Everyday PR

Tennessee has a “you kill it, you grill it” law. Texas doesn’t allow anyone under 16 1/2 to use a tanning device.  And Arizona passes legislation against illegal aliens. Now some groups and states outside the state  decide to boycott Arizona. The federal government may challenge the newly passed statute. Most importantly, some celebs have weighed in on the issue. Since when does the federal government get to intervene in laws passed by states that elected the very people who vote on the bills? And how can non-Arizona residents consider it any of their business? Don’t these people have enough to worry about? Isn’t it up to state legislators to govern their own states?  If I hit an animal with my car, we’re dining in the driveway cause them’s the rules in Tennessee.  If I’m too young to buy a tan in Texas, I’ll show them gun-totin’, cowboy-hat wearin’, beef-eatin’ politicians by baking myself at the beach.  People, wake up and smell your own coffee.  Surely you have plenty of other issues brewing in your own kitchen.

The virtual Cup of Joe Award from EveryDayPR spotlights our pick of the week for a public relations performance –  good, bad or ugly.  If you’d like to make a nomination, contact shart@hartpr.com or www.Twitter.com/susanhartpr.

Recent brand attacks via social media reiterate what many organizations are lacking - little to no understanding, much less preparedness, on how to deal with an Internet-driven crisis.  But there’s no need to panic if your brand is authentic and if you’ve planned ahead just as you would with any other type of crisis communications process.

Southwest pounced to reduce its exposure in a social media crisis.

Look at Southwest Airlines and how they handled a recent disgruntled passenger who had more followers on Twitter than the airline did.  He’s told to get off the aircraft due to his large size, he fires off his displeasure via Twitter, yet Southwest responded in less than 20 minutes to his complaint, offering apologies and travel vouchers.  The airline could immediately respond only because they had planned ahead with steps like these:

1)   Anticipate Operational Issues - Brainstorm about operational issues that could go wrong from senior executive mismanagement and questionable finances to poor customer service and natural disasters.  You should have a detailed game plan on how to best address various issues and differing audiences with specific communications avenues. Now think about how and/or if to include social media in your plan. But the main reason the Southwest story had a short shelf life was two-fold: quick response, backed by its solid and reputable brand that began years ago.

2)    Social Media – Your overall communications strategy should contain various tools like media relations, stakeholder notifications, databases, etc. Adding social media tools is as simple as setting up accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, SEO, and establishing static web pages and other tools to strategically use in the event of a crisis.  Going back to Southwest, when those tools are incorporated as part of your regular communications plans, consumers won’t see these tactics as just “they’re in trouble” tools as they will already be familiar with your brand.  Global brand Heinz did not anticipate a hacker claiming to represent the company to set up a pretty believable Twitter account with lots of followers.  Why?  They didn’t do the simplest of things like setting up an account, which takes less money than time. 

DISCLAIMER:  If your organization doesn’t understand how social works in its most basic purpose of forming communities and two-way relationships, and/or if your organization is unwilling to take its lumps and address its naysayers, you may be fighting an uphill battle (again, that’s for another post). Just keep in mind that it’s difficult to address a crisis initiated on and perpetuated by social media.  Ask Domino’s.

3)  Ninja Response – Social media communications works in real time. If you have any reason to believe something’s about to break, closely monitor activity; if your suspicion holds true, pounce on the situation like a Ninja.  Because you’ve already anticipated sensitive operational issues, you will have a clearer idea of what tactic to use with what audience (see Step 1).

Here’s the bottom line:  No organization is immune to a crisis. A respected brand, that’s often years in the making, can be undone in a matter of minutes. If you don’t have a crisis communications plan, get one.  If you have one that’s outdated, blow off the dust and rething your tactics in light of today’s social media.  

What are other ways to plan for a social media crisis?

Hooray for some originality!  Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” Campaign wreaks of fun, creativity, smiles and, yes, happiness.  And to promote their campaign on Youtube.com, among other venues, is just smart.  Three virtual Cups of Caffeine to Coca-Cola for giving consumers a feeling of happiness, at least while watching the spots.

The virtual Cup of Joe Award from EveryDayPR spotlights our pick of the week for a public relations performance –  good, bad or ugly.  If you’d like to make a nomination, contact shart@hartpr.com or www.Twitter.com/susanhartpr.

As reflected in my first post on this topic, reading expands your vocabulary and gives you new insights, among countless other benefits. I discovered the following from recent reads including Mere Christianity, The Zookeepers Wife and Holding Her Head High.  CAUTION: I  read mostly history and non-fiction.

Who knew flamingos had ankles?

• Flamingos look like they have backward facing knees, but those are actually their ankles. Their knees are higher and hidden by feathers.
• In the 1400s, anyone who harmed beehives were condemned to death as bees were revered as God’s servants providing honey for the table and candles for churches.
• A 2006 DNA study track Ashkenazi Jews (92% of the world’s Jews in 1931) back to four women who migrated from the Near East to Italy in the second and third centuries.
• According to legend, when Saint John was beheaded, his head rolled into a patch of plants, giving the herb superstitious powers/belief to ward off evil, hence St. John’s Wort.
• Lice caused the death of more soldiers from Napoleon’s army and the American Civil War than death from the battlefields.
• On April 19,1943, the first day of Passover, Heinrich Himmler vowed to kill the remaining Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto as a birthday gift to Adolf Hitler.
• Penicillin was discovered in 1941 from a moldy canteloupe in Peoria, IL.
• Polish folklore says that if a pregnant woman craves sweets, she’s having a girl; if she’s craving something sour, she’s having a boy.
• A Burmese man invented a hopping stick for his daughter to use to jump over puddles on the way to school. His daughter’s name was Pogo.
• Living in pre-Civil War days, slave Harriet Jacobs was born a victim, but she died a victor.
• Hillary Clinton was not the first women nominated to be President. The first woman was 53-year-old Belva Lockwood nominated in 1884 for the Office of the President of the United States on the Equal Rights Party ticket.
• Constantine (the first Christian ruler of Rome and namesake to Constantinople) was born to Helena, an impoverished single woman.  At 80 years old, she became the first person to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where she is credited with discovering Golgotha, the site of Christ’s crucifiction. 
• Rachel Lavein Fawcett, a young, intelligent 16-year-old widow living on the island of St. Croix, is the mother of Alexander Hamilton, a great founding father of America, one of this country’s first lawyers and loyal confidante to George Washington.

What have you learned from reading lately?

In our society where moral standards continually hit a new low, I find someone like  Tim Tebow to be refreshing and comforting. When I heard he was going to speak at a fundraiser for David Lipscomb University, BFF Valerie and I rushed to buy tickets.  The event not only exceeded expectations, but gave me greater hope for the next generation.

This Bible verse resulted in 93 million Google searches within 24 hours.

First, the guy is huge.  He dwarfed the cadre of armed police officers surrounding him as he walked on stage.  Second, he is so comfortable in his own skin – I know adults two and three times his age who still aren’t there.  Finally, he is a man of conviction.  Regardless of your religious beliefs, you can’t help but admire that unusual trait.  During his 30-minute talk, Tim outlined his three keys to a life of excellence.

1)   Have the power to stand for something. While Tebow didn’t mentioned the NCAA’s new rule regarding eye black, he did cite the power of his convictions in college football.  Typically sporting Phil.4:13 as his eye black message,  he decided to change the scripture to John 3:16  for a particularly critical showdown.   According to Google, 93 million people had search the verse within 24 hours of seeing Tebow being interviewed following the Gators win.   

2)   Live your life with passion. Love what you do; hang out with like-minded people who are passionate and enthusiastic about life.  Passion can be both contagious and life changing.  If you need inspiration, study William Wallace’s character in Braveheart like Tebow and his father did.

3)   Finish strong. The best way to finish your life strong is to invest in other people’s lives. That’s how you matter; that’s how you make a difference; that’s how you live a life of excellence.

Tebow pointed out the only four eternal things in this life: God, His Word, people and heavenly rewards.  May God continue to richly bless and protect this man of faith and leadership.

This week’s announcement by the NCAA to ban, among other things, messages as part of a player’s eye black is confusing. While new rules regarding taunting and wedge blocks make sense in regard to game safety and sportsmanship, I’m unclear on the rationale for the ban on messaging.  If this is a safety issue, officials need to elaborate.  If officials are concerned about offending fans, what about banning tattoos or hairstyles that include messages? I’m a huge fan of football, but I’m a bigger fan of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.  I’m not seeing either here, but rather, an obstacle to those freedoms.  A no-coffee penalty to NCAA officials for not effectively communicating this new ban – and what may be an affront to fundamental rights – to the players, fans and the public.

The virtual Cup of Joe Award from EveryDayPR spotlights our pick of the week for a public relations performance –  good, bad or ugly.  If you’d like to make a nomination, contact shart@hartpr.com or www.Twitter.com/susanhartpr.

Nike’s unveiling last week of a new ad featuring golf-pro-turned-tabloid-fodder Tiger Woods caused quite the buzz.  And much like the game of golf, people seemed to either love it or hate it.  In polling my colleagues, I wanted to test my theory that reaction to the ad may be generational: professionals younger than 40 were much more positive about the ad and its objectives (although unclear) than those over 40.  Here are some of the reactions from public relations and communications experts from across the country that generally support that theory.

“In a lot of ways, I think the ad was a bold move. Had Nike came back with a stereotypical ad with Tiger on the golf course, it may have appeared trite and would have ignored the giant elephant in the room. I think this was Nike’s way of addressing the situation so they could move on and put the scandal behind them.It also didn’t hurt that the ad is somewhat controversial with the inclusion of Tiger’s father. Controversy always has a way of generating buzz. The bottom line is that this ad is not going to sell a lot of Nike apparel, but then again, that wasn’t really the point, was it?”  Laura Click, Nashville consultant

“Bravo Nike for taking a stance on showing they still stand behind Tiger (who is, let’s be real, the greatest golfer of all time), but that they don’t condone his behavior. What a fantastic way to show the world they have integrity!” Gini Dietrich, CEO, Arment Dietrich.

“A little creepy to hear a dead guy’s voice, but brilliant.  A lot of the chatter around the Tiger situation was what would his father say.  I think he ‘asked’ some important questions, and I’d like to hear Tiger’s answers.  Maybe the next ad.” Abbie S. Fink, Vice President/General Manager, HMA Public Relations.

“The commercial did not work for me on a number of levels. Mainly because the ‘Did you learn anything?’ question appears to not be answered. You darn well better have a ‘Yes I learned something…’ response to close the loop. Otherwise, you open yourself up to brand parodies ‘Do you learn anything? Yes, just do it.’ I also see Tiger just standing there and not reacting to the key question, like my oldest son does when I am telling him something and he doesn’t get it. He is standing there, listening and then will move on. Basically the ad catches my attention – but it doesn’t work for me.”  Mark W. McClennan, APR, Vice President, Schwartz Communications

“My first reaction was is this a joke or is it for real?  When I realized it was real, I thought it was ill-advised.  It seemed contrived, and I’m not sure what it was supposed to prove.  I now wonder if it was Nike’s way of helping Tiger move on with his life.”  Aileen Katcher, APR, Fellow, PRSA, Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations

“The ad did nothing to help Woods or Nike.  There is no ethical stance from the subject or the sponsor.  With the help of some very creative people, Nike and Woods worked together to create pure manipulation. I did see a brilliant ad, as well as faux contrition supported by crass commercialism. A pained-looking Tiger reacting to his dad’s words never would have seen the light of day if that conversation actually took place.”  Bob Reed, Element-R Partners LLC

“I think it’s odd, eerie and buzz-worthy. What more could you want in an ad? It doesn’t make me feel any differently about him; it just happens to be a good ad.” Margie Maddox Newman, Flack Rabbit.

“College public relations students agreed that the ad was creepy and exploits Tiger’s dead father. But, from a Gen Why perspective, they think it will sell Nikes!” Susan Barnes, APR, Fellow, Instructor

According to this blog from the New York Times, the data indicate the ad seems to be working via online measurement indicators.  Another poll  claims the opposite, and Brandweek has weighed in on the topic - all of  which begs the question of how old were those polled to collect the data.

Want to add your two cents?  Send us a comment!

Following the recent retirement of Toyota public relations exec Irv Miller, e-mails are discovered that show he strongly advised his colleagues “to come clean” about accelerator problems.  Not only does Miller deserve three virtual Cups of Joe this week for his timing, he deserves it for doing the right thing.  The face that his e-mails were basically ignored by their recipients reflects much more on them than Miller.  So many organizations don’t get PR – they only think publicity or community d0-gooder.  Advising senior management on issues that could affect the brand you’re serving is exactly what PR pros do. Unfortunately, you can’t make people listen. Miller could not have timed his exodus any better. 

The virtual Cup of Joe Award from EveryDayPR spotlights our pick of the week for a public relations performance –  good, bad or ugly.  If you’d like to make a nomination, contact shart@hartpr.com or www.Twitter.com/susanhartpr.

Will the news media ever stop feeding the public’s frenzy for salacious gossip that has nothing to do with the average American who’s facing his or her own set of problems? And will some consumers ever quelch their appetite for watching others make poor judgment calls, if not downright fail?

Breaking news to some people: Kate changes her hair.

From Jesse James’s philandering to Kate Gosslin hair updates, these unworthy “news” news items take up time and space for real issues facing this country.  (And another thing: why are women so attracted to “bad boys”?  I’ll opine on that at a later time.)  By now many of you know my view about TV programming, but I challenge you to stop elevating the bad boys and girls of the world to headline news.  If consumers would at least reduce their interest for such meaningless pablum, maybe the media would at least reduce their quest for scoops on who’s doing what to whom and what they are wearing.  In the meantime, children in Haiti are still hungry, war veterans aren’t getting the help they need, and people need jobs.

Am I overreacting?  Please let me know your thoughts.

Seasoned communications consultant Adam Vincenzini has compiled his 40 favorite social media posts and blogs for the first quarter of 2010.  Find out his selections.