What About Holiday Season Marketing and PR?
The weather is turning to Fall here in the Western Hemisphere, and with it thoughts of marketing and PR activities for the holiday season.
We’re opening the phone lines here to ask what challenges you anticipate, activities you’re planning or just your general thoughts on the economy.
The comments section is now open.
Let’s hear from you!
Don’t Be An American Idiot–Talk to the Press
When you’re on the ropes and something good finally breaks your way, you should tell the world about it–especially when the news media are practically begging you to do so.
Case in point, the producers of “the financially shaky musical American Idiot got a huge boost this week as Billie Joe Armstrong, the front man for Green Day who wrote the show’s songs and co-wrote its book, stepped into a key role onstage for eight performances.”
Great–just the shot in the arm they needed–and a real draw for new ticket sales, right? Well, no. Read on (source: Portfolio.com - emphasis mine):
“But one day after Armstrong made his Broadway debut to thunderous applause at the St. James Theater and raves online, something odd happened—neither the producers nor the publicist wanted to talk about the show, it’s finances, the impact Armstrong would have on the its long-term health, or Broadway’s appetite for rock and roll.
The lack of comment is not only puzzling, it’s stupid. It’s akin to Donald Trump refusing to talk after a particularly heated episode of The Apprentice or Steve Jobs demanding to be left alone after sending out a press release announcing a new iPhone. Small-business owners and entrepreneurs take note: Going dark to the media when your product is hot is no way to make friends or keep the “positive” going.
Great advice.
And I say that not as a hater of the musical. Far from it. I saw American Idiot in previews this spring and walked away thinking it was one of the best shows of the last Broadway season.
Yet the producers stonewalled reporters at a time when the anemic musical could use a shot in the arm. Don’t they understand that when the smell of death starts to linger around a Broadway show it usually makes people turn away in droves? The Armstrong boost makes now the time to talk to the media–especially media so obviously disposed to writing a positive story. Instead, the reporter wrote this:
It all made me eager to write about the brilliant move behind getting one third of Green Day to fill in for the actor who normally plays St. Jimmy, who had to take time off to deal with a family matter. But then when I got shot down by the publicist—and, by extension, the producers—I was left only with a set of unanswered questions.
I’m sure they have their reasons, and they may be very good ones–but the fact is they blew a great media opportunity. Keep that in mind when something good happens to your company or organization. Don’t let the opportunity to make a splash with the media slip by.
To put it plainly: don’t be an idiot. Sing when you’re winning.
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.
Don’t Let A Restless Leg Kick Out Your Message
Today we have a guest post by the inimitable Robb Yagmin of PSPR, the firm he runs with PR legend Pete Swickles. Robb is an ex-TVer whose first career was telling stories. He’s interviewed two presidents, many do-gooders and a million criminals. One of the best media trainers in the business, Robb offers up some great tips on acing your TV interview:
Don't Be A Relentless Restless Leg Victim.
So according to FishbowlDC … MSNBC’s Chris Matthews could have restless leg syndrome. He recently was caught bouncing his leg up and down and up and down and up and down while talking about an Obama speech. I’m not going to say if he was happy or mad about the president’s speech, but if you are familiar with the journalist, THAT is not a secret. First, a professional shouldn’t tip his hat one way or another about their political leanings. We all learned objectivity in Journalism 101. But I digress.
Matthews was shaking his leg SO much that a guest laughed at him and they spent time talking about THAT instead of what he wanted his message to be. During my media training seminars, this is one of the main things I try to teach nervous folks about television. When you score a TV interview, whether you are nervous or not, sit in a chair that doesn’t have wheels OR a swivel seat OR a reclining back. Keep both feet flat on the ground. Sit up. Period. I was on TV for 15 years and cameras don’t worry me, but I still would be tempted to sway, move around and generally just fidget. If an interviewee does any of these things, it takes away from the message they are trying to convey.
If you are nervous, here are a couple other on-camera tips:
- Take a quick swallow of water before an interview starts. If nothing else, it lubes the pipes and limits the ‘clicking’ sound when your spit is too thick in your mouth. That sound is annoying.
- Only answer the question you are asked. You are a professional. If you don’t know the answer, say so and offer to call with the information ASAP or get someone else to help out.
- No gum. (Do you really need to tell me this? You’d be surprised). The viewer will notice this distraction and it reduces the effectiveness of your message…have I mentioned this before?
- If the photojournalist is asking the questions and he remains behind the camera (no reporter present) DON’T look into the lens…answer the question by looking at his ear. Exception: a live or satellite shot and you are hooked up with an IFB.
- Nerves are normal. If your interview is taped, do not feel bad if you need to just stop and say, “I’d like to start over.” Unless you are being bird-dogged by a reporter for embezzling money, editors aren’t going to put you on TV stumbling all over yourself. If the interview is live in studio and you draw a blank, just stop talking. The anchor is skilled in filling the gap. Believe me; the more they can hear themselves talk, the better they feel anyway.
Remember, if you are lucky, you may only get 20 seconds on TV. You want the viewers to listen and remember your message…not anything else.
Want more TV tips, tricks and strategies? Goto Pspublicrelations.com, where this piece is cross-posted.
Stunning Stats on Twitter, YouTube, Photos, & Apps
A friend of ours in the broadcasting biz shared this data with us. Check it out!
The Bandwidth Music & Technology Conference in San Francisco last month featured discussions where attendees shared some incredible data points. Take a look:
The latest on Twitter…
# of tweets, daily: 70 million
# of tweets, monthly: 2 billion
# of registered users: 145 million
# of account sign-ups, daily: 300,000
(Source: Matt Graves, Communications Director @ Twitter.)
The latest on photos…
# of photos uploaded onto Facebook, monthly: 2.5 billion # of photos uploaded to Facebook, annually: 30 billion # of approved photos typically needed by a band, 2000: 6-9 # of approved photos typically needed by a band, 2010: 300-400.
The latest on YouTube:
#2 search engine in the world (of all engines, separated from Google) # of videos rotated by MTV, during its 80s prime: 30-40 per week # of views for Tyler Hilton’s cover of “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon: 748,099
The latest on Apps:
# of downloaded apps, App Store: > 5 billion (as of June)
# of artist apps typically downloaded (per artist): < 100,000
(Source on YouTube, photo and apps data: Jeremy Welt, SVP of New Media, Warner Bros. Records. Total downloaded app statistic from Apple.)
Communication Can Combat Workplace Stress
Credit: http://www.controlstress.net/
Who’da thunk it? People are stressed out, and though it won’t cure the economy, communication may be the thing to calm nerves and make people more productive:
The majority of what experts are seeing is overwhelmed workers, often due to downsizing. And while they’re thankful to still have a reason to wake up in the morning, the burden of doing the jobs of two or three people is too much. The problem is, they’re so worried about losing their job that they tend to work many hours, often at the cost of other healthy activities such as working out, spending time with family and friends, and unwinding from the day.
Conversely, some people are feeling underutilized at the office, which leads them to ask whether their jobs are next to be eliminated, whether they’re valued members of the team, and whether they’re not trusted members of the company,” says Lickerman.The solution is simple: Higher-ups need to better communicate with each other and subordinates.
“Communication is dismal in corporate America,” Lickerman argues. “Entry-level employees trust the messages of top-tier management and their direct supervisors. Yet when a company rolls out a new initiative, internal communication is often the last thing they think about.”
Just having real conversations with employees about the state of the company and the security of their jobs can go a long way toward better morale and employee mental health, says Carson, who urges that those conversations should not take place in a group setting.
“Taking the time to check in and having an honest discussion with individuals is key to making people feel like they are respected, valued, and seen within the organization.”That may be especially true for young workers, many of whom are seeing the devastating effects of layoffs on their peers and family members for the first time in their professional lives.
“Unemployment is extremely stressful because the unemployed person may feel guilty and ashamed at no longer being a provider, while other family members can feel angry and helpless,” says Kerry Sulkowicz, organizational consultant, psychoanalyst, and founder and principal of New York-based Boswell Group. “The most important thing to do is to not suffer in silence. Open and honest communication about the stress—and its sources—may be the most important step to reducing it.”
via What Employers Can Do To Combat The Changing Nature Of Workplace Stress – Resources – Portfolio.com.
Whether you think it necessary or not, now is the time to have a (nonthreatening) talk (and listen!) with your employees about what’s going on. You may be surprised at the response.
What’s Your Biggest PR Challenge?
We do a lot of “talking” about public relations on this blog–but we also want to listen.
We’re looking for you small business owners, non-profit execs, corporate PR pros, politicians, consultants, authors and musicians (and really anyone else) to weigh in with your biggest public relations challenge. Do you feel like you’re always climbing a wall, pushing a boulder–yet getting nowhere?
In your public relations efforts, is there something holding you back or getting in your way?
Is it:
- Hiring the right PR pro?
- Finding budget for PR?
- Finding your message?
- Moving from tactical to strategic efforts?
- A bad image?
- No image?
- Rebranding?
- …or something else?
Please share your challenges in the comments section below. We may feature your challenge and some suggestions on how to address it in an upcoming post. You can also remain anonymous by emailing us with your challenge at team@alexgpr.com.
So let’s hear from you–the PR program you save could be your own!
Filtered for Your Pleasure
Posted by Alex on September 18, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Reading SmartMoney magazine I came across a story by Anne Kadet about PowerReviews, “a little-known outfit processes reviews for online stores.” She adds that “Since the company’s 2005 launch, it has screened 9 million reviews.”
Kadet’s feature describes PowerReviews as the filter that many online stores use to screen out profanity, obviously false (inauthentic!) or off-topic reviews.
It’s an interesting story if you’ve ever wondered why your complaint about bad customer service at ACME Co. went missing:
So, retailers scrub the reviews on a regular basis. Oh well, even so if you have a gripe you can always blog, Tweet or Facebook about it on your own. And you should.
Filed under G Whiz, Message & Strategy, Public Relations, Tips & Tricks · Tagged with AlexanderG Public Relations, Anne Kadet, Bad pr, Brand identity, Branding, comment filter, Kansas City, Kansas City Public Relations, online complaints, PowerReviews, PR, PR tips, product reviews, profanity, public relations blog, review comments filter, reviews, SmartMoney, strategic public relations, trust agents