Media Relations

Nuns And Text Messaging - Great Friday Humor!

Instead of face-to-face conversation, the ubiquitous cell phone is now a veil between human-to-human communication.  Just imagine how our ancestors would react if they could step into a time machine and view today's cell phone behavior  : )

For a great Friday laugh and funny illustration of our tech-insane world, watch one of the top viewed commercials this week - Nuns who text message - with thanks from AdForum.

If you sign up for the free newsletter, you'll get the top viewed commercials emailed to you on a regular basis.  They can be touching, amazing, funny...and yes, sometimes a little on the distasteful side (depending on your "taste" threshold).

A Country Of Strangers. I'm Hoping To Get To Know You. Earn The Right to Whine

I want to know the real America. 

Who are you? 

What do you believe in?

What do you want for this nation, your family, your life?

Low voter turnouts have made me feel like I've lived in a country of strangers...those silent Americans....those many Americans.  When will you declare your existence with a ballot? 

This is a blockbuster year to get out and vote.  Even those of us with humble bank accounts felt important with our $5.00 online donation.  Never before have we had at our computer keyboards so many direct messages and information from candidates. 

Earn the right to whine. Vote.  The early voting polls are now open.  I cast my ballot several days ago.  It felt great!

Earn the right to complain if the election doesn't turn out the way you expected.  And if you need a little inspiration, watch this.

I remember the first year I was old enough to vote.  It felt nearly sacred.  I dutifully attended a local Mass Meeting (now called a "Caucus" in Utah).  I chose my candidate, knocked on doors to fund-raise for him, and volunteered to tabulate votes for 14 hours (done by hand with a pencil). 

We've come a long way...

Two Choices. Both Mean Budget Deficits. So Which Do You Choose?

Feeling the fear?  Just when I thought I'd heard enough of predictions, political gut-wrenching, and deficit despair, I watched a most unusual interview with the author of The Predator State.

In his discussion with Bill Moyers, authorJames Galbraith made some very interesting points...and lowered my heart rate (for the moment).

1. We can choose to build a better economy through deficit spending...or we can choose a terrible economy by depending on the free market to right itself. The budget deficit will grow either way.
2. A lack of quick government intervention could lead to broken local governments who depend on property and sales taxes to take care of their citizens and infrastructure.
3. The dollar is still the strongest currency in the world and countries are still willing to loan us the money we need to stabilize the global economy.
4. These times are as serious as The Great Depression when it comes to the initial panic in 1929.  But if the people and the government have the will to take the right steps, we can avoid the long suffering years of 1930, '31, '32.
5. And finally, get used to deficits.  

Meanwhile, what did Galbraith mean by titling his book The Predator State?  Watch the interview to find out.

 

 

Quarantined News Media Face Huge Ethics Test On November 4th

On November 4th, those typical exit polls (those that many accuse of skewing election outcomes) will be conducted.  According to an interview on last weekend's On The Media, representatives from the four TV networks and Associated Press will be quarantined.  At 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, those individuals will be given some early and general trend information from those polls.  They are free to take it back to the newsroom where employees are supposed to embargo the information until the Western states have finished voting.

This will be the ultimate test of news media ethics.  After all, TV anchors will be ravenous for anything to say during the long stretch from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. EST Standard Time (when all polls have closed). 

The On The Media piece (click on the podcast Poll Me Twice) addressed the genuine concern that newsrooms may leak the forbidden info to bloggers/citizen journalists, who will then post online...allowing traditional media to simply "cover what's already out there."

And if it happens....will it skew the results as anchors release scraps of online information?  Will Western voters figure their vote won't count if they see TV report a "clear trend" from the exit polls.

The world will be watching.

PR Freeze Ahead in 2009? And PR Ethics Dilemmas Pondered

What's the outlook for the use of PR services, or even the staffing of PR departments for the coming year? 

Several thoughts.  A hesitant warning...surely PR will be just as vulnerable if not more so than any other profession.  We still have to constantly prove we aren't "fluff".  On a positive note, when a business is in trouble, it often needs crisis PR.

When it comes to agencies, the big ones, today's PR Week edition contains a piece on the 2009 economic predictions from PR industry consultants.  See the excerpt below.  Also, BusinessWeek predicts that layoffs will be across the board, rather than industry focused, as with the .com bust.

Excerpt from PR Week:

"Hiring for communications positions on the agency side is generally flat except for key hires," says Don Spetner, EVP of corporate affairs at Korn/Ferry International. And Karen Bloom, principal at executive search firm Bloom, Gross & Associates, says the PR side of her business is down some because companies are putting off hiring decisions until the new year, when they'll reassess.

One story source said that travel, consumer, b-to-b, retail, financial, and some tech and entertainment industries (and their PR efforts) could face rough times.  Yet on the bright side, digital industries may be spared. 

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On another note, America' business ethics are in the burning glare of public disgust.   PR professionals are constantly faced with ethical dilemmas.  A presenter at the upcoming PRSA International Conference in Detroit, Emmanuel Tchividjian, will hold a panel discussion on those challenges.  For a preview, listen to his podcast here.  Tchividjian is the ethics officer at Ruder Fin and is in charge of the Ruder Finn Ethic Consulting practice.

Funny, Strange Headlines and Barack, McCain Roast Each Other

All tension aside (I'm not so sure), McCain and Obama roasted each other last night at a New York charity dinner. McCain speech here, Obama's here from YouTube.

And, with all due credit to The Columbia Journalism Review, more strange headlines collected from newspapers around the nation-scroll down (apologies if they offend): 

    

    

     

Utah's New "Business Page." Utah Pulse is a Commendable Venture.

Disappointed by the shrinking newspaper business page and newsroom layoffs?  Ironic it is that in such transformative economic times, some newspapers have cut back the size, or even eliminated the business page altogether.
 
But wait a minute.  The creation of the 401K retirement plan practically forced average US workers to become well-versed in business, investments and the stock market.  So wouldn't you also think that a newspaper's business page would be popular, well-read, and appreciated by news readers?  
 
In Utah, the void has been filled.  We are lucky to witness a new online presense called Utah Pulse.  With seed money from Zions Bank, Utah Pulse is designed to cover the business news that doesn't receive coverage from the daily news anymore.
 
It is media rich, aggregates important daily headlines and has the potential to be not only an online newspaper, but also a radio station (podcasts), TV station (video feeds), a blog, and new social media (whatever form that may take).  And Utah Pulse is setting up alliances with business associations statewide.
 
Sign up to receive the daily email newsletter for free at http://www.utahpulse.com/feeds

Help keep this project alive and flourishing by not only reading and listening to its content, but also by sending your business news to the editor.  If business news affects "Main Street," we can't afford to live without it.
 
I also asked editor Bryan Schott for more information on upcoming features and what he looks for:

"The best way for people to get in touch with me is at bschott@utahpulse.com or on my cell phone at 801.205.8387.  I’m particularly interested in hearing from Utah business people who want to share their expertise with the business community at large.  We’re also going to launch a comprehensive job board in the near future as well."

The "Ex Day" Bouquet, Dangerous Ideas In Public Relations, And Good Advice For Your Clients

Ah Yes, Another Reason To Spend Your Money.  This from SPJ's Daily Press Notes:

"Concerned about drooping flower sales? Invent a holiday. Just one week ahead of disclosing its quarterly earnings, 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. on Tuesday announced a partnership with CBS Corp. to create “Ex Day,” a holiday to '“let love bloom again' and bring new life to old relationships by sending a special 'Ex Day' bouquet.

Read all about it here.

The Most Dangerous Ideas In Public Relations

On YouTube, PR practitioners discuss the future of PR.  This is in tandem with a special event hosted by The Council of Public Relations Firms to be held on October 23 at the Yale Club of New York.  Featured speakers include, panelists include:

Featured panelists:

• Jack Bergen, SVP, Corporate Affairs and Marketing, Siemens Corporation
• Harris Diamond, CEO, Weber Shandwick
• John Onoda, Sr. Consultant, Fleishman Hillard; formerly head of comms, GM
• Jim Sluzewski, VP, Corporate Communications & External Affairs, Macy's, Inc.                   

Lunch/Interview: Jeff Hayzlett, Chief Business Development Officer, Eastman Kodak Company interviewed by The Wall Street Journal's Suzanne Vranica

More info here.

What Are You Advising Your Clients To Do During Financial & Election Stress?

An excellent White Paper, thanks to  © 2008 Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Inc. – All Rights Reserved Waggener Edstrom, Innovation Communications and Innovation Context.

Excerpt below and full text here:

"What we are recommending to our clients:

• Most importantly, stay focused on the long term. This crisis will pass; there will be fallout, but the global economy will continue on. This is an opportune time to broaden interaction with stakeholders; to think globally; and to begin employing innovative communications tools such as social networking and online strategies, to support corporate business goals and strengthen those critical stakeholder ties.

• This is not a good time to cut back on employee communications. In fact, constant and open dialogue between company leaders and employees is essential during times of uncertainty. Clearly all of this external communications needs to map as well to internal communications —both formal and informal.

• Senior management will want to understand this media dynamic and why story lines are being altered —but broader employee communication will be of value in maintaining morale and helping the company as a whole understand how its story is being told in a media climate that is lunging from headline to headline. Now is the time for CEOs to be more visible than ever before, not less.

• Utilize every communications channel. Organizations need to move beyond (but not exclude) traditional media communications. This includes a heavy focus on direct stakeholder interaction (global citizenship, investor relations, employee communications, to name a few key elements). The use of online and social communications tools, from blogging to tweets, opens up new avenues for organizations to build communications bridges beyond mainstream press.

• Be authentic. Not just today, but every day. Transparency and global citizenship are increasing in importance every day, and are key differentiators in the marketplace. Given the current degree of media scrutiny and public skepticism over the motives behind corporate behavior and performance, an organization’s activities — and to whom and how they are communicated — must be ethical, authentic and credible. Indeed, we believe that authenticity will become the single biggest defining factor for successful corporations and those who lead them into the future.

• The depth of the media coverage around this credit crisis, for all the reasons mentioned, marks a significant milestone for PR professionals and their clients. This perfect storm of media tension, politics and global economic wobbling has made the role of PR even more critical in managing external and internal communications. The premium will be on clear-eyed counsel and focusing on transparent communications programs that speak to the day-to-day realities of this particular crisis, but which really enhance and sustain corporate reputation and brand value in the long term."

Kodak Wants Best "Election Moments" Photos

A great marketing ploy!  Kodak just emailed me, asking me to participate in a contest:

"We're on the hunt for spectacular 2008 presidential election photos. These include your best snapshots of election parties, politicians, voters, fundraisers and anything else that captures this exciting time.

If your photo is selected, it will be featured along with your story in next month's KODAK Moment—the day before the election."

You can send your campaign Kodak moment entry to:

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/kodakmoment/submission.jhtml

What a way to ride the coattails of the most significant campaigns in US history.

Bye to the BBC? FCC Stands By Free Nationwide Wireless. And Please...TALK to your employees.

Breaking professional news for news media and PR...during these very "interesting times." 

1. Is the BBC in trouble?  Very, according to this.
2. Imagine free wireless across the U.S.  The FCC just took action that helps clear the way.
3. If you haven't yet communicated well with your employees regarding the current financial situation, you aren't alone.  But be warned....better do it now than later. 
4. Are you cutting your PR and marketing programs?  Think twice and read this blog post by Jon Greer.  To quote Warren Buffet, "f you lose dollars for the firm, I will be understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless."

Special thanks to the Daily Dog Blog and SPJ's Daily Press Notes for the info and links.