Did you happen to watch the premiere of AMC’s “Mad Men” this week? If you did, you might have noticed that the premiere episode was titled “Public Relations.” And with that, executive producer Matt Weiner wrote an excellent episode that showed off the true power of Public Relations in the work environment. His writing prompted me to write this post to remind all business owners that when writing business plans – do not forget to add in public relations to gain attention. [...]
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 I've spent my entire professional life as a television network publicity and corporate communications executive at such places as Fox, GSN and Lifetime TV. I get a rush dealing with live broadcasts, tight deadlines and press conferences. I think I enjoy my job so much because I love working with the press. In addition to all that, I enjoy being an industry blogger and a social media expert and leading my own consulting firm in Los Angeles.        
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“If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants.” Ad man – David Ogilvy [...] As a publicist there’s only so much we can do. Anyone who advises a client who has blatantly said or done something that cannot be excused by entering rehab or civic duty — is something that they have to live with. I am a firm believer in truth and not in cover up. And I have no problem in advising clients to be remorseful if that is how they feel if they acted poorly. And telling them that they are accountable for their actions. [...] If I’m living in a glass is half full world, then I would say that I believe most companies try their best to be fair to their employees. But, at the end of the day, every employee knows that the HR department is there to protect the company and not the employee. There’s just no way around that fact. It’s written into the DNA of business. [...] This post today is not necessarily about phones and why Microsoft’s Kin didn’t make it, but about how to handle PR when products shut down. [...] I’m seeing a whole new arena now open up for us PR folks thanks to twitter with fake PR accounts. This is an interesting idea for citizen protests and something us PR pros need to think about and figure out how we would handle it if it happened to our client. [...] Social media is the wild frontier, however, being involved in it doesn’t mean that the rules of libel and slander do not apply. They do so be careful what you post about others, even on Facebook. [...] EVERYONE needs to realize that potentially every move or word they say can end up “on the record,” because of the public’s use of their cell phones as cameras. [...] For the last five years my church (Whittier Area Community Church ) “kicks” us out – yes it actually closes its doors and offers us volunteer projects to sign-up for to help the community. These projects cover a wide range of objectives from landscaping public playgrounds, feeding the firefighters, painting teacher’s lounges, fixing up a pregnancy clinic, repairing computers to helping single moms with odds and ends. There’s something for everyone. And my projects this year were not my typical – it was a great feeling stepping out of my comfort zone. [...] In the field of PR, exits/terminations/lay-offs are always tricky matters that are often highly emotional. With that, the corp. comm executive is mandated to keep matters as professional as possible and make sure the respective company always comes out smelling like a rose. As a result, the exiting employee 99 percent of the time follows the strategy of the corp. comm department and often uses its words and phrases. Early last week, CNN anchor Campbell Brown did a classy move that I wanted to note. [...] |
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