Drinks are never a good idea when being interviewed. The only one who gets interesting quotes is the reporter. Credit: Michael Yarish

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 as a viable means to market yourself. Also, this post should remind established businesses to look at when their last interview was conducted. If it has been over two months…it’s time to dust off that area and start the hunt again.

PR is still a necessary ingredient for every established company and extremely helpful for start-ups.  I know I harp a ton about social media…but, basically, I morph social media into PR nowadays.  A business plan needs to include PR&SM. Both are equally important.

As “Mad Men” depicted, the new agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce took advantage of public relations to help get the word out about its company free through the media.  They chose wisely…they went after Ad Age, the perfect vehicle to promote the new shop. A Perfect PR hit – it was a bulls-eye.

However, Don Draper blew the opportunity and did not realize that by his reluctance to answering questions, that the reporter filled in the blanks with information that was inaccurate and void of anything of interest to gain leads.  It was a missed opportunity and the perfect example for everyone interviewed for the need to be on their game.

A friend who is experienced in marketing was helping a client who was presented with a great PR opportunity. The client was being interviewed for a cover story in a local business magazine and so, my friend asked me advice.  The advice I gave him is what I give to all.  What message do you want to convey? Basically, when you are being interviewed, you can drive the interview and give the reporter the information that you want said about your company.  If you don’t have a plan, then the reporter has full rein.  It’s a missed opportunity.  You can drive the interviews and you should see them as golden opportunities for free advertising. Think about the entire message and what would you want the headline to say. And when interviewed, present that information in your comments.

We all make mistakes at first and don’t worry if you do for there are second chances.  Don Draper seized upon his failure and hit another bulls-eye. He was able to secure another interview with the Wall St. Journal, and with that second chance, he drove the article and used the medium to convey his shop’s attitude and culture.  He hit a home run after not even getting on base at his first chance at bat.

PR is powerful and never should be overlooked. Thank you for reminding us of that fact “Mad Men.”

What did you think of the episode?  And PR a part of your business model?

Cindy

Kin - a failure or ahead of its time?

So by now, I think we have all heard that Microsoft’s latest device, Kin, which was billed as the first phone built for social networking has been taken off the market after only two months in consumers hands.

As a result, I thought it would be good timing to discuss how to handle PR when products shut down.

Ahhh, the Kin. I was a bit confused by the need for such a device when it was announced, how about you?  I mean smart phones are exactly that now, smart and can handle social networking…so why would I need a special phone just for that?  Its selling points didn’t grab me.  Like Apple products that come onto the market, they are trailblazers and become mainstays in our life.  Can you imagine not having an iPod, iTouch or iPad in your life now?  But, a Kin. It wasn’t a necessity, but a gimmick that Microsoft thought would be the “in” thing for young consumers.

I mean it looked cool and I understand what it did. It shot great photos with its camera and you could easily share videos and text for social sites.  But, with so many other devices capable of the doing the same thing…I guess in two short months consumers didn’t feel the need for it in their lives.

I have recently experienced this myself as I start my own social media agency.  I am finding that if my potential client is not open to social media or an advocate of it – then it’s best for the both of us not to do business together-that is not until that client understands the power of new media.  Therefore, the Kin is a product that probably was ahead of its time and the market was too small to understand its need.

I mean I recently attended a meeting where Sprint’s 4G network was discussed through the use of the HTC EVO android phone.  That phone can do the same things and a few more than the new iPhone 4 can do and it sure can handle everything that the Kin does.  So as Microsoft found out – there really wasn’t a need for Kin.

And as a PR pro, I applaud Microsoft for having the guts and um balls to pull the plug on the device and face defeat. I know corporately it was a hard decision to make for not only did Microsoft face personal embarrassment, but so did Verizon who was the sole carrier.  Verizon supported this concept and thus went down with them.

But, I want to remind you – that there is no such thing as failure.  Look at Thomas Edison, a premier inventor.  He did over 10,000 tweaks to the incandescent light bulb before he perfected it and showed it off.  To him, this is how he views failure.

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. T. Edison.

So that’s my PR advice to you. When a product, a TV show or employee is not performing, don’t be afraid to advise your CEO that he/she can pull the plug.  The company will be better off in the long run for it and embarrassment of its demise will be remembered for less than a week. Some other news story will take its place and you will be able to get on with your work as usual.

Look at Toyota…they are weathering the storm and are getting back to work. Cut bait and move on.

Homer Always Shoots Straight From the Hip

If you don’t – then your job as the head of the PR dept. will get quite messy. You will spend a good chuck of your time every day putting out fires from leaks that will arise as news of your product’s ineffectiveness starts to hit the media or is shared through social media.

People have a hard time keeping secrets. And when dealing with television shows, you can never hide the ratings.  Consumers can see how last night’s episode performed or didn’t perform.

Be on top of your game and like Thomas Edison – keep perfecting your product. I’m sure elements of the Kin will remain in the next device that Microsoft launches for it did produce some novel touches.

Soldier on for it takes more courage to admit defeat than to live a lie.

Good job Microsoft.  You did the right thing and deserve respect for trying.  There’s no black eye in this situation.

A Holiday For Your Smartphone

So I hope you and your smartphone, computer, net book, iPad or kin are celebrating today for its SOCIAL MEDIA DAY.  Yep, today you can be as geeky as you want – it’s allowed and demanded. So embrace your communities, friends, followers and twitter away to your heart’s desire. I love this.

How am I celebrating this day?  I’m having a hi-tech talk lunch with one of my geeky Mac friends today and from there going over to my town’s celebration – all things social media.  And if you’ve don’t have anything on your dance card yet, don’t fret…just check out what meetups are happening near you today by clicking here….Mashable Meetups.

Go have fun! And tweet about it. Here’s how Mashable’s Founder and CEO Pete Cashmore, the inventor of this day, recommends participation.

How To Participate in Social Media Day

• Meetup Everywhere Mashable: Sign up to attend an event on the Meetup Everywhere Mashable.
• Watch the live streams worldwide: We’ll be updating throughout the day.
• Tweet: Use the #smday hashtag on Twitter. With so many participating, we should be a trending topic on Twitter on June 30. Also, we’ll soon be announcing a prize for those that tweet or post to Facebook.
• Add the Social Media Day Twitter theme from TweetyGotBack to your account in support of the day.
• Follow @mashSMday: Follow @mashSMday on Twitter for updates and developments on the celebration.
• Comment via Facebook: Go to Smday.com and leave a comment either promoting your meetup or tell us what you’re doing for your event.
• Upload to Flickr: Upload photos to Flickr and tag them with #smday.

Fake but fun twitter accounts - A PR Nightmare

In the past about the only fun a publicist could have in her messaging would be writing a creative lead paragraph in a press release.  Yes, all press releases are creative…but sometimes you get to work on a product or content that lends itself to a more informal tone in your missives.  For instance, if I was publicizing “The Last Comic Standing,” I’d probably start the release with a joke from one of the comedians.  But, I’m seeing a whole new arena now open up for us PR folks thanks to twitter with fake PR accounts.

Case in point – the @BPGLOBALPR twitter account-I first found out about it through an article in Wall St. Journal. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it — But, if you can’t take a look at it here’s the opening paragraph  for you –”A Twitter user with an account dubbed BPGlobalPR is posting satirical entries about the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico — and already has more than twice as many followers as BP America’s actual account.”

Oh, the real BP PR team is not happy about this counterfeit account. However, at the same time, BP acknowledges that people are using this vehicle to express their views about this catastrophe and they are not shutting it down. The other surprising antidote about this fake PR account is that several people thought it was the real deal!  This is an interesting idea for citizen protests and something PR pros need to think about and figure out how they would handle it if it happened to a client.

To give you an idea about what they’re writing — here’s some example tweets from BPGLOBALPR :

1. We respect your outrage, we just don’t believe it’s sustainable. #exxonvaldez #bpcares 9:52 PM Jun 13th
2. Investing a lot of time & money into cleaning up our image, but the beaches are next on the to-do list for sure. #bpcares 8:19 PM Jun 13th v
3. On behalf of England, I declare war on the United States. Now, does anyone need fuel for their tanks and jets? ^Tony
4. Opening more wells in the Gulf! We’re drilling for ALL the oil down there to ensure this never happens again. #4yoursafety
5. Millions of people live in the gulf. If each one donated just a few thousand dollars, we’d have enough $ to fix this mess. #bpcares 2:11 PM Jun 11th
6. We are not killing animals in the gulf, we are creating fossils in the gulf. Have a little perspective. #bpcares

These fake accounts are all over the web.

In the film industry, there’s @FakeParamount. Some recent entries include:

1. Congrats 2 Weinsteins on acquiring Michelle Yeoh film Reign Of Assassins. It’ll look good on the shelf with the other films U never release. 4:19 PM Jun 11th
2. Wanted: Brilliant foreign directors to direct bland & boring action movies. Just like John Woo, you too can direct movies like Paycheck! 12:15 PM Jun 11th
3. You weren’t suppose to know that selling toys comes before the script. Doh! (via @arlenecharris) you mean this one? http://ow.ly/1XmtR 12:05 PM Jun 11th v
4. Ever wonder what would happen if the Titanic was a Transformer? Wonder no longer! James Cameron & Michael Bay unite for TitanicFormers 3-D! 10:38 AM Jun 11th

Or my personal favorite…@facebookPR. Take a look.

1. Moving all of our servers to Sweden next week so we can really go rogue with our privacy policy 7:06 AM Jun 14th v
2. Working hard on our new Bing-like backgrounds 6:56 AM Jun 14th
3. Instead of location, age, relationship status, we’ll be showing advertisers your pics so they can tailor ads to you further 4:20 AM Jun 13th
4. Great morning. Just found a way to give more of your personal info to advertisers. 4:19 AM Jun 13th
5. Typical girl on Facebook: Hey, friend me so I can see if that girl I didn’t like in High School got fat. 7:57 AM Jun 12th
6. Typical guy on Facebook: Hey, friend me so I can see pics of your hot friends. 7:56 AM Jun 12th

And individuals are getting there’s as well….poor Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo!…there’s a fake account for her too….I guess it’s the ultimate form of online flattery right? That’s one way to spin it….Anyway, @fakecarolbaratz….you’ll see activity like this:

1. RT @ivan_d Yahoo is serious about social: cafeteria sandwiches named Status, Update, Connect http://twitpic.com/1wta2x All in a yrs work 12:25 PM Jun 14th
2. Announcing 2 company wide bans effective immidiately: Google as default homepage setting and combovers. 11:52 AM Jun 11th
3. About the $0.00 check @LeanBlog We’ve recently started letting users know exactly how much we value them. You got your answer, now scram. 9:17 AM Jun 11th
4. The hype for that new Apple thingamajig is deflating faster than my futon. 1:18 PM Jun 8th
5. <3′s Bourbon Watermelon Fridays! 4:25 PM Jun 4th
6. I consider much of what Google does to be on par with plastic cutlery. Cheap, poor usability and disposable.

There’s a lot of people who have extra time on their hands don’t you think?  But, here’s my PR tip for you…go ahead and register a fake twitter account for your company and top CEO-but never use it.  That way, you’ll own the account names and others can’t use FAKEcompanyname for your business.  That won’t stop them, it will just make it a bit harder for them to gain some followers using a name that isn’t as recognizable.

I’m off to read some more fake news….

The real not fake

Cindy

A Search About Stereotypes

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 and my biggest fear lies with Mr. Joe Public for he is not a trained journalist. As such he is unaware that he can be sued for things he says about others on his Facebook page. This point leads me to today’s PR Tip – Be careful what you post about others.

Here’s today’s takeaway - Libel is injury to reputation. So that funny post or comment about how so and so is fat, ugly, looks like a dork or is affiliated with some type of political party can get you in trouble if not today then tomorrow.

What led me to write this post is that I’m seeing more labels and stereotypical messaging than ever before which leads me to think it is becoming a trend.  In fact, I fell prey to it.  Last week, a Facebook friend was stating his opinion about Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan on his wall.  I made a positive comment about her and then I was received a comment from someone I didn’t know at all who labeled me as a feminist liberal who’s probably never been married.  I did not like how this person labeled me – he didn’t know me, but already he came up with these assumptions.  Yes, I am single, but I am not bitter and I am not a feminist.  I believe in equal pay for equal work and I would love to be married someday.  Labeling is just too easy and most forget that they can get in trouble for it.

Besides calling people “names,” stereotyping someone without presenting facts can also get you in trouble.  Well, to go one step further…any assumptions can get you into trouble.  I remember being involved in an Ad campaign once where images of homely, odd ball, overweight and old people were photographed (all in jest of course) to represent the viewers not watching the network.  I tell you the day after these Ads appeared they came down from public outrage.  So be very careful what general comments you make about someone.

Another recent example of this is the photo (and I’m not going to show it) of Jesse James wearing a Nazi hat.  Allegedly, he was at a party and someone took that photo, again all in jest.  But, this so-called friend posted it somewhere and now it lives on the Internet forever and Mr. James has to defend that he is not a racist probably forever.

In summary, watch your words, especially in the heat of battle.  Be sure to take a couple of breaths before you post a comment after one that you find so imbecilic.  Make sure your comments do not injury anyone’s reputation, especially your own. For you never know if one day you might run for a government office and all those slanderous things you said in jest may appear front and center again and not in good way.

Always Looking Out for Your Reputation,

Cindy

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now the Public Can Capture An Image of You Anytime

Before cell phones became recording or filming devices, an executive or PR person dealing with the media could use the words “off the record” to the press and feel comfortable not having those words re-printed or broadcast.  But, now, 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.

How so?

Play along with me here. I’m your publicist for the moment whether you need me or not.  But, as your publicist, I would like to warn you that wherever you are – whether shopping at WalMart, attending a cousin’s baby shower, walking down the street or speaking in front of class at church, school or conference – your images may have been recorded through someone’s cell phone and uploaded to the web.

The reason for this post is to bring awareness to this “on the record” style of living and that as individuals we need to take it seriously in order to protect our brand and/or personal integrity.

I have to admit I may be going a bit overboard on this matter, but if you could see me at a party you’d think I was behaving crazily. I’m always diving or ducking around any one who appears to be taping or taking my image.  Even though I may know you – I don’t want you to take my photo. Why? Since I don’t have the editing rights to your images, I can’t approve the photo(s) you post about me on your Facebook wall.  Yes, you may not have tagged me, but the photo stays up there forever. And that’s a long time.  I carefully censor and filter everything I ever post online to ensure that I am conveying the right message about me to potential employers, clients and friends. I want to control where my image is posted or transmitted at all times and you should too.

Why? It’s because of sites like these….People of Walmart.com. How many times on a weekend have you left your house with bedhead or mismatched clothes to run errands.  I must admit I may look like a wreak at times, but I’ve never shown any bad “cracks” or dressed in costumes other than Halloween like some visiting WalMart.   People of Walmart.com is intended to be a site that people can post photos of customers at WalMart.  And this site and others are hilarious, when it’s not a photo of you or a family member.

Don't Leave the House Without Looking Yourself Over

More importantly, if you are ever speaking at a conference, seminar or large class setting, you should assume someone in that audience is recording your content and that it will appear online somewhere. With that being the case, be very careful about any assumptions or stereotypes you address without proper backing or this “on the record” recording may back fire upon you.  I promise to blog more about this soon.

So, in the meantime, the next time you venture out to WalMart make sure you look presentable.

A showered and shampooed Cindy

But…I did want to comment today on a few things.

A GRACEFUL AND HONEST EXIT

Brown Used Her Own Words Powerfully in Her Exit

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.  She used her own words to describe her latest transition. Her transparency did not hurt her nor the company in the least and I wanted to applaud her for being pro-active and admitting the truth publicly.  Here’s how she put it in an LA Times article May 18.

To be clear:  this is my decision, and one that I have been thinking about for some time. As for why, I could have said, that I am stepping down to spend more time with my children (which I truly want to do). Or that I am leaving to pursue other opportunities (which I also truly want to do). But I have never had much tolerance for others’ spin, so I can’t imagine trying to stomach my own. The simple fact is that not enough people want to watch my program, and I owe it to myself and to CNN to get out of the way so that CNN can try something else.

Bravo Campbell Brown! A beautiful exit that no one could argue that became a classy professional move. I wish you well and may your exit statment serve as an example for others.

And speaking of exits, this also caught my attention.

A CHANGE AGENT WHOSE AN ARTIST

In Monday, May 17′s Wall Street Journal I noticed that Kodak’s Marketing Chief Jeffrey Hayzlett is resigning after four years with the Company.  Since I have several marketing colleagues out of work at the moment, the article intrigued me.  But it was its content that got my interest.  I like this Hayzlett guy-he is one current marketer who is imagining new ways to conduct business, a true change agent – so much so – he even knew when it was the best time for him to move on.

What a healthy and smart guy – here’s why.

A True Listener and Change Artist

The article says that under his short watch, Kodak created the roles of Chief Listener and Chief Blogger and launched a social media team.  And that’s not all, he was behind Kodak’s latest advancement in their camera’s “share” capabilities, meaning allowing users to post photos immediately to Facebook for example from the device.  This Chief Marketer truly gets how important it is to understand the consumer by listening to them and that it takes a skilled individual to work full time as a company blogger.  Can we clone him?

Also, listen to his exiting quote….just like Brown, his truth is as refreshing.  He took himself out of the game.
“My role was to come in and act as a change agent and to get things moving. Now it’s time for someone who’s got a different type of skill to come in,” he said.

He also had reason to leave. He just released a business book, “The Mirror Test,” which he said in the article was a major reason for the departure.  “The book is taking off a lot faster than anyone expected,” Mr. Hayzlett said. “It’s a massive, time-consuming activity.”

If the book is anything like what he displayed through his actions at Kodak, then it’s a must read.

In summary, with these two honest examples of resignations, I hope they are signaling a trend toward transparency!

Exiting Stage Left,

Cindy

THE PACIFIC Deserves a Medal of Honor

Tonight I just finished watching the conclusion of HBO’s 10-part mini-series “The Pacific.”  For those of you unaware, “The Pacific,” produced by Stephen Spielberg and Tom Hanks, chronicled the Pacific Theater of action during WWII.  Its predecessor, HBO’s “Band of Brothers,” was equally well done and this installment was as remarkable.  Many times I shake my head at the programs produced for television, but thanks to installments like these -TV shines a bit brighter.  It’s masterful and how TV was intended to be used.

“The Pacific” was a proud moment for TV.

If I had any complaints it would be that it saddens me that so many TV viewers were unable to watch this spectacle due to the fact that HBO is a premium paid cable service.  But, I am hoping in years to come that “The Pacific” will be offered to all free of charge over the Internet.  Its subject matter is something everyone needs to see  for it reminds us about the severity of war.

"The Pacific" Hopefully Will Be Available to All

I found its conclusion tonight beautifully done.  Yes, I was brought to tears – who wouldn’t when you’ve been eyewitnesses  to the what these featured soldiers endured through the last ten weeks.  It was mind-boggling seeing what a smidgen of their lives were like.  We saw firsthand what conditions they were under fighting the Japanese Army that would never give up in a terrain unsuitable for life. It was brutal and horrific.

I felt every human emotion possible watching these past ten weeks.  I understood what drove some of the men to go AWOL or act crazily.  I watched a naive Alabama youth loose his soul and sparkle in his eye as he became great at “killing Japs.”  I saw the horror of war when innocent civilians were caught in the cross-fire and I wept when a fallen hero, Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone was killed.

But, it was its ending credits that took my breath away.  We had just finished watching some of our favorite characters return home and become acclimated into the American culture  and we knew that the series had to end.  I wanted to know more and the producers delivered.  Through the final credits we learned that the men in the series where based on the lives  of  “real” men (Marines) and we were able to read what happened to them after the war.  Despite what they went through and endured, we were presented with facts about their lives – and you know what? They all thrived.   One became a doctor; a couple wrote their memoirs; several stayed in touch with each other; one married his sweetheart from Australia – they made it and had offspring.

My Dad Serving His Country in Tinian in the Army

My Dad, Albert Ronzoni, could have been in this series. He lived that life in The Pacific. And so in his honor, here’s what could have been said about him after he returned from the war.

Albert Ronzoni was honorably discharged from the United States Army and returned to his hometown of Eveleth, Minnesota.  Through the GI bill, he was able to attend the University of Minnesota and graduated with a degree in Pharmacy.  He married his wife, Carol, after graduation and subsequently worked at Eveleth’s local drug store.  He was active in the VFW and he became a Commander and Carol ran the Ladies Auxiliary. He later moved his family west to California and practiced pharmacy there until his retirement.  He died in 2002 and is survived by his wife,  two daughters and two grandchildren.

I would like to personally thank Messrs. Spielberg and Hanks and HBO  for “The Pacific.”  The series opened my eyes to what my Dad went through, but I never knew.  Because of this event, I know have a better sense of who my Dad was, but he could never tell us.  Dad, I’m sorry that I didn’t understand you – I now know why you were so serious about life for you knew how lucky you were to still have yours.  I think that’s the right way we all should live – to be grateful we have this day.  And with that, I truly believe “The Pacific” deserves a medal of honor.

A Happy Family Moment for My Dad

Poised for the Future

Roberts took the floor sans Chernin at the beginning to showcase his On-Demand wares. He announced that Comcast will now offer a bazillion of choices with his On-Demand service called Xfinity. They are enlarging their film archives immensely and he showed us how you can navigate and drill down to find what the consumer wants.  You can search by actor’s name, genre, film festival and even donate to a cause by choosing a certain piece of content.

I also was excited to see that he mentioned that he is working with the ipad to showcase content. It was nice to hear him recognize that it’s a relevant content distribution point.

He understands good management is not micro-management

Chernin threw out a heavy piece of artillery at the start. He asked what his disappointments have been. Roberts thought he was a bit slow on the dime in the content area.  He wished he had made investments 20 years ago in cable companies like Turner or Discovery.

Roberts thinks that cable has been under-valued in its contributions to the industry.  In addition for being known for sending a monthly bill, cable has made advancements in content. Who wouldn’t agree to that some of TV’s most memorable shows have come from cable companies.

It was a great that Roberts pointed out that one of its shining examples at his company is Frank Eliason, who heads up ComcastCares.  Frank is a rock star in social media and all those involved in the field, know that he is a trend setter who cares for his customers. It was great to hear Roberts’ recognize his contributions.

I have been around Mr. Roberts before at conferences, but I forgot how much I like him and his demeanor.  I like how relaxed he is as a media mogul.  He could be the neighbor next door. He’s not rushed, pretentious nor reek of the Hollywood power stench – even though he is a leader in entertainment.  Maybe it’s because he runs a family company and his dad is still an ever presence.  But, what I could gather from his comments, simply  is:

-He understands that his success comes in taking care of customers.  He is striving to make new devices easier to use for consumers which I say is brilliant. We’ ve got enough to figure out on own and any help that others give us is welcome.  Smart thinking.

-He also is not going to micro-manage NBC Universal. He’s not going to shove their ways down the new company’s throat.  He knows that each channel has its own distinct brand he’ll leave it at that.

-He knows the company has to transform and will and so he has to be constantly changing and he’s open to it.  A company that creates is what he is excited about.

-NBC News is going to be the cornerstone to the company. He is excited about acquiring it and needs to protect it. NBC News he said will help define Comcast.

Chernin did a nice job moderating the conversation. As a former top executive at News Corp., Chernin knew first-hand some of the struggles Roberts and gang will encounter and tried his best to tip his hat to a few – like angering politicians or consumers with a subject of newscast.

It was the perfect way to kick off the convention – and I’m so glad that Roberts agreed. For is there anything bigger than this acquistion at the moment in cable?

On to the next event.

Cindy