Netflix Rents PR Trouble in Canada
They flubbed their lines on this PR event.
Movie rental giant Netflix rarely makes a business or PR misstep, but when they do, sheesh. It seems the company hired some actors to pad its Canadian launch, and with that they rented some nasty PR.
Netflix Inc. tried to bring a touch of Hollywood to its Canada debut Wednesday only to wind up apologizing for a botched publicity stunt.
Things backfired at a Toronto street celebration after reporters discovered that actors hired by the Netflix had been given written instructions to give media interviews gushing about the video subscription service’s arrival in Canada.
The actors also were urged to fill a variety of stereotypical roles, including “mothers, film buffs, tech geeks, couch potatoes,” according to the one-page handout given to them.
Netflix never intended to mislead reporters, company spokesman Steve Swasey said. He attributed the mix-up to the bureaucratic hoops that Netflix had to jump through to get a permit to close an entire street for Wednesday’s event.
To qualify for the permit, Swasey said Netflix decided to film a fake documentary. That led to the hiring of a handful of actors who were only supposed to help drum up enthusiasm and attract a crowd before CEO Reed Hastings arrived on the scene. Swasey wasn’t sure who decided the actors should give media interviews under false pretenses.
“We are embarrassed,” Swasey said. “We regret that this put on a blemish on what should have been perfect day for Netflix.”
via The Associated Press: Netflix hires actors to pose as its Canada fans.
Pretty careless–and very stupid if it was done on purpose. Haven’t heard if anyone was canned over this–yet.
But, you have to give them points for admitting their mistake with alacrity and contrition. Mistakes owned-up to quickly are a matter of forgiveness. Drag your feet, dissemble or lie and it becomes a matter of low credibility or mistrust.
Remember: when you screw up, admit it and the story usually goes away. Hide it, cover it up, obfuscate…you may find yourself Gone with the Wind.
And what company wants to rent that?
Huffington Post Blogger Insults PR Professionals
I bill by the hour and will charge extra for being project manager of the Death Star.
It’s a tough line of work, being in Public Relations, what with all the evil we do.
Just ask the blogger at the Huffington Post who blithely portrayed public relations professionals as cynical, evil minions of “the dark side”:
Can you ever trust a PR person? If he’s working pro bono and has only six weeks of unemployment to his name, then the answer is probably.
After Kevin DeSoto , 41, was laid off after a 20-year career in PR and marketing — an industry which is sometimes cynically referred to as “the dark side” — he began using his social media savvy to help others… for free.
Note to blogger: “Can you ever trust a PR person?” Really? You actually wrote that with a straight face?
The story, titled Kevin DeSoto, Former PR Exec, Crosses Over to the Good Side (!) condescendingly compliments Mr DeSoto for his admirable work on behalf of people in need. I suppose that the author of the piece thought that his pro bono work would seem even more admirable if DeSoto’s recent change of fortune had transformed him from a killer of Jedi Knights into a pillar of the Forces of Good.
Yes, I know the “dark side” slam on PR has been around a while, but I’m challenging it anyway. Besides being a lame angle for a story and lazy stereotyping, it’s unfair to public relations professionals. It also cheapens what Mr. DeSoto is doing. To that end, Mr. DeSoto made a good point that was unfortunately met with a backhanded compliment:
Since leaving the corporate world, the former camera marketer says he has focused on “going back to the basics of true, honest PR and marketing,” which may sound oxymoronic but after being “burned” in the corporate world, DeSoto says he is confident his good deeds will pay off some day.
“I struggle with being optimistic about this sometimes, but I have a strong conviction that if you do the right thing, it will pay off some day. Good things can happen when you give your time, skills and resources to help someone with asking for anything in return.”
Most PR professionals I know do pro bono work as a matter of course in our careers, and it doesn’t take a sudden job loss to make that happen. On the whole as a profession we’re not unethical shills for nasty corporations that rape the environment or bilk taxpayers. No, most of us work for non-profits, hospitals, social causes and responsible companies. Yes, by telling our client’s story we help sell products and services–but that makes us a vital part of capitalism, not Lords of the Sith.
There are bad players in every profession–whether it be PR, journalism, law, medicine or even blogging. Tarring everyone with the same “dark side” brush isn’t fair or responsible.
You can trust me on that.
High Fructose PR Problem
The folks at PRWatch.org are concerned about the attempts to change the image of the cheap, subsidy-sweet high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by changing its name; even comparing the HFCS lobby to the evildoers at Philip Morris and worse, Blackwater:
Philip Morris tried to escape its tarnished reputation by re-branding itself “Altria” and the private military contractor Blackwater tried to ditch its bad image by re-naming itself “Xe.” Now the Corn Refiners Association is taking a tip from these companies and trying to re-brand its much-maligned product, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), as “corn sugar.” Consumption of HFCS is at a 20-year low. This might make doctors and nutritionists happy, but it’s bad news for manufacturers of HFCS, who hope to turn the trend around. No longer should we refer to chemical-sounding “high fructose corn syrup,” but instead we should use the fresher, gentler and more natural-sounding term “corn sugar.” HFCS has gotten a reputation as obesity’s public enemy number one, and over-consumption of HFCS and other sweeteners has been linked to a list of chronic health problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the name change for food labels, but the corn producers are already working to change public perception of their product. They are running TV ads featuring a down-home family farmer and sweeping shots of nature, and their Web site extolls the virtues of HFCS.
The re-naming could work. In the 1980s, there was an ingredient called “low erucic acid rapeseed oil” which was re-named “canola oil,” and more recently, the FDA permitted prunes to be marketed under the name “dried plums.” In both cases, after the name change, sales of the products increased.
As they say, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still unhealthy, delicious bacon. Dr. Andrew Weil has weighed in:
Instead, in the web age, the name-change petition quickly became an appropriately sticky public relations mess. After just nine days, a Google search for the twin terms “high-fructose corn syrup” and “corn sugar” garnered 143,000 results, and asking social media posters for their own alternate names became a raging meme. I happily joined in, posing the challenge on my Facebook page and Digg profile. Hundreds volunteered tags including “liquid suffering,” “cellulite syrup,” and several that can’t be published in a family website, despite my instruction to avoid profanity.
via Dr. Andrew Weil: Fortunately, ‘Corn Sugar’ Has Become a Sticky PR Mess.
So, PR geniuses, what would you do if the Corn Refiners Association were your client? I think I’d be looking up case studies on New Coke, myself.
KC’s Art for Arthritis Event Raises $50,000
As MC, people hung on my every word. Sort of.
My third time as MC of the annual Arthritis Foundation “Art for Arthritis” auction was great fun. Kids living with arthritis were paired with local artists to make some incredibly beautiful works of art that were auctioned to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. The event at Studio Dan Meiners was very successful–generous Kansas Citians donated approximately $50,000.
Most people don’t think about children having arthritis but more than 3,000 children in the Kansas City and Western Missouri area have some form of this painful disease. Our Art for Arthritis event teamed 17 local children affected by juvenile arthritis with area artists to spend a summer together creating unique pieces of artwork. The artwork is auctioned off at the end of the summer our gala fundraising event in order to raise money for nationwide arthritis research, as well as local programs and services.
Your humble MC interviews a young artist while auction legends the Nigro Brothers look on.
This event, however, is much more than a fundraiser. Art for Arthritis empowers participants by introducing them to children with similar circumstances who can work together to fight against arthritis by raising awareness about their disease and supporting an agency that advocates on their behalf. It also exposes children to alternative forms of expression through granting them access into the local Kansas City arts community.
Thanks to all of you who supported these brave kids. If you wish to donate, there is still time. Click here. (Thanks to loyal readers Tim and Lisa Lester for their generous donation!) Thanks also to the Arthritis Foundation for asking me back. I loved it!
Best. Book Trailer. Ever.
Fantastic book trailer. Best ever. At least until mine is done. Until then, have some fun:
Too Busy to Take My Money?
I called a vendor (name and city of origin to remain anonymous) to inquire about hiring them. Actually, to be more precise, I called and emailed a vendor many times at the request of a client who wanted me to use said vendor on a project. The budget was several thousand dollars–not tens of thousands, but enough so you’d notice it on a monthly balance sheet.
In case the vendor wasn’t getting my calls and emails, I checked with his receptionist to make sure the vendor was in the office–she said the vendor indeed was, then transferred me to the vendor’s extension. I left a message.
Long story short, after entreaties for a call (or email) back over a span of two weeks, I gave up and hired a different vendor.
Not sure if it was me (not everybody likes everybody), a busy schedule or what, but the vendor’s inaction lost my business–and my client’s–probably forever.
I don’t get it. Had the vendor just returned the communication to say “we’re swamped,” or “we’re not interested in that project” I would have said fair enough and moved on–and still kept that vendor on my short list for future projects. But now….nope.
Why? Because I wasn’t given the professionalism of a civil reply.
I’d venture to say that if you’re so busy you can’t take ten seconds to send a reply email or designate a subordinate to do it for you, then your busy schedule is probably an accident or a result of poor time management–because you’re sure not great at attracting new business.
Who knows? Maybe this vendor didn’t need the money.
Ha.
