PeRceptions

How Twitter Caused Insult to Injury of Chicago Bears’ Jay Cutler

2011-01-31T16:02:00.005-05:00

During the recent NFC Championship game, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee. The severity of his injury, which was questioned by many, sidelined the star QB for the entire second half. The result was costly, as the Bears eventually lost the game and a chance to appear in this week’s Super Bowl.

What followed his injury was the “NFL’s first player-on-player social media attack,” as reported by Yahoo! Sports reporter Dan Wetzel. Several current and past NFL players (during and after the game) called out Cutler’s manhood, heart, character and pain threshold on Twitter.

Wetzel’s article stated, “Never before have we had such raw and direct access to real-time thoughts of NFL players.” According to him, the steady stream of tweets significantly changed the dynamic of the story.

Instead of discussing the Bears’ near comeback in frigid weather with a third string quarterback, linebacker Brian Urlacher and countless other players had to defend Cutler and play Doogie Howser, M.D. about his injury. Wetzel correctly pointed out, “The questions by reporters were more aggressive than they would’ve been pre-twitter because journalists could lean on the opinion of NFL players to frame things.”

It has been noted by many that Twitter seems to be the preferred choice of pro athletes for several reasons. It’s quick and simple. Tweets can be completed from personal mobile devices. It allows players to manage the message; instead of reporters editing sound bites. Further, the social media site allows athletes to interact with fans and manage their personal brands.

In a recent story about social media controversy and pro athletes, NBCsports.com writer Elisa Castrodale, found a timely study about Twitter that was conducted by the International Journal of Sport Communication.

“Researchers analyzed more than 1,900 tweets from professional athletes and discovered that the largest percentage of their tweets (34 percent) were interactions with their fans and followers. Diversions and topics unrelated to sports were the second largest category (28 percent), followed by “players discussing their own teams or sports” (15 percent).” The report concluded that “Twitter was a powerful tool for increasing fan-athlete interaction.”

In closing, Cutler’s injury turned out to be the least of his concern following the big game. The personal attacks (posted on Twitter and elsewhere) hurt considerably more than his banged up knee and will lead to questions about his physical toughness for several years.

8 Ways to Reenergize your Mind, Body and Office

2011-01-27T11:11:00.012-05:00

Failure to meet New Year’s resolutions – check.

Can no longer fit butt into jeans – check, check.

Haven’t seen the sun in over twelve days – check, check, check.

And to top things off, your newly-organized self has an inbox stacked taller than the Tour Eiffel!

It is imperative you fight the winter blues and failed attempts at “resolving,” for the sake of your sanity, your productivity and ultimately (since this is a work blog) your clients. Here are a few homegrown ideas that seem to be working in the Cookerly Public Relations motherland - at least in my cube - to get innovative and inspired.

1. Customize your cube: Hang up some photos of family and friends or things that inspire you. Personalizing your daily surroundings will make your office feel more permanent; it’s your space – make it pretty.

2. Toss it: Still have notes from a meeting in January of 2008, or a newspaper clip from 2009? TOSS.IT! Here’s some news, it’s 2011.

3. Revamp your wardrobe: When you dress frumpy, your work is frumpy. Dress to impress; you never know where the day will lead. Add a touch of a color or a great print to your dreary black and grey winter ensemble. It will brighten the mood... in your cube (I could write a whole post on this).

4. Replace a smoke break with a social media break: Forget nicotine. Get your afternoon fix by perusing Facebook and Twitter for interesting articles, up-to-the-second news, and fun photos. Keep it professional, so you don’t get too distracted.

5. Do it like Phoebe: Recall that Friend’s episode when Phoebe and Rachel are running through Central Park and Phoebe runs like a maniac fool?

Her energy level is incredible, she goes further faster, plus it’s far more fun. Take a minute to jive down the aisle or flail your hands in the air. Exert pent-up energy, it will revive you and help you refocus. I particularly like number one in this article, Zippity Do Dah! Feel free to share your co-workers reactions with us!

6. Set short-term goals: Too much on your plate? Feel like you’re jumping from one project to the next without really accomplishing anything? Compile a “to do” list starting with your simplest tasks. It’s amazing what crossing off a few assignments can do to motivate and encourage taking on bigger projects throughout the day.

7. Reward yourself: Don’t hesitate to pat yourself on the back for a job well-done. Or better yet, step outside, take a 10 minute walk and breathe in some fresh air.

8. Reward yourself part deux: Yesterday, at 4:12 p.m., my cubemate, Matt says above the typing, “Everyday at 4 the agency should have a happy hour, snack or coffee.” I think that’s brilliant, Matt, and what would make it better? Combine the three!

Matt, Ada, Sarah, Brittney and I have a good cubical culture going here… sometimes it just needs that added zing. We’d love to hear your ideas for fighting winter blues and afternoon delirium. So please, do share!

How Does the Revolution in Tunisia Affect Me? Using Social Media to Your Advantage

2011-01-24T09:58:00.002-05:00

Some foreign policy experts are tracing the revolution in Tunisia to the pervasiveness of social media, but a smart commentary on the radio program “On the Media” last week puts the dynamism of popular, modern “movements,” particularly in the Arab world, where it belongs: with active citizens who consume a wide range of media to level information asymmetries and engage like-minded people.

Foreign Policy magazine blogger Mark Lynch clearly points out that new media can help the disaffected organize rapidly, respond more dynamically to political might, and use compelling visual images to galvanize people around a cause. But the new media tools in and of themselves are not the cause for a revolution.

Lynch says: “Calling Tunisia a "Twitter Revolution" is simplistic, but even skeptics have to recognize that the new media environment mattered. I would suggest that analysts not think about the effects of the new media as an either/or proposition ("Twitter vs. Al Jazeera"), but instead think about new media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, SMS, etc.) and satellite television as collectively transforming a complex and potent evolving media space.”

Pervasiveness of information, images, data, and now more recently - confidential documents – is challenging corporations, politicians and others to rethink how they engage stakeholders and citizens in a conversation about their decisions and the impact they have on broader society. Still, the fact remains that unreasonable use or abuse of power in today’s world is bound to get immediate attention so it’s wise to think about reputation and credibility long before you’re put in a position where “secrets” are cast onto the Internet.

We can use social media to build support for opinions, but it is often the actions of governments or businesses that can prompt a negative rant or tap into deeper seated disaffection that goes “viral” in no time. So, it’s important to remember that media - old or new - remains the tool for distributing the message, not creating it.

Starbucks Customers Jittery Over New Logo

2011-01-20T10:14:00.004-05:00

On January 5, an update on the Starbucks Facebook page announced that the coffee company’s logo would be changing in the spring of 2011. The status update linked to a video message from CEO Howard Schultz on the Starbucks website in which he explained the reason for the change. An accompanying blog post said that the famous Siren needed the update in order to position the company “for future growth” as it explores new channels of distribution (think grocery stores).

As a quasi-traditionalist, I don’t always acclimate easily to institutional change – especially when it involves a sacred cow like my coffee. But I also understand that brands need to evolve in order to grow and enter new markets. The Starbucks logo introduced in 1992 – the one I’m reluctant to give up now – replaced the brown, vintage-looking Siren that decorated the first store Starbucks opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. I’m sure the original customers who discovered the coffeehouse before its explosive growth were reluctant to see that logo retired as well. But people are resilient and coffee habits die hard.

Brands change – they have to in order to survive – but that doesn’t mean change for change’s sake is necessarily a positive development. Remember New Coke or Gap’s recent logo fiasco? Starbucks is all about the experience they deliver for customers – from the store ambiance to the service. Oh, and of course the coffee. People pick Starbucks because they feel better about themselves after they leave the store, not because it’s better than Dunkin’ Donuts. If people start feeling different, they may go elsewhere. It remains to be seen whether people will acclimate to the new, modern logo and feel the same about their $4 latte. If the experience feels too institutionalized, Starbucks may lose its edge.

Starbucks’ handling of the switch doesn’t bode well for the direction of the company. As far as I can see, it hasn’t responded to a single comment on Facebook, despite hundreds of respectfully negative feedback on the new logo. If top management is as out of touch as the person managing the Facebook page, then the coffeehouse may be losing its bearings.

I certainly hope that’s not the case. After all, I’m dependent on their wi-fi internet and caffeine. But you can’t build a business model on wi-fi and jitters; I think my local McDonalds has wi-fi and lattes now. But they can’t beat the Starbucks experience. At least for now.

Snowy with a Chance of Internet Addiction

2011-01-12T14:49:00.011-05:00

It’s a snow day! Grab your garbage pail lids, flexible flyers, dining hall trays and find anything that resembles a hill. It’s a snow day….but it’s not.

There was a time when “snow day” meant your world shut down. You put on as many layers as possible, spent hours outside (as a kid or with your kids) – and just when you thought you couldn’t get any colder – you went inside, made hot chocolate, got toasty warm and started all over again.

But with the advent of the Internet, VPN, smart phones and any other device that keeps us connected, there is no such thing as a snow day, weekend or even an evening without the constant call of work. And here in lies the dilemma. This isn’t a new topic, it’s been debated for the past 15 years or more, but the way we now respond has reached a much higher pitch. It’s not just about the devices and connectivity – it’s about us.

First it was the tanning beds, cell phones and video games, now it’s “Internet addiction” or “Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD).” The Computer Addiction Study Center at Harvard University's McLean Hospital has found that 5-10% of the population has internet dependency. Dr. Maressa Orzack, a licensed clinical psychologist, member of the Harvard Medical School faculty and founder/coordinator of the Computer Addiction Services, has treated these addictive behaviors. Articles have been published in the Harvard University Gazette about this disorder with anecdotal stories.

In addition, Internet addiction clinics and help sites are cropping up at a rapid rate. In August 2009, ReSTART, the first residential treatment center for "pathological computer use" was founded in Fall City, Washington; HelpGuide.org enables you to assess your addiction and provides self help tips to break the habit. Plus, a recent article on Livestrong.com identifies the far reaching effects such as detachment and task failure, isolation, guilt and even poor diet as just a few of the problems.

Yes, it could be true. A day without constant feedback and information is no longer relaxing, it’s actually stressful.

Or you can look at it like this – we’re having a snow day in Atlanta, but the rest of the world is still doing business and not waiting for our ice to melt.

There are no make up dates for snow days!

Is Social Media Becoming the Primary Source of News and Information? For me, I think it has.

2011-01-10T08:27:00.010-05:00

It wasn’t too long ago that, personally, I would have laughed at the idea social media could become a major force in news and information. I’m old enough that I grew up watching Walter Cronkite deliver the evening news and knowing him as “The Most Trusted Man in America.”

The idea that Facebook and Twitter and countless other mediums could somehow become as influential as Walter Cronkite was preposterous in my mind.

Well, I have to confess that I was wrong. During my Christmas vacation, I spent a lot of time on social media, Facebook being the primary communications tool (among several) of choice. What became abundantly clear to me was; in addition to finding out about goings on with my friends and family, I was getting a significant portion of my news from social media. Upon reflection, I realized that in 2010 (and now into 2011) some of the important and not so important news that affected me, or that I was simply interested to know, came by way of social media.

Quick example: I love baseball and am a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals … it was a tweet that popped in one evening informing me that the Cardinals had signed Lance Berkman from the free-agent market. Naturally, with great excitement, I went to the web pages of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to get the full story, however, without Twitter, it might have been the next day before I heard the news.

That’s hardly critical news, but while in Memphis for the Liberty Bowl (don’t ask) it was a posting on Facebook that tipped me off to a tornado watch and the heavy thunderstorms that were rolling our way. Fortunately for Memphis the worst of that awful storm turned north, but tragically spawned deadly tornados in Arkansas. Thanks to a posting on facebook, our New Year’s Eve reveling in Memphis was done with an awareness that we might need to take action.

Then today comes a snow day in Georgia. I knew about it from the “old fashioned” media because they’ve been predicting this event for a week, but I found out by email that Cookerly Public Relations would be having an agency-wide telework day today. The photo is looking out the front door of the "Cookerly Snellville Office."

Most importantly, I found out that my bowling league would advise if there would be competition tonight via facebook and my sons sent me video of a big snowball fight at the University of Georgia that broke out last night http://tinyurl.com/2blsghw … now THAT is fast-breaking, critical news!

When I reflected on it, I thought about many of other recent instances where my first alert of news (some important only to me, some more broad in scope) came by way of social media.

Hmmm. I guess the idea that social media could become, or perhaps HAS become as influential as Walter Cronkite – at least in my world – is hardly a preposterous notion.

And that’s the way it is…

Tackling Social Media in 2011

2011-01-07T15:57:00.004-05:00

Since the New Year brings new beginnings, perhaps you are thinking about ramping up a new social media program this year. Not sure where to start? Mashable has compiled a list of more than 150 social media resources for businesses, along with a plethora of tips and advice from social media representatives at various organizations.

A few key takeaways:

From “Why You Need to Monitor and Measure Your Brand on Social Media”:

• “Social media is like the largest cocktail party in the world.” Social media monitoring is important. People are out there talking about your products and your company, with or without your input, or message points. If you’re not paying attention, you don’t know what they’re saying.

By listening, you can discover potentially negative perceptions about your brand, positive feedback from customers, and questions about how to use a product, and more. Use this information to address issues before they escalate into a larger problem. Positive feedback can be incorporated into client testimonials, brand advocacy and give you valuable insight into those emotional connections your customers have with you.

From “6 Essential Steps for Executing Your Social Media Strategy”:
• Keep track of who is posting. Identify who will be responsible for being the “voice” of your company or organization’s social media channels and outline guidelines for what type of content to post, how often, and how to comment.

Having too many voices can create confusion, but it doesn’t have to. Having a plan is especially important when you’re posting on multiple channels, like Twitter, Facebook and a company blog. Without it, potential inconsistencies can lead to misinformation and mixed perceptions – many voices can work, as long as they are all speaking your language.

From “Why Twitter Is a Big Win for Small Businesses”:

• Target followers to reach people who would be interested in your products or services.
• Take your time and listen, feel comfortable with what you want to say and don’t try to jump in all at once.

Be strategic about who you’re following; consider how you can both benefit from the relationship. For example, retweet items that you think would be informative or helpful to your community.

Implementing a social media program is a dynamic process. Make sure you periodically review your program and make changes to improve it. But the main thing to keep in mind is to just start – once you have a clear strategy and have developed a plan, of course – and always keep learning and listening. Yes, the volume of data can be overwhelming. But once you get a grasp on what is being said about your brand, you can make more informed decisions to support marketing and business objectives.

Even in this digital age, you will always need a human mind behind it to make sense of it all and ensure it benefits your organization. It will pay off.

A Former Journalist's Resolutions

2011-01-04T10:07:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite parts about New Year’s Day—apart from college football—is to see how my resolutions change every year. Ever since I started writing down and saving my resolutions, I’ve found that some of them stay there year after year (“call your old friends more often” and “get more sleep” seem to hold on to their spots with tenacity). But most of them change, and looking at those changes is an interesting way of viewing the ways your life shifts.

For example, here’s one of mine from last year: “Update and pare down your list of publicity contacts.” My position in life has changed somewhat since I wrote that. At this time last year, I was working as a freelance journalist and editor, something I’d been doing for years. It wasn’t until December that I joined Cookerly full time. I couldn’t be happier with my new position and my new team.

With the start of my first year in PR, I’m resolving to remember the lessons from my years as a journalist. Here’s an editor-turned-publicist’s resolutions for the new year:

1. No Spam: This one comes right out of that 2010 resolution. The reason I had to pare down my publicity contacts was because I was receiving 35-50 press releases a day. As an editor, the most important thing to me in a PR contact was how relevant their pitches were. For the publicists who regularly sent me appropriate material, I read each and every pitch sent my way. For the ones who harassed me with every release they wrote, not so much. For example, when I was working on a publication targeted specifically for men, one persistent publicist insisted on hitting me with regular releases for Amish romance novels. Her email currently heads straight to my spam folder.

2. Make It Easy: One of the other things that separate the PR pros from the amateurs was how easy they made it to use their stories. Journalists are busy people. They like it when the publicist knows what they’re going to need for the story and provides it. I know I did. Give me a well-written release with a good headline, compelling quotes and easy access to a quality source, and you had a lot better odds that I would run your story.

3. Follow Up: Most reporters and editors I knew did not have clean desks. They were overloaded and juggling ten different balls at a time. It’s easy for them to lose track of your story. I was pretty good at staying on top of potential stories, but I still had things fall through cracks. Sometimes a quick follow-up call would remind me of something that slipped through. Again, if you’re pitching stuff that is relevant to the journalist, a follow-up call is considered helpful instead of nagging.

On Resolutions

2010-12-30T12:38:00.004-05:00

This is the last post of the year for PeRceptions. Historically, we’ve used it as an opportunity to take a look back at the year at Cookerly – what we’ve achieved professionally and on behalf of our clients; what stands out as the most memorable events of the year.

But that strikes me as a bit too much navel-gazing for a business that is in the business of using messaging to reach audiences on their terms. So, because I often advise clients to avoid the trap of navel-gazing (e.g., talking in their own “lingo” instead of trying to think as someone who doesn’t know them, their product or service as well as they do), I’m taking on a different topic.

Being somewhat of a history buff (and lover of Wikipedia), I started wondering how and when the tradition of New Year’s Resolutions got its start. A bit of common sense is all that is needed to understand the “why” – it’s logical to see that any opportunity to start anew would be a good time to take inventory on what is working – and what isn’t – in our lives.

But here are four things you may not know about the New Year celebration and its traditions:

Like many things in Western culture, New Year’s Resolutions got their start with the Romans. Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances, had two faces, and could look back on past events and forward to the future. A legend began that on December 31 at midnight, Janus would see the past year and the next year at the same time. Romans began making promises to Janus in the hopes that he would see their sincerity and help them attain their goals. Many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.
The modern form of our Americanized New Year's Resolutions is credited to Benjamin Franklin. In his "Poor Richard's Almanac" of 1738, Franklin wrote, "Each year one vicious habit rooted out, in time might make the worst man good throughout," and the almanac published a first set of true New Year's resolutions.
There are many global “good luck” traditions associated with the New Year. Being a true Southerner, to me, New Year’s Day means a dish based on West African recipes, Hoppin’ John (for luck), accompanied by collard greens (for money). Food traditions abound across the globe, with lasagna the meal of choice for luck in Sicily; suckling pig in Austria; and rice pudding (with one lucky almond) in Norway. These traditions seem to stick for decades or even centuries.
Resolutions don’t fare as well. In 1997, a University of Washington study found 47 percent of the 100 million adult Americans who make resolutions give up on their goals after two months. This figure has grown to 80 percent in the past decade, according to recent research completed at the University of Minnesota.

As for me, I do make resolutions, but avoid the “I will go to the gym 7 days a week” ones, as I know I’m only setting myself up for failure. Professionally, I think I speak for everyone here when I saw we resolve to continue to work hard on behalf of our clients, to be true partners in their businesses, and to appreciate the fact that they trust in us to be catalysts in changing behavior, driving sales, enhancing and protecting their reputations. What about you?

Crisis Communications Decision Points

2010-12-27T14:26:00.005-05:00

In his book Decision Points, former President George W. Bush offers a candid look at his decision-making process while in office. From the war in Iraq to his efforts to reform Social Security, the book is a rare glimpse inside the mind of one of the most controversial presidents of my lifetime. It’s a good read for anybody interested in politics and history, whether you agreed with Bush much or not.

The section in the book dedicated to Hurricane Katrina received a lot of media attention, in part because many people – even five plus years after Katrina – wondered how an administration could be so disengaged at such a critical time. As you might expect, Bush both expressed regrets – he couldn’t deny that the response by federal and state agencies was a disaster – and offered push-back against those who placed blame solely on his administration.

However, there was one explanation of the response that I found especially instructive.

Bush talked about the success he had dealing with natural disasters both as governor of Texas and president; he said he thought his administration had disaster response down. It was a blind spot for him not because he discounted the danger natural disasters posed to America’s coastal cities, but because he had grown complacent and believed past success dealing with disasters would translate into an effective response to Hurricane Katrina. We all know it didn’t.

The lessons of Bush’s failures in New Orleans can be applied to crisis communications. The old maxim “past performance is no guarantee of future success” applies here. Every new crisis/situation has to be analyzed on its own merits and not through the prism of previous events. History and context are important, but they’re no substitute for fresh, current analysis. When consulting with clients like Ready Georgia on crisis communications issues, I and colleagues at my agency always keep these principles in mind.

The top words of 2010

2010-12-20T15:57:00.006-05:00

The Oxford University Press issued its “Word of the Year” along with a list of the top 10 finalists. Some you may be familiar with, and others may raise eyebrows – as they did mine.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 Finalists for “2010 Word of the Year”:

1. bankster: noun, a member of the banking industry perceived as a predator that grows rich at the expense of those suffering in a crumbling economy: trillions of dollars are flowing to the banksters in the form of near-zero interest loans.

2. crowdsourcing: noun ,the practice whereby an organization enlists a variety of freelancers, paid or unpaid, to work on a specific task or problem: Kodak used social media crowdsourcing to engage its customers in their naming contest.

3. double-dip: adjective, denoting or relating to a recession during which a period of economic decline is followed by a brief period of growth, followed by a further period of decline: higher food and energy prices could increase the risk of a double-dip recession.

4. gleek: noun, a fan of the television series Glee.

5. nom nom: exclamation, an expression of delight when eating. nom noms (pl. noun) delicious food. (popularized by the noises made by Cookie Monster on Sesame Street)

6. retweet: verb, (on the social networking service Twitter) repost or forward (a message posted by another user). Noun, a reposted or forwarded message on Twitter.

7. Tea Party: noun, a US political party that emerged from a movement of conservatives protesting the federal government in 2009.

8. top kill: noun, a procedure designed to seal a leaking oil well, whereby large amounts of a material heavier than the oil—e.g., mud—are pumped into the affected well.

9. Vuvuzela: noun (also called vuvu), a long horn blown by fans at soccer matches. Gained notoriety during 2010 World Cup.

10. webisode: noun, 1. an original episode derived from a television series, made for online viewing. 2. an online video that presents an original short film or promotes a product, movie, or television series.

And…….(drumroll, please), the 2010 Word of the Year:

refudiate

Definition: verb used loosely to mean “reject,” widely attributed to Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, who used it in a Twitter message in July in reference to “refudiate” the proposal to build a mosque. The word is a combination of “refute” and “repudiate” and is not, in fact, a real word. However it received so much attention that it prompted the editors of the Oxford University Press to conclude that “neither ‘refute’ nor ‘repudiate’ seems consistently precise, and that ‘refudiate’ more or less stands on its own, suggesting a general sense of ‘reject.’”

My personal favorite: vuvuzela. It sounds like an exotic bird or fruit that one might enjoy eating in Fiji while sipping a colorful drink with a little umbrella in it. Popular during the World Cup, the horns don’t really look or sound that exotic at all. But the word is fun to say.

As for nom nom….really? This is now part of the American lexicon? Are we reverting to baby talk? (no offense, Cookie Monster). I dare someone to use this in a sentence!

I thought webisode was a word two years ago. And double-dip – previously used in reference to uncultured party guests who would dip their potato chip twice in the guacamole or party dip of choice – has now become associated with the Great Recession. Ah, progress. I found it interesting that three of the finalists – crowdsourcing, retweet and webisode – are a direct impact of social media influence.

Sam Sifton and Grant Barrett provide some additional words that impacted 2010 in the New York Times.

What are your favorites?

Should Government Pay for PR?

2010-12-16T11:52:00.003-05:00

Several weeks back, Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri made news by questioning the General Services Administration’s (GSA) hiring of a PR firm to help with crisis communications. GSA’s Kansas City office hired Jane Mobley Associates to develop a communications plan to address issues stemming from pollution problems at a federal complex there.

As someone who has done a good bit of government-related PR work over the years, I found myself talking (quite loudly) to my computer screen when I read this quote from McCaskill, “The federal government should not be spending money on contracts to manage the press,” she said. “They should answer questions openly. If this happens so easily at one federal agency, it may be going on in others.”

Yes, Senator. It is going on at other agencies. And it should.

The reason McCaskill’s comments got under my skin is that they reveal a common misperception about PR. “Managing the press” is not about deception or even obfuscation. Good, ethical PR pros would never advise a client – government or otherwise – to intentionally mislead the press and the public. Not only is it wrong, it’s just not effective. One of PR’s main purposes is to build credibility, and you can’t do that by lying or being evasive.

McCaskill’s quote also revealed a lack of respect for the public relations profession that I think is all too common. Her assumption that the government shouldn’t spend money for PR services implies that there is no expertise required for public communication and that anyone should be able to “answer questions openly.”

I’m guessing she would have no problem paying millions of dollars to solve the pollution problem that led to this communications crisis. So why is she balking at spending a fraction of that amount to make sure that the public understands the intricacies of a complex situation? As a taxpayer, I think that’s a good investment.

Government officials who have received good advice from experienced professionals should be more responsive and better equipped to serve the public by providing accurate, timely information. In contrast, an official who is caught in the middle of a controversial situation without good counsel is far more likely to be defensive and reactive.

So while McCaskill claims to be protecting the public interest, from my perspective she’s doing just the opposite.

Get Back to Basics: 3 Tips for Social Media Success

2010-12-14T10:59:00.008-05:00

As I voted this morning in the 4^th Annual Mashable Awards, I realized that the world of social media is growing almost beyond my comprehension. In business, is it possible to learn about, apply and succeed with so many new online tools?

The question got me thinking about something I heard during an interactive panel discussion at a recent Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) seminar. When asked what we need to stop, start and continue doing with regard to social media, Rob Fishman, social media manager at The Huffington Post, said, “We need to start getting back to basics.”

Rob, I couldn’t agree more. Most of us know that social media tools are just that…tools to communicate the messages we’ve always conveyed to our audience. But so many people and organizations out there want to jump into the shiny, new pool headfirst, and their messages can get lost in the shuffle.

To keep us all grounded in this ever-changing arena, we need to remember to get back to basics when launching a social media promotion or using social media to tout a product or service. Here are three tips to help you do that:

Give the People What They Want – Consumers turn to your brand for a reason. Whether it is to be informed, serviced or entertained, always keep your audience in mind and deliver to them, not always what they expect, but what they want.
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid – Sign up, then we’ll email you a special code to use online. You’ll tweet that using our handle and 29-character hashtag, which will get you entered for a drawing to submit your video on Facebook. I think you get the point.
Never Tell a Lie – The language might be more casual; the tone more fun. But communicating via social media channels requires the same transparency and honesty of other platforms. Don’t exaggerate or make promises you can’t keep.

By getting back to basics, who knows? You could be the “Must-Follow Brand” at the 5^th Annual Mashable Awards.

How do you know when it’s time to revisit the messaging? 2010 misfires that might give you a clue.

2010-12-09T13:56:00.006-05:00

Messaging. Critical to your business success, it’s the way you communicate the appeal and the impact of your business, product or service to your target audience. A clearly stated message tells consumers why they should do business with you rather than your competitors.

Over time, these messages help to build your brand image whether for a product, service, company or even a person, like a politician or sports superstar. They must be communicated on a daily basis in your words and by your actions.

So why do we forget? No matter how finely honed an image might be, there will always be those moments that make PR specialists cringe.

And every now and then, you just have to throw your hands up and say- well – what do you say to the following 2010 real life examples of public relations misfires?

There are the obvious examples we’ve discussed ad nauseum:

• BP, CEO, Tony Hayward saying “I want my life back,” when 11 others lost their lives and millions were frantically worrying about their livelihood.

• If you Google “Bidenisms” you’ll find many. But nothing compares to Joe’s open mic disaster when during the signing of healthcare reform he whispered to the President AND the whole world, “This is a big @#*&! Deal!”

• Or Christine O’Donnell’s very short lived ads that ran during her political campaign for the Delaware Senate seat stating unequivocally, “I am not a witch!” –really good to know!

But there are also those that typically go unnoticed (unless you watch late night TV).

• When the best promotion you can come up with to drive sales is “Buy a car, get a free balloon,” it’s time to reconsider your messaging.

• Or in an effort to raise money and draw attention to animal cruelty you hit on a really big idea for fundraising and the headline reads: “Local Humane Society to Host Pig Roast Dinner.” You might want to rethink your mission.

• All the refined messaging in the world doesn’t work if you can’t use spell check: “We’re the small local college BIG on graguate success.”

• And then there is the ever present tag line that concisely communicates your message. For one school this didn’t work out so well. The tag:
Mount St. Joseph School: Building Boys into Men. Men who Matter. Mount Men.

I’ll just leave it at this – messaging – it’s important.

Happy Holidays!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

2010-12-06T07:49:00.004-05:00

‘Twas the Night before Christmas when all through the agency,
Nobody was stirring, not even Mizz Cookerly.

The proposals were stacked by the front desk with care,
In hopes that new clients would soon stand right there.

Staff members were at home all snug in their beds,
While visions of bowl games danced in their heads.

With Candace in her ‘kerchief, and Jane in her cap,
Just settled down from a new client flap.

When out near the lobby arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my office to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
I pulled up the blinds and threw off the sash.

The moon shone brightly on the new fallen snow,
Gave luster of midday to objects below.

But, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
Than Amy and Ada with Chex Mix and beer!

Come into the office I yelled with great cheer,
I’ll call Mike and Cory and get them right here.

Get Debbie, get Brittney and call Sarah too,
They’ll want to join in our little impromptu ado.

Beth and Matt and, and oh yes, Carol Mac,
Give ‘em holler, get ‘em out of the sack.

Come to the office, no matter how windy,
We’re gonna have fun so call Lil’Cindy.

Don’t forget Lindsay, nor Katie nor Chris,
Mistletoe awaits and one might get a kiss.

They drank of the cheer and ate all the snacks
Shouldn’t drive after drinking, and those are the facts.

But we can’t stay too long as it is Christmas Eve,
But ready or not, it’s now time to leave.

The good news is; from the lands that are hinter,
Santa just landed at Alliance Center,

Saint Nick says he will take us by sleigh,
To our far flung destinations by midnight this day.

So we load in the back all set for the ride,
With huge bags of toys sitting right by our side.

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!

Off the parking deck and over the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

So up over Buckhead we rapidly flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and the whole staff too.

Up front was Carol who was talking some jive,
Telling Santa where to go, and just how to drive.

To each home he took us with great feeling and care,
And flew off himself into the frigid night air.

And away Santa flew like the down of a thistle.
Singing a song and whistling a whistle.

Thank you Saint Nick for a fabulous ride,
And returning us home where we’re safely inside.

And to close this out, it’s not rocket science,
Thanks to our clients for being our clients.

For without you, there’s no need for us,
We’d have to pack it in and get on the bus.

So from us to you, may your Christmas be Heaven,
And best wishes for your two-thousand eleven!

Taking the Blocks Out of the Box: The Value of Fresh Thinking

2010-12-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

This week, I have been thinking about thinking. New thinking, to be exact. In the inevitable way that the calendar shift to December makes “It’s almost the new year!” roll off the tongue, this week has been filled with planning, planning and more planning.

I may be unusual, but one of things that I like most about planning for a new year is the opportunity to look at what we’re doing and ask “If I was starting all over with this, is this the mix of strategies and tactics I would propose? Why or why not?” One of my clients referred to it as “taking all of the blocks out of the box.” Would you just re-arrange the same blocks, or do you throw them all out and get a whole new set?

While some may groan at the prospect of starting over, I enjoy the opportunity. And I’m especially grateful when a client invites us to take a fresh approach. To me, that’s a large part of what keeps my job challenging and fulfilling. In my younger days, I fulfilled this need for new by packing up my car and moving to a new state every few years. In my somewhat older and wiser years (and because I have a child who loves where she lives), I channel that need into my work. I’m not alone: one of this agency’s greatest strengths is that even with clients we’ve had for years, we never rest on our laurels, but rather strive for improvement every day. December just gives us an added reason… and a looming deadline.

So, I’d like to challenge you to take a look at your box of communications blocks – go ahead and take them out and play with them for a while. And while you’re stacking, think about these three things:

Are there external issues impacting your audience? An obvious one would be the economy and its impact on your audience and messaging. Even if you aren’t selling anything, there may be impacts to consider. For instance, loss of jobs means no commuting back and forth to work. For The Clean Air Campaign – which focuses on getting commuters out of the habit of driving alone – that impacts their target audience, but in a very different way than a company selling luxury goods.
Are you fully leveraging the social media space? And are you doing it in coordination with your traditional marketing? So much has changed, and so quickly, that many companies and organizations are either struggling to keep up or starting up multiple social media tactical projects (two Facebook pages, three Twitter feeds, a couple of blogs and a LinkedIn Group.) without consideration for integration into other established communications strategies. No matter what you do – or don’t do – in the social space, the bottom line is that all of these channels and tactics will be most successful if they are looked at holistically: you get a bigger bang for the buck, and your audience gets a consistent message online and offline.
Speaking of offline, have you forgotten the value of good, old-fashioned grassroots programs? Sure, social is the shiny new thing, but don’t dismiss the value of a more human approach to communications. Those Rotary Club speaking engagements, coffee shop bulletin boards and local event sponsorships may still be valuable, depending on your audience and your goals. We love the immediacy, anonymity and power provided by the digital world, but even the biggest tech geek needs some face-to face connection time. If they didn’t, TweetUps wouldn’t exist.

Did this get you thinking about thinking? I hope so – playing with blocks can be fun at any age.

Getting Serious About Laughter

2010-11-29T13:59:00.004-05:00

The recent passing of Leslie Nielsen has me thinking about comedy and its place in PR.

When you work with a client year after year, the message can get stale. Part of the challenge is coming up with new and engaging ways to say the same thing over and over. The cool part is that on one hand, you have different platforms to distribute your message (thanks social media!), and on the other hand, you have the way in which you say it.

So in a world full of boring press releases, lengthy quotes, stats and the 24-hour news cycle, how do you get someone’s attention?

Consider making your audience laugh.

A good example: I follow a handful of news outlets on Twitter, and while my eyes gloss over as I scan through most of them, the only one I enjoy and share with friends … the AJC. Why? Its tweeters (names still undisclosed) are funny and smart. They make me laugh and I appreciate the tasteful sense of humor they apply to everyday news.

So maybe it’s time to spruce things up and add some levity to your message. Next time an idea makes you laugh in a brainstorm, use it! I bet your audience will think it’s funny too.

Blog Post Epilogue:
In tribute to Mr. Nielsen, and the fact that I used my Thanksgiving vacation to spray WD-40 on every hinge, lock and moving part in my house, two quotes from Spy Hard:

Dick Steele, Agent WD-40: Operator, get me Washington.
Operator: George?
Dick Steele, Agent WD-40: D.C.

Veronique Ukrinsky, Agent 3.14: Have a nice flight, and I wish you adieux.
Dick Steele, Agent WD-40: Thank you, but I am quite satisfied with the do I have.

Lights, Camera…AH! When behind the scenes becomes the scene

2010-11-24T10:11:00.007-05:00

“Good morning, Cookerly Public Relations, this is Amy.” I hold my breath, wondering who’s on the other line. Is it about the media briefing document I compiled last night? Or is it the reporter from the Times finally calling me back to confirm an interview time?

Neither, today it’s one of our Senior VPs, Candace, asking me to read a creative brief for a video shoot she and her team are filming for SunTrust about the MasterCard Market place. A casting call about online shopping? I would’ve worn better shoes!

Having facilitated media interviews with clients, undergone media training and interview preparation, calming nerves – “don’t worry, you’re the expert, and I’ll be there to step in if any sensitive issues should arise” – you’d think turning the microphone on yourself would be business as usual. And this shoot was about the new SunTrust MasterCard check card and online shopping. Bingo, a topic on which I am a self-proclaimed expert!

Try again. Dreaming up a story idea, drafting the pitch, reaching out to reporters, securing the opportunity, scheduling the interview, reviewing key messages with the client prior to the interview, that is a piece of cake (once you have a few years of experience under your belt, of course). The alternative, a tiny flashing red light, sweaty palms, tongue twister lines - a simple task that is not. It’s more like lights, camera...AH!

After about two hours of acquainting myself with the overall theme of the video and key elements of the “new SunTrust MasterCard check card and benefits of shopping online at the MasterCard Marketplace,” (try repeating that 102 times! Sounds more like – “the new SunTrust MasterCard Marketplace, check card MasterCard”…huh?), we began filming. Seven hours later, we had interviewed 15 strangers about their online shopping habits and using a check card vs. a credit card – letting the whole world (Underground Atlanta and Peachtree Center) know about the advantages of using the new MasterCard check card.

[Long dramatic exhausted sigh] Kudos to reporters for chasing down sources to get that two-minute interview and flying by the seat of their pants trying to make conversation out of nothing. Did you get everything you needed? Or is it back to the drawing board? Seven hours of your life, you can only hope you have some good materials to make your case!

We sat for five days, waiting in anticipation, wondering if Josh, Shandra, Kay and Brenda and Adam (we knew Bob did not) got us those sound bites to make the video work… (and of course, how did my hair look and was the inflection in my voice overkill?!)

A few nips-and-tucks in the editing room and boom, Jonathon, our producer and Will, our cameraman, made magic!

The video is in its last rounds of editing, and I look forward to seeing the final product. And while this was quite the experience, I will to stick to my comfort zone, behind the scenes, where I get to sit in the director’s chair. However, do not be mistaken, whether on camera or behind the camera, I will always pay special attention to my shoes.

How’s LeBron’s “Decision” working out?

2010-11-22T11:06:00.005-05:00

Earlier this year, in my blog entry, “LeBron’s “Decision” Stains Legacy, Compromises Journalistic Integrity,” I analyzed the fallout surrounding LeBron James’ and ESPN’s hour-long special called “The Decision.” Most know that LeBron dumped the Cleveland Cavaliers and decided to play for a stacked Miami Heat line-up that includes All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The way LeBron and his camp handled the announcement disturbed many in the league, press and public. He was widely panned as being selfish and ego-driven, and even basketball legends Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley publicly chided his actions. The damage LeBron suffered to his brand and overall image was immense and might prove to be irreparable.

The fallout was so bad that one of his biggest sponsors, Nike, recently felt the need to roll-out a highly publicized TV ad for its superstar. The 90 second commercial, LeBron Rise, attempts to repair his image while addressing the offseason criticism for his poor handling of the announcement. The reviews were mixed, but it did lead to a sharp, funny rebuttal, Response to “LeBron Rise,” from Cavaliers fans.

Cleveland felt scorned and openly burned LeBron jerseys and clothing in front of news cameras following the widely criticized ESPN program. According to press reports, they even threw rocks and bottles at the 10 story Nike billboard of LeBron that was a fixture in downtown Cleveland. The ad was obviously removed immediately after his announcement.

Cleveland was not the only ones to spoof the commercial; the creators of the comedy show South Park and the Ultimate Fighting Championship poked fun at the new Nike commercial. (If you need a laugh, I recommend viewing them on YouTube – warning: clips contain strong language.)

To LeBron’s credit, he did purchase a full page ad after his “decision” in his hometown paper, the Akron Beacon-Journal, thanking his family, friends and supporters. Interestingly, the ad did not mention or thank his thousands of fans and supporters in Cleveland.

In the end, one commercial or an entire ad campaign is not going to repair LeBron’s image. While winning a championship (or five) might help, it’s going to take a very concerted effort from LeBron and his handlers to mend fences with fans and the public. However, based on his latest Nike TV ad and the public’s reaction, it appears that won’t happen anytime soon.

What Does Your Facebook Page Say About You?

2010-11-19T11:25:00.007-05:00

Facebook is an awesome social networking tool that enables users to stay connected with friends, but the downside is that almost everyone is on Facebook, including my 71-year-old grandmother. Moreover, we live in a voyeuristic society. People are searching to find information about others and many are guilty of TMI – too much information— through Facebook. With that in mind, it’s important to be cautious and cognizant of our Facebook content.

The social network is a resource for people searching for roommates, learning about a new friend and most importantly, seeking employees. According to a study in 2009, employers are using social networks to screen job candidates and eliminate them from consideration because of information found on their pages such as:

• Information about alcohol or drug use
• Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page
• Poor communication skills
• Unprofessional screen names

Although you won’t find the bullets above on my Facebook profile, I decided that in addition to changing the privacy settings on my profile, I would create two profiles, one for my personal life and the other for professional use. Perception is key, and although I don’t have anything to hide, I’d like to prevent scrutiny over a vacation photo or for remarks made on my personal profile.

Each individual uses social networking sites for various reasons, but it’s important to keep in mind that the posts we make on Facebook can inhibit our employment searches, harm our careers and damage our professional reputations. Here are a few tips for keeping your Facebook profile employer-friendly and an article on how to use Facebook without losing your job over it, which includes information on setting up a personal and professional profile.

Baking up Raving Fans through Blogs

2010-11-11T10:44:00.009-05:00

Guess what? I’m a winner! A winner of what, you ask. I’ve won the Reynolds Baked for You Baking Cups!

This may not be much of a perk for you, but it definitely is for me. I go bonkers for baking and I’ve been trying to win something, anything for the past 22 years. After all my years of trying to win trips to Disney through a Lunchables contest, or a year’s supply of Fruit Roll-ups, I finally win something by making a comment on a blog post. My simple share on Wendy Shannon’s With A Southern Twist got me a win.

Yes, I am excited about the “Fashionista Cupcakes” that I’ll be baking after I receive Reynolds’ new baking cups so that I can not only share my baked goods, but also show off my fancy cake cups from Reynolds. After all, that was the ultimate purpose of the blog giveaway and smart marketing too.

As my colleague Amy wrote in a previous post, “[Blogs] have become part of mainstream media. Influencing, inspiring, creating debate and keeping us up-to-date on the latest and greatest…[and]…as PR professionals, blogging enhances our clients’ SEO, drives traffic and enhances thought leadership among their audiences.”

Blogs have become a source for individuals and provide a medium for conversations to occur on a particular topic. And with bloggers’ increasing influence, it only makes sense for companies like Reynolds to reach out to these influencers and create online advocates who engage in their communities and spread the word about its new product, especially since cupcakes are all the rave.

Reynolds’ outreach to blogs like With A Southern Twist, Good Housekeeping and MomTrends was not coincidental. They are leveraging effective marketing channels to connect with their target audience, increasing visibility for the brand and the product, creating conversations about the new non-fading chic cupcake cups and encouraging consumers to purchase the product. I’ll be receiving a eight-pattern Baked for You Baking Cups sample kit from Reynolds, just enough to test the cups, fall in love with them (I’m sure I will) and spread the word with others.

My Cookerly colleagues understand the importance of using traditional media in combination with social media such as blogs to engage audiences, raise visibility and drive sales or action. While blogs may never replace traditional media, the blogosphere can serve a role - small or large, depending on the client - in pushing stories about a client to the forefront. They can be (and are) posted at any time and easily shared with others, even serving as leads for reporters seeking a story. What used to be a vessel for personal thoughts and commentary has evolved into a place for advertising and education, but I have no complaints. I can only hope that my next blog comment can win me a 2010 Range Rover.

What happened to responsible journalism?

2010-11-08T14:16:00.003-05:00

There have been a couple of news items recently that, as a former journalist, have really annoyed me. I have been gone from the other side of the “media divide” for almost two decades now and it seems that journalistic integrity has become something of a novelty, at least for a few.

First, a web site in India reports that President Obama’s trip to Mumbai is costing $200 million per day. On its face that sounds more than absurd, but totally unbelievable, yet Eric Bolling on Fox Business News and other media picked up the story. I have yet to see anyone produce an actual cost for the president’s trip, but I think that I would verify the amount before I ran with it, and I would think common sense would tell ANYONE that it JUST COULDN’T be that much!

Anyone who knows me knows that I wouldn’t be the first person to jump to President Obama’s defense, but COME ON; $200 million A DAY?

We were always taught in journalism school to check our facts and VERIFY EVERYTHING before reporting. I also went to journalism school before there was an Internet, so the paradigm has changed significantly. Maybe they’re teaching something different here in 2010.

I think back to CBS News and Dan Rather reporting, as fact, information about George W. Bush’s military service record only to find that the documents from which Rather reported information were fakes.

Then there were the erroneous reports by Pierre Salinger, a very respected journalist, of TWA Flight 800 being shot down by a missile over the Atlantic Ocean in the 1990s. Salinger believed and reported on information (later discredited) that was circulating via email and on internet postings.

We could probably assemble volumes on journalists who failed to check facts, or worse yet, totally ignored them in the interest of their own agenda.

That brings me to a related note; there is the issue of journalists contributing to political candidates. In journalism school we were taught that we should not provide monetary support to candidates on whom we reported or offered comment, yet commentator Keith Olbermann was suspended from MSNBC for doing just that.

Bravo to MSNBC for standing up for what is right, but I suspect Olbermann isn’t the only such offender in the media (though I have no specific knowledge of others.) I wish every network would hold their news staff members to the same standards and take action against every offender.

I’m not holding my breath because it looks to me as if the rules of journalism have changed ... and that’s a shame.

I wonder what Walter Cronkite, Ralph McGill or Henry W. Grady would say about all this?

Public Relations Spending on the Rise

2010-11-04T10:33:00.006-04:00

The age old debate about what prompts awareness and visibility for a brand reappeared this month on the pages of Georgia Trend. According to the article, spending on public relations has increased while advertising is down. The media research firm SNL Kagen reports that overall public relations spending in the United States will climb almost three percent this year to $210 billion following two straight years of decline (by 5.5 percent in 2008 and 15.6 percent in 2009.) Advertising, on the other hand, continues to fall in in some segments, especially in daily newspapers.

Overall, on an absolute basis, spending on advertising is larger, but the changing media landscape is prompting many organizations to reconsider the blend of advertising and public relations. Some in the local pubic relations community believe that public relations is no longer taking a backseat to advertising for a number of reasons. First, they note that connections made through the public relations channel, either through earned media, social networks, events, community relations, issue management, etc., represent a more authentic engagement with a brand or message. Also, the savvy media consumer has become smarter at dodging that paid appeal.

That said, it is critical that we in public relations acknowledge the complexities of dealing with multiple audiences and messages to stay effective and to cut through the noise. For example, one of our clients, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, sponsors an emergency preparedness campaign – Ready Georgia – where we blended traditional public relations strategies and tactics with targeted paid advertising and leveraged the exploding social media universe. The reason is that we recognize residents need to hear the message multiple times from multiple sources.

As the media landscape evolves, this discussion will continue to solicit a vigorous debate. Stay tuned… and in the meantime, tell us what you think.

A Good Reputation is Priceless…

2010-11-02T11:34:00.016-04:00

As Warren Buffet quipped, “it can take 20 years to build a reputation and only five minutes to ruin it.”

Of course, everyone wants a good reputation. But how do you get one – and more importantly, keep it? A good number of clients come to us for a crisis plan or issue management. Others know they need to be ready for a “problem,” but don’t believe it’s “that much of a concern right now.” When clients talk about building their brands, they usually mean “good news marketing,” launching products/programs and supporting sales.

But equally important is galvanizing your brand against disaster before a crisis hits home. It’s easy to get complacent. No one wakes up saying, “today will be the day that the stuff hits the fan.” When that day arrives, however, the strength of a company's reputation is its best protection.

The closest thing to reputation protection that appears on a balance sheet is termed goodwill. Having a reservoir of goodwill can make all the difference and sustain a company through bad times.

Investopedia defines Goodwill as an intangible asset on the balance sheet that typically reflects the value of a strong brand name, good customer relations, good employee relations and any patents or proprietary technology.

While the term intangible asset sounds nebulous, we use public relations every day to tell concrete stories that provide credibility and entitle a positive reputation. Step by step, reputation is built on goodwill that emanates from reliable products, excellent service and sound business practices across the board – not from fluff.

Public relations strategies and tactics should be major elements in any plan to build positive relationships with the stakeholders who determine your organization’s success. While there are multiple key audiences including stockholders, boards of directors, regulators, legislators and other influencers, I want to mention several ideas for fostering quality reputations among three all-important groups.

(1) Employees: Employees can be your biggest fans or your loudest detractors. If they don’t believe the talk, they won’t do the walk. Too often, internal communications are tagged on as an afterthought. Put employees front and center, involve them in your communications plans and company initiatives and make them your best ambassadors.

(2) Media: I’m amazed at how many clients have never met the reporters in person who write about their companies. Knowing the media is the best way to build credibility in the good times and get a fair shake when things go wrong. It’s easy to do. Have a proactive media outreach program. Tell your good news stories; be an industry thought leader. Don’t have your first interaction with a reporter be in the middle of a crisis.

(3) Clients: Organizations need to fall in love with their clients; it’s that simple. Talk to them; listen to them; give them little presents; keep your promises; be good to them. And they will love you back. That translates into everything from easy-to-understand product information and engaging social media programs to cordial customer service and valuable website tools. (Ask me about a particular business/industry and I can provide specific ideas.)

Coke survived a potentially large scale ban on Coca-Cola drinks in Europe in 1999 because it had longstanding trust with loyal consumers and stockholders alike and was able to trade on its goodwill.

Toyota is currently working diligently to regain its reputation following the “gas pedal” crisis; I believe it will recover based on its long-term excellent reputation. Arguably, BP has a steeper road to climb without the same stockpile of goodwill upon which to draw.

Top leadership needs to pay attention – and provide resources – to inculcate the values, culture and programs for an organization to build and nurture its reputation. Indeed, it may be a CEO’s most important contribution.

Would you trust this guy with your social media?

2010-10-28T13:08:00.004-04:00

Nothing against Cookerly’s newest intern, but the answer should be no. You wouldn’t hand an intern a company credit card, so why should you give him the login to the company’s Twitter account? Either one could end up costing you.

It’s a classic move. A new technology comes along that looks promising, but top-level management isn’t convinced that it’s worth an investment of any “real” resources. At my first job, our website was built by a part-time employee whose primary job responsibility was in-house courier. He built us the simplest of sites in his spare time. In some ways we were ahead of the game – keep in mind that these were the days when creating a website was cause for a press release. But that amateur website stuck around a lot longer than it should have, giving leadership an excuse not to invest any resources into something better because at least we were “out there.”

Obviously, a lot has changed in the past 15 years. But given the fact that our social media director has gotten the question, “Can’t an intern handle our social media?” at multiple speaking engagements in the past week, it’s clear that many people are still not convinced that social media deserves the attention and effort of experienced professionals.

So here’s a quick run-down on top reasons an intern shouldn’t be in charge of social media:

Strategy. If you’ve been playing this game a while, it’s easy to forget how long it can take to get a firm grasp on strategy. And I don’t mean learning what a company’s particular marketing/PR strategy is – I mean understanding how strategy differs from tactics, and why that matters. Implementing social media in a way that will effectively, consistently build your brand requires strategic thinking and you’re not going to find that in the intern seat.

Messaging. Sure, you can teach an intern your company/brand’s key messages. But do you really trust them to figure out the most effective way to communicate those messages on the fly? Social media is immediate – you’re not going to get the chance to review every tweet, every status update, every blog comment. So whoever you’ve got in the social media driver’s seat had better know your brand personality well enough to communicate the right messages, in the right voice and via the right channels. Again, probably not an intern.

Integration. Perhaps the biggest reason that the intern shouldn’t be in charge of your social media program is because it should be completely integrated with your marketing and PR efforts. It’s impossible to achieve that level of integration if an intern is deciding what your social media presence looks like. Yes, she may be a whiz at using Facebook to stay connected with her friends, but does she know how to use it to build a brand? Does she understand how a particular social media channel is building community among your customers? Is she aware of the other channels of communication with those customers?

Don’t get me wrong. Interns and other young staff members are often among the most knowledgeable when it comes to social media. But don’t confuse their experience as users with the expertise that is needed for effective marketing. Watching a lot of TV doesn’t make you a network executive, and spending hours on Facebook every day shouldn’t make your intern a social media director.

(Author's Note and Disclaimer: No interns were harmed in the making of this blog post. Even though he's only been on board for a week, Michael Knottek is doing a fantastic job and his picture was selected based solely on his position as new kid on the block. I'm sure one day he'll make an excellent social media director.)

Crossing the firing line

2010-10-25T10:39:00.012-04:00

The recent dismissal of news analyst Juan Williams by National Public Radio has touched off a controversy that ultimately seems to be more evidence of how the line between news and opinion is increasingly blurred.

NPR fired Williams for remarks he made on the Fox News show The O’Reilly Factor in which he said he sometimes felt uncomfortable flying on airplanes with individuals who, because of their appearance, were identifiably Muslim. While this was clearly Williams’ personal opinion, in dismissing him NPR cited an editorial policy that prohibits its commentators from expressing opinions on other news programs that they would not be allowed to express on an NPR broadcast.

Pundits on the right have called Williams’ firing a clear case of censorship, if not hypocrisy, by NPR, noting that his comments are protected by the First Amendment (a protection which means the government cannot sanction Williams for his comments; his employer certainly can). Williams, in a subsequent appearance on The O’Reilly Factor, contends that the higher-ups at NPR had been looking for an excuse to fire him ever since he also had become a paid commentator on Fox News. NPR’s unease with Williams working for both networks was well known; it had reportedly asked that he not be identified as an NPR analyst when appearing on Fox.

I don’t believe Williams is a bigot. A respected African American journalist, he also has authored notable books about civil rights and black culture in America, as well as a biography of Thurgood Marshall. Given his background, it may be safe to assume that Williams understands the inherent injustice of judging someone by appearance alone – which is perhaps why his comments about Muslims surprised many.

I’m in no position to judge Williams’ remarks, and frankly, believe the arguments made by NPR and Fox and others are correct in some but not all aspects. What I fear is that these arguments will quickly be reduced to sound bytes and served up with great helpings of opinion and angst, on both the right and left; the debate will become the story and the line will continue to blur.

Like Visibility? Then You Should Like Social Media

2010-10-21T14:14:00.000-04:00

How do you get your news? If you are like me, it’s a hybrid of sources and may be different every day. Over the last 24-hour period, for instance, I’ve read five or six blogs, visited the AJC online, skimmed the paper (yes, paper!) version of this month’s Vanity Fair, and even watched the 11 PM local newscast (a rarity for me). But by far, the majority of news that I read were found via my Facebook and Twitter feeds, linked by Friends, Followers and Pages I have chosen to make part of my social network. My guess would be that your experience is similar.

This topic is on my mind today for a number of reasons. First, on Tuesday I presented to members of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce at its Government Affairs Council Meeting, specifically about the value of social media. As is the case at many of these engagements, about 90 percent of the room said they were using social media in their personal lives, but maybe 10 percent for professional reasons, or on behalf of clients. In a room full of iPads and smartphones, they all admitted getting much of their news through their personal networks, but hadn’t completely bought into the fact that the audiences they need to reach would also get their clients’ news and information (or their competitors/opponents) in the same manner.

Second, one of my favorite bloggers and authors, Brian Solis, wrote this week about the actionable results of engagement – from social commerce to the power of “likers” and more. One part that stood out: social sharing – when we share a news story on our Facebooks, or “Like” a link that someone else has shared - is truly driving what people read or watch. Even if there are some business or organizational leaders who haven’t latched on to the value of social media marketing, media outlets sure have. Consider this:

Many publishers are reporting overwhelming results after introducing the social sharing buttons, empowering viewers to share stories across their social graph with one click. Sample reports according to Facebook:

ABC News is up over 190% as a result of adding social plugins
Gawker claims an surge of over 200%
TypePad reports increases over 200%
Sporting News is up by 500%

The takeaway for me from all of this? If we as individuals are getting more and more of our news from our personal social networks – whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, RSS subscriptions or other – then our target audiences are too. So if you see the value of media relations and visibility for your product, service or issue, then social media cannot be ignored. For all of your audience who are abandoning print media in favor of their Facebook feeds, don’t you want them to “like” your news?

Internet Killed the Logo Star: Goodbye, new Gap logo

2010-10-18T15:09:00.003-04:00

You’ve probably heard about the Gap and its new logo debacle. Last week the clothing retailer announced it was returning to its original logo following a firestorm from consumers scrutinizing the new design. But what’s interesting is that the announcement came just four days after confirming the new logo was legitimate, according to Ad Age.

After thousands of comments, Facebook postings, Tweets and media articles bashing the new design, Gap decided to return to its original logo featuring the tall, white block letters in the navy blue box. The redesign even spawned two parody accounts on Twitter, @gaplogo and @oldgaplogo, with 5,067 and 793 followers, respectively, at the time of this posting.

Gap made this announcement on its Facebook page and acknowledged that the passionate outcry from consumers prompted the company to do an aboutface:

“Ok. We’ve heard loud and clear that you don’t like the new logo. We’ve learned a lot from the feedback. We only want what’s best for the brand and our customers. So instead of crowd sourcing, we’re bringing back the Blue Box tonight.” (Gap Facebook page, Oct. 11)

The company took a lot of heat for not properly testing the new design with consumers and failing to appropriately gauge consumer feedback. Gap acknowledged its mistake in a company statement:

“We've learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community. This wasn't the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing.”

Funnily enough even Vanity Fair wrote an obituary for the short-lived new logo (posted on CNN.com):

"The new Gap logo is survived by its antagonistic Twitter feed and a dozen 'failed branding strategies' slide shows, in which it will be archived in the annals of history," the magazine wrote. "To heaven, the Helvetica now ascends."

Wow, what a way to go, new Gap logo!

Interesting how a well-meaning corporate step to evolve a brand resulted in an embarrassing situation for the company, and how many voices in the social media universe united to broadcast the same message, "change it back!" It made me wonder: What motivates people to become so passionate about a brand? And how does this impact their behavior? Even if the design changes on the outside, does this impact the product on the inside? Even if the new Gap logo stuck and it had that little oddly placed blue square on the sign, can’t I still get my favorite boot-cut jeans and winter sweaters at the store?

Clothing retailer Belk unveiled its logo recently as well, changing from a teal cursive-style font to an all-lowercase, rounder font with three blue flower petals next to the “b.” The logo unveiling has thus far prompted a few hundred comments on Belk’s FB page and on Twitter, and produced several media articles. But it has not prompted the surge of activity that Gap’s resign did.

Perhaps the real test lies in the pursestrings of the shopper. Do you have any logos of favorite brands that you’re passionate about?

Reflections on Facebook from the Greatest Generation

2010-10-14T10:11:00.015-04:00

When talking to recent college grads (job hunters), I always ask if they’re on Facebook. I don’t want to stalk them online, but I’m curious to know if they consider Facebook to be a tool beyond an online picture gallery yet.

Most of the business and communications majors I’ve met realize the strength of Facebook as the marketing tool it has become, but to many college students, Facebook is still personal. I can understand why.

At 26, I’m a peer to Mark Zuckerberg. No, I didn’t go to Exeter and Harvard. I don’t have a movie about me out right now, and okay, I’m not worth $6.9 billion. But we are just three months apart in age and were both college sophomores when Zuckerberg launched Thefacebook.

That’s not a typo. Once Thefacebook made its way to The University of Alabama, where I was in school, that’s exactly what it was called. My sorority sisters and I typed in ‘www.thefacebook.com’ to log on to this new phenomenon. Of course we had to use our email addresses ending in @ua.edu if we wanted access to this exclusive club.

To us, it was just an online directory of our fellow classmates. We could enter information about ourselves, upload a headshot, check out other students, and that’s about it. A few months later, we saw that we could share photos, and we thought Facebook had reached its highest peak. Boy, were we wrong.

We all know how the story continues. On Aug. 25, 2006, Mashable wrote:

“Facebook is the second largest social network on the web, behind only MySpace in terms of traffic...Mashable’s shiny new Facebook account is HERE – feel free to add Mashable to your friends if you sign up, or you’re already a member.” (notice the link takes you to Pete Cashmore’s personal page)

Add Mashable to your friends IF you sign up, or you’re already a member?

With more than 500 million active users today, Facebook has become the world’s third largest country. Every major brand in the world has a presence on Facebook, and more than 30 billion pieces of content are shared each month.

Maybe one day, someone will find this blog and use it a hash mark to show how puny Facebook’s numbers were in 2010, but for now one thing seems certain. Facebook will be around for a while and will continually evolve, so if you’re looking to get into the business of communications, you better get on board. I’m talking to you, job hunters.

You better look into what it takes to create a successful Facebook presence for a brand and realize that social media has become an integral part of nearly every business’ marketing plan. It’s more than an overwhelming website of updates, tags and pictures. You may hear others my age say, “Back in my day Facebook was...” But that doesn’t do us any good today. You’ve graduated, and so has Facebook.

What Really Gives with Digital Communication?

2010-10-11T13:03:00.013-04:00

According to a recent survey by Euro RSCG Worldwide, 51% of the 5,700 adults surveyed believe that digital communication is “weakening the human bond.” They aren’t ridding themselves of their smart phones quite yet, but they’re concerned.

It’s a given that digital communication has changed the way we interact. The pros and cons are discussed ad nauseum. Frequently, the negative aspects are most loudly touted. That’s just human nature, albeit, now hiding behind Facebook, Twitter, text messaging, blogging etc.

But there are multiple examples where digital communication can and is enhancing the human experience. My favorite is a little known blog - or depending on the circles you run in – a very well-known blog by Betty Londergan called “What Gives 365” or “365 days of putting my money where my mouth is.”

What started out as a personal challenge for one individual has turned into a far reaching phenomenon allowing the author, turned blogger, to connect with people from as far away as Guatemala, Ethiopia, India, England , Afghanistan- just to name a few.

The concept is simple. Through 2010, everyday Betty selects one organization and donates $100 of her own money to this worthy cause. She tells you the story behind the organization, why she chose it and why you might consider donating as well. Each week she selects one “Vicarious Giver.” In other words, convince her that you have an organization worthy of consideration, and if she chooses your entry, she’ll make her contribution to your group.

From local groups like Georgia Public Broadcasting and Trees Atlanta to Caritas/Haiti and Girls' Education in Afghanistan, Betty’s goal is to “shine a light on 365 people, places and things that are making the world a better place.”

So for all those surveyed in “The New Consumer” study who want a more thoughtful life experience, are extremely worried that “society has become too shallow” and that “digital communication is weakening human bonds,” here is your opportunity to witness digital communication at its best.

At “What Gives 365,” you can read about little known organizations and people quietly giving back to the world. And on December 31, 2010, you’ll have a list of 365 organizations vetted and deemed worthy of charitable contributions and perhaps a new cause to support. What a great way to connect with humanity.

Twitter + Good Customer Service = Good PR

2010-10-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago, I was having dinner at a restaurant in Austin. Although I’m sure the restaurant is lovely with any other server, my experience was terrible. Before the spiral of bad service unfolded, I had checked in on FourSquare.

Skip to a few days later, the restaurant sends a tweet asking me what my favorite margarita was and setting me up for an “OMG…I love this place” Retweet. I ignored them. But then I started thinking about the dangers of soliciting positive feedback, as opposed to engaging me more along the lines of “how was it?” or “thanks for coming.”

I compare this experience to two other recent unsolicited tweets I received. One was from The Algonquin Hotel (@AlgonquinNYC). Before travelling, I tweeted that I was looking forward to staying there on a certain date. Time went by and on the day of my check-in, they tweeted back with “Welcome! Enjoy your stay!” Way to keep track of your guests on Twitter. Awesome!

Two weeks later, a got a tweet from Delta. I mentioned something about the best part of flying Delta being the leftover Biscoff cookies (I’m lookin’ at you, pretzels and peanuts). An unsolicited tweet from Delta’s customer service account (@DeltaAssist) came back a minute later: “I totally agree; Biscoff cookies, Yum-Yum :-). ^BH” Totally silly, and totally winning me over.

This was a long post. I’ll make my point much more succinct:

Simple, thoughtful interaction is so much more effective than an aggressive hunt for compliments and conversation.

Paying Tribute to an Unusual Sort of Marketing Genius

2010-10-04T08:04:00.009-04:00

It’s my turn to write a column for the Cookerly blog and I am going to use it to pay tribute to a man with whom I had the privilege of working many years ago. Gary Corry was one of the funniest people I ever encountered during more than a dozen years working in radio. That’s saying a lot because I worked with some very funny people!

Gary filled many different roles in radio. He was a newsman, disc jockey, promotions director and the creator of many character voices, one of which is legendary in the broadcast industry. If you’re under 40 years old, you may never have heard of Red Neckerson, but if you’re over 40 and lived just about anywhere in the U.S., you probably lived in a market where his commentaries ran on local stations in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Gary Corry was Red Neckerson, and every day he would opine on topics ranging from national politics and international affairs to mundane issues like a lawnmower that wouldn’t start when he wanted to cut his grass. His character was that of a stereotypical redneck, but his commentaries made everyone laugh. He was doing redneck humor before Jeff Foxworthy came along and elevated his comedy to national prominence.

Gary started out writing and performing his bit for WQXI radio – “Quixie in Dixie” as it was once known – and then decided to market it to other stations. It took off like gangbusters. Word spread throughout the industry that there was a “don’t miss” feature being made available in syndication. In short order, Red Neckerson News Commentary was a regular feature on more than 300 stations across the U.S. and the feedback those stations were getting from listeners was very positive. People looked forward to a laugh every day and ratings improved for the vast majority of stations running Red’s daily diatribes.

I vividly remember talking by telephone with a friend in Oklahoma sometime in the mid 1980s. He casually mentioned “this radio commentator out here who is really funny and that you would enjoy hearing if you ever come for a visit.”

I said, “What you’re describing sounds like Red Neckerson to me.”

My friend was astonished. It was indeed Red Neckerson to whom he was referring. He thought Ol’ Red was a local guy.

“You mean to tell me, YOU KNOW Red Neckerson?”

Sounding a bit like Barney Fife, I kind of snorted and said “Yeah, I know all the big stars. I don’t just know Red, I work with him.”

Just like his Red Neckerson character, Gary Corry was an original. Unfortunately we lost him very recently after a brief illness. He was a decent and honest guy who had an ability to make anyone smile and the world is a lesser place without him in it.

His legacy will live on in a book, “Keep the Needle Peaking” (published earlier this year shortly before his death) and in untold hours of recordings. I’m not promoting his book, but if you are interested, it is for sale on several Internet sites including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The whole point of this little tribute is to point out that great marketing can come in many forms, from the traditional to the unconventional – and I guess it is safe to say Gary was a tad unconventional. However, there is no denying he was a great marketer. He took an idea, refined it, marketed it and rode it to fame and fortune.

Blog Talk

2010-09-30T10:59:00.007-04:00

Blog: (a blend of the term web log) usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other materials – video, photos, etc.

A child of the 90s, the blogosphere has ripened and matured, developing its own culture of microblogs, art blogs, photo blogs, video blogs, sports blogs, political blogs. The list goes on. Whatever your interest, there’s a blogger writing about it - posting pictures, stories, anecdotes and “how tos.” It’s a blogger nation.

They have become part of mainstream media. Influencing, inspiring, creating debate and keeping us up-to-date on the latest and greatest. We are a generation fixated on the novelty of what others share via the World Wide Web. Most importantly for us as PR professionals, blogging enhances our clients’ SEO, drives traffic and enhances thought leadership among their audiences.

I asked my Cookerly pals to share their favorite blogs and tell us why. This crowd is diverse and had some really cool sites to contribute – check them out.

Amy [me]: Since this is my blog post I get to choose three.
1) The Sartorialist: Introduced to me by my blogger junkie roommate, this blog screams fashion. It’s an inspiring collection of design from Milan to Atlanta. I find myself longing to be featured as a style maven, “On the Street.”
2) Baxter Bark Twice: Perhaps I’m biased as this blogger is one of my nearest and dearest, but I think you will agree…she is hysterically funny. Her dry humor and random thoughts will keep you tuning in for more!
3) Belle Décor & Southern in the City: As any Southern enthusiast recognizes, Garden & Gun bloggers know the secrets of the South.

Lindsay & Cindy: Hyperbole and a Half
Two CPR gals chose this blog; it must be good. Why? L: "Everyone needs some comic relief once in a while." C: "Because it’s hilarious and laughter is good for you."

Brittney: Bakerella
For food lovers… "My family always told me that the best way to people’s hearts is through their stomachs. Bakerella does such a great job incorporating a story in every post while sharing a new recipe. She knows how to successfully engage her audience; it’s amazing to see what she’ll come up with next!"

Matt: Salon
Our resident know it all-things random… “While I only occasionally agree with her, there’s no better commentator on American culture than Camille Paglia – except maybe Peggy Noonan.”

Katie: StyleHop A fellow fashion hungry co-worker, our intern Katie has her own blog! “It has a good mix of what’s new and exciting in fashion including styling tips and the latest trends.”

Chris: OrlandoMagicDaily
Basketball buffs, intern #2 digs, “Quick news and analysis on my favorite basketball team, and it’s usually got better writing than the Orlando Sentinel."

Have we got you hooked yet? Tell us what blogs inspire you!

Lost Summer on the Gulf Coast

2010-09-28T08:41:00.007-04:00

As most know, BP mercifully announced their runaway Macondo well is permanently sealed, thus resulting in a lost summer along the Gulf Coast. The Deepwater Horizon saga played out for 153 days and released approximately 4.1 to 4.4 million barrels of oil (nearly 172 to 185 million gallons) into the Gulf of Mexico. It claimed 11 oil workers’ lives, ravaged local economies and coated wetlands and beaches with oil and dispersants.

As a long-time resident of Pensacola, Fla. and having spent much of my life living along the Gulf Coast, the continuing stream of news about the accident creates considerable uncertainty about the environment, local economy and residents’ way of life.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that nearly half of the oil potentially remains in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the paper, an oceanographer at Florida State University told a government spill commission the oil is now buried along the coast and on the sea floor. Last month, scientists at the University of Georgia echoed similar concerns when they claimed that nearly 80 percent of the oil remained in the Gulf. These conclusions run completely opposite to the U.S. government’s estimate that the oil is degrading at a rapid rate.

In August, the Feds claimed that 75 percent of the oil released into the Gulf “had been cleaned up or broken down.” The government gave much of the credit to Mother Nature, as it is believed that calm/hot weather, evaporation, oil-eating microbes, etc. helped facilitate the clean-up process. Regardless of whose estimate is right, it has been a long, anxious summer in the region – and will remain so for quite some time.

In my conversations with local business owners, some had their sales cut in half during the much-anticipated summer tourist season, and they were already dealing with a recession. Many locals blamed the media for chasing away tourists to other beaches and destinations. The crisis, as noted in my previous column, also sent advertising, marketing and public relations professionals, elected officials, etc. scrambling to dispel the myth that beaches were closed, toxic wastelands. Ad campaigns reached a fevered pitch throughout the summer, but did little in the way to stem the monetary losses.

In the end, the summer was (mostly) an economic meltdown for those I spoke with about the spill. In its aftermath, there remains an ominous cloud of doubt over the Gulf Coast, as to whether the government and BP will fully restore this beautiful, tourist-dependent region and if the economic hangover will last. Many remain skeptical, but only time will tell.

How You Build It: Confidence, Resourcefulness and Persistence

2010-09-23T10:09:00.010-04:00

I and two of my colleagues from Cookerly Public Relations recently attended the Wall Street Journal-sponsored “How I Built It” event at the St. Regis in Buckhead. Colleen DeBaise, the Journal’s small business reporter, moderated a panel of highly successful and well-known entrepreneurs. They included: Sara Blakely (Spanx); Jeff Pink (Orly); Jesse Itzler (Marquis Jets); Adam Bernhard (Hautelook.com); and Christiane Lemieux (Dwell Studio).

I left the event with renewed respect for entrepreneurs and the risks they take to pursue what they’re passionate about. In the case of this panel, their passions ran the gamut from jets to underwear. The stories they told about getting their business started – when they were trying to launch a product line with $5,000 or just generate buzz – corroborated the maxim: do what you love and the money will follow. For each panelist, the process of starting their business was satisfying in and of itself.

I’ve distilled the discussion into three major themes which represent traits these entrepreneurs had in common.

1. Confidence. Itzler warned that people shouldn’t start a business unless they are passionate about the concept and really believe it will work. The other panelists vigorously agreed. All of them had developed an idea for a business that they almost unwaveringly believed would work.

2. Resourcefulness. Lemieux spent years working at clothing and manufacturing companies so that she could better understand the industry before going out on her own. Blakely knew she needed a big public relations hit and sent a gift bag to Oprah long before she could afford a PR agency (Oprah featured the product on her show). For the entrepreneur, an obstacle is an opportunity to be creative and unconventional.

3. Persistence. None of the panelists had an easy time getting their business off the ground. Itzler was rejected when he first proposed the idea of selling access to private jets 25 hours at a time. He reworked his idea before going back to NetJets to try selling the idea again – that time, it worked.

The above traits are nearly universal among entrepreneurs – but also highly beneficial for the rest of us, whether or not we ever plan on starting our own business. I’m proud to say that my colleagues here at Cookerly Public Relations exhibit these qualities daily as we work on behalf of our clients.

If you are a small business owner and are looking for a public relations agency partner, think about what made you successful and look for those same qualities in your PR partner. If you do, I think you’ll end up calling us.

Become a “Small Business Owner”

2010-09-21T12:59:00.007-04:00

One of the primary reasons people come to us for public relations is to grow their businesses. They want PR to bolster visibility which translates into business development. PR has to impact the bottom line (directly or indirectly) or why do it?

Prospects usually ask things like: Do we have the right messaging for branding? How can we get our company/people in the news? Should we do social media (blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)? How can we get speaking engagements to help us?

All of these strategies and tactics work to bolster business development: an attorney client received numerous calls following a substantial article in The Wall Street Journal; a wealth advisor secured a client selling her business following a radio interview. There are countless examples of PR securing new business.

Moreover, I would like to take business development a step further and suggest a personal marketing plan for individuals. Of course most successful companies/organizations have a marketing plan, but what about a personal marketing plan to build your brand and cultivate business?

Do you think of yourself as a small business owner? Probably not if you’re not literally the owner. In many professional services firms, individuals strive to become partners or shareholders; others participate in profit sharing and stock programs. In essence they are “small business owners.” This concept can apply to anyone who’s serious about their career with some entrepreneurial spirit: “the company of me” and I’m the owner.

Once you are a small business owner, suddenly your mindset and effectiveness magically change. I’ve seen this consistently when collaborating with clients to develop personal marketing plans. “Small business owners” take business development more seriously and personally. It’s no longer the job of the “other guys who know more people” to bring in the business.

Since many organizations get much of their business from personal referrals, the foundation of a personal marketing plan is about increasing your network, developing relationships and building your circle of influence. When people know you, they are more likely to remember you when they - or others in their sphere of influence – need your services.

We’ve helped individuals develop their “brand” with a customized mission statement and blueprint. We then help research, facilitate and make things happen. Sample elements include:

Become a professor of Lunch 101, 201, building to 301: Strategically reconnect with people and meet new desirable “leaders”
Be a connoisseur of meetings: Go to those in town – and out of town – that your “dream clients” attend
Join a community/civic organization - something you are passionate about, or you won’t do it.
Seek out your most prestigious organizations/trade groups; be a speaker at their next conference
Find the “best” program/event for your company to sponsor and make it happen.

“Small business owners” are very resourceful. They make things happen. They seek out experts to help them achieve their goals. Why not become a small business owner today?

Celebrate Good Times…C’mon!

2010-09-14T10:27:00.003-04:00

It’s September and there’s a lot to celebrate! Well, maybe not too much for me, but I am excited that today marks my 22^nd birthday - a year after the landmark age of 21 and one prior to the year where I’ll feel like I’m facing a mid-life crisis. But I can’t complain since 22 is not anywhere near 160.

Not only is September my birthday month, but one of the most popular and most recognized whiskey brands is also celebrating its big day. Jack Daniel’s turns 160 this year and has everyone across the nation partying throughout September with glasses raised to toast Jack and raving about this year‘s limited edition commemorative bottle. But, wait! How did Jack Daniel’s birthday become so popular?

Jack’s PR team took a bold step by launching a campaign - or clever publicity stunt -- to have a national holiday declared for the whiskey maker’s birthday. Here’s how:

Go Grassroots: Jack Daniel’s is taking its cause to the people – visiting all states and asking individuals to pledge support on social media channels and at bars in select cities – with the signatures set to be delivered to Washington, D.C.

Use Sight, Sound & Motion: Fans are directed to a Facebook page where they are able to sign the petition to declare Jack’s birthday a national holiday, see a video and a map of state-by-state campaign support and earn status badges which show their level of influence and support of the campaign.

Immerse Your Brand in the Public Eye: To wrap up the “Back Jack” campaign, brand reps will travel in a campaign bus on tour from the Tennessee whiskey’s origin to Washington, D.C. where they’ll deliver the signed petition to Congress.

How successful do you think this campaign will be? With enough support from Jack fans, is there a a chance we may be taking off for Jack’s birthday next year as we do for MLK Day and President’s Day? Federal holiday or not, with Mr. Jack’s worldwide recognition and consumers’ love for the brand, I doubt too many people will turn down any reason to pour a glass of whiskey to celebrate any occasion – especially for Jack’s birthday.

At Cookerly, we created a slightly similar marketing strategy for The Clean Air Campaign during the first-ever Georgia Telework Week by using social media channels, support from the Governor’s office, and the nonprofit’s website to rally support for telework. Was it a success? Yes! With more than 150 Georgia employers participating, we exceeded expectations. Maybe next year we’ll try adding whiskey shots as an incentive. Then again, maybe not.

Video Killed the TV Star

2010-09-09T14:59:00.007-04:00

YouTube has only been around five years, but it’s hard to image life without it. Just ask anyone that’s ever randomly shouted, “OUCH! Charlie bit me.” The site has been integrated into college curriculum, the corporate world and our everyday lives. Video is engaging, entertaining and just about everywhere.

Companies and public figures have long-recognized the power of video (think election season), but only those with enough to pay for airtime were given a voice. YouTube opened the door for everyday folks to provide consumer journalism, mindless entertainment and two-way conversation that hadn’t existed prior to the site’s launch.

Corporations are taking their commercials to a new, interactive level, while others are cutting out paid advertising and taking their creative campaigns to the web, hoping they’ll go viral.

Toyota’s latest – the Sienna Family’s “Swagger Waggon” rap – made soccer moms everywhere laugh and cheer at Toyota’s recognition of the long-ridiculed “minivan mom” stereotype and the company’s creative refusal to accept it. The family has appeared in Toyota’s television and web campaigns, and based on the uptick in Sienna sales and 5.9+ million YouTube views… they’re working.

One of the first examples of “YouTube advertising” was Smirnoff’s Tea Partay, a comedic hip hop video featuring the wasp-y trio Prep-Unit to market Smirnoff’s latest. The company spent less on production costs than for a typical commercial, and advertising via YouTube was free (excluding employees’ time).

Clearly, video isn’t going anywhere. We at Cookerly have incorporated it into social marketing campaigns from the Clean Air Campaign’s Carpool Rap to Coalition for the Right Road’s Stop the Road. Save the Mountain. Stay tuned to see what we’re up to next.

The Rewards of Client Accomplishments

2010-09-07T11:35:00.005-04:00

September is upon us and with it comes cooler days reminiscent of back to school, football games and the approaching holidays. And for me it takes on the significance of the milestones and watershed moments of client projects.

For example, some of you may not know, but September is National Preparedness Month, a fact lost on me before I began working with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency’s Ready Georgia campaign. National Preparedness Month is a call to action for residents to prepare, plan and stay informed about potential local threats. Are you and your family ready? If not, take Ready Georgia’s advice and make the time this month to access what you need for emergency planning. Familiarize yourself with the recommended checklist of critical items and planning tools available.

Another client, the TJ Martell Foundation, is promoting Atlanta’s Best Cellars Dinner, a unique tri-city fundraiser that includes fine wine, gourmet food and celebrities. The event raises money for research and development at our own Winship Cancer Institute of Emory, recently designated a National Cancer Institute. I had the pleasure of meeting some of the researchers who are benefiting and was moved by the fact that their facilities are located directly above the patient treatment center, a daily reminder of why they’re doing what they do.

And lastly, Murphy-Harpst, a residential therapeutic treatment center for abused children, is launching a new website to help spread the word about the amazing work its doing and give Georgians a chance to help give our most vulnerable citizens healing and hope.

I count myself lucky to witness and be a small part of the work accomplished by these varied and valuable organizations.

Do Unto Others…It Could Help You Make Headlines

2010-09-02T14:32:00.008-04:00

Newsrooms are turning stories out quicker than ever before. Assignment editors decide in a flash whether they’ll cover a topic or they won’t. Reporters cover multiple beats. So how do we make our clients’ stories cut through the clutter?

Cookerly Public Relations has always been a media-driven firm, which is why our clients end up in Reuters, U.S. News & World Report, Atlanta Business Chronicle and other outlets across the country.

So how do we do it? Landing a story takes more than sending out an email of good information. Here’s what we keep in mind when going after that feature.

Tell the Story: It’s not enough to get our clients and their products or services in front of editors’ eyes. We know that you have to tell reporters the story they’d want to tell their audiences. Pitching TV? We set the stage to create a visual of what a story featuring our client may look like. We suggest interviews, stats, shots, props – all to make our story something they can envision on their station.

Talk to the Right Person: If we were pitching an editor every time we had a story idea, we wouldn’t be doing our job. That’s why we always do our research. We look at who’s covering the topics we’re pitching. Yes, some editors will pass story ideas along to the right reporter. But why create a middle man when you can go straight to the source?

Be Persistent: We’re not stalking reporters until they agree to cover our clients for fear of their lives, but one email doesn’t always do the trick. So we talk to reporters and see if our client may be a fit for a future story. Just because this angle wasn’t a fit right now, doesn’t mean we can’t try again with a new story angle in the future.

Be Respectful: I’ve found that one of the best ways to keep my clients top-of-mind is to abide by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you’d have others do unto you. Journalists have a job to get done, just like we do in PR. If a reporter is on deadline, I don’t keep him on the phone. I always try to be respectful of that person’s schedule and never forget to say “thank you” for a job well-done in covering my client. A little courtesy goes a long way when it has reporters coming back to us again and again.

iLight and Moths. A Freaky Combination

2010-08-31T13:24:00.004-04:00

The other night I had the distinct pleasure to chaperone 80, yes 80 college women at their new member pledge retreat. For them this was a “bonding weekend” full of getting-to-know-you activities. For me, although I loved meeting the girls, it was a “reminder weekend” validating my years as a pool rat and not a camper. I mean really, anytime you have to follow a path with a flashlight to get to the bathroom, exist in 90 degree weather/ humidity with no AC under a sleeping bag, and sleep in a bottom bunk in a screened porch with little things flying around the light of your BlackBerry, it’s a test of your personal metal – either that or a cosmic joke.

But in the midst of this, it became apparent that I was witnessing a Generation Y phenomenon - the mobile web has gone mainstream. It was lights out in our cabin, but honestly you couldn’t tell. The light from the iPhones, BlackBerrys and other mobile devices was enough to keep the moths ecstatic long into the night. (Remember college kids just don’t sleep)

Yes they were texting, but most of them were also updating/checking Facebook, a few were tweeting, two girls bought bathing suits and my daughter sent me a link to a great deal on a new refrigerator. This is the world they live in, and if we’re very smart, this is the world we’ll live in as business executives, marketers and PR professionals.

From a public relations standpoint, the message is clear. It’s imperative that we understand these mobile technologies and the opportunities they provide to reach this on-the-go audience. Implemented properly, the rise of the mobile web provides the opportunity to reach highly defined audiences with very targeted messages to raise awareness for a product or service with measurable results. While it will not necessarily replace traditional media outreach, every plan should include some type of mobile marketing strategy.

So whether for social connection, advocacy, as a personal finance tool or for shopping, mobile web devices allow people to communicate the way they live instantly and in spurts. Cook a little dinner; buy a new dress. Help your child with homework; check your bank balance to make sure you can pay for that dress. No need to sit at the computer. And the Millenials – they wouldn’t consider it.

Have you adapted to this on-the-go communications? For me, in business I have, but personally – my BlackBerry has replaced the lighter at concerts when hoping for an encore, functions as my flashlight because I can never find one, and yes, it provides countless hours of entertainment when on a camping trip next to a cabin that wants to party all night. When I really want to get anything done, I sit at my keyboard with letters that I can actually see. Works much better for me.

Is Everything Really So Likeable?

2010-08-27T11:58:00.002-04:00

Last night, while catching up on my reading, I came across an article about a company that is using QR codes as a tool for people to “Like” things. If you aren’t familiar with QR (“quick response”) codes, they are barcodes with an embedded URL. You snap a picture of the barcode with your camera phone and it sends you to the URL.

The technology is pretty cool, and there are many applications for it already in use, mainly in print, outdoor and POP advertising. But this new use for it, allowing people to Like an object, article, etc. via a QR code, got me wondering: how much Liking is really a good thing? As my co-workers and clients know, I’m still not a big “fan” of the change that Facebook made when it changed its terminology from “Become a Fan” to “Like” on Pages. We talk a lot about “low barriers of entry” for some of our clients, like The Clean Air Campaign, where we’re trying to get people to change their commuting habits. So I understand the reasoning behind the change. There is a certain mindset difference behind saying you “like” something as opposed to proclaiming that you are a fan.

So Facebook is just lowering the barrier of entry for more people to like more things – updates, comments, photos, videos, Pages, Questions, news articles, blogs – you name it, you can Like it. If you’re playing the numbers game, that should translate into more people Liking Pages – and give us, as marketers, higher numbers to report to our clients. But those numbers certainly don’t tell the whole story.

I’m concerned about the flip side to this – over-exposure and over-use of Like diluting the real impact of good social media marketing. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things that I like. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m a fan too. I’m a huge fan of the Braves, but I might only like the Hawks. Now, according to Facebook (and all the places integrating Facebook Connect), they are both of equal value to me. And that’s just not accurate.

Glancing through my Facebook news stream, it seems many of my friends Like pretty much everything – from the mundane to the (some would say) ridiculous. Maybe I’m just a grump, but now, instead of Liking everything that I actually do like, I find myself getting much pickier about clicking that little thumbs-up symbol. Just a little bit, Facebook has taken the fun out of the word Like for me.

The fact is that I don’t like the Hawks as much as I like the Braves, so I won’t be Liking their Page because I don’t want to give them that equal status. Beyond the personal, as a marketer I wonder if the ability to Like everything will, in the end, be harmful to our social media marketing and our clients, as others besides me start to tune it out. That concern also means that I will be even more focused on providing real value and real reasons for people to engage with our clients’ brands (which isn't a bad thing).

How about you? Has the proliferation of Liking succeeding in getting you to click more? Or are you Like me, and find yourself in just a bit of “unlike” with the word?

Creativity – where do you find it?

2010-08-25T09:06:00.005-04:00

When was the last time you did something creative?

Well, you may start by defining your approach to creativity. To me, it’s something we learn from a young age, a skill we begin to develop with that first glue stick in kindergarten, and a skill we are constantly trying to hone and refine. In PR, creativity always plays an influential role in our marketing and public relations strategy. Clients are always asking, “I want some creative ideas for X project. What do you suggest?”

In PR, creativity plays a role in building a program or campaign that utilizes various pieces to implement a desired goal. Sounds easy, right? Often, though, coming up with a creative campaign takes a lot of collaboration, brainstorming, refining, and coming up with even more ideas. To find some inspiration, consider these tips:

Play with LEGO® toys. My creative activity this weekend involved playing with my nephew and building things with Legos. I was a bit rusty, but he was an expert builder and was thrilled to play with our old collection of the multi-colored toys. I quickly remembered all the fun I had as a kid building different buildings or cars out of Legos. I couldn’t find the red brick for my car, so my nephew handed me a blue piece with a hitch and said “use this one! It’ll fit on the end and you can attach another car to yours so you have two!” I had not thought of that. Who knew one piece could make all the difference?

Practice (or learn!) a foreign language. Some of you may know I speak Greek fluently, and many English words have their roots in the Greek language. This comes in handy when I’m trying to decipher long words like ophthalmologist (eye doctor) or spanakopita (goodness in your mouth), and helps me to think about words in a new way. Learning to think in a new language gives you a fresh perspective and provides new ideas for describing and delivering news about your client’s product or service.

Use and practice humor. One of the privileges of this job is that we get to share stories about a company, product or service that people may not have heard of before, piecing words those together to create something compelling. But the sequence of these words isn’t always apparent, and the most straightforward way isn’t necessarily always the best way to get your point across. Sometimes you need to inject a little humor into your writing. Take a peek at some of these witty tips from the Fake AP Stylebook (@FakeAPStylebook) – a primer on journalistic writing style with a humorous angle:

• Avoid orphans in your writing. Stray words at the ends of paragraphs are pathetic, as are grubby parentless children.
(Yes, a single line or word all by its lonesome is awfully pitiful and visually jarring. Help him join a family from the previous page!)
• To settle the ages-old newsroom debate: Draculas always beat Frankensteins. Frankensteins beat wolfmen. Wolfmen beat mummies.
(Duly noted. But who beats the Boogeyman?)
• Avoid overuse of commas, as our insurance doesn't cover that kind of long-term care.
(Agreed. We just don’t have room for all these little fellas).
• Proclamations from the Burger King should be secondary to statements from the legally elected El Presidente Burger.
(Hear ye! Presidents are usually elected officials and have more governing power, while monarchs generally play a ceremonial role in most countries. So first quote the people voted into office by the people, then follow with a comment from the people who wear the crown).

These Tweets are from a band of merry editors and journalists called The Bureau Chiefs, who started this Twitter profile as a joke to share their humorous style tips. Read more about the Fake AP Stylebook in this month’s PRSA Tactics.

What are some of the ways you find and apply creativity in your life?

Around Town (with "Fuzzy")

2010-08-20T12:04:00.003-04:00

If you’ve ever been to our office, you may be familiar with our unique conference table adornments, affectionately known around the office as the “little green fuzzy things.” [Hint: You may have also seen them here.]

Sadly, our little fuzzies don’t really get to see the light of day too often (or ever). They are destined to live out their days in a little glass bowl.

Until now.

The fuzzies are hitting the road and livin’ it up. First stop: the Falcons/Patriots preseason game.

Keep your eyes peeled. You never know where they will show up next…

Am I a bad person if I don’t wish my wife a happy anniversary on Facebook?

2010-08-18T09:27:00.008-04:00

In January, when my son celebrated his 16th birthday, my wife’s last words to me as we left the house that morning to go to work were, “Don’t forget to write something on Facebook for Andrew’s birthday.” Later that day I did, posting on his Wall a short message wishing him a happy birthday, saying that he had become a fine young man and expressing my pride in him. Not only did he receive several other birthday wishes from his Facebook friends, but my message to him received several “Likes” from my friends as well.

Like most parents, I am happy to brag about my kids and celebrate their accomplishments and special occasions. And while Facebook is a convenient way to share those milestones with their friends, and mine, lately I find myself wondering if this is something I am now expected – or supposed – to do.

Reading my friends’ Facebook news feeds, it is easy to think that in addition to cards and gifts, today we must acknowledge our loved ones’ accomplishments online as well as in person. Indeed, some people write extensively about their children, spouses, coworkers, friends and neighbors on Facebook. I’m not convinced all that is necessary.

This summer my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and I did not post anything about it on Facebook. No message to my wife even. If you find yourself thinking how crass I must be, someone clearly not deserving of 20 years with a wonderful woman, I think back to our 10th anniversary. I didn’t write anything about that one on Facebook either and no one thought I was a bad husband.

Of course, 10 years ago Facebook didn’t exist. Special occasions were celebrated among family members with dinner and gifts and wishes from friends who took the time to mail a card or call, much as they are today (and, for the record, much as my wife and I celebrated out 20th anniversary). The difference is now we can also acknowledge them on Facebook and, it seems, many of us have come to believe we are obligated to do just that.

But if you’re running short on time and find you don’t have a few minutes to wish your son or daughter or husband or wife or parent a happy birthday on Facebook, I promise I won’t think any less of you. In fact, I won’t even know. But be sure to wish them a happy birthday in person – because they will know. In the end, that still matters most.

Deploy the Slide!

2010-08-13T13:18:00.004-04:00

I was sitting at my desk trying to decide what to blog about this week. I decided to turn to the latest news headlines for ideas. As I’m going through the top stories (at least the ones I can think of), I realize that what gets people talking are the most outlandish and disturbing stories. So disappointing…

Example 1: Crazy Stephen Slater. We’ve allowed a disgruntled flight attendant to be the top news story for days. His ex-wife was the lead guest on The Today Show yesterday and his face was on the cover of USA Today. Really??

Lesson: If you want to be a media sensation and have your Facebook fan base grow nine gazillion percent, do something reckless and immature, and maybe break the law while you’re at it.

Example 2: My colleague Ada Hatzios recently attended a PRSA luncheon. In her recap of the event, she mentioned that one of the panelists (a reporter who will remain anonymous) mentioned that he would rather cover death than a company who donated a playground in New Orleans. [sigh]

Lesson: Sometimes your pitch, no matter how timely and awesomely executed, will be trumped by a serial killer who was captured in the Atlanta airport on his way to Israel.

Since I can’t recommend to my clients that they should deploy the plane’s emergency slide on their next business trip, or quit their job in dramatic fashion (well, I guess I could, but I’d like to keep my job), it looks like we’ll have to settle with getting coverage the old-fashioned way. Brainstorming cool ideas, researching reporters, drafting crafty pitches, and hoping that the Dow doesn’t drop 1,000 points on the day of your launch.

Yes. PR Can Do That (Too)

2010-08-11T11:02:00.001-04:00

Publicity. Check. Event Planning. Check. Reputation Management. Check. We have you covered.

But you need a website, a social media policy, want to do some Facebook promotions and wonder if a link-building campaign might help drive traffic. Check, check, check and check.

We can do that too.

After 15 years in PR, I’m never surprised when people I meet don’t know what it is that we do. Honestly, I think my own father still believes those I write the radio ads he hears for The Clean Air Campaign (I don't. Credit for those goes to the very talented Radio Outhouse team. Though if you hear a Ready Georgia ad, we did design that advertising buy.). The closest many people get to understanding what we do is by jokingly (or not) calling me a “spin doctor.” The term “spin” doesn’t really bother me though, because I tend to believe there is good spin and bad spin. Maybe it’s because I have a 7-year-old and spinning brings up all sorts of happy childlike images – or maybe it’s just because I’m stubborn, but either way, I digress.

Back to what we can do. I recently had a conversation with a prospective client about how PR could help him grow his business. I had presented him with some initial ideas, and as we talked through the recommendations, he stopped me more than once with the comment, “You do that?” Like many new and potential clients, he was surprised to hear the full range of experience and capabilities that a PR firm could offer. Unfortunately, he had also already talked to a few other vendors about some of those options, leaving him in a place where instead of one or two consultants, he may end up with three, four or five.

In my view, not only will this likely cost him more money, but it will also cost him valuable time, as he manages each of these groups while also trying to launch a fledgling business. But most importantly, it doesn’t give him the full benefit of streamlined, consistent, and integrated communications that he could benefit from, by having a PR firm manage more than just traditional media relations. Here are just five things you might be surprised to find among our expertise:

Websites: strategy and messaging for what is likely the anchor in your marketing; your “public” face. Within this also fall blogs and online newsrooms.
Full-service social media strategy and implementation: developing policies, designing promotions, training, online video, and even Facebook advertising campaigns. The media world has merged and social media (to borrow the title from a recent book) puts the “public” back in public relations
Link-building campaigns: who better to find those influential websites with whom you can share links than the agency that best understands your public positioning? Our expertise lies in the ability to focus on the underlying quality as well as the ingenuity needed to get other websites to link to your website.
SEO/SEM: While we don’t normally delve into paid SEO, we do know the ins and outs of increasing search engine rankings and traffic through social bookmarking, social media and more
Market research: Designing polls, surveys and focus groups that will get at the information you need – and can use – to improve sales and drive visibility.

So there you have it: my sales pitch for the day. Next time you need “more than PR,” maybe a PR firm is the first place you should look.

Following the Rules. . . of Kindergarten

2010-08-05T13:14:00.006-04:00

I’ve got kindergarten on the brain. In less than a week my first-born will put on her backpack and walk down the hall to room 222, leaving her preschool days behind for good. Questions keep popping to mind – How will she adjust to the early hours and long days? Will she make new friends easily? What will she learn?

That last question brought to mind Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” I’ve never read the book, but at the height of its popularity (20 years ago!) I remember seeing countless posters and kitschy items with this list of life lessons. My personal favorite is still “Take a nap every afternoon,” followed closely by “Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.”

Taking a fresh look at the list today, another one stood out: "Remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK." Look. Isn't that what we're trying to do here - get people to look at us/our product/our service/our company? Yes, it is. But the life lesson doesn't tell us how to get people to look at us - it tells us to be the ones who are doing the looking. Funny thing is, that can be the best way to get people to look at you.

Steve Jobs looks. He looks at a black and white PC world and adds a splash of color. Seth Godin looks. He looks at the ways ideas spread and creatively applies that to marketing. Ryan Gravel looks. He looks at a circle of largely unused rail lines around Atlanta and sees a potential new transit system for the city.

It takes practice to get really good at looking. Start small. Look at your to-do list for the day. What's there that shouldn't be? What's missing? Then move on to the bigger things. Look at your product/service. What does it look like to your current customers? What do potential customers see when they look at you? Taking a good, hard look at the world around you can generate some big ideas. So take a look around, then get ready to take action. And when you do, don't forget another kindergarten life lesson: "When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together."

A few thoughts on BP

2010-08-02T12:56:00.007-04:00

The last time I offered an opinion on this blog was to say that everyone should quit trying to assign blame for the Gulf oil spill and worry about fixing the leak. Obviously, nobody took my advice because the blame game was in full play throughout.

With the clean up well underway and the leak apparently stopped, I think it is fair to say that BP has taken the brunt of the blame and perhaps more than its share. There are a myriad of others in the government and the private sectors that share at least some of the blame, but for the most part the public’s outrage has been directed at BP.

What’s ridiculous to me is that in this blame game, there is almost a notion that somehow BP knew this would eventually happen and did little to prevent it. That is absurd. What for-profit company would ever undertake a project of this magnitude knowing full well that a disaster of this proportion could negatively impact its bottom line and sully its reputation forever? Did BP believe this accident was a probability? I highly doubt it. BP didn’t become a global leader by taking extraordinary risks.

Don’t misunderstand me, I am not defending BP, but I think everything needs to be viewed in perspective. Did you know that BP was a leader among oil producers in promoting environmental programs before the Gulf disaster? BP’s good works that preceded this disaster have not been of interest to the media. One might find it ironic, and others might term it “green washing”, but the fact is, BP has done some good things on the environmental front for which they should be credited.

On the other hand, they’ve done some things that make me scratch my bald head, which brings me to BP’s TV campaign. Okay guys, I get it that you want to put a good face on the company. Fine, you should want to do that, but I have to tell you that the TV spots, where BP representatives, including Tony Hayward, talk about how they’re going to be working day and night to make sure every drop of oil is removed from the Gulf and the beaches -- and the environment is going to be fully restored -- are a bit much.

To me – and this is just my opinion – this comes off as “look at what we are doing, aren’t we wonderful and terrific?” Well, yes, that is true of the people doing the work. Hats off to those folks. It’s hard work and from all accounts, they’re doing a great job, but I don’t think those are all BP employees out there.

The commercials literally make me roll my eyes. From my neutral perspective, they look incredibly disingenuous and if I were counseling BP (which I am not), I would recommend against such ads. I believe they only inflame the passions of those who were already angry about the Gulf oil spill and make many of us wonder what in the world they are thinking.

To BP I say, just do your job without waving your flag and get back to what made your company successful.

What do you think? Maybe you disagree, maybe you don’t. I’m open to comments!

Thirsty Thursday

2010-07-29T10:39:00.005-04:00

As are all my blog posts, here’s today’s wacky spin on communications

4:31 p.m. class dismissed? Try again. This is “corporate America” folks. Often times the wheeling and dealing doesn’t begin until after trading hours. If you really want to close that deal or get the latest scoop on office drama, understand that just because the closing bell sounded doesn’t mean the day is over.

Next stop is a place where phones don’t ring, Outlook is put to sleep and florescent lights can’t blind you. Ahhhh – it’s a little place called happy hour.

Generally between the hours of 5:01 p.m. and 7:02 p.m., professional men and women close their office doors and it take to the bar. Be it with colleagues or clients, there’s a place for everyone.

Coworkers, need to decompress AND still haven’t had enough of each other? Here are a few good “team building” spots that ought to appeal to the masses:

Nava: Want light and breezy? Grab a table on the patio at Nava. Always a lively after work crew, handful of good sharable apps and a terrific selection of margaritas (the prickly pear margarita is always a crowd pleaser).

JCT: The upstairs patio screams, “Wine me!” Live music, southern-inspired eats and the urban décor make JCT an office win/win.

Paul’s patio: Meeting a few folks from the office down the hall? Head to Paul’s patio. TVs are set up – for those awkward pauses – and a revamped bar menu with everything from sushi to patty melts will please everyone’s palate.

Need to schmooze your out-of-town client? Head to…

Bistro Niko: Ooh Lala oui, oui, Paris-inspired bistro comes equipped with lots of suits, a great selection of drinks and good eats. BN has a spacious bar area, nice little patio and waiters on their A-games, waiting to refill your glass.

The St. Regis: Trying to pull off the “look at me, I’m a V.I.P?” Head to The St. Regis. You’ve got three areas to choose from – the airy wine room (PR folks and movie stars), the wood-paneled bar (attorneys, real estate junkies, investment bankers) or the outdoor patio (everyone friendly!).

This wouldn’t be my blog post about food and drink if I didn’t include….Holman & Finch. I’ll leave the raving to you.

Stolen from a delightful restaurant in Amelia Island, PLAE - I’ll leave you with this… people, laughing and eating. Enjoy.

The PR Earthquake in Cupertino

2010-07-27T10:18:00.011-04:00

The idea that companies simply survive public relations disasters is simplistic and suggests that the company doing the surviving comes out on the other side of the fray intact and healthy as ever. In reality, analyzing how well a company is recovering from PR blunders – especially when the situation is only a few weeks old – is like evaluating the stability of a building after an earthquake based on whether it’s still standing. As somebody who experienced the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California, I can tell you that even small cracks in buildings potentially represent serious structural problems.

One of latest public relations debacles happens to have its epicenter in California; Cupertino, to be exact. Apple’s iPhone 4 hit stores on June 24 and its worshipping followers expected it to be a continuation of the company’s nearly unbroken record of quality, cutting edge computing devices. You know what actually happened: the iPhone 4 drops calls when you touch the lower left corner and Steve Jobs dismissed the problem by saying that a phone can’t be perfect. Oh, and he handed out free cases.

I could linger on the question of why the cases weren’t handed out in the first place. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple knew about the issue, but I digress. I have three points I want to make about that rattling noise I hear in Cupertino.

Apple is starting to cash in on the loyalty capital it has accumulated. According to somebody familiar with the iPhone 4’s design sited in the Wall Street Journal, “Apple engineers were aware of the risks associated with the new antenna design as early as a year ago, but Chief Executive Steve Jobs liked the design so much that Apple went ahead with its development.” I call that hubris and that generally precedes poor decisions, as it did in this case.

In its rush to get the iPhone 4 to market, or for other more nefarious reasons, Apple did not give its carriers enough time to fully test the phone. Instead, Apple relied on its reputation and trustworthiness to get its phone past carriers, which apparently failed to detect the glitch in their own haste to cash in on the new product.

Competition waits in the wings. Apple’s allure is due to the image of perfection it has cultivated by consistently delivering superior products to the marketplace. Sleek design is part of its success, but Apple was also supposed to be functionally better than its competitors. Not so now. Apple has turned into the Toyota of cell phone manufacturers, using a near perfect reputation for quality to catapult it into the business of mass production. We all know how that turned out for Toyota.

In the coming months, public relations practitioners and those in the media will be tempted to say that Apple weathered the iPhone 4 storm. Sales of the phone will continue at a strong clip and Apple’s stock price will continue to rise. But that’s the definition of survival, not necessarily of transcending the PR problem (I could write a case study on how not to respond to a faulty product based on Steve Jobs’ talking points during the heat of this event).

I would argue that there are barely-discernible cracks that are developing in the Apple foundation that will be more apparent a year or two or three down the road. Public relations disasters, even if they don’t have any immediately discernible long-term consequences for a company, eat at the company’s foundation like tremors at the foundation of a building. Over time those little public relations mistakes add up to big problems. You may not be able to point to any one event, but the accumulated impact of minor mistakes can be devastating to a brand image.

LeBron’s “Decision” Stains Legacy, Compromises Journalistic Integrity

2010-07-21T12:34:00.009-04:00

As you might recall seeing or hearing, the much-hyped, professional basketball star, LeBron James, formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers, decided to take “his game to South Beach” to join the Miami Heat. Not only did James land a lucrative six-year, $110 million contract, but he managed to pull-off something never witnessed before in sports… his own primetime, hour-long special to announce which team he would join next season – on the cable sports giant, ESPN.

The televised special, “The Decision,” was filled with big name sponsors such as Microsoft, VitaminWater, McDonalds and others. To James’s credit (kind-of), he donated $2.5 million of the $6 million his program generated to the Boys & Girls Club of America. But, as Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe pointed out, “If LeBron truly wanted to do something for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, he didn’t have to funnel them the money of advertisers and sponsors. He could have signed a blank check.” Unfortunately for James, this selfless approach would not have provided the visibility and celebrity status that he constantly seeks.

James’s narcissistic, self-promotional program – that was thinly veiled under the premise of philanthropy – opened him up to an immense wave of criticism and raised several ethics issues for ESPN. To that end, the cable sports channel prolonged the announcement for nearly 25 minutes and viewers had to endure Jim Gray – James's hand-picked interviewer – asking nearly six minutes of fluff questions before asking James where he would play next season. One of Gray’s spine tingling questions was, “Do you still bite your nails, LeBron?” (Yeah, it was that bad.)

One of the ethical issues raised is what Gray got out of the deal. ESPN says the network didn't pay Gray. However, it appears that James's camp and his representing agency William Morris did. Gray responded to the allegations that he only received a “small stipend” for his expenses and that he did not make any money off of the LeBron-a-thon.

Moreover, what about his hand-picked interviewer? Obviously, this was all about control. This PR tactic made the announcement seem like a lame infomercial, instead of an actual news event being covered by objective reporting.

The bottom line is James looked to strengthen his brand and image, but he likely suffered long-term, significant damage with this media stunt. Moreover, ESPN, the self proclaimed “worldwide leader in sports” took even more damage for blurring the lines of journalism and advertising. Both made poor PR/branding decisions by agreeing to this program and it will haunt them for quite some time.

What They're Saying (excerpts from a recent AdWeek story)

"You can't spell James without 'me,' and it's more difficult to defend James for this arrogant exercise than it is to defend him in the pick and roll."
--Ethan Skolnick, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"James isn't an athlete. That's too confining. He is a 'brand.' So while some of us shake our heads at the nonsense of turning a career decision into a prime-time TV production, others of us marvel at the way LeBron is playing the game. And we're not talking basketball."
--Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer

"You want to give to charity, quietly write a check. Don't get a network to do it for you so it gets to pump its shows and you get to shower yourself in international coverage -- while calling it philanthropy. The NBA has embarrassed itself here. The media have embarrassed themselves. And a guy who calls himself 'King' may be beyond embarrassment, which is truly embarrassing."
--Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press

7 to 7: Polls are open tomorrow for Georgia's Primary Elections

2010-07-19T11:34:00.015-04:00

1 in 4: Number of voters expected to participate

Tomorrow's primary elections give voters the chance to decide which candidates will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Georgia is electing a new governor as well as attorney general, secretary of state and a number of other federal, state and local officials.

While these are very important decisions, a troubling statistic to me is that roughly three out of four voters are not expected to participate in tomorrow’s election. Articles from across the state quote voting officials who predict voter turnout will range from 20 to 35 percent. With high offices at stake and our nation still in the grips of the worst recession since the Great Depression, why is voter apathy expected to be so high?

Will voter discontent revealed in a recent survey pull more voters? A poll last week conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and 12 other members of the Georgia Newspaper Partnership found that "Georgians across party, gender and racial lines are going into the primaries worried about their economic futures and unhappy with the performance of their political leaders and institutions."

The same poll found that “nearly three-quarters of Georgians are concerned about household finances and job security, and have high dissatisfaction with government leaders in Washington and in the state legislature." With this much unrest, you'd think voters would be eager to have a say about their leaders.

Seven Republicans and seven Democrats are battling for the governor’s office; the secretary of state race has drawn five Democrats, and nine Republicans are in contention for insurance commissioner. Runoffs in August (required if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote) are almost assured for some races. Ironically to me, the turnout for runoff elections is even lower.

Polls suggest that former Governor Roy Barnes may be a sure bet for the Democratic nomination for governor but the Republican race is still anyone's guess. Talk about drama. The latest Mason-Dixon poll late last week reported a new front runner with Karen Handel in the lead, following an endorsement from former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. The newest poll puts Handel at 29 percent, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine at 22 percent and U.S. Representative Nathan Deal at 20 percent, a marked change from a similar GNP poll only days before when Oxendine was easily in the lead. (The poll, conducted for the GNP by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research on Thursday and Friday, surveyed 400 Republicans who plan to vote in Tuesday’s primary. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 points).

Surely this heightened drama will bring out more voters - if only on the Republican side.

One excuse cited for not voting is that you need to vote in either the Democratic or Republican party; you can't vote in both. Some voters say they can't bear to declare a party but by not voting in a primary, you have no influence on who runs in any party in November.

Regardless of your political persuasion, I hope you'll cast your vote tomorrow. If you're among the majority that's not planning to vote, think about this: Who do you know who's made a sacrifice to preserve our freedom or made a fight for your right to vote? How would you answer their questions: Why was your vote not worth casting? Why are you not doing your job as a citizen?

Ultimately, it's voters - people like you and me - who decide elections, not the polls. Isn’t having the ballot decided by a mere 20 to 30 percent of voters pathetic for the country that champions democracy throughout the world?

The Power of Influence

2010-07-13T09:52:00.007-04:00

PR professionals are responsible for messages that are disseminated to the public about a company’s products, services and/or image. We are responsible for giving the public something favorable to think about a brand and tasked with developing effective marketing strategies that influence consumers to take some type of action. But, are we the main drivers of influence on a consumer? Absolutely not.

Studies show that consumers often make their decisions about a particular brand based on reputation, and by reputation I mean word-of-mouth. To put this into perspective, one word-of-mouth conversation has the impact of 200 television ads (BuzzAgent). That’s impactful, and may also be why Chick-fil-A has been extremely successful with its fan base and customer loyalty.

This billion-dollar company has an excellent standing and counts on its raving fans to spread its message to others. And, they’ve been extremely successful in using influence to make their loyal consumers do the unexpected! It’s not every day that you’ll find someone dressed from “head to hoof” in cow attire. However, because “talk on the streets” about the company is mostly positive and anyone fully dressed as a cow received a free meal - who wouldn’t be down for the cause?

Believe it or not, the power of influence lies in the hands of the consumer more than the words of a release or from a spokesperson at a press conference. I’ll let Fast Company illustrate my point.

With its recent launch of The Influence Project, the magazine found a way to create “buzz” about its brand with three simple steps:

Sign up to get your own personalized, unique URL link
Use any social networking mediums to spread the link
Influence people to click on it

After clicking to receive a unique link from the project site, the magazine shared what the gimmick was about. The project was designed to measure how individuals “affect the behavior of those that they interact with” and then display the resulting influence by an enlarged picture on the company site. Sounds like a great way to get people excited about spreading a worthy message, right? Wrong.

Some online influencers were enraged by the social media stunt and many of them have generated much negative discussion, including Radian6's Amber Naslund, about their disappointment with the “project” due to an assumption that they were really making a difference.

The irony of this project is both the positive and negative effects of influence. Those with influence have the ability to either uplift or destroy a brand. But, I guess that’s why PR pros are necessary; it’s our job to find a solution for all public perceptions.

'Sibling' Rivalry

2010-07-08T15:01:00.007-04:00

PR and journalism may be related, but they don’t always get along.

In trying to reach my goal of becoming a writer, I have had to decide what type of writing I would enjoy doing. In the process, I narrowed down my choice to journalism or public relations. On my path to discovery, I have spent time as a journalism intern, and now I have spent the better part of this summer interning with Cookerly.

Starting out, I thought journalism would allow me to summarize information gathered and try to artfully, yet impartially, pass it on to the public. PR, on the other hand, would give me the ability to really get behind one issue or client. While this isn’t entirely false, there are a few more subtle complexities in both professions that I never noticed until trying them out.

You say tomato, I say…
Even though I have read hundreds of press releases, I still thought writing one would be similar to writing an article. Honestly, it’s not even close. Similar words have very different meanings in the two worlds.

As a journalist, there is a list of vocabulary you can’t touch. You must painstakingly leave your words void of subjectivity. While both a press release and an article both search to inform, approaching them is really tackling two different beasts.

The grass is always greener…
It seemed to me as though the people behind the press release never much cared about the journalist. Now, from a PR perspective, I occasionally find myself envying the journalist just as I used to envy PR. You may not get to pick a side as a journalist, but you do get to pick your story. If a certain idea doesn’t jump out to you, then you move on to the next release. However, when you represent a client, you may have the ability to decide what ideas will best serve the client, but you are still constrained by the product or service the client represents.

I’ve learned it’s important to remember that choosing your subject matter will present a unique challenge no matter which profession you choose.

It’s all in the family…
Journalism and public relations are kind of like your average siblings – you love them because you have to, but that doesn’t mean you always like them. I used to think that journalism had the upper hand (I’m sorry, but I did.) I realize now though that the world of media doesn’t play favorites. Everyone has a role to play and they need each other. Just like any brother or sister, they may have different personalities, different ideas and different interests, but at the end of the day they come from the same place. It is a struggle to inform the public in the best way possible.

Even if you don’t always love the other side, you have to respect it. It would be challenging to have public relations without journalism, and journalism would have a difficult time without public relations.

Personally though, I love and like them both. I suppose that makes me the black sheep of the family…

Defining the Buzzword: Content Marketing

2010-07-01T13:32:00.006-04:00

In PR, like all industries, there are certain buzzwords that get tossed around and have their own “15 Minutes” in the spotlight of over-used terms. With the explosion of social media use, there is an abundance of – depending on your viewpoint – over-hyped terminology, including “engagement,” “community” and “social Web.” An excellent blog post by Tech Affect even proposed the start of a new drinking game related to this.

One term that I believe is getting too much exposure is “content marketing.” Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the concept of content marketing. In fact, I’m a big fan: in my opinion (one I’ve shared before), content marketing is what PR people do best. I just haven’t ever thought I needed to put “Content Marketer” on my business card. With my title, there’s no room for anything else anyway.

Since the term is all the rage, it seemed like a good opportunity to revisit what content marketing is, and why you should be doing it:

Content can be anything, not just words. A video, a podcast, a Flickr photostream – all of these and more are content.
Content can (and should be) repurposed. Use your client testimonial video as the basis for a blog post or email; pull findings from a white paper and use as “tweets”; post event photos to your Facebook page; market your media coverage in your sales materials. Your target audiences may be on different channels at different times, or may visit Facebook much more often than they visit your website.
Make sure your content fits the medium. If your Facebook Status Update includes “read more” at the end because you wanted to share your blog post, then it’s too long. Use the Link feature. Don’t post a press release on an article marketing site. Turn it into an article – that’s what users of those sites want to read; not your boilerplate.
Know the difference between content and clutter. It’s much better to create less, quality content, then to push stuff out that’s not well-written or off-target. Just like a media pitch that tries too hard - and fails -to connect to a larger trend or news story.

In my not-so-humble opinion, PR is content marketing: every time we write a press release and pitch it to reporters, we’re marketing content on behalf of our clients. Ditto for websites, brochures, fact sheets, and social media.

The bottom line - and why I believe the term is getting so much play – is that with social media use going mainstream, there are so many more ways for you (or your PR firm) to get your content out there. Once it’s out on the social Web (yes, I do succumb to the hype), it’s there to stay. So a good PR agency should not just be focused on the one-off production of a press release, but a more challenging – and rewarding – process of ensuring that the content created is better than ever. So maybe we should all add “Content Marketer” to our business cards, or at least our Twitter bios.

What buzzword would you like to see defined?

Summer Soirees and the Gifts that Come with Them

2010-06-28T09:39:00.008-04:00

For many, summer means more than longer days and trips to the lake. It’s four months crammed full of life’s gift-giving events. Graduations, weddings, babies, housewarmings… all special occasions that are most likely to occur during those glorious months between allergy and football season.

What we choose to give says a lot about ourselves. It can be a reflection of who we are – our “personal PR” if you will. Our gifts are our chance to capture the intangible, how much our family and friends mean to us. The gifts that mean the most are those that evoke emotion. Cost is irrelevant. So for those of you looking for last-minute gift ideas, here are a few of my family’s favorites…

Hometown Street Map Puzzle: When my grandmother sent us a street map puzzle with a star above the new home my parents had built, she gave us more than just a housewarming gift. She gave us the quiet hours spent together as a family as we finished the puzzle.

Personalized Memory Game: During my time at UGA, my family hosted a Swedish exchange student. Over the years, she became more of a sister than classmate. Ironically, she was also friends with my husband long before we met. Last week, she shipped us a photo memory game. As we flipped through the blocks, laughing at photos of them in the dorms, our family picking a Christmas tree and the three of us in Athens I realized she had given us the most entertaining of gifts – a flashback of the past five years.

Local Art: I’m a big fan of supporting local artists and an even bigger fan of Athens, Ga. There’s no place in the world like it, and all memories are happy ones. So when three of the Cookerly girls (Ada, Amy and Sarah gave me an R. Wood Studio serving bowl, my happiness was two-fold. One, the bowl was gorgeous. But two, the Athens-based potter has long been a personal favorite and I can’t help looking at it without smiling and remembering.

Mother’s Day Video: Short of cash one Mother’s Day in college, I pulled several family photos, set them to music and created an iMovie that has affectionately become known at my house as “The Mother’s Day Video.” The simple gift that cost all of $0.30 for a blank DVD has become an iconic source of mom-teasing. The night I gave it to her, we must have watched it eight times and viewing hasn’t slowed. Every relative has been forced to watch it. Same goes for neighbors and any visitors, so think twice before dropping by...

Digital Cameras: One of my favorites both to give and receive. It’s not always about looking back at fond, old memories. Sometimes it’s about capturing the new ones…

Pump Up the Volume

2010-06-22T10:59:00.004-04:00

I read an article from the Atlanta Business Chronicle yesterday about local BP stations feeling the pinch of a consumer boycott. It got me thinking about just how important PR is in today’s world, and especially in a sticky situation like the one in which these gas station owners find themselves.

Personally, I can’t see myself pulling up to a BP pump for quite some time (if ever). It’s been 20 years since the Valdez mess and I still don’t gas up at Exxon unless I am truly desperate. But there is a valid argument to be made for choosing other ways to get the message across to BP. Here’s how one operator put it in that Atlanta Business Chronicle article:

“We know people are frustrated. We understand. But it’s the community and local owners that suffer from boycotts,” Scaramella said in a statement. “... We all want and need a voice; but a better way to get that voice heard by the right people is by writing directly to BP and by taking it to social networking channels.”

Pitch perfect -- that statement says it all. I’m still not likely to fill my tank at a BP station today, but I bet there are some out there who will. It’s not hard to see how someone could read this and decide that boycotting the local BP station just adds one more name to the long list of those whose paychecks have been obliterated by this disaster. Small business owners who read this article may identify with the gas station franchisees and decide to support their fellow entrepreneurs. The rest of us may decide it’s worth stopping in to grab a cup of coffee at the local BP, even if we don’t buy a drop of gasoline.

Or you may not be convinced at all. After all, there’s a valid argument to be made for the boycott.

And that’s why PR is so important. Today it’s all about the free exchange of ideas and making your voice heard. A good PR campaign raises the volume on your side of the story, engaging people in new and creative ways that energize them and turn them into your advocates.

So what are you doing to make your voice heard?

MINI's Major Media Stunt

2010-06-17T13:05:00.006-04:00

Anyone in PR has probably experienced his or her fair share of brainstorms that started out with something like, “So what kind of media stunt will get everyone talking?” Ideas fly around – some too expensive, some tactically impossible to pull off, some inconsequential. But every once in a while, all of the pieces come together and the perfect media stunt is born.

And then there’s MINI. Here’s the super-fast recap of the latest MINI media stunt:
1. MINI challenges Porsche to a race - the MINI Cooper S vs. the 911 Carrera S.
2. Porsche declines.
3. MINI doesn’t let it go.
4. Porsche maintains radio silence.

The longer version of this story involves a plane that took off from Peachtree-DeKalb Airport and circled Porsche’s North American headquarters, towing a banner that read:

DEAR PORSCHE,
BRING IT!
LOVE, MINI

There have been videos from MINI USA president, Jim McDowell, a letter from Porsche USA president and CEO, Detlev Von Platen, and media coverage.

And then there was the latest video – put together by the folks at Funny or Die for MINI. I’ve only seen the original Rocky, so if you’re like me, you need a quick intro. The video is a spoof of the training scene from Rocky IV in which the Russian boxer (Porsche) is training in an elite Soviet facility while Rocky (MINI) trains in a barn. Even having never seen the movie, the video is pretty funny.

So now, with a full-page ad in the New York Times, Facebook campaign and a healthy video component, I’d say MINI successfully accomplished exactly what they set out to do – they got people talking, blogging, posting and emailing.

So congratulations are in order for MINI. You won (even if the race never happens).

Which I hope it will…

For the Love of the Brand

2010-06-14T11:42:00.007-04:00

Quick – name that logo. If you said “Chevy,” you’re right. . . and you’re wrong. Technically speaking, this is the logo for Chevrolet. And in a memo leaked last week, General Motors showed that it’s more concerned about technicalities than about its customers’ love for this well-known brand.

Check out these excerpts from a company memo, as quoted in a New York Times story:

"We'd ask that whether you're talking to a dealer, reviewing advertising or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward."

"When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding," the memo said. "Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer."

After the Times reported on the memo, GM backtracked and said that it never intended to stamp out the beloved Chevy nickname, but simply wanted to "move toward a consistent brand name for advertising and marketing purposes" as it expands its global presence.

Ah, yes. Consistency. I'm actually quite a fan of it. But I think it's safe to say that GM's recent moves fall under the category of foolish consistency, which Ralph Waldo Emerson called "the hobgoblin of little minds." I'm not sure what a hobgoblin is, but I know it's not something to build your brand on. And I also know that brands like Coke and Apple weren't built by people with little minds.

Today's consumers connect with brands through multiple channels -- online media, mobile phones, social networks and peer-to-peer contact, just to name a few. Marketers control only a few of those channels, making today's approach to brand consistency much more challenging than it was just 10 or 15 years ago. It's not just about the colors of your logo or the name of your product anymore. Today's environment calls for giving your customers ways to connect to your brand, and giving them reasons to love it.

So what are you going to do to earn some love today?

Tough Times Call for Smart Moves

2010-06-10T16:49:00.002-04:00

Some market experts warn that where the economy is concerned, we’re “tip-toeing along the brink of abyss.” Conventional wisdom suggests that pubic relations’ spending is ripe for a cutback when business slows, but the fact is there are fewer cost effective ways to get your message out and build your brand than good public relations during slow economic times.

In part, that’s because the right positioning of a brand or organization in the media is likely to stand out more amid daily reports of doom and gloom. And, the company that leads in such an environment and is visible doing so, will thrive when economic tides turn and customers and partners look to expand again. Here are a few points to consider when evaluating the value of public relations and its ability to help organizations through good times and bad.

Consider that a positive presence for your organization in the media and among key audiences is an important way of building trust, the most precious of commodities nowadays. The filter applied by editors, analysts and influencers in the media is often regarded as a litmus test that can separate winners from losers.
The consequences of neglecting public relations can be swift and often painful. We live in volatile times where rumor and speculation can drive down the value of companies at a moment’s notice, and to survive this hostile environment, organizations need a prominent presence and well-established lines of communication with their audiences.
Your public relations professional is a great counsel. Potential “issues” present themselves daily, and it’s important to have a firm that can act as a buffer or offer an alternative point of view when the spotlight unexpectedly arrives.

Public relations can be viewed as the first item on the cost-cutting agenda, but think twice about how far you can go without deep trust from customers, a person in the market looking out for you, or the voice of reason when all else seems unreasonable.

Barenaked Bookshelves

2010-06-07T15:06:00.003-04:00

It just isn’t summer without my annual trek to the bookstore or a friend’s shelf to gather up this year’s “must reads.” Optimistic? Yes, but I can still recall the days when I actually read those all-consuming, mindless yet somehow satisfying beach books.

But if Sony is right, I may have to give up this rite of summer for good. Instead, I will spend countless hours online reviewing and purchasing e-books. According to Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading business division, within five years more e-books will be sold than print books. The Association of American Publishers reports that U.S. book sales fell 1.8% last year but e-books sales tripled. Just as digitization changed the music industry and social media has forever changed the news industry, there is now an escalating shift in the book industry that may change traditional publishing.

With the recent proliferation of e-reading devices, like the Kindle, iPad and Nook, consumer adoption of e-readers has dramatically increased. Publishing houses and bookstores, forced to develop more nimble business models, are rushing to develop e-bookstores and establish standards to control and protect content. Authors are discovering they may no longer need traditional publishers, as a multitude of e-publishing and distribution services make it simple for them to publish their own books. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlights this trend discussing one author’s decade-long trials to get her books published. After repeatedly being turned down, she published it herself. The result: 36,000 copies sold, a Hollywood film option and a commitment from Amazon to publish a paperback.

So what does this mean to the everyday reader? In the future, will we sit around at book club discussing the latest best seller while referring to our iPads? Will our students hand in their summer reading annotations in digital format? Will sharing a good book with a friend become taboo as it will be considered stolen content?

E-readers will certainly be ever-present on trains, planes and subways. The ability to multitask – read books, papers, check email etc. – is too enticing. However, I already have to worry about my iPod in the sand. I find it difficult to get comfortable holding a 1.6 lb. device over my face while reading in bed (I’m fearful it will hit me in the head if I fall asleep). And when I do go to sleep, I’m certain it will break when I toss it off the side of the bed. You see, old habits are hard to break, but these new devices are not.

As with all technological advances, the value is in the intended use. I love the new iPad! I absolutely believe it will change the publishing industry as we know it today. But is this the beginning of extinction for the print book? Not by a long shot.

Besides – what will I put on my bookshelves?

Gulf Coast Tourism Industry Faces PR Crisis

2010-06-03T13:57:00.003-04:00

As some know, I am originally from the emerald-green water and sugar-white beaches of Pensacola, Florida. Unfortunately, that picturesque description of my hometown is facing a tourism industry crisis of epic proportions due to the widening Gulf of Mexico oil spill – courtesy of British Petroleum (BP).

Most everybody knows the tourism industry is the lifeblood of the Gulf Cost and especially Pensacola. According to the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce’s website, “More than 3.7 million visitors come to the Pensacola Bay Area each year, leaving a $1.2 billion impact on the local economy and helping to employ 18,000 residents.” That is quite an economic boost for a city of approximately 50,000.

To make matters worse, this environmental calamity has occurred just as the highly profitable summer tourism season begins. Tourists have rented condos and beach houses, booked fishing trips, made plans to attend the annual Pensacola Beach Air Show and much more. It is an economic meltdown in the making.

What is a local tourism official to do?

If I were suggesting a basic plan of action, for starters, I would advise that ensuring everyone’s safety and prompt/sweeping clean-up measures are paramount. With oil sheens being spotted less than 8 to 9 miles away from one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, people need to know they are safe and the city is prepared.

Additionally, the city must develop and ramp-up a comprehensive public relations campaign that launches an aggressive national media blitz to ensure people keep booking trips to Pensacola and would focus on the fact that there are so many reasons to visit the Panhandle. This media blitz should include editorial briefings, interviews, opinion editorials and letters to the editor, and social media placements.

While the Gulf beaches are the main attraction, officials should promote coastal waterways, bays, bayous and rivers that may well be untouched by the oil during the summer season. Moreover, the city has other tourist attractions such as the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens, Zoo, T.T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, golf courses and more.

Hopefully, for the city’s sake, its PR/marketing campaign is in high gear and that tourists will continue visiting the place I love to call home.

Marketing slogans and taglines: the good, the bad and the ugly

2010-05-28T12:20:00.002-04:00

Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. We didn't invent chicken, just the chicken sandwich. Just Do It. Sound familiar? You’ve probably heard these slogans many, many times and can rattle off the companies to whom these slogans belong without skipping a beat: M&M’s, Chick-fil-A and Nike.

Marketing slogans are a core element of a company or product’s brand. They essentially define what the product is or what the company does. A slogan – also called a tagline – is a textual representation of a company’s brand and often linked with a visual representation of that brand, or the product or company symbol.

When you read or hear, “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands,” what symbol comes to mind? A small, brightly-hued, chocolate candy with a little “m” on it. Or, “Just do it” is associated with a picture that looks something like a cross between a curly checkmark and an incomplete, tilted canoe. I’m describing, of course, the infamous Nike “swoosh” logo. (This image and name, by the way, are derived from the Greek goddess, Nike or Niki, which means “victory” in Greek. The swoosh is loosely based on her wing, since she is referred to as the “winged goddess of victory”).

In public relations, taglines, slogans and symbols are very important in helping to create a brand’s image and develop brand equity. Creating a slogan and for a company, product or service must support the key objectives, the strategies and tactics, which in turn need to tie in with the overall theme and goal of the company, product or service. It’s vital that the messaging be consistent and unified across all PR and marketing channels. Communicating about and protecting the brand are connected to the brand’s slogan, its logo, its website, its image.

According to the Tagline Guru blog, the top ranked taglines meet the criteria for longevity, equity (becoming synonymous with a company or product), memorability (influence on culture & media) and originality.

Conversely, a poorly constructed tagline can be bad for business and create a negative image of your brand or product. Examples of bad taglines identified by the Tagline Guru, are typically confusing, awkward, vague and underwhelming:

Excellence through total quality. (Ames Rubber)
Distilled in hell. (Bacardi Spice)
We want you to live. (Mobil)
We’re chicken. (Tyson)
Why fool around with anyone else? (FedEx)

Um….yeah, I’d say these are confusing, vague and awkward.

So a few tips when brainstorming a slogan:

Think about the top keywords associated with your campaign, product or company.
What would someone type in to a search engine to find your company?
What are some strong action verbs that describe your product or company?
Test your slogans with people unfamiliar with your company and see if they can guess what your company does or makes.

A Good Story about Georgia’s Environment

2010-05-24T17:12:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to attend a unique event last week, in the timber-growing region of our state mid-way between Columbus and Macon. There, just outside the town of Buena Vista in Marion County, are a couple thousand acres of loblolly and sand pines being preserved as part of the Keeping Forests in Forests program. The event was to celebrate that program’s first year and the 7,816 metric tons of carbon those trees have sequestered.

Living in the overly-paved environs of Atlanta, it can be easy to forget that Georgia ranks second only to the state of Oregon in forested acreage. Paper and pulp and timber are leading state industries – and in fact, more than 300 acres of forest are cleared each day in Georgia to support those industries and for development.

But trees, and especially pines, are also very good at cleaning the air. Unfortunately, there has been little incentive historically for tree growers not to cut or sell their trees. Keeping Forests in Forests is working to change that. Last year, as the program launched, the six EMCs in the Power4Georgians coalition provided $250,000 to participating forest managers to keep their forests as forests. This year, an independent environmental sciences consultant confirmed that those trees had sequestered more than 7,800 tons of carbon.

So what does not cutting down trees have to do with public relations? Quite a bit actually. Almost every business and organization our agency works with is working to do something besides their “core business.” And most of those non-core business endeavors are focused on doing good – helping the community, local schools, the environment. Our job is to help our clients tell those stories too – of assistance provided, scholarships funded or, in this case, carbon sequestered.

The fact is, every organization has a lot of good stories to tell. The business story has to be a priority of course, but it is often the side stories – the quiet philanthropy or employee volunteer program – that are compelling for customers. Just as a good biography reveals details about a person you might not otherwise have known, good public relations helps people learn important aspects of your organization – and we are always proud to help raise awareness of the good work our clients do.

In with the New

2010-05-20T15:39:00.020-04:00

It’s been a week of transition here at Cookerly Public Relations – everything old is new again! New clients. New interns. New staff members. New cubes. New décor. New projects.

The Cookerly team has certainly become accustomed to welcoming the new and rolling with the punches. Maybe it’s due to the influence of our fearless leader Carol Cookerly. Maybe it’s because staying up-to-date is what we do best.

Media relations is the heartbeat of this firm, and everyone here takes a keen interest in the changing news and media landscape. We’re constantly finding ways to make our clients relevant. Whether it’s The Clean Air Campaign – who we’ve worked with for more than 11 years – or one of our more recent client additions. Everything we do aims to keep the companies and organizations we represent important to their audiences.

So to give you an idea of what’s new at Cookerly PR…

Leslie has moved into what was once Lindsay’s cube (Lindsay got a door now that she’s been promoted to Account Supervisor):

Antique American flags are poised to grace the walls at Suite 510:

Mamie Cargile, one of Cookerly’s new summer interns, talks PR with Leslie:

Cookerly’s newest account executive, Brittney Watson, is already hard at work:

So out with the old and in with the new! (I guess we’ll let the senior VPs stick around a while longer however…they have put in a combined 40+ years with Cookerly Public Relations!)

PR Counsel for BP ...What would you do?

2010-05-17T08:16:00.009-04:00

I was having lunch with an old friend from radio days recently and she asked me what I would do if I were in charge of public relations for BP. She was the fifth person to pose that question to me and I’m sure it’s a question that many of my colleagues in the industry have heard as well.

I’ve also got a feeling if you ask ten PR people that question, you’ll get ten different answers. Maybe there will be similarities in the responses, but everyone has their own way of attacking a problem such as that faced by BP.

My answer? Well, it’s actually not too complicated right now. As of this writing, the well has only been partially capped and oil is still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, though not at the rate it had been.

With that in mind, were I counseling BP and asked for my top-line thinking, I would have them say the following: “Our utmost concern is to find the quickest and most effective way to seal the well and completely stop the flow of oil. Equally important is to assure that an effective clean up is executed as quickly as possible and that the eco systems are restored just as quickly.

“From there we will do the work necessary to find out exactly what happened to cause the accident and take whatever measures are necessary to assure a similar problem does not occur in the future.”

I would stay away from trying to assign blame and I would stay away from trying to make excuses: “It’s an awful accident; we’re focused on fixing it and will worry about the other details when it’s appropriate to do so.”

As I said in the beginning of this piece, my colleagues in the PR industry would probably have another slant on this and that’s fine because I believe there are many right answers, but I would be confident offering this top-line counsel to BP.

Why (Some) Numbers Don't Matter

2010-05-14T14:39:00.000-04:00

There’s a new Twitter study each week – many of them are useful, many, not so much. I tend to read them all, and look for the information that will be most useful for social media marketing for both my clients, and for the agency. A recent one that caught my interest looked into the relationship between the number of Followers you have, and how – or if – larger numbers equate to more influence. The Harvard Business Review did a good synopsis and blog post on the study, which determined that larger numbers don't always equal greater influence.

A common perception is that, on Twitter, we should all be in a race to be crowned “Most Popular” – to have thousands of followers who will read our thoughts, take our messages and wisdom to heart, and maybe, buy our products or services. But such a singular focus is a bad idea, and not a guarantee of success, as the study bears out.

That said, the value of a wider audience cannot be ignored. For the same reasons a company may buy an ad during radio drive-time, that same company will benefit from a growing Follower base – having its choice heard by larger numbers of - the right - people. So how do we measure influence on Twitter? I don’t have all the answers, but here are three things to look at when evaluating our social media programs:

Website referrals: How much traffic to your website are your tweets generating? Whether your goal is relational or transactional, if people are clicking on your (shortened) links, then your Followers are interested in what you are sharing. So keep an eye on those Google Analytics and see where your referral traffic is coming from – your social media channels should be among the top.
Time spent on site: Building on this, another measure to consider is how much time referrals from social media channels are spending on your website. Are they dropping off quickly, or are you driving traffic that then engages with you for a longer period of time? For instance, a recent analysis of The Clean Air Campaign’s Facebook referral traffic showed that those visitors were spending more than five times the amount of time on the website than the average visitor in the same one-month period. Then use that knowledge to further evaluate what you are – or are not – doing well on your social media channels.
Who Is Following You: When you get into the hundreds, or even thousands of followers, it’s close to impossible to know all there is to know about who is following you. But take a look every now and then. I often look to see if key journalists are following clients – whether it's payments industry trade media following SPVA, Las Vegas-based businesses following Club Ride, or Atlanta TV journalists monitoring The Clean Air Campaign. By doing some regular reviews of Follower lists, we can better gauge if the 140 characters we’re sending out are reaching the targets we want them to reach.

Social media evaluation is an evolving science, but it's exciting to watch develop, and the available data offers a lot to explore. Just don’t get hung up on any one variable when trying to gauge your success. Though it is always nice to be followed.

Neologisms* OR, newly coined words that may be in the process of entering common use, but have not yet been accepted into mainstream language…

2010-05-11T09:41:00.008-04:00

Being a wordsmith, I was amused by The Washington Post’s 2010 “neologism contest” results, where readers create alternative meanings for common words.

Some of my favorites:

1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp. (This one hits home since I’m recovering from a broken ankle…)
5. Gargoyle (n), olive-flavored mouthwash.
6. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
7. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
8. Frisbeetarianism (n), The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

In another exercise – for people with clearly too much time on their hands - The Washington Post's Style Invitational asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Some standouts:

1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.
2. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.
3. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
4. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
5. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.
6. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
7. Karmageddon (n): its like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
8. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.
9. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
10. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

Any candidates for Webster’s next additions to the lexicon?

The Lost Art of Entertaining

2010-05-06T10:39:00.010-04:00

Who doesn’t crave outdoor patios, dimly lit candles (to set the mood), smoky grills and glasses of crisp rosé? The Wall Street Journal Wine Bloggers offer some terrific suggestions for under $25. Good friends, delicious food - easy, breezy entertaining.

Yeah right, sounds awesome, but who in the world has the time? I’ll tell you who; after spending yesterday in our client’s -- Fire & Flavor Grilling Co.’s warehouse and kitchen, I was inspired and realized that I CAN DO THIS (and trust me if I can, so can you). Rule #1: Put down your Blackberry and take a second to enjoy.

Gena Knox, CEO and co-founder of Fire & Flavor is a young, elegant woman who is trying to change the way people perceive southern cooking. She’s bringing back the dinner party! Her mantra: sophisticated, yet simple, elegant without fuss… this isn’t your grandmother’s greasy kitchen; it’s the new sexy South!

She prepared - my mouth is watering talking about this - smoked strawberry mozzarella crostinis on cedar grilling planks. Sounds fancy, huh? Well, it looks pretty, tastes amazing AND it’s healthy! The 10 minute recipe can be found in her cookbook, Gourmet Made Simple, fully loaded with some breathtaking photography. This cookbook screams: “I want to play hostess and show-off my culinary (kind of lacking) skills!” These recipes will fool anyone into thinking you’re a pure genius in the kitchen and you spent hours preparing.

Want more ideas for less work, more play? Check out Garden & Gun’s Belle Décor blog from yesterday. I love the idea of handwritten invitations – if only my handwriting didn’t look like scribble.

I can’t write about “entertaining” and not include this little caveat: For stunning serving pieces to go with your oh-so-simple yet remarkable meal, you must visit Scout for the Home . Dying to get my hands on these glasses that can double as water or wine (arguably the same thing) glasses. And for unique, irreplaceable platters, R. Wood should be your number one stop! Love.

I’m in the business of communications and if I’ve ever communicated anything successfully, let this be it: Food and wine bring people together… and the added bonus: usually makes for good conversation and lots and lots of laughing. So call your friends, fill up their glasses and resurrect the art of entertaining.

Oil rig disaster a daunting crisis communications challenge

2010-05-03T10:09:00.005-04:00

The oil rig disaster and resulting oil slick that threatens the Gulf Coast is the biggest test of a crisis communications plan that I have seen in years. Sure Toyota’s troubles have been unprecedented and attracted intense media scrutiny, but they don’t compare to the environmental impact that this BP spill may have on entire cities and industries that are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. This event – precipitated by the failure of just one oil rig pumping oil for BP – is more than an environmental disaster; it’s a human disaster.

The pressure on BP is enormous to prove they are pulling out all the stops to get the spill controlled and to clean up the oil that’s fingering out towards the shores of Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida. The public relations challenge for BP is herculean and, in some respects, impossible. They are in damage control mode. There is no upside to an event like this and that fact simplifies the communications strategy. Be contrite, roll up your sleeves and prove that you’re ready to work hard to regain people’s trust.

That message was delivered effectively through BP Group CEO Tony Hayward, who made the rounds of the major networks early Monday morning. He appeared tie-less, haggard and apologetic. The backdrop for his interviews: a NASA-style command center bustling with determined looking scientist types. (BP would like us to believe all these people were trying to get the spill controlled and cleaned up; I’d like to believe that too).

Questions are swirling about BP (and the U.S. government’s) slow response to the burning oil rig. A little distance is needed from this event to fully analyze how well both of them responded. Will they be able to control the spill? Will they foot the bill for the cleanup? In a situation like this, a communications strategy is only as good as the actions that back it up. We all hope they are as unprecedented as this oil spill.

Oh the places you’ll go…

2010-04-29T16:05:00.010-04:00

PR is more than just media relations. Community relations provides valuable partnerships to strengthen the relationships between local businesses and their communities. Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to work with the community relations folks at Cobb EMC. In a nutshell, I’ve spent quite a bit of time trekking around, camera in-hand to various community events and Partners in Education field trips. I planned on taking photos. I planned on media relations. I did not plan on learning all I have along the way…

I spent Earth Day at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new “green” power biomass facility in Rabun Gap, Ga. Watching the crew flip a semi to unload the biomass was one of coolest things I’ve ever seen!

I developed a profound, deep respect for teachers as I stood in front of an auditorium of 1,300 screaming elementary students as Russom Elementary’s Teacher of the Year was announced.

I learned to “work the needles” with Cobb EMC’s Women’s Task Force, a volunteer group that raises scholarship money for local students through a quilting raffle. For a girl that could barely (and I do mean barely) sew on a button, it was awe-inspiring – so much so that I’ve now moved on to hemming – thanks, Women’s Task Force!

And my personal favorite… Cobb EMC teaches elementary students electric safety through its hot line safety demonstrations. Instructors show students how objects react when they touch power lines. Needless to say, the flaming hot dogs and balloons were a huge hit! Plus, where else can you watch hot dogs spontaneously ignite on the job?

I couldn’t be more thankful to do rewarding work that gives back to my community, to be able to learn (and let’s face it… have a blast) along the way and most importantly to be a part of the Cobb EMC family.

Stressed? Yup, We Are.

2010-04-26T15:09:00.005-04:00

Sure, I have a few more gray hairs now than I did a few years ago, but I always chalked that up to signs of wisdom and experience. Apparently … not so much. CNBC (via CareerCast.com) recently reported that PR is the 8th most stressful job in 2010. To be more specific:

Stress Rank: 193
Stress Score: 78.523
Unemployment: 4%-7%
Hours Per Day: 9
Time Pressure: High
Competition: Very High

Well, great. If I wasn’t stressed before, I am now. Thanks a lot CNBC.

But why should I be stressed? It’s not like PR professionals have to write a press release, book a speaking engagement, schedule a media interview, update Facebook for a client, and mange a video shoot before noon. Oh wait, yes we do.

So here are a few multitasking tips for my frazzled PR friends (and I’m only allowed to give organizational tips because everything on my desk is perfected aligned and in OCD-style array. I’m not bragging – I can’t help it.).

Organize your to-do list every morning. The same thing that was important on Monday might be irrelevant on Tuesday.

Don’t volunteer for everything. Make realistic assessments of how long it will take you to do something, and if you see your plate filling up, don’t offer to take on more work or attend more meetings.

Once you start a project, finish it. It’s worse to have all of your tasks in various states of completion because you’ll be left thinking about all of them instead of one or two that have your full attention.

Don’t let so much pile up on your desk that you can’t see your desk!

So bring on the stress! I like that we keep it exciting around here. I definitely wouldn’t want to be on the list of 2010’s most boring jobs!

And if you were curious about the top five most stressful jobs, here they are.

5. Police officer
4. Surgeon
3. Taxi driver
2. Senior corporate executive
1. Firefighter

Hopefully, there aren’t any corporate execs moonlighting as volunteer firefighters.

40 Years – My How Things Have Changed!

2010-04-22T11:31:00.005-04:00

Happy Earth Day! No doubt you’ve already heard or seen at least one news story about today’s 40th anniversary of the start of the environmental movement. For many of us, it’s hard to imagine just how different things were on Earth Day 1970. No Environmental Protection Agency, and no Clean Air or Clean Water Acts, either. No recycling bins. No Endangered Species Act. Many cities – including Atlanta -- had no mass transit. But we did have leaded gasoline and cars that polluted at rates 20 times those of our cars today.

Times have definitely changed. Many of the environmental problems that were cause for protest in 1970 are now points of pride, as each of us can say that we’ve been a part of the solution.

And that’s the real lesson here. It’s been a long time coming, but in 2010 Earth Day is for all of us. What started 40 years ago as an environmental “teach-in” has today become part of our culture. What kindergartener doesn’t know about recycling? Who doesn’t know something about the impact our daily habits have on the environment? A movement of students wearing gas masks has become a culture of children who remind their parents to turn off the faucet while they brush their teeth.

Green. An excellent example of a good idea winning in the long run.

The Starting Line

2010-04-20T15:27:00.000-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure of participating on a social media panel hosted by the Green Chamber of the South and Southeast Green. An enthusiastic audience posed a lot of thoughtful questions. What stood out were the extreme variations among the guests in terms of their own social media experiences. Much like Lindsay’s post about being so close to our clients that we sometimes forget that not everyone knows what we know; I often fall into the trap of thinking everyone is blogging, bookmarking, and knows the most up-to-the-minute stats on Facebook demographics. But that’s simply not the case.

Many savvy business people still haven’t jumped on the bandwagon. But I see a difference in “why” they haven’t, compared to just six months ago. Now, instead of not being sure there is any value in using social media in marketing communications, most hesitation is due to not knowing where to start. Several of the questions demonstrated that confusion:

I know I need a Facebook Page, right?
My first response to this is, why do you think you need a Facebook Page? What is your product or service, and who is the audience for it? A perception persists that “everyone” needs a Facebook Page, and I still don’t believe that to be true. It always reminds me of something my dad was fond of saying to me as a kid, when I complained that a friend got to do something that I didn’t – “Just because (friend name) jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?”

Facebook Page value for every type of business, especially B2B, isn’t proven to me. Many in this audience – small business “green” service providers – may be better off focusing their limited resources somewhere else. Take a fresh look at your website and ensure it is search-engine optimized. Create a blog. Bookmark your content on Digg, Delicious and StumbleUpon. Bottom line is, before you try to feed what one of my clients refers to as the “social media monster,” be certain that you have your online house in order. Then, take a strategic look at whether a Facebook Page will help you reach your audience, and put a communications strategy in place before you publish it. Maybe Twitter or LinkedIn is a better fit. There is not a one-size-fits-all social media solution.

Why do I need a blog?
Short answer: because it’s your “soapbox” – your platform for thought leadership, for content, for sharing your knowledge and expertise. It also helps to feed the aforementioned “monster” when you do create a Twitter account, LinkedIn Group or Facebook Page. Need more reasons? Here is the best one: A study by HubSpot revealed that companies that blog generate more ROI than those that don’t, with 55 percent more website visitors.

Since social media is free, shouldn’t I do it all?
Actually, no. To both parts of this question. Sure, Facebook and Twitter don’t charge you to set up an account, but there is a cost. In many cases, that cost is your time. Using social media well takes time, strategy and more time. You may also find that good social media marketing needs expertise, whether it’s a social media training program with a qualified consultant, or the integration of your social media marketing with your larger PR and marketing efforts. With 70% or more reporters now using social media, making social media part of your PR program just makes sense.

And no, you shouldn’t do it all. At least not all at once. There is nothing wrong with taking things one step at a time, to make sure what you are doing is done well. Start a blog. Make sure it’s optimized for the Web and for social media with share features. Then head into Facebook or Twitter. Add on some sight, sound and motion with a YouTube Channel.

The bottom line is that if you are still hesitating to jump on the social media bandwagon because you just don’t know where to start, you can start with just one thing. Experiment, get comfortable, make sure you have the time and resources to do it well so that it delivers results. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Every Word Counts…even when you’re not counting

2010-04-06T17:52:00.004-04:00

As a professional communicator I’ve come to realize that every word counts. No matter who you are talking to or where you have selected to make your thoughts known, what you say and how you say it will probably matter to someone.

I recently posted to Twitter that the microblogging site has helped me learn to be more concise in my writing, and I believe it has. Communicating via Facebook, and even this blog, has also helped me become a more conversational writer. These styles are relatively new to the world of public relations – a world that was once ruled by the iron fist of the AP Stylebook, where the formal press release sat high in its throne.

Times, they are a-changin’ as the saying goes, but that is no reason to lose sight of what you say, regardless of how you say it. In everything you do as a communications professional, one thing is certain: what you say (and write) should be clear and accurate – everything from a simple tweet to a full annual report. You’re representing yourself, your agency and your clients, and each communication, verbal or written, reflects upon those entities, even when you least expect it.

For example: I recently pitched a story idea to a reporter. Next thing I know, my casual email is live online for every reader of this regional news site to see. The outlet tweeted a link to the “story”, and wouldn’t you know it, at least five others retweeted that very post.

What I thought of as a simple conversation of sorts to get a story written turned into a hard news story in itself. Call it a result of the shrinking newsroom or the way information is making its way to the masses these days, but even when you may not be counting your every word…every word counts.

Changes

2010-03-30T11:15:00.005-04:00

I don’t know how you feel about change, but my feelings on the subject are mixed. Dictionary.com seems to share my view. Look up the word “change” and you get 38 entries.

Given my love of grammar, I’ll give you a few of my favorite definitions by part of speech:

As a verb, change can mean to alter course, to transform, or to exchange one thing for another.
As a noun, change can be the passing from one place to another.
As an idiom, we say an object “changed hands,” or a person “changed her mind.”

Of the 38 entries, all shared a common thread. Each one expressed a sense of something new and different.

While “new” can be exciting, it’s not always easy – especially when it comes to overhauling your messaging or communications strategy. Perhaps your campaign has saturated the market and you need a fresh approach. Or, maybe the research results came in and your messaging isn’t resonating with your target audience the way you hoped. Yet another possibility – you may be operating in an economic climate that requires marketing your product or service in a whole new way. Whatever the reason, you’ve realized it’s time for a change.

I don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all recipe for transitions, but I certainly think there are some common points to consider.

Think it through. Is a complete overhaul necessary, or will tweaks here and there do the trick?

Do your research. You’ll need to know what’s working and what isn’t before you can make revisions. You may need to commission a study or focus group, or you may be able to check resources at hand. Use Google Analytics to measure Web site performance, or run a quick Google search to find out what people are – or aren’t – saying about your company, product or service.

Make a plan. Once you’ve decided what areas to refresh, plan your implementation. What steps will you need to take? Who, when and how will you execute these steps? Include measurable goals so you can evaluate your success.

Evaluate. Remember those measureable goals I just mentioned? Here’s where they come into play. Check the progress of your results. Hopefully you’ll find the changes were for the better.

Why is change on my mind you ask? Because this is my last PeRceptions post. It’s with mixed feelings that I make a change and move on to a new opportunity. I’ll sincerely miss my amazing colleagues here at Cookerly, and will be hard-pressed to find another group of such talented, hard-working people. I’m very lucky to have shared their ranks, and wish them all the best.