nanotechnology. We are at the dawn of the nanotechnology era, and we are excited about our expanding array of opportunities in this globally competitive arena ... FEI's industry-leading tools are advancing nanotechnology across a range of markets. We are focused on the opportunities that come with our leadership, for the benefit of the industry and our shareholders. 2. Genworth Financial. At Genworth Financial, one of our core values is performance. But to us, it's more than just performance. It's performance with integrity ... While each of us as individuals make ethical decisions, we share a collective responsibility to infuse integrity in all aspects of our business. That's why our reputation for honest and reliable business conduct is tested and proven in each transaction we make ... I encourage you to take a moment to review our integrity policy. Should you have any questions, please contact our Ombudsperson at 1-888-251-4332. 3. Perficient. Welcome to Perficient, the leading independent information technology consulting firm in the central United States. At Perficient, we run our business by three simple rules:
(1) deliver world-class solutions for our clients, (2)provide great careers for our colleagues, and (3) build meaningful value for our shareholders. These principles (and a lot of hard work) have enabled Perficient to scale in just six years from startup to a $110 million revenue market leader ... The best news is we're just getting started. 4. Winstead. Our commitment to having the best people and to providing the best service is not only our promise to our clients - it is a promise we make to ourselves ... For the past 30 years, we have defined our success by our ability to impact the success of our clients. Our clients will always be a top priority. We value the professionalism, experience and knowledge that each Winstead team member brings to the firm, and we pride ourselves in maintaining a reputation that is collegial, team-oriented and, most importantly, results-driven. 5. AAR. At AAR, our goal is to be your preferred aerospace/aviation logistics and value-added products and services provider. To meet this goal, every member of our team is dedicated to the principle of applying creative thinking to your everyday support requirements. We constantly challenge ourselves to develop new capabilities, along with innovative products and programs that can help you improve performance and increase profitability. We are confident that by working together with AAR your goals of operational excellence and cost efficiency can become a reality. OK, that's the first five. Do you want to see five more? We've been writing CEO letters for 13 years, so we know how hard it is to escape the easy trap of overused corporate language. And while a small number of CEOs are breaking out and taking more chances ( this guy has always done it best), there is much more work to be done. As for you, Steve: Go back to hallucinating. Do they have a 12-step program for that? :) Technorati tags: CEOs, PR, Public Relations, Marketing
Pick of the Orchard 1.25.06
Vote for Jeremy
Adland's "Battle of the Ad Blogs," where "a posse of adgrunts have sifted through the ever growing pile of ad blogs to find the gems and pit them against each other" in a popular vote, is in full swing. It includes a PR category.
Let's go ahead and chew on our sour grapes first: The nominations seem a tad arbitrary. Maybe next year, the guys at Adland could at least open up the voting to more than five of the 300 PR blogs out there; that way the people (rather than the mysterious Adland cabal) can decide the "popular" favorites.
Nevertheless, the five nominees are all worthy candidates: Jeremy Pepper, B.L. Ochman, John Cass, Trevor Cook and Tom Murphy. Currently, Jeremy has a slight edge over B.L. in the voting.
Media Orchard hereby officially endorses Jeremy, and we encourage you to cast your ballot for POP! PR Jots.
Why an endorsement? And why Jeremy?
Jeremy was the first popular PR blogger to take an interest in Media Orchard. He's been a regular commenter since close to the beginning, and he's always been generous in offering advice and suggestions. He also doesn't mind telling us when he thinks we've screwed up -- by promoting our blog a little too shamelessly, seeking referrals a little too aggressively, or otherwise not meeting his exacting standards for blog integrity.
Yes, we're kind of teasing Jeremy -- in addition to ourselves -- when we say all this. But we're dead serious about one thing: PR bloggers won't find a better compass for personal and professional integrity than Jeremy. He cares very deeply about the practice of public relations, and he demonstrates this again and again.
That's why we voted for him. And why you should, too.
By the way, Steve Rubel was not nominated in the PR category but was nominated in the Marketing and Online/Interactive categories. We voted for Steve -- even though he has not responded (as yet) to our e-mail requesting that he say something about the Dr. Myra fraud on behalf of public relations practitioners everywhere.
We also voted for our friend Hans Kullin for Best Non-English Language Ad Blog. Oh, and for Random Culture for Best Inspiration Blog.
Voting ends February 10, but don't wait.
Technorati tags: Adland, Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing
PRSA's News Monitoring Service Should Include Blogs
Like PRSA members across the country, Media Orchard regularly receives "PR Issues and Trends" in our inbox. From the e-mail:
PR Issues and Trends is a daily news monitoring service brought to you by the PRSA, its Advocacy Committee and the Professional Resource Center. This service reports on industry trends, advocacy and other issues impacting the profession and the professional. PRSA's Professional Resources staff reviews dozens of news, business, trade publications and Web sites, handpicking the most relevant stories of the day. While useful, PR Issues and Trends has yet to incorporate blogs among its news sources. We think it's time they did. If you agree, e-mail your opinion to the PRSA's Professional Resource Center at resources@prsa.org. Technorati tags: PR, Public Relations, PRSA
Dr. Myra Defends McKinney's Fake Wikipedia Entry
Bruce Stewart of O'Reilly posted an IM interview last night with fictional blogger Dr. Myra, a creation of the Durham, N.C. ad firm McKinney. McKinney has created a fake Wikipedia entry, among other tactics, as part of its current stealth "Pherotones" campaign.
Said Bruce:
I definitely agree with most critics that [McKinney] went too far when they tried to pollute the Wikipedia with a bogus pherotone entry. C'mon guys, the Wikipedia is having enough trouble with mainstream public perception lately, it really doesn't need ad folks trying to manipulate entries too. So Bruce asked Dr. Myra about it. The exchange: DrPherotone: Hi. How are you today?
bruceETel: doing well, thanks! What's going on with the wikipedia entry for pherotones, do you know? did you write that entry?
DrPherotone: Well, when you consider the groupthink that rules
mainstream "acceptable" science, it's surprising they let it stay up for even one minute.
DrPherotone: No, but it is based on a lot of my work.
bruceETel: Are you going to try and fight to keep it up?
DrPherotone: You can't fight city hall. The only way to keep it up there is to prove once and for all the existence and potency of Pherotones. That's the only fight I am interested in.
bruceETel: Are you working for McKinney Silver?
DrPherotone: No, they work for me. Anyone who reads Media Orchard knows we have a sense of humor. So please indulge us for a moment as we go back into "curmudgeon" mode. Look, McKinney's campaign has worked -- no question. It's achieved a good measure of blog buzz, and, negative or positive, McKinney clearly could care less. It's a win for them. So, we now must ask this: Are we prepared for the day when hundreds of other advertising firms -- large and small, hip and not hip, ones who "get it" and ones who don't -- are making up "facts" and posting it on Wikipedia, and making the whole bloggy world like a chat room where a 14-year-old girl always has to wonder if she's chatting with a 50-year-old man who's just pretending to be a 14-year-old boy? We know: very curmudgeonly of us. But we do wonder. Update: Looks like McKinney has toned down the Wikipedia entry, although the firm is still not coming clean. Half-measures don't cut it, gang; just pull it, apologize and move on. Technorati tags: Pherotones, Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing
Pick of the Orchard 1.24.06
SNL Looks to Internet to Revive Its Buzz
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