I discovered a free white paper called “The Future of PR,” published in July 2005. The report focus is “How to garner more coverage and stay way ahead of the competition.”
How do you use technology in your media relations? Most of us have used email and various web services. But Vocus writes that this just isn’t enough.
“A key component of PR in the new age of digital communications is a centralized system for managing all your media contacts, correspondence, activities, news distribution, news monitoring and measurement.” Their white paper lists several key capabilities critical to the future of PR. I teach public relations on the graduate and undergraduate levels at UMUC and students are always asking me what’s coming next!
Much of what’s in this free Vocus white paper isn’t found in most textbooks (Shel Holtz has a few good ones) for our future practitioners. One that especially appeals to me is what Vocus calls “customer relationship management (CRM) for PR.”
The Vocus paper reads: “In recent years, CRM has become a hot business buzzword. Countless CRM applications now exist to help companies manage their sales and customer contacts. In PR, effective relationship management is just as essential, but many professionals still use basic email applications or EXCEL files to manager their many contacts and activities.
Without a history of all activities, interaction and communication with journalists in one location –- accessible by both you and your colleagues — your productivity and professionalism can suffer.” See http://www.vocus.com.
Since last year’s students liked the exercise, students in the Spring 2006 Journalism 331 class, Public Relations Techniques, at the University of Maryland University College were asked what PR programs deserved top honors in their eyes. Here are some interesting case overviews from that class.
Student Nghi Nguyen touted the social responsibility and community relations efforts by McDonald’s and particularly “its involvement with the World Children’s Day event every year. McDonald would join force with musicians to raise money for children around the world.” Nghi made the point that while the company — with others — is being constantly being tied to child and adult obesity in the world, they really do a great deal to help poverty in the world and its effect on children. The discussion that ensued with classmates generated nothing but positive comments about Ronald McDonald Charities and Ronald McDonald House.
Fast forward to sports. Student Nikki Taber hails from Detroit and pointed out to her classmates that the City’s reputation has been less than stellar, thanks to portrayals such as Eminem’s movie “Eight Mile.” However, things all changed when Detroit hosted this year’s Super Bowl. Beyond the success of the event itself, it was an opportunity to “report great things about Detroit.” Nikki described the efforts this way: “The Detroit Regional Chamber hosted a media party before the Super Bowl in an effort to introduce journalists, and media professionals from the sports, entertainment and business industries to Detroit. The event took place at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, and Detroit Regional Chamber President and CEO, Richard E. Blouse Jr. touted what was great about the city.” One attendee said, “The image painted of Detroit was one of rebirth, rebuilding, and that Detroit was the place to be.” Among other events, Detroit held a snow festival downtown the week leading up to the Super. Nikki said, “We had NO snow, they had to make it and truck it in. Then we got crazy heavy snow, and everyone was scared things would get bad, but it turned to be great. Detroit has never been better looking, at least not in my lifetime!” One of Nikki’s classmates, Jason Mcdonald offered the Detroit Super Bowl website http://www.sbxl.org. There, he said, a reader could find an article from the Detroit Free Press. “The article is about Roger Penske and his desire to continue the improvements made for the Super Bowl. He feels that getting ready for the Super Bowl was a milestone to make the city better and that everyone needs to keep moving ahead with improvement initiatives. It appears that this PR campaign is not over.
Student Tanya Ramey had kudos for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health for launching The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease. The Heart Truth is behind the National Wear Red Day (this year observed on February 3rd.) Tanya wrote: “National Wear Red Day is held on the first Friday in February and was first observed in 2004. On this day, women and men across the country are encouraged to wear red to alert women about their risk of heart disease. The NHLBI makes it easy for anyone to participate by providing suggestions and materials such as brochures, banners, fact sheets, and radio/print public service announcements that will aid in promoting awareness. They are available for downloading at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/hearttruth/. Heart disease is the #1 killer of American women. While the campaign’s (Ogilvy PR) aim is primarily targeted at women ages 40 to 60, heart disease can start at any age. The sooner a female is aware of that fact, the sooner she can take action to improve her health and quality of life. I don’t believe it is a coincidence that I received an e-mail today that read: Following a low-fat diet late in life fails to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease in older women, a large government study finds.”
Student Melissa Austria, feels that organizations that use fundraising to help promote their businesses but also help the community deserve an award for best practice!
This sort of persuasive public relations can help create a bond or relationship with the public or community. She used the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as an example. She wrote: “During my internship at Fox News, we had a chef come in from a restaurant from Tysons II. He cooked an appetizer as well as a main meal but he also told us that the restaurant would be donating money to Katrina victims that weekend. The money would help victims by providing them with clothes and their children would be given school supplies. In Virginia Beach, my friend told my that he would be working at a nightclub and they would also be raising money for the Katrina victims. This helped attract more people to the club and brought the public together.” Marketing for a cause. Now, not all of her classmates agreed. Some felt this was an example of charity and not persuasive PR and opted instead to laud the efforts of organizations that brought true relief to the region. I say, there’s room for both. The fundraising of smaller organizations such as these, perhaps frustrated as to how they might help, was often funneled through the larger organizations delivering direct relief, such as the Red Cross.
Student Jason Mcdonald went straight to his textbook,“Effective Public Communications, Ninth Edition” by Cutlip, Center and Broom to find his nominee for Best Practice. “In the text (pp. 88-90), the authors write about the beginnings of America and some of the successful and persuasive public relations campaigns conducted by our founders,” Jason wrote. “The authors detail six techniques (now common in public relations strategies) that John Adams and his fellow revolutionaries used to convince their compatriots that revolution and separation from England were necessary:
1. They developed organizations to conduct effective public relations campaigns (Sons of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence).
2. They used symbols to represent ideals designed to trigger patriotic and revolutionary emotions (the Liberty Tree).
3. They used slogans (“Taxation without representation is tyranny”).
4. They staged events to gain attention for their causes (the Boston Tea Party).
5. They ensured that their side of a story was in the public before the other side to gain acceptance (the Boston Massacre).
6. They saturated the community through their communication channels to instill new ideas in those who received their messages.”
Jason continued: “All of these were pivotal in turning the hearts and minds of other Americans against the British Crown to gain liberty. Imagine that anyone who agreed with the revolutionary propagandists was a traitor to the crown and risked their honor, fortune, security and life for subscribing to the traitorous ideals proposed by our founders. Yet, our founders were persuasive enough with their techniques that many joined the revolutionary cause.”
Student Luann Stubbs nominatedPopulation Connection and, specifically, their award-winning “dot” video. She wrote: “This group has been in existence for about 40 years, initially as ZPG, (Zero Population Growth), and aims to educate and influence people on the connection between our many social, economic, and environmental problems and overpopulation. The group changed their name in May 2002…They concentrate their efforts on education, information dissemination, and lobbying. The group seems to be highly ethical (you can view their complete financial statement and even their tax return from their web site http://www.populationconnection.org), with an all-volunteer board of directors. They have resources for teachers, advocates, campus activists, and journalists, including an email address and phone number. Educational, promotional, and training materials are available. The web site also offers fact sheets and current world and U.S. population figures. A legislative guide and action network is another important part of the website, as part of their attempt to educate and persuade politicians and the general public to limit population growth. But I believe by far their most persuasive material is their ‘dot’ video, that illustrates the growth of world population using a world map and dots of population added over a time progression.”
Student Amy Henry nominated the Declare Yourself campaign, meant to persuade young people to vote in the 2004 elections. This campaign won a PRSA Silver Anvil Award from in 2005. Amy wrote: “I am nominating this campaign because it brilliantly utilized all forms of media to try to empower, educate, and motivate their target public. The project was a partnership between entertainment, media, technology, and education to stress the importance of voting and civic involvement. Some of their efforts included a Declaration of Independence Road Trip (a 50-city tour that included a multi-media exhibit explaining the document’s significance); a live spoken word tour of multi-ethnic artists; a TV special and concert tour with popular musicians; slick PSA’s featuring well known actors, fashion icons, intellectuals, and musicians; a web site that provided voter registration forms, absentee ballots, a polling place locator and political news; a 20-minute film starring comedy actors to be shown to high school seniors during school-complete with a discussion guide for teachers; voter education booklets; and newspaper inserts for high schools.
Student Kristin Wasilewski also picked a campaign related to getting out the vote. She wrote that the Foundation of Women Executives in Public Relations presents The Crystal Obelisk Awards for Social Responsibility annually. In 2005, the award for profit campaign under $100,000 was Ben & Jerry’s partnered campaign with Rock the Vote. This campaign was used to persuade young Americans to register to vote in the 2004 Presidential election. Included in the campaign was a chance to name the new Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor. After young Americans registered to vote, they would also be registered to vote for the name of the new flavor. The voters registered at the New Hampshire primary and also at Ben & Jerry’s annual Free Cone Day. The results of this campaign included over 365,000 people voting on the final flavor name, and Primary Berry Graham getting the nod. http://www.wepr.org/awards_winners.asp
Student Allison Martyn selected two local campaigns. The first was a small local contracting company called Wichita Roofing and Remodeling. It’s a 13-year old company and pretty well established in the Wichita area. However, it was nothing unusual or special until October 2005, when they were chosen to be the contractor for a local project on ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.’ Wow, what amazing publicity they received! Of course the project was huge news here and filled the local newspaper and TV news, as expected What I’ve been impressed with is what they’ve done since then. They sponsored a watch party at a local theater the night the episode aired, they invested in some commercials highlighting their involvement in the show, and
they are planning a huge presentation at the Wichita Home & Garden show next weekend. They took the media attention they got from the show and have really kept it going. Now everyone knows who they are.
“The second is another local company, a car dealership called Davis Moore. They have several locations and sell both new and used vehicles of many different makes. What is unusual about them is they don’t spend their budget on advertising. Instead, they run a public safety campaign. They run a lot of commercials, but they are all about vehicle safety — buckling up, proper
installation of child seats, the importance of following the speed limits. A local child was killed when he leaned on a rocker-style window switch in a parked car and the window closed on his neck. They started a fund for the family and petition to automakers to eliminate the rocker-style switches that can be dangerous to children. As a result they have painted themselves as a community-oriented friendly car dealer that you should trust. Their name is synonymous with safety in most people’s minds, a key factor when purchasing your next family car!”
Cornelia Carter-Sykes, Manager, Pew Internet, Pew Research Center (202-419-4513), sent a message to colleagues that The Pew Internet & American Life Project has recently released two new Reports. The Pew Internet & American Life Project is a non-profit initiative of the Pew Research Center, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts to explore the impact of the internet on children, families, communities, health care, schools, the work place, and civic/political life. The Project is non-partisan and does not advocate for any policy outcomes.
From a public relations perspective, I believe these PEW findings are very enlightening for the professional continuing to or intending to use the internet as a PR tool.
The first report is: “The Internet’s Growing Role in Life’s Major Moments – April 19, 2006.” Cornelia’s note reads: “Our surveys show that 45 percent of internet users, or about 60 million Americans, say that the internet helped them make big decisions or negotiate their way through major episodes in their lives in the previous two years.”
Read the full report.
Data Memo: Internet Penetration and Impact – April 26, 2006
Cornelia added: “Over time, internet users have become more likely to note big improvements in their ability to shop and the way they pursue their hobbies and interests. A majority of internet users also consistently report that the internet helps them to do their job and improves the way the get information about health care.”
She continued: “While the share of internet users who report positive impacts has grown, the sheer size of the internet population also continues to increase. Surveys fielded in 2006 show that internet penetration among adults in the U.S. has hit an all-time high. While the percentage of Americans who say they use the internet has continued to fluctuate slightly, our latest survey, fielded February 15 – April 6, 2006 shows that fully 73% of respondents (about 147 million adults) are internet users, up from 66% (about 133 million adults) in our January 2005 survey. And the share of Americans who have broadband connections at home has now reached 42% (about 84 million), up from 29% (about 59 million) in January 2005.”
Read the full memo.
My buddy, my pal, communicator guru Shel Holtz, was a guest in my grad school PR classroom last week. He empathyzed with one practitioner/student who just can’t seem to relate to her organization’s IT folks.
Shel likened this to when we all worked with printers (what’s a printer, you say?). Shel said it was “common for communicators to know what it meant when a printer said, ‘going four-up, two-over-four, with touch plates and perfect binding.’ We should be equally adept and understanding what IT — the printers of the digital age — are saying.” Awwwww…and you thought you could hire out for those skills.
Do you agree with Shel? Advice for those pulling kicking and screaming into the IT world???
Barbara Puffer, Puffer Public Relations Strategies
Comments
| RE: Knowing Our IT Collaborators |
| Painful as it has been at times, I can’t imagine working on the Web in any fashion without knowing something about the technology. By that I don’t mean just learning the latest geek-speak… terms like 100%zero (the chance of your project succeeding) and IMpause (the annoying silence on the other end of the phone as the person you’re talking to pauses to answer an Instant Message). I have learned over time that IT folks are to be coddled and carefully courted so they will do the really hard technical stuff you invariably encounter. But if your every move on the Web means asking, begging, cajoling and then waiting for some poor IT person to execute your grand text change, you’re in for a very frustrating life. I chose to buy and learn Dreamweaver and I use it every day (in fact I’m tying into it now). I see text in one panel, and html code in the panel above. It’s truly html for dummies. Dreamweaver and some small Christmas gifts to my favorite IT folks gets me by. Now, could you pass me the Java? |
Gerstner’s comments are deere I think John means that perhaps I need Dreamworks for a Christmas gift. Alas, I was learning some elementary HTML over the last few years in my teaching life, and now they added some great new technology where the HTML is all embedded in their screens…I’ll be lazy again. I totally agree…one had better know the basics…throwing you a life raft when you’re drowning is really no good if you can’t haul yourself up onto the raft…at some point you’ll just get too tired treading water and holding onto the side. I hope some others dive into this topic.
BarbaraP
Bausch and Lomb has some savvy PR folks cranking out the message these days. As a contact lens wearer myself, I was very surprised to find this:
Important message about ReNu(R)
in my email inbox.
May 15, 2006 |
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| CEO: Safety is Our No. 1 Priority | |
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| Chairman & CEO Ron Zarrella announces Bausch & Lomb is permanently taking MoistureLoc contact lens solution off the global market immediately. Runs: 2:10 | |
How’d they know where to find me? Oh, I remember. I ordered that new lens solution over the web — the one that is being tied to eye fungus and is all over the news. Well, here’s what the B & L Chairman and CEO Ron Zarella told me personally in my email.
| Dear loyal ReNu consumer,
As indicated in our previous email, we stopped selling our MoistureLoc® formulation more than a month ago. Despite exhaustive testing, we are unable to eliminate the possibility of a link to an apparent increase of a rare eye infection. Therefore, we will not reintroduce the MoistureLoc® formula. Follow this link to view a video message from Bausch & Lomb CEO, Ron Zarrella. Our goal is to provide you with the most reliable information so that you have a clear understanding of how this situation affects you and the Bausch & Lomb ReNu solutions you use. |
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| We want to make following your eye care professional’s recommendations easier. That’s why we created the Bausch & Lomb Wear&Care™ Program. This program provides you with the information and products you need for healthy contact lens wear, and best of all it’s FREE — so get started today.
If you have not yet requested your coupon for a FREE 12-oz. bottle of ReNu MultiPlus solution, please follow this link. So, this is terrific… a streaming video message straight from the CEO and they created this Wear and Care “club” (healthy contact lens care program) just for consumers such as ME! Wow! They’ve got my attention. They are giving me lots of free eye stuff. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Then, I’m watching television the same night and there is Mr. Zarella giving the same video message I’d just heard on my computer that afternoon. My first reaction was, “Hey, I know that guy!” You can read this message by visiting a pdf document on their website at http://www.bausch.com/5_15_message.pdf A quick Google news search on May 18, shows all of this reaction to the B & L issue. It will be interesting to follow this case and see what editorials pop up later on. It’s a classic PR case in the making, for sure. Tricia Bishop is covering this for the Baltimore Sun. A sampling of other coverage is linked below.
MORE NEWS ON THIS CASE POSTED AUGUST 7, 2006 One Wall Street Journal article by Sylvia Pagan Westphal, boasting line graph entitled “Eye Sore,” reveals that studies showed as long as nine years ago that there might be problems related to serious fungal eye infections in the U.S. and Asia because of multi-purpose solutions. The author claims that then the manufacturers downplayed concerns, blaming problems not on the product, but on how it was being used. So, do you think the company has an obligation to push proper lens care more fervently than it already did back then? Where does personal responsibility come into play? Okay, so what else is new with this case? The August 1 issue of the Wall Street Journal includes a compelling story by Zacahry M.Seward, headlined “Contact Lens Wearers Seek Solutions.” Great pun in the headline, there. The subhead reads: “As infection worries widen, dorctors offer some safey tips; a hydrogen-peroxide solution.” So, as the science confuses more than resolves the infection issues, doctors are recommending a return to the old days. Much is made about personal efforts and hygiene to keep these lenses CLEAN. Isn’t that common sense? The American Optometric Association weighs in: “We’re seeing much more vigilance, and patients are asking what they can do to prevent these infections.” While the Bausch & Lomb incident created some alarm, most wearers simply switched brands without waiting to understand that it’s not Bausch & Lomb that’s at issue — it’s multi-purpose solutions and cleaning habits. The case continues to unfold. |
I may be sticking my neck out here, but this is an interesting organization from a PR perspective.
According to their website, adorned with the photo shown here, “Turtle Transit is creating and introducing new dimensions of extreme outdoor advertising through a seamless blending of leading edge technologies. This includes interactive opportunities and 3D graphics that revolutionize out-of-home communications.”
Okay, so this is advertising, maybe marketing, you say. Sure, I agree. But the company is making loud PR noise. I believe there is a thin line between PR and advertising when you 1) have a creative organization to sell, and, 2) use the advertising to grab audience attention first, and then build awareness. The tentacles reach far into the image management of the organization.
Have you seen these Turtle Transit vehicles? An article written in 2002, included the fact that the company was inspired by the Oscar Mayer Weiner-mobile.
In Fortune Small Business magazine in April, they noted that owner James Riseborough brought in “$2 million last year by transforming ordinary cars and trucks into promotion vehicles. Monster.com was the company’s first customer.” You couldn’t ask for a better or more colorful one-page magazine feature subtitled “Start Up.”
Find Turtle Transit in:
http://www.fleet-central.com/bf/t_inside.cfm?action=news_pick&storyID=23315
Company Turns Fleets into 3D Promotions
April 26, 2006
“Marketing company Turtle Transit http://www.turtletransit.com turns ordinary cars and trucks into giant noses, coffee cups, turtles and monsters. The Lancaster, Mass.-based company made $2 million last year, according to a report in Fortune Small Business. Company founder James Riseborough wanted to take vinyl vehicle wraps into the next dimension. So his staff of 11 creates sculpted 3-D advertising using foam, fiberglass, auto paint and engineering plastics…”
OR HOW ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE PIECE?
http://www.creativemag.com/onlweekly112805.html
“The NASCAR Street Tour provides a new avenue to build awareness of our sport, drive television tune-in and ultimately help attract new fans,” said Roger VanDerSnick, V.P. of Marketing for NASCAR… The NASCAR Street Tour vehicles were designed by Turtle Transit…”
AND, THIS…
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/News2005/jul05/jul11/1_mon/news5monday.html — July, 2005,
“Your client scooting about the town — On a Segway and drawing attention from the crowds,” by Kathy Prentice.
YES, TURTLE TRANSIT DECKS OUT SEGWAYS, TOO!
Stick Your Neck Out: Turtle Transit takes its marketing to the streets to show off.
Entrepreneur magazine – January 2002, by April Pennington
OR THIS ONE:
“Extreme ad agency startup Turtle Transit sought to raise eyebrows in its native Boston this …”
promomagazine.com/news/marketing_june_2/index.html
In any case, this company’s media stories must be fun to pitch.
As news has become entertainment and news rooms profit centers, there is less emphasis on what is newsworthy and more on what will sell advertising.
I feel great empathy for the true journalist who strives to research and write a story on a topic that is timely, will appeal to a great number in the audience, but is a dull story without blood, glory or glitz.
We feed stories to these journalists on a regular basis. But, can we help them influence the assignment editors and the “team leaders” (no one seems to want to be called “editor” anymore)?
The recent ethical scandals concerning VNRs and print stories placed by agents of special interests without disclosure says perhaps we are part of the problem. How do we turn that around? I don’t have an answer, but would like to engage in some dialogue about what impact the changing focus and philosophy about what is news has on our profession.
Barbara Puffer, Puffer Public Relations Strategies
| Comments |
| RE: Where have all the journalists gone? (2) |
| RE: Where have all the journalists gone? In my classes at University of Maryland University College, sessions on public relations are listed/called “journalism.” I’d always seen a distinct difference in my career. Overlap, yes, but distinct difference, also. In fact, our textbook and classroom lectures take the time to describe differences between the two, as well as other related disciplines. If we are training our up and coming PR folks to think THEY are journalists and/or they are confused that the two professions are one, it’s no wonder they believe everything they do IS news. I think we have to teach the ethics as an integral part of all of our college curricula in this field, and I think we must continue to impress on our peers about ethics in the profession. Sure, you’ll say, we’ve been doing this all along. Well, we cannot stop because the professional workforce is always churning as the younger professionals enter and older professionals retire out. That’s my two cents… |
As I thumbed through my April 24 Time magazine (with “The Opus Dei Code” on the front), I stumbled upon a unique two-page Celebrex advertisement, which turned out to be a three-page Pfizer Public Relations plan. I say unique because Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., who happens to own Celebrex, took advantage of the large ad space and the celebrated praise of Celebrex to encourage people with little or no medical insurance to learn about the assistance programs offered by the company for medicines.
The ad features a 1 1/4-page photo of an African-American man holding the hand of probably a grandson as they climb the stairs at a sporting arena probably in search of a bathroom or popcorn. Both are looking back to watch the game as they ascend the stairs away from it. The other 3/4 of the second page is in white with several words about Celebrex. The third page is all text with a headline that reads: “Medication Guide for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)” Interestingly, under the feet of the stair-climbers on the first page is a clever Pfizer ad called, “Pfizer Helpful Answers.” The ad reads, “Uninsured? Need help paying for medicine? Pfizer has programs that can help, no matter your age or income. You may even qualify for free Pfizer medicines …”
When I traveled to the suggested online website at http://www.pfizerhelpfulanswers.com, I discovered what I believe to be a very subtly powerful PR outreach plan targeting minorities with the message of how “helpful” Pfizer can be in providing them with its medicines.
The target audience in their photos appears to be mostly minority groups, although they do reach out to all Americans.
I consider this a very successful PR campaign because Pfizer is showing its stakeholders it truly cares for more than just its financial bottom line. Part of what makes this campaign so clever is that Pfizer is only offering these programs to pay for medicines provided by Pfizer. Logic would dictate that if the company ultimately cared unconditionally about the health of its potential customer base, it would offer programs that pay for any and all medicines, regardless of which company produced it. However, that is what makes Pfizer successful in its campaign; it minimizes that fact and at the same time demonstrates it cares about the health of ALL Americans, regardless of “your age or income.”
Besides the advertising campaign, the website also features several other ways Pfizer’s PR plan is reaching out to its stakeholders — through Research and Development, Corporate Citizenship, Health Resources and promotion of Animal Care. Bottom line; they are actively reaching out with all oars in the water to show they are much more than some giant conglomerate; though that is what they truly are. Instead, they demonstrate their care both for the environment and the humans who live in it; something very hard to do these days.
Eric B. Pilgrim, Student
University of Maryland University College
Public Relations Theory Class of Professor Barbara Puffer, ABC
Today I listened to part of a Minnesota Public Radio talk show as I was returning from a meeting and it me disturbed for two reasons:
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The person being interviewed and responding to callers is a local attorney with a blog.
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The topic was the controversy surrounding The New York Times story about SWIFT, the financial tracking being done in the name of “fighting terrorism.”
First, the blogger — even though I am now engaged in a blog, I am bothered by the mantle of authority some bloggers assume. This individual actually told one caller his question was stupid and told another he wouldn’t respond to the question because it wasn’t worth answering. The host was remarkable in his ability to manage such a caustic guest.
Second, the discussion as it was directed by the attorney was very much focused on faulting the media. He would not acknowledge that the person leaking information has some serious ethical issues.
My challenge to our readers — what do you see as the ethical issues on both sides? How do we manage those who get joy in leaking information? How should the media respond when they are clearly being used to push someone else’s agenda?
How does ROI know that we need to engage senior communicators? The research is voluminous. Here’s a snapshot of just some of the research ROI has referenced in this presentation.
- 2003/2004 Towers Perrin Talent Surveys showed: “Senior leadership is a top ten driver of employee engagement in countries across the world and the number one driver of engagement in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany.
- International Survey Research, 2001, showed: “Regression analysis on survey data from over 350,000 employees worldwide, showed that quality of leadership in a company had the highest correlation to engagement levels.”
- Hewitt Associates research, 1999-2003, showed: “Measuring over a four-year period, companies with high engagement levels had an average Total Shareholder Return (TSR) of 20.2%, companies with moderate engagement had a TSR of 5.6%, and companies with low engagemetn had a negative TSR of – 9.6%.”
Their presentation makes the case that the senior leadership MUST be involved in communication matters. They review the characteristics of organizations that communicate change effectively and go so far as to say, “Working with senior leaders takes courage and patience.”
The presentation lists the greatest challenges to effective leadership communication, common business barriers to engaging senior leaders, they explore a team leadership exercise, and more.
To obtain your copy of this free PowerPoint presentation, contact Bobbi Padilla, bobbi@roico.com
BP – beyond petroleum — advertises in full-page spreads that “Actions matter, not words.” What caught my eye was the word “believe” in huge black type with yellow background.
Could all of our organizations benefit by ascribing to this pledge in our image advertising?! But excuse me. I digress.
Now, I first saw this BP advertisement a few weeks ago. Today, their actions are front page news.
The ad goes on to say, “That’s why BP has accelerated its actions to improve the operational integrity, safety, environmental performance and monitoring of its U.S. operations. BP will spend about $7 billion over the next four years to upgrade all aspects of safety at its U.S. refineries and repair and replace pipelines in Alaska. BP’s commitment goes further. Over the next five years, BP expects to invest around $30 billion in the U.S., allowing its more than 35,000 U.S. employees to help provide safe, reliable energy for the U.S., while increasing alternative energy options for the future. If you would like to know more about the actions we are taking to live up to BP values, please visit us at bp.com/valuesandactions.”
Good step. But 6 months after they were blamed for a huge oil spill? Today, all of this is hot news again and if you ask me, BP isn’t looking like the good guy.
http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2006/08/07/450327.html&cvqh=itn_bp
Their website explains:
“BP Exploration Alaska acts in response to small spill, unexpectedly severe corrosion from a Prudhoe Bay oil transit line.
Don’t forget Baush & Lomb… head back into this earlier article to see updates.
Also —
Here is some additional information that may interest you as we follow this communications case.
Take a look at what some business school profs said about this
case in BusinessWeek Online in April
“Bausch & Lomb: Crisis Management 101”
http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/apr2006/pi20060417_741558.htm
News Analysis
By Phil Mintz and Francesca Di Meglio
Visit http://www.bausch.com/en_US/ep/general/general/backgrounder.pdf
Here you can review Bausch & Lomb’s own summary of their communications response to this issue. This lengthy overview is in pdf format.
Popeye’s savior turns out to be a modern day killer, as e-coli is found on fresh, bagged spinach. People are frightened. When did I eat it last? What will harm me next?
As PR professionals, we know that how the growers, the packagers, the distributors, and the stores ultimately handle this crisis will be the makings of an excellent PR case for future study and debate. The analysis has already begun. Let’s just take a brief look at what one brand distributor is doing.
First, did you know that Dole has faced something similar before? In June, they just settled some lawsuits. Take a look at http://www.marlerclark.com/news/dole010.htm, which reads, in part:
Dole settles E. coli lawsuits
At least 17 people got sick after eating prepared bagged lettuce
By DANIA AKKAD
Herald Salinas Bureau
Five lawsuits filed in response to an E. coli outbreak traced to Dole Fresh Vegetable bagged salads in Minnesota last fall have been settled.
So, they should know how to handle the spinach debacle…Right now, if you go to their website, you will see a link and photo entitled: Dole bagged spinach. Click on the image and it will take you to: http://www.dole.com/CompanyInfo/Statement/index.jsp There, you can read Dole’s statement about this issue yourself with links to additional information.
DOLE FOOD COMPANY STATEMENT ON FDA INVESTIGATION OF PACKAGED FRESH SPINACH
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California – SEPTEMBER 15, 2006
DOLE Food Company, Inc. announced that it supports the voluntary recall issued today by Natural Selection Foods LLC of packaged fresh spinach that Natural Selection Foods produced and packaged with Best-If-Used-By dates from August 17 through October 1, 2006. These packages were sold under 28 different brand names, one of which was DOLE®. Natural Selection Foods produced and packaged all spinach items under the DOLE label (with the names “Spinach,” “Baby Spinach” and “Spring Mix”). DOLE has no ownership or other economic interest in Natural Selection Foods.
Consumers should dispose of any DOLE-branded packaged fresh spinach products stamped with a Best-If-Used-By date of August 17 through October 1, 2006 as a precautionary measure in keeping with Dole’s commitment to consumer safety.
The Natural Selection Foods recall and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) statement do not impact any DOLE products other than DOLE Spinach, Baby Spinach and Spring Mix with Best-If-Used-By dates from August 17 through October 1, 2006. Products that do not contain spinach are not a part of the Natural Selection Foods recall.
DOLE is committed to assisting the FDA, the California Department of Health Services and other regulatory agencies in their investigation and this recall by Natural Selection Foods.
We are terribly saddened by these recent events. We express our deepest sympathies to those affected.
The full text of the Food and Drug Administration statement is available on-line at: http://www.fda.gov/
For more information on Natural Selection Foods’ statement, please visit: http://www.ebfarm.com
Very thorough, loaded with facts, responsible, conciliatory, empathetic…you select the adjective.
I asked my journalism/pr students at the University of Maryland University College whether or not they thought senior management is ultimately responsible for the image of an organization. Student Thomas Beck, without prompting, brought up the spinach story. Beck wrote: “… There are 21 states already reporting cases of infection/exposure. Many producers of spinach have been voluntarily recalling their products and issuing statements of support and cooperation with the FDA on investigating how this happened. One company had their CEO come out and issue a statement directly; where others, I believe, issued their statements out in other ways.”
Referring to our textbook, he commented to his classmates “… In my opinion, this E. coli outbreak calls for a response designed to mitigate or capitalize on their consequences is what these producers are doing now. More on the mitigation side I think. Cooperation and investigation on how this could have happened are the responses I have been reading.
“There is a strong moral value for these companies to inform the public on the continued progress of finding out what happened. This is a good example of management taking the lead and stepping up to their responsibility for keeping the public informed. Public relations starts with top management.”
What is your view? Are the others measuring up to Dole’s strong position?
Barbara Puffer, Puffer Public Relations Strategies
| Comments |
| RE: What would Popeye say? |
| After reading Dole’s response, I visited Earthbound Farm’s web site (they produce Natural Selection products) and clicking on their “Current information of the e. coli outbreak,” at top of the main screen, their press releases (about three of them) offer sympathy, cooperation and responsibility for the current crisis. Just initially reading the updates, I think management at Earthbound Farms are doing what one would expect of a company facing something like this. Especially when dealing with tainted food supply that results in sickness and unfortunately death. I think even Popeye would be happy! |
I frequently post what my University of Maryland University College Students think are some of the better PR campaigns out there. Here are some nominees from my Fall 2006 class.
Cecelia McRobie likes the GE Ecomagination Challenge. She writes, “I do feel that is it a best practice based on its message, audience and purpose. The Ecomagination Challenge is a contest for college students. General Electric is asking students to submit ideas that would make their schools more environmentally responsible. The winner receives a $25,000 grant to complete the project, plus MTV will perform a concert at the winner’s school. Visit:http://www.ecocollegechallenge.com/
She continued: “I believe this is a best practice because it helps the environment while getting young people involved in making our world better. This is an attractive contest because it involves MTV and a monetary award. The title, ‘Ecomagination Challenge’ plays off of the GE slogan, ‘Imagination at Work.’”
Don’t you just love those Imagination at Work television commercials?!!
The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has come up before. This time, student Mona Ferrell selected it as her favorite best practice. She wrote: “The Unilever-Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, launched by Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, was a rather extensive PR campaign focusing on body image. What made this campaign so successful and deserving of ‘benchmark’ status for me is that the company did not push its product with the typical statement of ‘if you use our product you will look more youthful.’ Instead, using multiple PR tactics, the campaign promoted ‘their products with a message of real beauty by encouraging women and girls to celebrate themselves as they are — while using the products, of course.” (Howard, T. USA Today, http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.co.nz/in-the-news/ad-campaign.asp)
“The television ads pushing the ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ theme used ‘real’ women, not models. Questionnaires were also devised asking women to write in and share their views on what makes them feel beautiful. Live discussion boards with this same theme were also set up so that ‘real’ women could talk to each other about beauty and self-acceptance. PRSA awarded Unilever-Dove and Edelman Public Relations Worldwide with the ‘Best of” Silver Anvil Award for 2006 for the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. http://www.prsa.org/_Awards /silver/winners2006.asp”
Now, here’s a campaign that will wipe that smile off your face. It came from student Jaime Foisy and it’s about Charmin’ at the Fair. She wrote: “In my opinion the best way to advertise a product is to make it complement an event where it will get a lot of use, and is unexpected. Charmin’ did this at the San Diego Fair last summer. There we were at the fair and I kept seeing all these posters for Charmin’ toilet paper, but really thought nothing of it…until I had to use the restroom. So, there I was standing in front of the facility, dreading having to go in…As I walked in I was shocked! Sponsored by Charmin, these restrooms were immaculate! I could not believe it! … it got tons of publicity and goodwill among people of all ages and types.”
Natasha Lim highlighted Ultragrain Win: Proving Kids Love Whole Grains a Whole Lot
http://investor.conagrafoods.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=97518&p=irol-newsArticlebra &ID=731145&highlight=
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswire/2006/06/09/prnewswire200606091145PR_NEWS_ B_MAT_NY_NYF057.html
She wrote: “ConAgra Foods and their PR firm, Ketchum Public Relations, launched a Silver Anvil Award-winning PR campaign aimed at promoting whole grain foods in school cafeterias. ConAgra Foods is pushing products that boast ultragrain flour which offers more whole-grain nutrition with the white flour taste that a majority of kids prefer. According to a ConAgra Foods news release, ‘the new flour bakes and tastes like white flour, but has nine grams per serving of whole grains.’ The new U.S. Dietary Guidelines and the MyPyramid food guide recommend that Americans raise their whole grain intake from one serving to three servings daily. Currently only one out of 10 people get the recommended serving amount.
The two main food items that are being pushed in school cafeterias are: new wholegrain pizza products under a brand called “The Max” and wholegrain burrito products under the name “El eXtremo”. To ensure that schools sign the products on as part of their lunch menu, a PR campaign was launched that was geared toward school directors focusing on the School Nutrition Association Annual Conference that would help create a positive buzz, promote sales, and prove that kids would eat them.
“I think ConAgra Foods and Ketchum PR executed a good campaign. They made a smart decision to aim their ultragrain products toward the school systems’ cafeteria food. They knew that they could win their products over with school directors by promoting healthier food for kids. In recent years there has been push for kids to stop eating unhealthy junk food and to start eating things that are better for them, such as more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. This campaign supports this push for healthy eating by doing something about – putting healthy food products that kids will like on the school lunch menu. Their positive action is why this campaign works.”
Student Michelle Jones likes Energy Star. She wrote: “The ENERGY STAR public relations campaign is a great example of persuasive public relations. In fact, this particular campaign has several characteristics of an outstanding campaign. As background, the ENERGY STAR campaign (program) started in 1992 as a joint program between the Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy and was specifically designed to encourage everyone to “save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.” From this statement, it is apparent that this U.S. Environmental campaign had a very clear objective, which is essential when considering what makes an effective
campaign.
“In addition, this particular campaign had several creative components connected to it. The infamous logo that we have all seen on several products is an example of this creativity. In order for a product to be eligible for ‘the star’ the business or the company had to prove that their products would use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment. Throughout this ongoing campaign, several partners and relationships were also established. As a result of this approach, several reputable sources joined forces with ENERGY STAR.
“On top of having a clear objective and being very creative, ENERGY STAR does an excellent job with measuring its results. In fact, the ENERGY STAR web site reports that ‘Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2005 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 23
million cars — all while saving $12 billion on their utility bills.’” References: http://www.energystar.gov/
25 years? $1 billion? And still no “cure?” That depends on what your definition of “cure” is.
There are many definitions for CURE and Susan G. Komen for the Cure (the new name) has been at the forefront of the cure for breast cancer around the world.
The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and its famous fundraising circuit Race for the Cure® have taken on a new name and new look this week (beginning Jan. 22), along with a renewed commitment to raise an ADDITIONAL $1 billion for the cause in the next decade.
Thumbs up for their renewed PROMISE: “To save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures. “
Thumbs up for how they are handling the rollout of the new brand. The PR and advertising campaign this week shows that Komen has been and will continue to be the icon of the breast cancer movement and the “go to” resource for people affected by breast cancer.
From a public and media relations standpoint, there’s so much to review in so little space!! Let’s get on with it!
FOR THE PUBLIC —
There was Susan G. Komen for the Cure founder Nancy G. Brinker sitting with First Lady Laura Bush during the State of the Union Address Tuesday night to hear the important health care elements of the President’s speech.
A national satellite television media tour featuring founder Nancy Brinker, as well as a national radio media tour with Dwight Randle, Komen’s senior scientific advisor, all airing January 25th.
There was the viral email sent through Affiliates (chapters) and forwarded on and on to friends, donors, relatives and anyone who might care about the cause. Thousands on thousands of people are sending this around the world as you read this!! The text reads, with graphics:
Hi friends…
I made a promise – and you can too.
In 1982, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation started with a promise between two sisters. This year, our 25th anniversary, we are shifting into another gear, recommitting to finally, once and for all, finish what we started. Susan G. Komen for the Cure: new name, new logo, same promise – to end breast cancer forever.
There are big, bold changes coming. In fact, Komen for the Cure is dedicating this year to engaging our grassroots network of survivors and activists – the largest in the world – in a yearlong program of special events and initiatives, designed to help discover and deliver the cures. I invite you to join me and get inspired by viewing this special video message and promising to pass it on to your friends:
The video message will take you to http://www.25komen.org. There you will be able to create your own Promise Circle – a motivating online network of family and friends joining you in Komen’s breast cancer movement. Pass it on and watch it grow!
Share the story and show that you’re part of the promise by purchasing a set of Komen Promise Rings and passing one on to a friend. One to wear and one to share! View the video message, visit http://www.25komen.org, and find out how you can help fund breast cancer research and community outreach programs by sharing a Promise Ring.
Please join me in igniting the promise!
There is a terrific microsite with moving, talking people at http://www.25komen.org. A microsite is “an online destination — separate from an organization’s main web site — that has a distinct URL and delivers focused, relevant content about a specific product or service.” (Mark Walsh, OMMA Magazine, January 2007, pg. 7) People can sign on to create their own “circle.”
Significant national advertising in such media as People magazine with a focus on major metropolitan areas.
FOR INSIDERS —
“Brand Ambassador” training began in July with confidentiality agreements assuring the Brand could be launched dramatically in January.
No hunting for new BRAND guidelines, fonts, colors or logo templates. User-friendly Brand Central has it all and an easy-to-use poster with common elements can be hung on the wall.
Their Promise Week toolkit contains a hard copy and CD with an activation plan and ideas, a letter for media partners, a sample media advisory, a promotional sale item, and more.
The overall Promise Week message is bold and strong…and that’s not only coming from me as a PR professional but as a 20-year breast cancer survivor. One page of the newly designed website reads:
“Komen at 25 — Walking the Walk —
With plans to invest $1 billion in breast cancer research and community health and education programs in the next 10 years, we’re putting our money where our mouth is.
And our time. And our people. And our voices. 2007 will be a brash, bold, unforgettable year in the history of the breast cancer movement and Komen for the Cure will be leading the charge.”
Visit the microsite at: http://cms.komen.org/komen/AboutUs/Komenat25/index.htm
We’ve all heard of the Menu Foods, Inc., pet food recall in March. Studying the players in this drama is the beginning of a great public relations case study. Here’s the scoop.
“As a result of adulterated wheat gluten there have been several additional pet food and pet treat product recalls that are not part of the Menu Foods recall. For information on these additional pet food recalls please go to http://www.fda.gov.” (http://www.menufoods.com/recall/ retrieved April 10, 2007)
“Nationwide, 15 cats and one dog have died from these products, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has fielded at least 12,000 complaints (ABC News, March 23, 2007; North County Gazette, April 8, 2007). “ (retrieved from PR Web April 10, 2007)
The opening paragraph from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration news release looks like this:
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE P07-48 March 17, 2007 |
Media Inquiries: Mike Herndon, 301-827-6242 Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA |
Recall of Pet Foods Manufactured by Menu Foods, Inc.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been informed that Menu Foods, Inc., a private-label pet food manufacturer based in Streetsville, Ontario, Canada, is recalling all its “cuts and gravy” style dog and cat food produced at its facility in Emporia, Kansas between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The products are sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
So, what’s a manufacturer/distributor to do? Well, IAMS, a leading distributor of cat and dog food seems to be using many of the good crisis communication tools we know. Putting out the facts, as soon as they know them, for their consumers to digest (no pun intended) tracks with their mission.
“Our Mission is to enhance the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods and pet care products that delight the customer and strengthen the human-pet bond.”
They want to not only contribute to the health of the pets they serve but “delight” them! The health and happiness of dogs and cats is number 1 with these folks!
Bought by Proctor and Gamble in 1999, IAMS “sells Eukanuba® and Iams® premium dog and cat foods (dry and canned) in 70 countries. Iams employs more than 2500 people… The Paul F. Iams (founder) TechnicalCenter is one of the premier companion animal facilities in the world…”
It’s ironic that when one heads to the P & G global Web site, that their product Pepto Bismol flashes in the top corner! Here’s what they say…
“P&G Pet Care Announces Voluntary Participation in Menu Foods’ Nationwide U.S. and Canadian Recall of Specific Canned and Small Foil Pouch ‘Wet’ Cat and Dog Foods.” But I digress.
Let’s look at a few of the positive steps IAMS took.
Their Web site is at: http://www.iamsco.com
A green box at the bottom of the home page announces the “voluntary recall” and offers a link to a news release. You can also link to a long list of announcements and media statements beginning as far back as March 16th. An 800 telephone number offers additional information.
In the center, the page promotes iams.com. “Iams.com is a special site for caring pet owners just like you. You can find helpful advice, quick answers, nutritional updates – everything you need to help your best friend enjoy a long, healthy life.” Whether you launch iams.com from the main site or from and internet search, you are immediately redirected to a page about the pet food recall. From their Web site: “The Menu Foods recall affects many wet food brands distributed in the U.S. and Canada. This recall does not affect any Iams or Eukanuba products marketed outside of the U.S. and Canada.”
Click in that same screen under U.S., for example, and there is a list of foods involved in the recall and a link for veterinarians. The vets area begins with: “As promised, we are continuing to keep you updated on the Menu Foods recall. We know the Menu Foods recall has caused concern, frustration and confusion for you and your clients. We want you to know that we care deeply, and we continue to take action on your behalf.”
About the only audience they haven’t directly spoken to about this is Pooch and Kitty. We’ll be watching this case unfold. Stay tuned!
What can I say? I’ve always advised and taught my journalism and PR students that successful and effective media relations is about mutually beneficial relationships… so an e-mail news release push isn’t always going to be effective if there is no relationship in the first place.
See what Media Daily News commentator George Simpson has to share on the subject on November 16th. I’d love to hear your comments as I’m sure Mr. Simpson would, as well. He’s only the messenger, remember. This is a great topic for a media relations debate.
| Media Daily News
http://blogs.mediapost.com/mdn_commentary/?cat=100 FROM Over the Line … a light-hearted look at advertising and media Commentary |
| For Immediate Release… |
| by George Simpson, Friday, Nov 16, 2007 7:00 AM ET |
| JOURNALISTS AT WIRED MAGAZINE AND The Washington Post have apparently reached their personal tipping points with unsolicited press releases. In both cases (rather than just customarily striking the delete key), they lashed out.
Wired‘s executive editor, Chris Anderson, posted the email addresses of 329 unsolicited messages he had received (from the likes of mega-PR firms Edelman, 5W Public Relations, Fleishman-Hillard, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide and Weber Shandwick), telling the senders that he had permanently blocked them and calling out the “lazy flacks” who deluged him with news releases. At the WP, Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page responded to an unsolicited press release about D.C. Council member Marion Barry’s views on a community hospital issue with this lighthearted missive: “Must we hear about it every time this crack addict attempts to rehabilitate himself with some new–and typically half-witted–political grandstanding? I’d be grateful if you would take me off your mailing list. I cannot think of anything the useless Marion Barry could do that would interest me in the slightest, up to and including overdose.” Former District Mayor Barry, Over the Line readers will doubtless recall, served a six-month prison sentence after being videotaped smoking crack cocaine during an FBI sting in 1990. Both reactions bore consequences. Mr. Page apologized and reportedly was spanked by WP management. Mr. Anderson’s blog was bombarded by PR folks who either celebrated his amusing boycott, or took him to task for his insensitivity toward the flack industry. The general theme (other than thinking it was unfair to out the offenders) was that Wired‘s Web site makes it impossible for press reps to find out who covers what in order to more accurately target their releases. In the old days of print journalism, one was expected to actually read the publication one was pitching in order to figure all that out, rather than rely on the electronic posting of beat lists and reporter email addresses. Still, there is the prevailing attitude–especially among the ink-stained, grizzled older 4th estaters–that PR folks are more a nuisance than they are a help to reporters. This is despite a study by marketing consultancy Arketi revealing that 90% of B2B reporters cited news releases in their stories and 89% said they tap into public relations contacts. Let’s face it–introducing one’s planned spouse with, “Oh, he/she works in public relations” does not quicken the parental heart as does “neurosurgeon” or “institutional broker.” Or most especially “has worked at Google since they opened the door.” Show me a child who says “I want to grow up and spend 15 hours a day writing meaningless press releases, begging for placement and swallowing my pride with arrogant writers”–and I will show you a child the school authorities should keep away from m-rated video games, listening to Metallica, or obtaining a gun permit. And so PR is an industry that as a rule does not attract the best and the brightest, but rather the cutest and the fastest-talking. It can offer the appearance of glamour through fleeting associations with celebrities and CEOs, the chance to hand out party favors at red carpet events where Patrick McMullan and cleavage complete for attention, and making certain the bosses’ laundry gets done in exotic locales. But the underside of it is decidedly unglamorous and involves studying business plans, understanding markets, writing reams of documents (including the releases that annoy the ever-so-sensitive Messrs Anderson and Page) and tracking the coverage of scores of reporters who might one day want to write about your client. Because I have a MediaPost byline, I get all sorts of press releases from idiotic PR folks who would be sorry as hell if they were truly successful in getting their clients into this column. Does that mean on another day, with the right luck and pitch and exquisite timing, they won’t land a cover story in BusinessWeek or, say, Wired? Not at all. Who among us doesn’t welcome the easy way out? The path of least resistance? But if you care for a moment about your long-term success, you do the heavy lifting required in any business or industry. Along the way, you send the wrong release to the wrong editor who reaches his tipping point and drives a stake through your professional heart. So, you get up, examine the stake for what you have learned, adjust your MO accordingly, and move on. Life is otherwise just too short. |
The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication has released their fifth Public Relations/Communications Generally Accepted Practices (GAP) Study. GAP is one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive studies of key issues impacting PR practitioners. It provides data addressing such key questions as, how much companies spend on PR and their PR agencies, how the PR organization fits within the overall organizational structure, and respondents’ attitudes about, and budgeting for, PR measurement and evaluation.
The report shows there is a sharp correlation between where the PR function reports within organizations and its adherence to best practices. The higher up the organizational chart the PR function reported, the better that organization and its PR performed against the 13 best practices the study’s authors identified.
View the 2007 PR GAP V Study: http://www.annenberg.usc.edu/CentersandPrograms/ResearchCenters/SPRC/PrevGAP.aspx
The major news release distribution services have done a great job of creating “feeds” into the websites of major news organizations. These feeds provide the illusion that the news websites have “published” or covered a news release because it was newsworthy. For better or worse, that’s not the case. Thanks to agreements the newswires have with these sites, just pay your money and your mediocre story can live happily on msnbc.com where, for a few days anyway, you can show-off your brilliant media relations triumph to unsuspecting superiors and clients alike. These “hits” provide you with some great “clips” for your electronic or printed collection of media relations “results.” Now just sit back as the kudos come pouring in. And all of this can be yours for ten clicks of your mouse and a few hundred dollars. What a deal!
In essence, the social Web, and all the tools and services it continues to spawn, has forever changed the game. There are PR firms that will adapt to meet the growing mass-market demand for Internet-based expertise and service, and there are many that will not.
So here’s an updated look at 10 PR trends driving the revolution, from PR 20/20 Blog.
