Category Archives: Public Relations

A Direct PR Tip

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The idea for this blog came to while watching the Academy Award nominated Sony film “Moneyball” starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. “Moneyball” is the real-life story of Billy Beane, general manager of the Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics. I highly recommend this movie if you haven’t seen it for there’s one scene in the movie that strongly resonated with me for its PR application.

Pitt and Hill are both students of each other's games in MONEYBALL.

There’s one particular section toward the middle of the movie where GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) teaches *Asst. GM Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) a lesson on how to fire or trade players. Beane tells Brand that the best way is the quickest way – to come right out and say it with no sugar coating. And after a few beats, I thought that this was great advice for us all.

LESS IS ALWAYS BEST!

I’ve always taught executives and students to say the least amount whenever questioned about a particular subject that is “sticky” like a contract dispute, layoffs, work stoppage or a late delivery and especially if what they say could be used in a court of law.

I also believe it’s best to get right to the elephant in the room and not beat around the bush. If a client was arrested, verify it. If damage was caused by one of your workers say so. Diffuse the situation at hand right away. Hemming and hawing in PR always backfires.

Here’s an example that might help you see exactly what I mean.

Scenario – A reporter called you about something you didn’t want known and now you have a “gotcha” moment. He/she found out something that you didn’t want the press to know. Let’s say that you are firing your CEO and it has leaked. 

Taking a page out of Beane’s book the best response would be…”Yes, Mr. Reporter, it’s true John Doe is leaving our company as CEO and will be pursuing other endeavors.  The separation details are still being worked out and there are no announcements as to a successor.” The Reporter will try to ask you a few more details, but you hold firm and reinterate what you’ve communicated. But, by coming clean and not going further into detail, you’ve diluted the story and taken the wind out of its sails. Therefore, the best approach is a direct reproach. In Beane’s world – a direct approach is just like a fastball pitch. It’s fast, on target and hard to hit.

So practice throwing fastballs and less PR curve balls.

What do you think? I’d love to know.

*The character of Peter Brand is fictional. The real-life Brand is Paul DePodesta who chose not to have his name used in the movie. DePodesta left Beane 18 months after the 2002 season in which the movie is based. DePodesta is a Vice President of player development at the Mets. 

About The Author

When not observing PR trends, Cindy actively seeks out the day’s headlines to communicate and learn from real-life applications and that sometimes does take her to the ballpark.  Bring on Spring Training. Practice pitching.

 

 

Social Media Home Runs for Press Conferences

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Press Tip of the Day - Use Flickr as your Consumer Photo Press Room

The Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour is in session and as such, major media corporations are presenting their new mid-season programming and providing re-caps of their performances by their top executives.

As of this writing, two corporations have been in house – PBS and NBC.  And with those two, I have found a couple of highlights regarding great press conference tools that I thought were brilliantly used.

FLICKR – PBS utilized Flickr as its Official Photo Press Room. They posted photos immediately after each session and because it was on the Flickr platform, bloggers could easily share these photos on their Facebook walls and twitter feeds. I LOVED THIS FEATURE and highly recommend other agencies consider using it when organizing press conferences. AWESOMENESS. Kudos to great PR work PBS.

Tag logos with Facebook calls to action and Twitter Account Names

LOGOS/GRAPHICS - I absolutely love how NBC is tagging each on-screen graphic of its shows with the respective twitter handle as well as  a call to action to “Like” the show on Facebook. Great social branding! Hat’s off to NBC for remembering these touches which aren’t small and have a large impact.

 

How To Plan A Successful TCA Session – Press Conference Tips

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AMERICAN MASTERS “Johnny Carson: King of Late Night”

PBS Opens the Winter TCA in Fine PR Fashion

The Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, a bi-annual gathering of U.S. and Canadian professional TV journalists, is in full session in Pasadena–no rest for these journalists, they’re diving right into the New Year. Right now TV networks and cable channels are readying their talent, planning parties and furiously editing sizzle tapes. Also, PR practitioners are busy writing speeches for executives and briefing participating talent on what not to say.

With that, I thought it would be appropriate to provide tips to respective PR executives who will be presenting their shows and actors before this very prestigious crowd. I’ve organized over 40 of these press conferences myself and have sat in that many sessions as the publicist of the Association. So I’ve seen and experienced just about it all. I’ve made mistakes and had some failures and also have won awards for my conferences too. Therefore, for those who are new to the TCA, I’d thought you might like picking up a few pointers based on my observations and experiences.

RECOMMENDED PR TIPS

(1.) COMEDIC SETS – If you think the critics will love having one of your big name comedians open up your session with clever schtick, please don’t. I have never seen this go over well in the room. Mostly, you’ll receive deep moans from the crowd because the critics are there to cover TV and not be entertained. Entertainment like that is suited for an evening event or party. But during the day, it’s about the business at hand. Bring out your talent and executives and let the critics ask them questions. And if jokes come up during the sessions, then you’ll definitely get yucks from the crowd guaranteed.

(2.) MODERATORS - Moderators need to introduce themselves and the panelists (so many forget this point even though it seems basic) and more importantly, moderators should not ask the panelists questions – that’s the job of the critics.

(3.) TELEPROMPTERS ARE NOT NEEDED – Please, please try to convince your President or CEO that a teleprompter is not necessary for this conference. Persuade them to comment from their notes – this way their comments will feel more “real” and “honest” and less rehearsed. Transparency goes a long way with the critics.

(4.) REHEARSALS/BRIEFINGS – Although pre-conference briefings are necessary for many reasons, please try not over-rehearse or over message your talent. Believe me the critics will be able to tell in a heartbeat what’s promotional and sniff out the corporate speak. Keep your talent relaxed and confident that they can talk freely about their roles.

The Cat in the Hat Snack Break

Theming Food Breaks to Content is an Excellent way to Further a Point

(5). EXECUTIVE CHEERLEADERS – Please instruct all employees attending the press conference not to cheer when others executives are introduced on stage or when accolades are announced like record-breaking ratings.  Corporate network staff can laugh when the conversation lends itself, but need to remain ‘flies on the wall’ for the rest of the conference.

(6). ENDING – Watch the tempo of the press conference and try to end it on high note even if you have a few minutes remaining. It’s better to end the presser after a strong question, then let it drag if questions are few and far between.

(7.) FOOD – I’ve got several tips regarding press sessions surrounding food and eating.

  • When matching the menu and food items to a theme, please make sure the food is edible. Just because it would be cute to complement the food to the theme, do make sure its delicious too.
  • Be sure to not announce anything while the critics are eating because they will not be able to type notes or twitter out your content. Wait to present your content once they finish their dessert.

These are just few top line points to follow. If others appear during this year’s Tour, I’ll let you know. But, mostly, the professionals who organize these events are extremely talented at their jobs and produce informative and creative sessions that are spot on perfect!

Cindy

 

 

 

A New You In 2012

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                                                      Lot’s to Celebrate About

I’m Super Excited about 2012. Why? Because of one word “New.”  Throw out everything old and usher in everything New.

Who doesn’t love new things right? Is there anything better than a new car or new house. Or a new dress or a new love or a new baby! New is awesome, don’t you agree. With that, I’ve been spending time looking at what “newness” I can bring to my life and I highly recommend this practice for you too. These aren’t necessarily resolutions, but certainly can be, the choice is up to you.

My “New” Plan includes the following To Do Items.

(1) New Online Branding – With so many social platforms that have my image attached, I’ve been updating each one with a current image of who I am. When I worked in TV, the networks always re-freshed their logos once a year to energize the viewers. Well, the same principle applies here in regards to social photos.

(2) About Me – Several “Blogworld” Conference sessions pointed out that the most overlooked section of our online branding dealt with the “About Us” section of our profiles. Have you read how you are describing yourself on LinkedIn, twitter and Google lately? If not, go back in and do some updating. Let us know about some of your recent hobbies and other such news.

(3) New Job – I’m going to actively pursue a new fulltime corporate job, but, this time I’ve opened my options to include areas that are “new” and will be stretching. I’m so excited to see what transpires as I walk down new paths.

(4) A “New” Attitude – Instead of automatically waiting for the other shoe to drop, I’m going to drink from my half full glass. Yep, I’ve read enough studies lately that prove that individuals who have life-altering events handle them so much better with a positive outlook. Pessimism was so 2011…Optimism is what’s in store for me in 2012.  Here’s what I mean.

  • I will land a new job.
  • I will lose weight.
  • I will continue to exercise.
  • I will continue to take the high road.
  • I will ask for forgiveness and forgive others.
  • I will find love and exude it to others.
  • I will continue to stretch myself and continue to learn new things.

Being Nice To Yourself

(5). I will look for opportunities to “Be Good To Myself.” We are always so hard on ourselves and well, this year, I’m going to be more mindful of what my body and mind are really saying to me and heed that advice. What does this look like? Below are some samples of what I mean.

  • I’ve consolidated my blogs down from four to two now. It was just too hard for me to keep up producing content for each one – so I’m making it easier for myself. And it still is just as effective.
  • I’m reaching out to friends/family whom I cherish and being proactive in staying in touch.
  • I’m looking at groups and clubs in my life and assessing which ones I enjoy and learn from and then spending less time with the others.
  • I’m realizing that life is short and thus, I am not procrastinating on planning things that I want to do.
  • I’m trusting God and putting all worry in His hands. And as such, I’m freeing myself up to enjoy more moments and be the person He wants me to be.

That’s just a quick glance at what “newness” I hope to achieve. I do hope that I’m able to live up to at least half of them…for it sure would be great to enjoy life to its fullest.

I’d love to hear what new things you’re bringing into the “New” Year.

Happy New Year,

Cindy

 

 

 

 

 

Automotive TV Programming

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Audi gets Modern -- ABC/Richard Foreman

What the heck! I thought I was watching television programs, however, as of late, I’ve been mistaken. What I thought were TV shows actually were full-sized car commercials.  And this practice is driving me crazy!

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve learned about Ford’s Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium by watching CBS’ “The Amazing Race.” I saw works of art created from Fiat 500 parts on Bravo TV’s “Work of Art.” I watched Bravo’s “Top Chef: Texas” contestants get to know each other better on a car trip in Toyota Siennas and on ABC’s “Modern Family,” the Audi A8 is the car that patriarch, Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) drives.

Are car manufacturers getting smarter about advertising and/or television companies getting dumber about integrated content?

My answer to that question is car makers and TV companies both win in this new form of content integration. Consumers, as usual, are on the losing end.

Ford and "The Amazing Race" Segment of Fun

Do you think that those of us who watched Ford’s Mustang challenge on “The Amazing Race,” didn’t for one minute not realize what a great commercial that was? I have to admit it was an entertaining segment and it was interesting to see this exclusive test track…but the whole time I watched it I knew it was also a commercial message. A very clever and I suppose an expensive one too. Here’s a clip of it so you can see for yourself.

Two years ago the state of the American Auto Industry was dire. Now, it appears that the Industy has full wallets again and is rebounding nicely, so much so that they now own the TV airwaves! Talk about a 360 degree flip. It’s the media companies now who can’t bring in the dough that they used to due to new distribution platforms. They now NEED advertisers like car manufacturers to help them pay their bills.

Will it pay off? I guess the proof is at the dealerships.  Are more people buying Audi’s because they want the car Jay drives? Are people buying Fiat’s because they liked the car parts in “Work of Art?”

At the end of the day, it is all about eyeballs. And by a Toyota Sienna being seen on “Top Chef” episode is probably a larger audience that would see a regular commercial that gets played over and over and over that our minds just tune them out. For me personally, I am over that Prius holiday commerical-I’ve seen it too many times for my own good and I’m a Prius driver.

At the end of the day – WE’RE ON TO YOU TV COMPANIES AND CAR MAKERS! Let’s hope that this trend doesn’t continue for it will wreck great shows like BBC’s “Top Gear,” a true car show. I mean, after a while, they all will start to look the same.

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve noticed the uptick in TV car integration and what you think about it all.

Off to watch more Car TV Programming. How about you?

Cindy

The PR Secrets Behind Auto Show Press Days

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Fiat gave out the most interesting media tchotchkes - a collector's box and key chain

Ford Motor Company recently invited me, a corporate communications executive and PR industry blogger, to attend the press days at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  Most media attending this event would be reporting on new models for the coming year, hiccups in design and stalled launches…those sort of automobile type stories. I, however, had a different experience and loved observing how each car manufacturer conveyed its corporate messaging through press conferences. So in today’s post, I’m going to let you in on some of the PR magic associated with major car shows. Continue reading “The PR Secrets Behind Auto Show Press Days” »

Ford’s Social Game

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Ford and Zynga partner to present the world's first social game for a product reveal

Attending the Los Angeles Auto Show as a member of the press, I thought that I was going to hear an earful about added horsepower, hemi engines and fuel-efficient cars. Never did I imagine I’d be learning about the world’s first social gaming initiative for a product reveal.

FORD AND ZYNGA PARTNER ON PRODUCT LAUNCH

In full disclosure, Ford Motor Corporation through Scott Monty offered me the opportunity to receive a press credential to cover the LA Auto Show.  That offer did indeed impact my desire to cover Ford’s press conference, but, even if I hadn’t been a guest of Ford, I’d cover this story for it’s game changing and absolutely brilliant. Ford is definitely breaking new marketing ground and thinking outside the box in connecting with consumers.

Ford has partnered with Zynga, the world’s largest social gaming developer. What? Yes Ford, one of the largest car manufacturers on the globe has partnered with Zynga’s Words with Friends game (think online Scrabble) to launch the all-new model of the Escape, the company’s newest sport utility vehicle which will arrive next year. This new model includes 11 new exclusive features, including an available hands-free power liftgate that allows quick and easy access to cargo with a kick of the foot.

Just a kick of the foot and your hatch can open! Pretty smart thinking Ford.

Yeah, this stuff is cool…but I can’t get over Ford’s brilliance in understanding the power behind social gaming, which a few years ago was known as casual gaming. According to a survey conducted last February for Popcap Games by Information Services Group, one hundred million people are playing social games and approximately $1 billion in revenue is expected this year. Did you see that figure – over 100 million people play social games.  So, if word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising, Ford is on to something marrying a launch of a product with a social game. What a brilliant move. Bravo Ford.

SOCIAL GAMING IS GOOD PR

I was able to videotape Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.’s Group Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service, as he announced the Zynga deal as well as their new reality web component called Escape Routes. Ford is teaming with Emmy award-winning reality producers to create an interactive web series and are going to send out six teams of two in a Ford Escape and embed a blogger in each car. The teams will be cast and the series should resemble CBS’ “Amazing Race.” To find out more or to learn about local casting calls, visit Escaperoutes.com.

Want to hear about Ford’s social gaming initiatives yourself. Check out the video of Jim Farley below from the company’s LA Auto Show Ford press conference.

Zappos Creates a Motivating Culture

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The minute you arrive at Zappos you feel like Royalty.

I’ve read that Zappos corporate culture is one to definitely envy, but I never realized how its management style and customer care procedures are game-changing.

I found out firsthand what Zappos was all about last week when I embarked on the Zappos Insights Tour at its Las Vegas headquarters. What I found inside was surprising. First off, when I attend concerts or go to Disneyland, I’m always told not to shoot video or flash photography. At Zappos, they encouraged us to video tape anything that we saw or was said. No only do they have a no-doors policy (they have no offices), but they believe in 100 percent transparency.  And that’s not all.

In order to keep this blog as short as possible, I’m going to list some of Zappos’ unbelievable attributes.

  • There is an employee who is known as the “Goals Coach.” Her responsibilities include meeting with employees and holding them accountable for a personal goal that they want to achieve for 30 days like learning spanish or kickboxing.
  • They believe in a personal and emotional connection with customers. And the people handling customer service do not use a script for as they say “you can’t script a conversation!” This was my favorite communication take-away.
  • All merchandise is photographed on a humans, not mannequins. That way the consumer can truly see how the dress looks like as a true size 8.
  • Every order received is packaged and sent within two hours if the items are in the warehouse which is located in Kentucky, right next to UPS’ main hub.
  • Staff are encouraged daily to send thank you’s to customers that they want to acknowledge in some way. They can send a card, a cookie basket or flowers to any customer of their choosing. They also can tape a video singing Happy Birthday to a Zappos consumer. Who wouldn’t love that special attention.
  • Executives do not have flashy titles nor offices and sit in cubicles right between the entire staff. Employees can talk to them at anytime for they don’t have a “closed-door policy.
  • Since the company is 24/7, they offer food in the cafeteria and drinks non-stop.  Also, if you get a bit sleepy and can’t drive home, there’s a room where you can take a nap.
  • Even though as you walk the floor it appears that people are just having fun and chatting with other workers, but there is work being done. This fun atmosphere motivates others to do the best they can for they love their company.
  • The benefits are top-notch and Zappos pays all medical monthly dues for the employee. They also offer adoption perks among many others.

If you are fortunate to work at Zappos, it’s hard to leave. What other company would offer this much ‘happiness’ on the job? In fact, Zappos will pay brand-new employees $2,000 to quit…but they don’t. Why? Because Zappos is the “Best Company to Work For!”

Want an inside peek as to what I saw? Here’s a brief video that captures some of the Zappos culture. I hope you enjoy it.

Marketing Seasons

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Lights are Great During The Holidays, But a Nuisance After Flickr Credit: Patti Haskins

I think you’ll agree with me that Christmas lights on homes in November and December are super cool. Christmas lights on houses in May and June are just wrong. Hence, the purpose of my post today is talk about marketing seasons and whether or not some top marketers are super cool in knowing the proper length of time to run their campaigns.

YUMMY RED CUPS

First up…the Starbucks Holiday cups. We all know them and when they are in our hands then it is in our heads that the holidays are upon us.  Guess what? The new holiday cups have already arrived and are being held hostage at your local Starbucks until November 1.

Starbucks Holiday Cups Hit the Stores November 1 -Flickr Credit: Mastemaq

Yes, that’s right. The day after Halloween Starbucks thinks its time to start getting ready for the holidays. With that, comes your favorite perennial drinks like Eggnog lattes and Peppermint While Chocolate Mocha (I can taste it now). But, don’t you think it might be a tad bit too early? I mean don’t you think Starbucks is short-changing fall and Thanksgiving a bit. I mean I love the Pumpkin Spice latte too, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the Peppermint Mocha. Do we ever get a breather from October through January 1? I mean we’ve got Halloween costumes to buy, then turkeys and pumpkin pies and after all that Christmas presents. It’s buy, buy, buy.

MONTH-LONG MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

On another note, I’d like to take a look at Month-long marketing celebrations like October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. This was a time that was personal to me and I did my best to bring attention to its importance and even turned this blog into pink hues to commemorate this campaign. There were newspaper features, TV news segments and movies of the week devoted to this cause at the start of the month. But as we end it…have you noticed it is petering out.  This weakening is making me feel that a month may be too long of a time to sustain a movement. I mean couldn’t it all have been just as worthwhile, marketingwise, if it was just a week!

LAST THOUGHT

If you are a marketer I hope that you carefully examine the length of your campaigns. It’s so important to stay in that sweet spot of effectiveness. If you ask me I’d tell you its a better practice to end an campaign on a high note, then extend one too long. Seasons are tricky so do your research. I don’t want you to lose the impact of your brilliant marketing campaigns, because you left your Christmas lights up too long.

Me. Well you’ve guessed it. I’ve taken down my “pink” breast cancer color with this post…I hope I did it before it became un-cool and come Tuesday, I’ll be in line for my Peppermint Mocha.

See ya online.

Cindy