Public Relations News and Views

Hospital Advertising Doesn't Work

2011-08-02T09:26:00.005-04:00

An article in the July 29 issue of Crain’s HealthPulse, aptly titled “It’s an Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World for Local Hospitals” references a report that says that hospital advertising expenditures in the New York area have increased by over $10 million, or 28%. The article’s title, a play on the 1963 movie “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” is apt, in that hospitals spending this kind of money for advertising makes about as much sense as the madcap chase across the California desert that was launched in the movie after Jimmy Durante “kicked the bucket.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the movie, let me simplify my premise: New York-area Hospitals are flushing more money (over $10 million more) down more toilets (by running costly and ultimately ineffective ads) than they did last year (when they flushed almost $70 million down their collective commodes).

Simply put, advertising to attempt to build hospital business or to enhance a hospital’s reputation is almost entirely a fool’s errand. Why? Because, frankly, hospital advertising doesn’t work (go ahead and try to find bona fide research – not some overblown “case study” puffery that ad agencies love to put on their websites – that shows otherwise).

99.9% of the time, hospitals use ads to merely “push” information at their intended audience – an audience that long ago turned its back on this type of one-sided communication, and which fails to find any personal relevance in your newest state-of-the-art thing-a-ma-bob. As a result, traditional hospital advertising doesn’t engage the intended audience. Almost always, these ads are done to pacify doctors who insist that the hospital run ads (after all, 4 years of medical school, various internships and hospital residency certainly qualifies you as a marketing expert!) that showcase their undeniable talents. This approach is akin to going to a cocktail party, and beginning a conversation with “Hey, let’s talk about ME!”

Against the backdrop of already-thin hospital margins being squeezed tighter and tighter, it is astounding that hospitals continue to waste money at these levels.

The rules of marketing and advertising changed a few years ago, yet apparently nobody told the hospital community. Today, merely touting your “state-of-the-art facility,” your “world-renowned specialists,” your “latest technology” – regardless of how “unique,” “innovative” or “leading-edge” it may be – will earn your ad nothing more than a yawn and a quick trip to the recycling bin. The key to successful hospital promotion is to achieve true engagement – connecting with your customers, fostering two-way communication, and delivering value to them as a result of their engagement with your brand. And this can be done successfully for a fraction of what hospitals now spend for advertising space.

The More Things Change...

2011-07-11T19:29:00.005-04:00

In my last post, I not only quoted the philosopher Ferris Bueller, I talked about how much things have changed in public relations over the course of the past several years. While it is always important to stay ahead of the technology and communication curve, it is far more important to have a sound base for any PR initiative. These are among the things that have NOT changed in the past several years.

The need to plan. You’ve heard the old saw, “If you don’t know where you are going, then ANY road will get you there!” It was true when I was a young pup in this business, and it remains true today. Planning is essential. Set objectives, outline strategies, assign tactics to those strategies (including all of the new social media platforms), determine what success will look like, and set measurement matrices. A good, sound PR plan is like the score for an orchestra; each instrument knows when and what notes to play, and the end result that emerges is far greater than the sum of its parts.

The necessity of the media. To paraphrase another modern-day philosopher, Mr. T, “I pity the fool who thinks you should disregard traditional media.” In most cases, there is still no better and more credible way to connect to your audience than with traditional media. The New York Times remains the number one most quoted and referenced site on the Internet for a reason. And what people see on television or in the news (even if it they receive it tweeted, emailed or posted on Facebook) is often seen as holding far greater value and gravitas than a piece that originates solely on the net.

Content is still king. I don’t care how many “friends” or “likes” you have on Facebook or followers on Twitter. If you are not delivering solid, relevant, useful content, you will not be able to engage with your audience for long. And speaking of engagement…

You need to engage. Public relations is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its public. That takes engagement. And while connecting with various publics is often accomplished in a very different ways today than it was 10 years ago, the end result should be the same: to create and maintain connections. In other words, engage.

Yes, things have absolutely changed for PR agencies and practitioners. We would be among the fools that Mr. T would pity if we were to think or act otherwise. But a solid foundation that starts with a good, sound and well-vetted plan, that employs the strengths of both traditional and social media, that delivers good and useful content and makes and nurtures connections is still the way that excellent PR is practiced today.

Life Moves Pretty Fast

2011-06-15T09:21:00.004-04:00

One of the great modern-day philosophers, Ferris Bueller twice said (at the beginning and at the end of the iconic 1986 movie, so it must be important), “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

The same can be said generally about all businesses. But in particular, the Public Relations business has moved incredibly fast.

When I started R&J back in 1986, the same year that Ferris gave us his great advice about life, I had an IBM Selectric typewriter on my desk, and the only Gekko we ever heard from was Gordon, who was telling us (convincingly) that “greed is good.” We didn’t even have a fax machine; they were just then gaining widespread utilization. Back in that time, our role as public relations practitioners was clear and simple: to get publicity – and lots of it – for our clients. We did this by writing lots and lots of press releases (and mailing – yes mailing – them out to the media, usually with 5” X 7” glossy photo prints), establishing personal relationships with journalists (and there were a lot more of those covering much narrower “beats” back then), and pitching like crazy. It was a great business – fun and rewarding in so many ways.

But a funny thing happened along the way. Life moved pretty fast.
Business changed, and with that change, came the need for a far greater degree of strategic, forward-looking business counsel and strategic thinking. To accommodate these business needs, the public relations industry also underwent tremendous change. And the transformation of our business and our industry that was necessary to stay ahead of our clients’ needs has been incredible – often happening at break-neck speed.

Today’s successful PR firm is far more than a publicity shop. Today, we often play a central role in brand development, market strategy and business-building for our clients. We’re called in at the beginning of discussions on positioning, market strategy and brand personality. We consult on the ins-and-outs, and the potential ramifications of every communication tactic – both traditional and in social media. We prepare, and when needed, execute crisis management plans. In short, we are important counselors and marketing partners for our clients, and not simply “publicists” (although publicity is still a very important deliverable for many of our clients).

Firms like ours welcome this never-ending change. We thrive on it, and look forward to engaging with new media channels and outlets, and new techniques. It’s actually become fun to learn how express a full marketing thought in 140 characters or less! And I am very fortunate to have surrounded myself with a lot of smart, curious and insightful people, who don’t hesitate to remind me how fast things change, and how if we aren’t riding the wave, then we risk being swallowed up by it.

Yes, Ferris had it right: Life does, indeed, move pretty fast. We are happy to have evolved along the way, and to have helped our clients through many of these changes. We continue to look ahead for the next inevitable round of changes.

Finally, to many of our clients who’ve been along with us for much of this incredible ride, as Ferris would say,Danke Schön!

Better Bosses Want Their Employees to Fail

2011-05-18T08:30:00.003-04:00

It may sound counter-intuitive, but better bosses actually want their employees to fail. Ok, maybe I’d better define “failure” before we go too much farther here.

By failure, I mean stretching their boundaries. Offering ideas. Trying new and innovative ways to ultimately achieve success. Figuring out ways to help your company and your customers to do more. To do what it is that you do better. And to do what they do for less money or with fewer resources devoted to their completion.

By this definition of failure, most of those new ideas and suggested tactics will fail. But even if their ideas sometimes fail, you want employees to keep producing them.

To achieve this state of business Nirvana – where employees feel free and empowered to consistently offer out-of-the-box thinking and ideas that just might ultimately drive greater success – you need to have engaged employees. That’s where being a better boss comes in. Better bosses work to foster a culture of employee engagement (note: not simply employee “satisfaction,” or even “accountability.” No, I’m talking about genuine engagement).

Engaged employees are the cream of the crop. They are fully involved in – and enthusiastic about – their work. They work with passion, partly because they feel a profound connection to their company. This connection allows them to act in ways that advance their organization's interests. In short, they drive innovation and move the company forward.

There are many ways to promote employee engagement. In fact, a whole sub-species of business books has been written on the subject. But a good place to start is at the top. Remind yourself that an organization tends to mimic the example set by its leaders. Ultimately, it is YOUR CHOICE to lead your people to help you to become the kind of business that YOU want to be!

So be a better boss. Empower and engage your employees. And encourage them to productively “fail forward.”

On that point, I believe Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best: “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”

Better Employee Engagement Leads to Greater Revenue for Hospitals

2011-02-18T06:50:00.000-05:00

The 2010 Hospital Pulse Report: Employee and Nurse Perspectives on American Health Care was recently released by Press Ganey Associates, and it should serve as a wake-up call to hospital administrators.

The report, which surveyed the experiences of more than 235,000 employees at nearly 400 U.S. hospitals, tells us that 45% of hospital workers — almost half! – consider themselves “distanced from or discontent with their current work.”

Even more troubling is the fact that workers who are closest to patient care have the lowest partnership scores. In other words, the actual caregivers are the least likely to feel satisfied and engaged with their organization.

Wow.

The report goes on to tell us that, not surprisingly, there is a strong correlation between employee engagement and patient satisfaction.

Now let’s complete the circle: If employees are not engaged and satisfied, patient satisfaction suffers. And we all know that low patient satisfaction leads to declining admissions, erosion of brand equity, and loss of market share.

Times are tough. Money is not easily or readily available for things that are not considered “essential” at hospitals. But smart hospital leaders would be well-served to realize that engaged employees who feel invested in their jobs are a primary driver of patient satisfaction and perceived of quality care.

Hospitals that provide ongoing avenues for positive employee engagement will reap the rewards of better patient care — and increased revenues.

Communicating in a Crisis -- Choose Wisely

2011-01-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

We do a fair amount of crisis management work for our healthcare and consumer products clients. You never know when a crisis is going to hit, and you never know what twists and turns it might take. No matter what your industry, crisis preparedness and a plan for a disciplined response are a necessity. How your organization behaves and communicates during a crisis can be crucial to your future.

With many organizations that we’ve consulted with over the past several years, especially recently, we have highlighted and planned for the use of social media – Twitter and Facebook predominantly – as prominent communication vehicles within their crisis communication plans.

The temptation by many organizations is to rely on those very useful and quite effective social media tools exclusively for communication. But every crisis is different, and all audiences are not created equal.

Case in point, the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

While Twitter was an incredibly useful tool in communicating from Haiti to the rest of the outside world, a new study by the Knight Foundation reminds us that sometimes we have to think on a more basic level. The study concludes that radio – yes, radio – was the “most effective tool for serving the public,” just as it had been with the Indian Ocean tsunami and other recent natural disasters.

My point here is simply this: Don’t ignore the obvious when it comes to communicating in a crisis. In the case of Haiti, getting the word out to the widest audience – an audience without many modern tools, and one in which a good deal of people were illiterate – was the number one priority. And good old fashioned radio was the best tool to get the word out.

As the old expression goes, “horses for courses.” It isn’t necessarily the vehicle you need to focus on, but the environment in which your message needs to be delivered.

Take Proactive Steps to Ensure YOUR Brand is the One You Want!

2010-10-07T07:54:00.001-04:00

When speaking to many marketing people on the subject of branding, I often hear an exasperated response along the lines of, “We don’t do any branding, and as a matter of fact we don’t even have a brand!”

I try to remind them that, of course they have a brand, because a brand is, by definition, a mark of distinction that is representative of how your product is perceived by its intended target audience. Like it or not, every organization and every product out there has a fundamental “brand” in the eyes of its consumers.

Sadly, it may not be the brand they want!

It is important to realize that the branding of your organization is happening, with or without your participation. Perceptions of your brand are being shaped through experience, word of mouth, and every public act undertaken by the organization and its people. Even though you may not be actively shaping the perceptions of your brand in the marketplace, strong (and lasting) perceptions are still being formed.

This begs the question, if you are not actively managing your brand, then who or what is?

If you are not actively shaping and nurturing your intended brand message in the marketplace, then you can be sure it’s being shaped either by consumer scuttlebutt or worse, by your competition. Either way, are you content to let someone or something other than you determine what the marketplace perceives about your organization?

An appropriate (albeit graphic) analogy might be a car hurtling down the highway. The driver has chosen not to drive -- he may be napping or is busy doing something “more important” -- but that does not mean the car will not arrive somewhere – it will – we just don’t know where it will arrive, how suddenly it will get there, or whether we will need a tow truck, an ambulance or a hearse to clean up the mess.

The bottom line is you DO have a brand, and it is essential that you know exactly what your consumers’ perceptions of that brand are. If you are happy with those perceptions, then your next step is to develop a strategy to defend and enhance it. If, however, you need to change your brand perception, a strategic and comprehensive program to move public perception in your favor is in order.

Consider this: Strong brands are sought out by consumers, who are willing to pay a premium for those brands. Studies show that strong brands command price premiums of, on average, 7% over lesser brands. That HAS to be worth the effort!

Let me know what you think. Respond or email me at Jlonsdorf@RandJpr.com.

Hospital Patient Satisfaction - A Short Story

2010-07-14T12:20:00.006-04:00

In the world of hospitals, it is well documented that superior patient satisfaction leads to higher quality scores, a better market position, and greater revenues.

Much of the same research also tells us that the single biggest driver of patient satisfaction is employee engagement.

Despite all of this compelling research, far too many many hospitals continue to believe that patient satisfaction can be influenced by consumer advertising -- billboards, newspaper ads, radio, etc.

So here's a story -- one that I swear is 100% true.

It starts with the unfortunate fact that my wife is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. We've entrusted her care here since the beginning of October, and we've found the people who work here, from top to bottom, are beyond compare.

So here's the story: About 2 months ago, I was at Sloan with Lyn. I went to get a cup of coffee, but the coffee machine was being serviced by two people -- one training the other. As I approached, I overheard the trainer emphatically saying to the trainee, "The way we do things here at Sloan is simple. Everyone you deal with -- everyone -- is to be treated like they are a member of YOUR family."

I think that speaks volumes about this place.

I have now blogged that story twice, and told just about anyone who would listen -- no doubt many are telling their friends as well. Oh, and the hospital didn't need to spend $10,000 on a billboard to get that kind of good will, did it?

What does YOUR hospital do to foster a similar culture among its employees?

Minnesota Newspaper Sorts Through Nurses' Strike -- and Gets it Right

2010-07-08T08:50:00.008-04:00

The hospital industry has been abuzz over the past several weeks, over the prospect of 12,000 nurses at 14 Minnesota hospitals striking over a variety of issues. The brief, but acrimonious strike that took place last week was punctuated by leaders of the nurses union accusing the hospitals of pressing for procedures and work rules that would lead to unsafe patient care.

Shockingly, in the end, it seems it was all about money.

An editorial published in the Pioneer Press of St. Paul hit the nail on the head. Its title: Nurses Care. So Do Hospital Bosses.

In the editorial, the paper took the nurses to task for their cynical (and apparently transparent) approach to gaining public and union support:

By relying on an argument that demonized hospital managers and attempted to raise panic about pervasive mortal danger in Twin Cities hospitals, the nurses union undermined its own credibility and the cause of intelligent discourse.

The paper went on to state: Arguing that hospital managers and the citizen boards who direct them care only about money and not at all about patients or employees is...outrageous.

More and more hospitals will be faced with labor issues -- not only among nurses, but also among support workers and technicians -- as healthcare dollars continue to get tighter and tighter. Moving forward, let's hope that these disputes can be resolved by reasonable people undertaking a discussion that centers around the best and most effective utilization of available resources, and not on a cynical attempt to demonize the opposition.

Because hospital bosses care, too.

Tacky? Or superior marketing thought?

2010-06-17T13:37:00.006-04:00

If you've just awoken from a long Rip Van Winkle-like sleep, you may not know that the World Cup is taking place this fortnight in South Africa. Companies from around the globe pay millions of dollars to get their name associated with this largest and most watched sporting event on the planet.

But what if you don't have the resources (or inclination) to spend that kind or money? Or what if one of your competitors already forked over the cash to claim a coveted category-exclusive sponsorship?

Perhaps there IS another way to get some notice. Dutch beer brand Bavaria sure found a way, and it is getting noticed in the media all over the world.

Is this a criminal enterprise, or merely the case of "David" once again finding a way to slay "Goliath?" Take a look and you be the judge.

In the meantime, here's a photo of guerrilla marketing in action:

If You Run a Hospital, You Need Better Employee Engagement

2010-06-14T20:52:00.000-04:00

The 2010 Hospital Pulse Report: Employee and Nurse Perspectives on American Health Care was recently released by Press Ganey Associates, and it should serve as a wake up call to hospital administrators.

The report, which surveyed the experiences of more than 235,000 employees at nearly 400 U.S. hospitals, tells us that 45% of hospital workers -- almost half! -- consider themselves "distanced from or discontent with their current work."

Even more troubling, those working closest to patient care have the lowest partnership scores. In other words, these employees are the least likely to feel satisfied and engaged with their organization.

Wow.

The report goes on to tell us that, not surprisingly, there is a strong correlation between patient satisfaction and employee partnership.

Now let's complete the circle: If employees are not engaged and satisfied, patient satisfaction suffers. And we all know that low patient satisfaction equals declining admissions, erosion of brand equity, and loss of market share.

Times are tough. Money is not easily or readily available for things that are not considered "essential" at hospitals. But the fact remains that hospital leaders need to look to employee engagement and satisfaction as a primary driver of patient satisfaction and perception of quality care.

Those hospitals that provide the best environment for employees will reap the reward of better patient care -- and increased revenues.

Follow the Money

2010-03-08T15:24:00.004-05:00

To paraphrase the character "Deep Throat" from the Watergate movie All the President's Men: If you want to know the REAL story, you have to follow the money.

So what is the real story these days in advertising? Well, for the first time ever, Outsell, Inc.'s annual advertising and marketing study reveals that U.S. advertisers will spend more this year on digital media than on print. This long-predicted milestone has finally arrived thanks to a 9.6% planned increase in digital advertising in 2010.

Does this signal the end of print as we know it? Hardly. The same study tells us that ad spending for magazines will rise this year by 1.9%, to $9.4 billion.

It does, however, raise the interesting question that, if Madison Avenue believes that the Internet is worthy of these kinds of ad expenditures, shouldn't you, as a marketer, sit up, take notice and make sure your marketing messages are delivered in the environment where the greatest number of eyes will see them?

Hospitals must embrace social media and let ROI take care of itself | Article | Homepage articles

2010-02-26T12:38:00.001-05:00

Here's a great article on hospitals' use of social media from Jenn Riggle. She hita a lot of nails firmly on the head in this.

Hospitals must embrace social media and let ROI take care of itself | Article | Homepage articles

Make Sure You Know Where the Emergency Brake Is

2010-02-24T16:15:00.002-05:00

Anyone who knows me, or reads this blog, knows that I am a strong proponent of social media as a big part of the overall marketing mix. As part of an effective communications package, every organization needs to use a combination of social media tools to speak directly with their audience.

Although social media is intended to be somewhat unfiltered, some organizations – particularly hospitals – are governed by laws and privacy issues that can preclude an unfiltered stakeholder engagement. For that reason, it is important to craft and vet a social media response protocol prior to engaging in these new, and operationally-different, media tools.

As part of your social media effort, you need to develop a comprehensive social media policy. This policy will provide needed checks and balances for all of your employees and external stakeholders who could potentially contribute content or comment on any of your company-controlled social media properties. It should also provide guidance on moderating comments and input from the general public.

Your goal should not necessarily be to control and manage the message and tone of social media communication with your various publics. Rather, your goal should be to ensure that the dialogue is fair and adheres to standards that you’ve thought through and pre-set for propriety and privacy.

TAKE THE PLUNGE!

2010-02-19T18:55:00.001-05:00

I’ve come to the conclusion that social media scares a lot of people. That is understandable. It’s new. It involves unfamiliar protocols and nomenclature. It seems so easy and natural for 16-year-olds, yet is a different world altogether for those of us who still remember where we were when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Nonetheless, social media is here to stay.

So it’s time to take the plunge. Here’s what I recommend: a staged roll-out of social media tools and channels, so that you don’t “bite off more than you can chew.” Start small. Join and use Facebook (really use it; don’t be a bystander or wallflower). See what others in your industry are doing. Become a fan of sites that are delivering the kind of information you wish you were delivering about your company. Your Facebook experience shouldn’t be defined by the number of “friends” you have, but rather by the quality of contacts and experiences you can generate.

Keep a record of the kinds of information and resources you’d like YOUR company’s fan page to deliver. And yes, check out your competitors and what peer companies in different parts of the country (or even the world!) are doing.

And when you are ready, launch your page, keeping in mind it is NOT a website, which can sit fallow for months. Social media IS customer and stakeholder engagement. Be prepared to engage!

Time for Hospitals to Embrace Social Media

2010-02-14T23:33:00.001-05:00

It’s time for hospitals to embrace social media.

Interactive online technologies, or “social media,” allow online users to search for and share content, and have become an indispensable tool in today’s communication mix – except, it seems, at smaller community hospitals. Social media sites are firmly entrenched as the primary method for online dialogue and communication for a good deal of the population today, covering people of all ages.

As part of an effective communications package, every organization needs to use a combination of social media tools to speak directly with their audience. Failing to do so risks alienating your patients and your community. Worse, it allows – and perhaps invites – the dialogue about what’s happening within your hospital and its service lines to be driven by outside, often unreliable sources.

Latest estimates show that over 500 hospitals in the U.S. are using some form of social media – and many are using multiple social media tools. If you are a healthcare marketing pro, isn’t it time to get YOUR hospital on board?

Hospitals need to Embrace "Marketing"

2010-01-21T03:23:00.001-05:00

Just about every hospital I’ve dealt with has a “marketing” department. Why did I put “marketing” in the dreaded quotation marks? Well, because “marketing” means so very many different things to individual hospitals or healthcare systems.

In some cases, “marketing” means “fund raising.” To others, it means sending out press releases on health and wellness programs. Still others equate “marketing” with “advertising,” (generally resulting in little more than a shameful waste of money, if you ask me).

In truth, (according to the American Marketing Association):

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

Hospitals are quick to point out that they are doing the latest procedure, that they have the most modern equipment, and they generally provide high-tech services. Isn’t it time for hospitals to move into the 21st Century with their marketing?

A Very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-24T10:11:00.002-05:00

Here's hoping your Christmas is a very blessed and wonderful one, filled with all of the truly good and important things in life -- and perhaps a little "razzelberry dressing" and more than one "woofle jelly cake."

Here's a little something from me, courtesy of the first, and still the best, animated Christmas special EVER produced for television. (Music by Julie Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill, by the way!)

Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010!

How to Be a Good Client

2009-12-22T15:12:00.001-05:00

Here's an early Christmas (or a late Hanukkah) present for those of you out there who hire agencies.

Ryan Greives writes a quick primer on what it takes to be a good client (click here) for a PR firm. Almost all of this is certainly applicable to ad agencies, design firms, and interactive shops as well.

If you hire any type of marketing communications firm, this Top 10 list is required reading. By following these simple suggestions, you will get your firm to work harder and to always do their absolute best for you.

If I might add an additional point: Know that all we want is to make you look good. We are not out to take your job (we are on the "agency side" because that's what we love to do). And we are not out to grab the glory. No, our "glory" comes from having a satisfied and appreciative client who pays our bills in a timely manner. Making you look like a superstar to your CEO, your Board, or whomever signs your paycheck is the best possible outcome for us.

Hope you have a very happy holiday season, and my best wishes for a very successful and rewarding 2010!

And the Gold Medal Goes to...

2009-12-09T17:23:00.001-05:00

Well, maybe our client Vision Research won't be on the medal stand in Vancouver, but their technology will be helping American Olympians and the American viewing public to better understand just what goes into a winning performance.

NBC, which is covering the Olympics, has enlisted the Vision Research ultra-high-speed Phantom camera to "slow down" the action of Olympic athletes, giving them and their coaches information that can lead to a winning edge.

At the same time, the television viewing public gets to see amazing details and things that give a far greater appreciation to the physics of sport.

Check out this report (click here) from Lester Holt on the TODAY Show, breaking down how US Olympian Julie Chu generates so much velocity to her slap shot.

Vision Research cameras serve a wealth of important functions, slowing down even the fastest motion to allow the analysis of motion that is far too fast for the human eye, and even beyond the capabilities of traditional film and video cameras.

I don't know about you, but I think this stuff is REALLY cool! For a gallery of ultra-high-speed video shot with Vision Research cameras, click here.

When "10 Times as Slow" is BETTER!

2009-08-07T10:44:00.004-04:00

Here's a very interesting article about what the NFL is doing to promote itself.

The cameras used to produce the striking images in this campaign are made in the USA by Vision Research -- one of my clients. The cameras have been used in the past two Super Bowls by the CBS (Giants win over New England) and the FOX (Steelers last year) production crews -- with amazing success. The ultra slo-mo of the Giants' David Tyree catch replay was called "the most replayed highlight of the year" by ESPN. And if you remember last year, two different scoring plays were ruled on by slo-mo from Vision Research Phantom HD cameras.

The military routinely uses a series of Vision Research cameras, sometimes shooting 1.4 MILLION FRAMES PER SECOND to record and analyze weapons systems.

To see some astounding non-sports footage, go to www.visionresearch.com, and click on GALLERY at the top.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media

2009-05-06T16:11:00.004-04:00

David Griner, a social media strategist for Luckie & Company in Birmingham, AL, just published what I see as the definitive outline of rules for beginning -- and more importantly -- continuing and profiting from a social media program.

With the very catchy title "The Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media," Griner's article is both fun to read and a real eye-opener. So click on it here and let me (and David!) know what you think!

Rupert Murdoch "Gets It"

2009-04-23T13:11:00.001-04:00

Newspaper maven Rupert Murdoch just appointed Jonathan Miller, recently of AOL, as his head of digital operations. This includes a wide range of products, including MySpace, Photobucket, and Hulu. Miller's job is to make sure Murdoch's News Corp.'s online assets are "central to, not separate from, the enterprise."

Instead of newspapers bitching about how the Internet is killing them, perhaps they'd do better to look to the vision that Murdoch seems to possess. Yes, old Rupert "gets it" -- media convergence is here to stay.

Now you tell me: if a 78-year-old Australian can figure it out, why can't the New York Times?

Newspapers that think their old tried and true model (sell ads, build subscription base, take money to the bank) will work in the 21st Century are sorely mistaken. And, no, it's NOT enough to just put your content up online and sell a few Internet banners. It's time for a fully integrated strategy. Newspaper content has always been superior. How about starting THERE and leveraging that as an advantage?

If Facebook Were a Country...

2009-04-14T16:44:00.001-04:00

...It would be the 5th most populous on the globe!

Yes, Facebook just passed the 200 million (!) mark in active users. For those of you who STILL think Facebook is the 21st Century equivalent of passing a note in study hall, it's time you shifted your thinking.

If you are NOT on Facebook, you might want to give it a try.

Time to Stop Using "Time" in My Post Headlines

2009-04-09T06:38:00.000-04:00

Just looked back at my blog and noticed that I seem to constantly be telling people what time it is. If you are depending on me for this, perhaps it's time you bought a watch!

Time for Newspapers to Charge for Online Content

2009-04-08T16:36:00.000-04:00

Rupert Murdoch said last week that he thought that newspapers would have to begin charging for their content for economic survival.

Now isn't that a novel idea -- actually charging for your work!

The New York Times website is one of the most visited, quoted, linked to, and credible sites on the Internet. People all over the world seek out their content. And why not? For all of the bellyaching of the far right, the Times is still the "paper of record" in the United States.

And yet, The Times is losing money.

It's time for newspapers to adopt an economic model that makes sense. Just about nobody this side of Rush Limbaugh wants to see newspapers go the way of the dodo bird. If we need to pay a little for our newspaper content -- especially important papers like The Times -- then I say let's go for it!

Time to Act Courageously

2009-03-13T15:33:00.004-04:00

A colleague, Ken Jacobs, just posted a very thoughtful and inspiring piece as a guest blogger on the ThoughtLEADERS.LLC Blog. It is on leadership in these trying times, and is well worth the read. Check it out here.

A real shout-out to Ken Jacobs for (once again) hitting the nail squarely on the head.

Time to "Re-Balance?"

2009-03-10T00:49:00.001-04:00

OK, so the economy sucks, and we've all lost a good amount of money in our investment portfolios. And yet, a whole lot of television commercials, billboards, print ads and radio spots are hounding us about "re-balancing our portfolios."

It got me thinking. Shouldn't smart marketers also consider re-balancing their marketing budgets as a result of these trying economic times?

Just because you've ALWAYS done something one way doesn't mean you need to go on repeating the same thing over and over. Remember Einstein's definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

If you want to change your marketing results, it just may be time to re-balance your marketing portfolio.

Several new and existing clients have come to us recently asking us to take a look at their overall marketing expenditures. In every case we were able to point out a large number of wasted expenditures -- primarily advertising buys that remain on schedules because they've "always been there," or because "the ad rep buys me a bottle of Maker's Mark every Christmas."

But the world has changed. Unless you are confident that ALL of your marketing and communication expenditures are delivering a real return on your investment (and not just another cost headed straight to the wrong side of the balance sheet), it's probably time to change your way of thinking too.

In flush times, it's easy to just continue doing what you've always done, because, well, we were all making good money, right? And what "worked" from a marketing standpoint wasn't nearly as critical as it is now, during the "Great Recession."

I am 100% confident that a sound, strategic PR program delivers substantial ROI -- well in excess of its cost, and far greater than many advertising-heavy plans. Ping me if you want to learn more.

These are the Times that Try Men's Souls

2009-03-07T14:00:00.005-05:00

With those famous words, Thomas Paine began his second-most famous paper, "The Crisis." The pamphlet was published at perhaps the darkest hour of the American Revolution, on December 23, 1776, at a time when Washington's Army was in disarray and popular support for armed insurrection against England was waining dramatically. American independence hung in the balance, and the world looked to see if the rag-tag assembly of disparate colonies could break away and establish a government based on the principles so eloquently articulated by Thomas Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence.

So why the history lesson? Because I can see many parallels to the precarious economic situation we find ourselves in today. With the constant barrage of bad news in the media about troubles at institutions that we once felt were rock-solid, with our life savings cut in half in a matter of a few short months (did anybody get the license number on that truck that hit us?) and with nothing but hope -- forget about faith -- in our government's ability to "do something about it," many of us are feeling that we may have reached the end of the "American Century." Yes, these are, once again, the times that try men's souls.

But like Paine in 1776, I have no doubt in the spirit and ability of America to weather this storm and to rise above our present crisis.

We must all summon our "inner Chumbawumba" -- get knocked down; get up again. Show personal leadership wherever you can. This is no time for, as Paine labeled it "the summer soldier" and "the sunshine patriot" who "will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country."

Let me get completely out of the way and let Paine have the last word.

"We have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value."

A Question That EVERY Parent of a College-Age Student Should Ask

2009-02-21T18:25:00.009-05:00

I am just back from a college tour of Lafayette College in Easton, PA with my 17-year-old son. Lafayette is a GREAT school, and my wife, my son and I were all very impressed. It is certainly high up on his list.

As we toured the campus we were taken to lots of different locations -- the library, a dining hall, classrooms, lecture halls and recreational facilities. One of our stops was in one of the residence halls. As we looked around at the "accommodations," I asked my tour guide a question that I strongly believe every parent of prospective college-age students should ask:

"Are ALL of the dorms equipped with automatic fire sprinkler systems?"

All of the other parents on the tour said, "Good question," perhaps with a vague memory of the 2000 Seton Hall University dorm fire that killed three students and seriously injured many more -- some permanently.

The fire started as a prank by two students. It quickly spread, releasing blinding, acrid smoke, and toxic fumes.

Had automatic fire sprinklers been installed, officials believe the fire would have been quickly contained, with minimal injuries (if any) and no loss of life.

Don't send your son or daughter off to college in a dorm that doesn't offer this simple, but essential life safety protection.

But don't just take my word for it. For more information, go to The Center for Campus Fire Safety website. The information you learn could save your child's life.

Are Trade Shows Dying?

2009-02-19T18:52:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine who runs one of the top tech PR firms in the UK asked me today if I thought that trade shows were dying.

A good (and complicated) question.

If you are asking if the "salad days" of sky's-the-limit, over the top trade show blow-out la-la-paloozas are over, then I think the answer is unmistakably yes. I was at CES again this year (about my 15th in a row -- I've kind of lost track), and attendance and extravagance were both greatly diminished.

But this is probably a good thing. It allows us to focus on what we are all there for in the first place: to promote our business (in our case, our clients' business) to those who are most likely to be our customers. To quote the Wikipedia entry:

A trade fair (trade show or expo) is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent trends and opportunities. Some trade fairs are open to the public, while others can only be attended by company representatives (members of the trade) and members of the press.

It's time to re-think the trade show.

Getting more from your trade show requires a strategic approach that will attract prospects and generate interest in your company and your products.

Drop me a line if you want to know how we are successfully doing this for clients in a broad spectrum of industries.

Nobody Goes There Anymore, It's Too Crowded

2009-02-07T14:14:00.002-05:00

I love "Yogi-isms." And the one that I've swiped to title this post is typical of the appeal of Yogi Berra's unique brand of scratch-your-head honesty -- how could a place be crowded if nobody goes there?

Try this one: Newspapers are dying because nobody reads them anymore.

Conventional wisdom (and circulation figures) seem to back that up. So how come the New York Times saw OVER 40 million unique visitors to its website in December, 2008? Just who are these 40 million-plus people, if not readers of the New York Times?

There is no question that the newspaper business will have to change its business model to survive in the rapidly-changing world of media delivery. But these figures -- and the fact that the New York Times is among the most quoted news source on the Web today -- belie the demise of it, or many other "newspapers of record" around the country.

Riddle Me This.....

2009-02-04T19:43:00.001-05:00

If newspapers are "dead," why is it that more people read a newspaper the day AFTER the Super Bowl, than actually WATCHED the Super Bowl game itself?

This great ad was placed by The Newspaper Project:

Amazing Game!

2009-02-02T06:31:00.001-05:00

If you watched the Super Bowl (who doesn't?), you were treated to one of the best post-season games EVER. This game had everything -- including a touchdown that was OVERTURNED because of the watchful eye of an ultra-high-speed digital camera, that just happens to be manufactured by Vision Research of Wayne, New Jersey. (Disclosure: Vision Research is a client of my firm.)

NBC utilized three of Vision Research's ultra high speed Phantom digital cameras to capture the game -- and to provide definitive footage for several reviewable calls throughout the night.

I love this kind of technology, and I love being involved with brands that truly stand out and set the pace in their respective fields.

Congratulations to the Steelers AND to Vision Research!

The Newspaper Project

2009-01-28T06:23:00.003-05:00

I am an unabashed fan of newspapers. I love just about everything about them. For that reason, I am thrilled that the newspaper industry has banded together to form The Newspaper Project, an online resource and discussion site about the future of newspapers in our society.

Here's what they have to say about themselves:

NewspaperProject.org was launched in 2009 by a small group of newspaper executives to support a constructive exchange of information and ideas about the future of newspapers. While we acknowledge the challenges facing the newspaper industry in today’s rapidly changing media world, we reject the notion that newspapers—and the valuable content that newspaper journalists provide—have no future.

BRAVO! And good luck!

Words of Wisdom from the Oracle of Omaha

2009-01-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to lose it." - Warren Buffett

No matter what your industry, crisis preparedness and a plan for a disciplined response is a necessity. How your organization behaves and communicates during a crisis can be crucial to your future. And it’s not enough to simply anticipate a crisis. You must contend with the actual issue or problem, and – in a world where news and internet rumors can reach around the globe in seconds – the fallout if the situation is not addressed swiftly and effectively.

Do you have an updated crisis communications plan for your company?

STOP THE MADNESS!

2009-01-10T14:29:00.002-05:00

Forgive me for a moment while I vent about one of the silliest things in the Public Relations industry.

Isn't it time to stop the silly feud between Jack O'Dwyer and the Public Relations Society of America?

It's time for BOTH parties to call a truce.

PRSA (you first, because you won the coin toss): Lift the boycott of O'Dwyer publications. Answer Jack's very reasonable questions. And open up a bit (don't we in the PR business preach openness and transparency?).

Jack: It's time to resume the use of the capital A on your keyboard (just press the "shift" key with your right pinky, and then hit the "a" key with your left pinky). Oh, and in the day and age of the Internet, the printed directory is a dinosaur that costs too much and is out of date before it is published.

Unilateral action by either party is encouraged.

Reports of the Demise of Conventional Marketing Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

2009-01-02T17:14:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

So I read the other day that some folks are actually saying that the meteoric rise of social media tools has rendered conventional marketing irrelevant.

You gotta be kidding me.

I am a BIG proponent of incorporating social media into almost everyone's marketing mix. And yes, for some products, services or brands, social media should be a cornerstone of their marketing effort.

And there is no question in my mind that social media's importance, its use and its prevalence will increase geometrically as time goes on.

But ask yourself this: Can you really afford to put all of your eggs into the social media basket when (pause for effect here), THE VAST MAJORITY OF CONSUMERS ARE NOT USING ANY TYPE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

Every now and again it's best to stop and take a reality check.

Rules of Engagement

2008-12-29T01:56:00.001-05:00

Another note on Social Media...

The first rule of social media seems to be that there are no definitive rules. That said, there are a few things that I think you should keep in mind:

1. Commercial interaction HAS to be done on the public's terms. This is completely different than the way most companies are used to promoting themselves -- obtrusively injecting themselves into your life at all times of the day and night. If you manage a company, a brand or a product, take heed and tread lightly.

2. You don't need to say something that is important every time. But you ought to say things that have some value or merit, if only to allow others a peek inside of you (or your company, product or brand).

3. Remember that written words on this "Internet thing" could very well linger until the end of time as we know it. Choose them wisely.

4. Don't meet (or fight) negativity with negativity.

5. And a corollary rule to #4 - refrain from name calling.

Let me know if you have any insights to add.

You are NOT too old for Facebook

2008-12-19T16:38:00.000-05:00

As I see it, you have two choices:

You can bemoan the sorry state of affairs in this modern world, or you can stick your toe in the water first, then slide your entire foot in, get used to the temperature a bit, take a deep breath, and JUMP!

I'm talking about social media in general, and Facebook in particular.

I'll admit that I am no Facebook Einstein. In fact, when my kids saw that I'd signed up and posted a Facebook page about a year ago, they laughed that I only had 10 or so friends in the beginning ("You're not very popular, Dad!").

But the point is, I took the deep breath and jumped.

Has it been a business panacea? Hardly. But I have used it for business, and (to my surprise and pleasure) have reconnected with some old, dear high school friends.

So my advice is, you are not too old. Go ahead, log on and sign up. And be sure to send me a friend request!

Beware of Knee-Jerk Budget Cutting

2008-11-25T14:51:00.005-05:00

Ted Pincus, founder of The Financial Relations Board, as well as a finance professor at DePaul University and a business columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, recently published a paper on the deepening financial mess. It appeared on the O'Dwyer's PR website. While Pincus doesn't offer much hope for a quick fix by the incoming Obama administration, he does conclude with a cautionary tale for anyone considering cutting their PR budgets to save money in the short-term.

Pincus writes:

"I sense that the short-sightedness of old has been replaced by a new recognition that a reputation — the most prized asset of all in the long run — cannot be turned on and off with the flick of a budget, and can only be protected by the one specialist who knows how to achieve sustainability."

Sure times are tough. But if you want to be ready to blast out of the gate when the inevitable economic revival comes, make sure you keep your good reputation intact. And remember the words of Warren Buffet who once famously said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."

Tone Deaf

2008-11-21T09:26:00.006-05:00

So, did you see the Nightly News yesterday? It seems that the "Big Three Automakers" -- Moe, Larry and Curly -- went to Washington, D.C. in private corporate jets (they couldn't even "jet pool!"), to tell Congress that they are broke, and need billions of taxpayer dollars to guarantee that they won't go belly-up.

Talk about tone deaf.

Don't these people know that appearances DO matter? The American Public is feeling the heat from one of the worst economic periods in our history. Everyone is concerned. 401(k) accounts and college savings plan values have been sliced in half. People are justifiably nervous about the future.

So what do the "Big Three" do?

“It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high-hat and tuxedo,” said Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY).

Here's a note to General Chrysford: We get it. We understand that if you guys go out of business, it will have untold repercussions on the rest of the economy. And while we'll not part with our money cheerfully, we will, in the end, part with it because it's far better than the alternative.

But have a little humility. Come back in a couple of weeks with a PLAN. We want to see a clear path forward that shows us that you "get it," and that you can compete with Toyota. And, for goodness sake, don't come back in three individual private jets. Is it too much to ask that you fly coach for once?

On a side note: We're told over and over again about the millions of people who will be out of work if you guys bite the big one. And usually, we're told that over video B-roll of cars rolling through ROBOTIC ASSEMBLY LINES. Once again, keep in mind that appearances DO matter. You may be proud of your robot assemblers, but nobody cares if THEY are put out of work!

Publishing Bad News/Good News

2008-11-20T09:24:00.008-05:00

I was sad to read yesterday that PC Magazine was going to shut down its print edition. Sure, the Internet is a great tool (heck, we're both using it right now, right?). However, there is no substitute for having a crisply written, composed and printed magazine or newspaper in your hands as you curl up on a big comfy couch or chair -- perhaps with a fire roaring in the fireplace, cold beer nearby, ballgame in the background on the TV.....but I digress.

Many of us who spend what seems like our entire workday in front of a computer screen appreciate the printed piece, and will mourn the demise of yet another "old friend."

At the same time, a bit of good news has just come out of the publishing world. Jonathan Schein, a longtime publishing veteran (and an all around good guy, by the way), has just announced the launch of NYinc -- a a magazine, website, and conference medium for the New York market, focusing on commercial and residential real estate, law, finance, and economic development.

I, for one, wish Jonathan and his staff at Schein Media all the best with this new venture. NYinc joins two other quality titles, New York Home and New Jersey & Company in Schein's growing media stable. Good luck, Jonathan! I look forward to getting my first copy of NYinc.

'Nuff Said

2008-11-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

Writing in the 10th Anniversary issue of PRWeek, Charlotte R Otto, the global external relations officer of Procter & Gamble had this to say:

"On virtually all of our brands at P&G, and at many other companies, PR is now a regular source of big ideas that can become the inspiration for broader holistic marketing programs. And these programs are consistently top marketing ROI contributors."

Johnson & Johnson's Misstep Shows the Power of Social Media

2008-11-18T14:08:00.006-05:00

Social media is here to stay. Need proof? There is no better object lesson than the misstep that Johnson & Johnson just made online that unleashed a torrent of bad blood among the very audience they were trying to court. And that bad blood flowed quickly and deeply among bloggers and Twitter users.

Yes, I'm talking about THAT J&J, one of the biggest, most powerful marketers, and a company known for its social responsibility, and for having a "corporate soul."

J&J posted an ill-advised commercial for its Motrin brand of ibuprofen on its website. The ad was designed to resonate with young moms. Take a look here. You be the judge.

What followed was an overwhelmingly negative flood of angry responses from moms (and others) who felt that the spot was condescending and patronizing. Most of the responders said they'd never buy Motrin again. The threat of a boycott seems very real.

Here's a sample of the reaction:

Clip 1

Clip 2

Clip 3

Maybe the marketing team was out having a beer after work when that ad was to be approved. Maybe someone was asleep at the switch. Maybe the ad agency was just too clever for their client's good. Who knows?

The important lessons are these:

First: Online media is every bit as important as traditional media. And just because it's "only an online ad" doesn't mean it should be treated with any less importance than an ad for network TV (which would have been market tested and well vetted before it ever saw the light of day).

Second: When you see that you've offended people, even if inadvertently, own up to it immediately, and try to make amends. No excuses. J&J has done that, pulling the ads and posting an apology from Kathy Widmer, Vice President of Marketing, on the Motrin website. Kudos for that. Many other companies would have stonewalled or been paralyzed into inaction.

Third: Online communities are here to stay, and if you can communicate with online communities in a manner that shows you respect and understand them, and most importantly, that you are listening to what they are telling you, you can really help your products to succeed.

As Widmer said in an extended apology, “One bright spot is that we have learned through this process - in particular, the importance of paying close attention to the conversations that are taking place online.”

If you are a marketer, you would also do well to pay attention.

Honoring Those Who Served

2008-11-11T10:29:00.004-05:00

Today is Veteran's Day.

Let us all pause for at least a moment or two today to remember the brave men and women who gave of themselves so generously -- many paying the ultimate price -- so that we can enjoy the freedom and life that we cherish in our country. God Bless them and their families.

Here is a nice historical perspective on Veteran's Day.

And here is a nice tribute to the valor and bravery of the American soldier. It's set to Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful."

A plug for "HIMYM" -- perhaps the best written show on TV

2008-11-10T10:49:00.000-05:00

So....It's Monday Night and you want to watch some football. I'm OK with that.

But if you aren't that into the match-up (think 49ers at Cardinals), and you can't stand the thought of watching some washed-up celebrities in silly costumes and far too much make-up "Dancing With the Stars," let me recommend perhaps the best written show on television: How I Met Your Mother.

This show is smart, funny, touching, and human, and has one of the best characters that television has EVER seen in Neil Patrick Harris' Barney Stinson.

Who says this show is so great? Well, if you don't trust ME (which you obviously SHOULD), take a look at this article by Miriam Datskovsky, or these show-specific posts by The Star-Ledger's Alan Sepinwall.

And take a look at this promo with all of the "Best Of" Chyrons.

Check this show out -- even if you can't resist watching Warren Sapp in a dancer's outfit. What, you don't have a DVR?

Here are a few of my favorite moments, courtesy of YouTube:

Barney's "Hot/Crazy Scale"

"Slap Bet"

"Barney's Blog" (homage to "Doogie Howser -- almost expect Max Casella to come in through the window)

"Robin Sparkles" music videos (take your pick) "Let's Go to the Mall" or "Sandcastles in the Sand."

"The Bracket"

Barney's "Ode to Bimbos"

Election is Over -- and it is GREAT to be an American

2008-11-05T06:15:00.000-05:00

Regardless of which candidate you supported, you have to marvel at a system that allows us to air every grievance imaginable, and yet still peacefully go to the polls in record numbers to cast our vote as we see fit.

President-elect Obama is to be congratulated on his victory, and on a very well-run campaign.

Senator McCain deserves our thanks, admiration and respect for his service to our country -- both in uniform and as an elected official.

The proudest moment for me was Senator McCain's gracious, classy and elegant concession speech, reminding us that the will of the people is to be respected above all in this country.

God Bless them both, and God Bless America!

Email -- a great tool, but no substitute for REAL communication

2008-10-11T09:31:00.000-04:00

I have often marveled at the new communication methods and tools that have emerged over the past several year. As a business owner who employees a good deal of "twentysomething" employees, I have seen the proliferation of IMs, Skype, Facebook and MySpace, and now Twitter as communication tools.

There is no question that these tools have changed the way we communicate, and have certainly changed the PR community as well. But there is a danger inherent in the immediate, truncated communication that is favored by modern communication tools -- that danger is in misinterpretation of meaning and/or intent, which strikes at the very core of good communication.

Take, for example email -- a communication tool that has been around like for-EVER it seems.

Email is one of the greatest communication tools in our arsenal. It allows us to communicate with great immediacy, and with virtually anyone around the globe. And with so many "smart phones" in use today, most people can pick up email all day and in any place.

But there is a problem inherent in email that is now getting a good deal of attention. In short, email has no subtlety, offers no richness of communication, provides no avenues for subtext, and certainly favors a truncation of meaning.

It turns out that email is a lousy way to communicate anything but cold, hard facts, figures and direction.

Daniel Goldman, author of "Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships" (Bantam) writes about this dichotomy in an October 7, 2007 article in the New York Times. In the article, Goldman writes "We tend to misinterpret positive email messages as more neutral, and neutral ones as more negative, than the sender intended."

Why? Goldman tells us it's because "Email can be emotionally impoverished when it comes to nonverbal messages that add nuance and valence to our words. The typed words are denuded of the rich, emotional context we convey in person or over the phone."

Goldman also quotes Clay Shirkey, an adjunct professor in NYU's interactive communication program, who pointedly says, "When you communicate with a group you only know through electronic channels, it's like having functional Asperger's Syndrome -- you are very logical and rational, but emotionally brittle."

It is for that reason that we encourage all of our employees to push away from the keyboard, and pick up the telephone. Moreover, we require our account service team to see their clients face-to-face at least once a month (if not more!). This is especially important when communicating difficult or complex news.

The article is a short, but very enlightening read. I encourage you to check it out here.

The bottom line, apparently: Skinny, emaciated women sell stuff

2008-07-30T16:21:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder why normal-sized, beautiful women put up with all of those high-fashion ads which seem to worship 78-pound skin-and-bones models? Apparently the reason is that ads featuring those models sell more stuff than ads featuring beautiful, normally-portioned females. Go figure.

A study conducted by business professors at Villanova University and at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ, formerly Trenton State College) found that ads that featured these undernourished waifs actually made women feel worse about themselves, but, astoundingly, worked better at selling the advertiser's product. The study was reported in the July 30 issue of AdvertisingAge.

How could that be? An ad that makes you feel rotten about yourself makes you buy more stuff from the company that has just, in effect, insulted you?

"The really interesting result we're seeing across multiple studies is that these thin models make women feel bad, but they like it," said Jeremy Kees, a business professor at Villanova.

Again, astounding.

But perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for us as a species after all.

The same story tells us that the now famous Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has already reached 4.5 million people. A Dove spokesperson hits the nail on the head as far as I am concerned.

His quote: "We believe women have the right to feel comfortable with their bodies and not suffer from lack of self-esteem brought on by images of excessive slimness."

What do YOU think? I'd be very interested in hearing opinions on the subject.

Just WHO won that war anyway?

2008-07-17T21:27:00.003-04:00

So, I was watching the Mets play the Cincinnati Reds, and Jerry Manuel went out to make a pitching change. My daughter (a recent college grad -- CONGRATS AGAIN!) grabbed the remote to flip on a show called "So You Think You Can Dance," a show that, it seems, is going to identify for us America's next great dancer.

Well, the cute host has a British accent. And (go figure) one of the "judges" is also a Brit.

It got me thinking: If one of our Founding Fathers came back to modern day America, and was watching one of the seemingly endless array of "reality TV" shows, they'd have to wonder if we actually LOST the Revolutionary War.

Why is it that America can't decide who our best singer, dancer, comedian, entertainer, etc. is without the "help" of some (usually curmudgeonly) British person?

We hold these truths to be self-evident

2008-07-04T22:25:00.000-04:00

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We all know those poignant words from the Declaration of Independence. If you haven't read through this beautifully-composed, incredibly important document in some time, it is well worth a re-read -- especially if you haven't thought much about it since high school.

Happy 4th of July.

Former Homeland Security Chief gets $480K -- And I'll bet he doesn't even know the song!

2008-06-26T17:16:00.011-04:00

So it seems that former Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge has done what many of our politicians seem to do -- he left government to make the really big bucks as a lobbyist.

Fine, I suppose. But follow the rules. If you are going to represent a foreign government, then register as an agent as required by LAW within the required time frame, and not, say 21 MONTHS LATE(!), as Governor Ridge did for his work on behalf or Albania -- work for which Ridge's firm was paid $480,000 per year (that works out to $40k per month!).

Better, still, the government of Albania could have saved all of that money by just shooting around a YouTube link to their song.

Albania, it seems, "borders on the Adriatic."

Social Media Mistakes of Five Big Marketers

2008-06-24T17:44:00.006-04:00

Wish I could take credit for this one, but I can't. Joseph Jaffe (the English marketing-guru-du jour) hits the nail right on the head. Check out this video from Ad Age.

Clueless School Administrator of the Year

2008-06-21T23:59:00.003-04:00

Every year we get one of these stories.

It seems that the principal of Mainland Regional High School in Linwood, NJ, Mr. Robert Blake, interrupted the commencement speech of salutatorian Jennifer Chau, had her microphone cut off, and escorted her off the dais. Why? Because it seems that Ms. Chau was about to lambaste the school administration for some perceived wrong.

Leaving aside the question of whether or not this was the appropriate time or place for Ms. Chau to air her grievances (What does she think this is? Festivus?), and also notwithstanding the school administration's prerogative to allow whatever speech they see fit at one of their functions, it seems to me that if Mr. Blake had allowed the young woman to have her say, it would have been a story in, maybe, The Press of Atlantic City the next day. Probably on page C3 or thereabouts.

But no. A story about "the man" silencing the poor young schoolgirl who just wanted to express her perceived First Amendment rights is big news. The story hit the Associated Press, and was carried in newspapers all over the country. And on radio and TV stations. And the story lasted for days.

The lesson? Not every battle is worth fighting OR winning. Had Mr. Blake allowed Ms. Chau to make her point, it would have been a small, local, one-day story -- and he would be getting praise for being a big enough man to allow biting criticism in such an august forum.

So this year's award for Clueless School Administrator of the Year goes to Mr. Robert Blake, principal of Mainland Regional High in Linwood, NJ.

Clueless PR on the Major League level

2008-06-18T11:46:00.002-04:00

Just when you thought the most clueless way to release a major league manager from his duties was the way the New York Yankees let Joe Torre drift in the wind last summer, along comes Omar Minaya of the crosstown rival New York Mets with his "Midnight Massacre" of Willie Randolph and several of his coaches.

Mets fans (disclosure: I am a die-hard fan of the Metropolitans) knew that Willie had to go. After last year's collapse against the Phillies -- THE PHILLIES!!! -- and after getting off to a sub .500 start this year, it was inevitable, and the team needed a kick in the rear.

So fine. Fire Willie. Only do it when he is HOME in New York, not after making him endure a 5-hour cross-country flight, and not after managing a game that ended in the wee small hours of the morning on the East Coast.

"Professional" baseball should be handled in a professional manner. Omar Minaya -- who many feel has much culpability himself in the team's misfortunes -- showed a lack of class, and a lack of professionalism. Get a clue, Omar. Get some good PR advice.

Better still, get us a first baseman who can hit with consistency.

Cell Phone Commandments

2008-06-09T03:51:00.000-04:00

If you read yesterday's blog post, you'll know where THIS is coming from.

Thinking about my cell-phones-on-airplanes rant prompted me to Google "cell phone etiquette." I found several interesting posts:

The Ten Commandments of cell phone etiquette was written by Dan Briody, and published on May 26, 2000 -- YES, OVER 8 YEARS AGO! -- in InfoWorld. It is still worth a read.

The Microsoft Small Business Center offers another look at the same issue in an article penned (there's a word that may become extinct in a generation!) by Joanna L. Krotz. Thanks, Joanna. You nailed it.

It's time, people, to take back our personal space from those who would subject us to their personal cell phone conversations! Are you with me?

You think SNAKES on a plane is scary...

2008-06-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

I was on a plane heading back to New Jersey yesterday, and the second we landed, the woman in the seat right behind me jumped on her cell phone as if she were a 1960's newspaper reporter on deadline rushing to a bank of pay phones to deliver the scoop on the 4-hour flight from Las Vegas .

Speaking in a voice that I am certain could be heard in first class, she recounted in glorious detail the 20-minute hold on the tarmac in Vegas, the poor-quality snack that Continental Airlines served us (it was ostensibly a cheese pizza, if you really need to know), the plot and full cast of the in-flight entertainment, and just about every bump, turn or movement the 737-800 made on its cross-continent journey.

It got me thinking about the proposal that is brewing to allow cell phone usage on commercial flights. I for one, would like to cast a vehement "NO!" vote on that. It's bad enough being cramped up in a coach-class seat for 4+ hours with nothing but "close" friends jammed in around you while watching a B-list movie, without having to hear chapter and verse about the troubles and tribulations of other put-upon travelers. Please, PLEASE FAA or whomever makes this decision, SPARE US!

The Case for PR at Trade Shows

2008-03-26T15:42:00.005-04:00

Managing media and our clients' overall message at trade shows is one of the most impactful and cost-effective services we provide.

Any way you look at it, trade shows are expensive. But in spending all of that money to develop a booth, ship product, train and send personnel to the show, prepare collateral (etc., etc., etc!) it only makes sense to look at every way to maximize your investment so that it yields the greatest return.

Getting the most from your trade shows requires a strategic approach that will attract prospects and generate interest in your company and your products. And, since trade shows are tremendous magnets for the media that cover your particular industry, it behooves you to work with the journalists in attendance to make sure they know and understand your messages, and have the latest news on your products, so they can carry it all forth for you into the broader marketplace.

Yet, many companies simply send their salespeople to the show, and hope that the media takes notice.

Regina Ragone, food director at Family Circle Magazine hits the nail on the head: "At food trade shows, for example, we'll see sales people at booths and displays — but no PR people will be in sight. I think that's a problem. I think you really should have a media relations presence onsite and it shouldn't be relegated to sales."

R&J Public Relations has designed a three-step program that helps our clients reach both journalists and key prospects – those in attendance as well as those not in attendance - before, during and after the show.

Well in advance of the show, we work with our clients to develop messaging and strategies. We conceive and plan special promotions in and around the show booth. We schedule editorial interviews, and develop press kits and other materials. To bring it all home, we conduct media training for key spokespeople, helping them to be comfortable and to “own” the message.

At the show, we coordinate and supervise meetings with journalists. We not only distribute press kits, we “work” the press room and the show media (“daily” magazines, television, Internet and radio). We compile competitive intelligence, and see to it that our clients are nominated for show awards. And we are on-site with our clients to assist them in all aspects of their communications efforts at the show.

Following the show, we conduct intense follow-up with the press, and fulfill all editorial requests for information. We engage the press to get our clients featured in post-show editorial coverage. If it is appropriate, we will undertake a post-show media tour.

Not all trade shows require this full-blown effort. But it makes tremendous business sense to prioritize the most important shows, and focus your resources on those. A good rule of thumb is, if the top media that cover your industry are going to be at a trade show, then your PR agency should be there with you as well.

British Guy Sees the Future of Advertising -- And It's PR!

2008-03-20T17:40:00.005-04:00

Ben Hourahine, "Futures Editor" at the mega Leo Burnett ad agency in London put together this snappy presentation where he predicts the "advertising trends of tomorrow."

Call me crazy, but so many of these are things that we lowly PR folk -- you know, those of us who don't have silly, self-important titles like "Futures Editor," and who can make our points without the services of the black turtle neck brigade flashing bizarre pull-out quotes all over the screen -- have been saying for years. Things like "creating swells," which PR has done for decades (albeit without the snappy name), building "community connections," using social media to drive acceptance, and brands taking on a "guardian role."

So, thank you, Ben, for looking into your crystal ball and letting us know that in the future, advertising will be playing catch-up to PR. Perhaps if we PR folk had just said it with multiple camera cuts and that cool British accent.....

Discovery Channel's New 'Time Warp' Show Makes the Invisible Visible

2008-03-18T23:04:00.001-04:00

There is a cool new show on The Discovery Channel, called "Time Warp." The basis of this show is to use ultra high-speed video cameras to "slow down" reality, and let our eyes finally see incredible sequences and events that happen in nanoseconds. Check it out here.

We at R&J Public Relations take special pride in this show, because the cameras used to capture and show us these amazing images are manufactured by our client, Vision Research. Vision Research is the world's benchmark for high-speed digital video cameras. The company designs and manufactures high-speed digital imaging systems used in defense, automotive, engineering, scientific and medical research, industrial and commercial, sports and entertainment, and digital broadcast and cinematography.

It was a Vision Research Phantom V-10 camera, operated by production company Inertia Unlimited for FOX Sports, that captured amazing footage of David Tyree's incredible against-the-helmet catch in Super Bowl XLII.

Coming Soon to Your TV -- Commercials Selected Just for YOU!

2008-03-12T17:28:00.002-04:00

The rub on television advertising has always been the colossal "waste circulation" that you had to buy in order to run a commercial. Sure, you knew that (most likely) a younger, predominantly male audience would be watching certain shows, like Two and a Half Men. And a more female-dominated audience could be counted on for shows like America's Next Top Model. But the ratings system, as it exists, typically counts all eyeballs, and you pay for each of them in buying a commercial.

But that could soon change.

A few companies are working on technology to deliver “addressable” commercials tailored to individual viewers, based on metrics including viewers' age, gender and location. These systems are touted as being "intuitive" in that they will "learn" about the viewers, and advertisers can then deliver their commercials directly to the eyeballs most likely to have an interest in that particular product.

Two of the companies working to roll out this technology are Packet Vision, a UK-based company that is focusing on the IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) platform, and Princeton, New Jersey-based Invidi Technologies, which is focused on cable and satellite delivery. In fact, the cable industry seems to have jumped in with both feet, funding a very secretive "Project Canoe" that will jump-start this initiative.

Either way, this new technology will be a boon to advertisers (far better targeting of their commercial messages), to TV providers (who can charge a premium to advertisers for this targeting) and to viewers, who won't have to sit through commercials that have no relevance to them whatsoever.

I expect these technologies will be the talk of the show at the upcoming National Association of Broadcasters Convention, coming up in Mid-April.

As they say in TV Land, stay tuned for more information!

Sony wins big with "Thriller" guerrilla marketing stunt

2008-03-10T11:20:00.003-04:00

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Michael Jackson's mega-hit album "Thriller," Sony/BMG Music has staged some really cool re-creations of the iconic dance number from the title track.

A story in the March 10 issue of The New York Times reports on groups in London, Copenhagen and Sydney seeming to spontaneously break into the zombie dance in crowded settings, only to melt away and back into the crowd when the dance is over, as if nothing ever happened.

These videos have now been viewed by well over a million people, all over the world.

It is what we "old timers" used to call a publicity stunt. Only now, we are calling it guerrilla marketing, and with the advent of YouTube and social media, these events get transmitted all over the world, making millions of impressions.

I give Sony/BMG a lot of credit. What is more recognizable a dance than Michael Jackson and his "Thriller" entourage of "zombies"? And to see otherwise normal-appearing folks (they are, in fact, trained professional dancers) in everyday settings all of a sudden breaking into a choreographed routine, well, it is genius.

I love the fact that the Times saw fit to report on it. My only nit-pick of a complaint is that they ran it under a banner that read "Advertising." In fact, this is what PR agencies do for their clients every day. Advertising folk only WISH they had the power to make this much of an impression for such a relatively small amount of money.

PR Pays Big?

2008-03-07T17:15:00.003-05:00

I had to stop and read Joan Whitlow's incredible story in today's Star-Ledger (for those of you from out of state, the Star-Ledger is the quasi-official state paper of New Jersey, and Tony Soprano's newspaper of choice).

Joan, one of New Jersey's most effective, insightful, and highly-regarded columnists, wrote a column for today's website entitled "PR Pays Big, Though Not For Public." The story it tells about sweetheart contracts to well-connected "marketing communications firms" in Newark is just heartbreaking to those of us who try very hard to run professional, buttoned-up PR firms, and who fight tooth-and-nail against perceptions that PR is somehow a "fluff" job, and that we are all just "flacks" who come in at the crack of noon, take a journalist out to lunch, then make a few phone calls before hitting the links.

Perhaps if I had a few of those $358,000 contracts from the Newark City Council, I could do just that!

The City needs a new website, and it SHOULD be communicating with its citizens far more frequently and far more aggressively and effectively than it has up until now. My suggestion? How about hiring REAL PROFESSIONALS and not some "made-up-just-to-get-this-contract" firm owned by someone's relative.

Mayor Booker: I offer my services -- FREE OF CHARGE TO THE CITY OF NEWARK -- to work with you to write a scope-of-work, to head up a selection committee, and to choose a PR firm for the City that will help you fulfill your promise of honest, effective, transparent government.

But I'm not holding my breath waiting for your call.

Some Blogs I Like

2008-02-27T10:04:00.004-05:00

Here are some PR-related blogs that I find useful and/or enjoyable. You should try a few of them out!

O'Dwyer's PR Blog (a great round-up of all things PR)

Harold Burson's Blog (Always gives you something to think about)

SPS Group Blog (I just met Dave in person today -- a real stand-up guy)

Peter Shankman's Blog (Peter is a real character, but a great and highly creative guy)

The Bad Pitch Blog (Where Richard Laermer and Kevin Dugan tell PR people the way it REALLY is!)

Trenton Makes (dumb rules) -- Newspapers Take (it on the chin)

2008-02-23T08:08:00.001-05:00

An area of concern for the advertising and PR community in New Jersey is a bill that would no longer require that legal notices be placed in newspapers around the state. The measure (A-1083), recently passed unanimously in the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee, would allow legal notices to be placed on official government websites, instead of in newspapers, as is currently required.

Passage of this bill would further weaken the financial health of newspapers -- at a time when many are already on life support. In addition, it is argued that Internet use is by no means universal, and there exists a significant population (mostly older) that does not yet have Internet access.

Since the state, also by law, sets the rates that newspapers can charge for this “legal advertising” -- at rates that have not changed since 1983 (when Ronald Reagan was President and many of us were humming Duran Duran’s “Rio”), the savings to the state and municipalities would not be as dramatic as you might at first think.

Given all of that, I believe there is no good reason that legal notices should not continue to be placed in newspapers and at the same time, on government websites. After all, shouldn't we be demanding MORE government transparency, and not less?

Perhaps there will come a day when legal advertising exclusively on government websites will make sense. I don't believe that time has arrived.

In a bizarre twist – even for New Jersey – at the same time that the government is seeking to save money by eliminating the requirement to post legal notices in newspapers, two bills, A 1092 and A-1106, would require newspapers to run certain political advertising free of charge.

Will SOMEONE in Trenton PLEASE wake up?

Karl Rove Champions PR

2008-02-05T17:45:00.001-05:00

Karl Rove (don’t stop reading here just because you don’t care for Mr. Rove – neither do I!) wrote an interesting op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal last week, commenting on the state of the Presidential campaigns to date.

In the piece, Rove makes a few interesting observations:

Rove states that, contrary to conventional wisdom, TV ads for candidates are not as effective in moving the electorate as they once were. “Voters are discounting advertising…relying more on personal exposure, information from social networks, alternative information sources like talk radio and the Internet and local media coverage,” said Rove.

What Rove is saying is that PR works far better than advertising in moving people on an emotional level – an argument you may have read once or twice before on this blog. (As an aside, I would argue that the ascent of John McCain on the Republican side argues against the importance of talk radio, where the vitriol against the Arizona Senator has been non-stop, but that is probably just Rove throwing a bone to his buddies.)

Then, Rove drops a bomb on advertising, by suggesting that the PR person is more important to a candidate than the advertising person. “The 20th century’s closing decades saw the rise of the TV ad man as the most potent operator in presidential campaigns. The 21st century’s opening decade is seeing the rise of the communications director and press spokesman as the more important figures on the campaign staff,” he tells us.

‘Nuff said.

Airline rant

2008-01-27T07:45:00.000-05:00

As someone who flies commercial airlines quite a bit, it always strikes me as curious why the carriers don't:

- Know from year to year that hundreds of thousands of people will be flying to large trade shows, like the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, every year at the same time. Couldn't they add a flight or two on those days when they know, from past experience, that the airports will be jammed to capacity, and that they will be bumping people off of flights left and right? Perhaps they could think ahead (for once; I know this is not their strong suit), and bring in larger planes for those days?

- Enforce carry-on rules. I see idiots getting on planes with bags that are WAY beyond restrictions. This causes others, who follow the rules but who might board later, to have to wrestle with their bags under their feet for a 5-hour flight. Worse, many of these people obviously think themselves superior to the rest of the flying public, and place these oversized bags in the first few overheads, as they stroll back to their seats in the back of the plane.

- Tell us the truth. Unless you're Jed Clampett, you know that a snow storm in Chicago will cause delays throughout the country. We get it. So tell us the truth (and keep us updated) about when we can expect to see a plane pulling up to our gate. Believe me, the folks in the Budweiser Brew Pub will appreciate the extra business as well!

What Automotive Repair can Teach us About Communication

2008-01-12T01:13:00.000-05:00

An old friend of mine, Blair Enns, tells the story of how his car was acting up one day. Sure that it was a matter of the tires being out of balance, he went to the local repair shop and paid to have all four wheels re-balanced, only to find that the car STILL had the same "shimmy" to it on the highway. Incensed, he went back and demanded that they "do something" about the problem.

When the mechanics looked at the car, they discovered that a broken tie-rod end was the culprit.

So who should he have been upset with? Fact is, he went to a place of business, and asked them to perform a service that they ordinarily sell. Upon reflection, he blamed himself, and paid for the subsequent repair (and learned a valuable lesson in the process).

I say the fact that he really didn't need the wheel balancing service, and ended up paying far more to fix the problem, is BOTH his fault and the fault of the repair shop.

On a very basic level, he got just what he deserved. He asked to buy something, and they sold it to him. On the other hand, a professional repair shop should have asked him some questions, and looked the car over before just jumping through whatever hoop the customer held up.

We in PR come face-to-face with this type of situation all the time. I can't tell you how often a client has come to me saying, "We need to hold a press conference!" More often than not, after reviewing the "news" that needs to be conveyed, discussing which journalists would most likely want to report on it, and the level of return that could be expected on what can be a pretty pricey investment, the decision is made to convey the news in a different manner.

The moral to the story: Make sure your PR agency (or ad agency, or marketing services firm, or whomever) isn't just "taking orders," but is really, really listening to you, getting to the heart of all of the issues, diagnosing your real need, and acting along with you as your partner in achieving real goals that will deliver tangible success.

Someone is Talking about YOUR Brand

2007-12-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

Used to be, in the "good old days," it was pretty easy to keep track of who was saying what about your company or product. Sign up for one of the national clipping services, wait a few weeks for the old women up in Maine to read the papers, cut out the story that you were mentioned in, and -- Voila! -- you had a pretty good idea of where you stood.

Nowadays, with the Internet and the proliferation of blogs, you don't have the luxury of waiting weeks for an envelope chock-full of clips.

The fact is, you probably need to sign up for Google Alerts. Better yet, familiarize yourself with one or more of the social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us

Technorati is currently tracking almost 113 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media. Try a Technorati search -- you may be surprised what you find!

Here's the bottom line: If someone is talking about your brand, it almost necessarily means others are listening. And you need to know what they are saying.

Build Strong Media Relations Well Before You "Need" the Media

2007-12-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

I am constantly amazed at how bitterly people complain about the media. Typically, they "don't understand" why the media doesn't report their "news" when they believe they have something important to tell.

This state of affairs is especially acute during a crisis situation, when communicating through the media is often vitally important.

One way to ensure some control over perceptions in these situations is to build strong relationships with the local media over time before the crisis ever happens. This ensures that when a crisis does occur, your media contacts are likely to be more respectful of, and potentially responsive to, the range of issues you are trying to address.

Establishing close media relations well in advance of when you "need" the media can add substantially to your credibility -- you don't want to be viewed running to the media and asking them to carry your water after ignoring them for years.

The News Never Changes, It Just Happens to Different People

2007-11-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

I'm often asked for my opinion of the very best example of crisis management. Everyone expects me to cite the Tylenol product tampering case of 1982.

In what is now a legend in crisis management circles, Johnson & Johnson, the makers of Tylenol, came out of the crisis even stronger, through an unprecedented and extraordinarily aggressive campaign that was marked by the speed with which they responded, the candor with which they communicated, and the profit-be-damned commitment to public safety that they demonstrated at every turn.

Unlike the Exxon Valdez oil disaster, or the Firestone tire fiasco, Johnson & Johnson didn't think first about lost profits. The reason that J&J was able to rescue a high-profit product that at the time commanded a whopping 35% of the OTC analgesic market, was that they immediately ordered a massive recall of more than 31 million bottles (with a retail value of more than $100 million), which assured the public that J&J had put the public's health and best interest first.

But surprisingly, the Tylenol product tampering case is not what I consider the "best" example of crisis management.

The best crisis management cases are the ones you never hear about.

Mostly, the reason you never hear about them is that the company (and most likely their PR agency) realized that a crisis can happen to anybody, at just about any time, and they prepared for how to act and respond when it inevitably does happen.

Here is the short version of what you and your company should be doing NOW, in advance of the inevitable chaos and scramble that a crisis will bring on:

1. First and foremost, agree that managing your organization's reputation is always "Job One." Hold close to your heart the admonition of Warren Buffet who once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to lose it.”

2. Conduct a "Vulnerability Assessment." What are your greatest risks? (make a list). Ask your CEO what keeps him or her awake at night? Identify and prioritize worst case scenarios.

3. Then fix what you can in advance.

4. Assign responsibilities and contingency accountabilities now, while cool heads can prevail, and outside of the glaring spotlight. Hash out any potential differences now with lawyers (who often want to immediately take over and stonewall the media -- which is almost always disastrous). Remember that somebody has to keep flying the plane (in other words, you still need to be able to do business while the crisis unfolds). Make sure you that you have someone at a high enough level whose job it is to NOT be immersed in the crisis, but to make sure that business continues as normally as possible.

5. Identify your media spokesperson, and have a back-up in case that person is unavailable. Then make sure they are professionally trained in how to best communicate with and through the media. (I often say that dealing with the media is a lot like playing golf. Virtually ANYBODY can do it, but it takes a fair amount of talent and a good deal of practice to shoot under par.)

6. Develop a briefing book with background materials and "talking points" for potential problems.

7. Like it or not, your employees are front line – get them ready. Publish policies that proscribe their speaking about the company with the media, but also put measures in place to communicate with your staff, giving them as much information as you can.

Almost all crises have consistent elements, which you can -- and should -- plan for in advance. In today's world, the media cycle is down to seconds. The Internet has made widespread communication almost instantaneous. Blogs allow rumors spread by your competitors.

Remember the old saying, "The news never changes, it just happens to different people." A crisis can happen any time and to any company. If you aren't prepared to tell your story, it is entirely probable that someone else will do it for you. Can you really afford NOT to be prepared?

Taking Offense With the Princeton Review, part 1

2007-11-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

The Princeton Review, which bills itself as "a leading provider of test preparation and educational support services" has a wonderfully Ivy League-sounding name. After all, what parent or prospective college student doesn't want to be considered "Princeton material?"

Turns out, The Princeton Review pretty much exists to prepare students to get better scores on their standardized tests. Which is fine. I have no problem with that. What I DO have a problem with is how they describe potential careers to young, impressionable students. In particular, the over-simplified, unsophisticated and dumbed-down information that they perpetrate about my chosen field -- public relations -- has me hopping mad, and (since I have this blog to blow off some steam) I feel the need to respond.

Here's how it begins: A public relations specialist is an image shaper. Their job is to generate positive publicity for their client and enhance their reputation. If you are a PR pro, you probably stopped and puked when you read "image shaper." If you speak the English language, you either had a little chuckle or just shook your head about the antecedent problem with the penultimate word. If you are writing this load of crap for The Princeton Review, you probably have no idea what I am talking about.

But worst of all, if you are a high school student thinking about making a monumental life decision by choosing a career, you are probably thinking that PR is a fluffy job with no real accountability for achieving solid, measurable results -- one big "truth-be-damned, let the good times roll" kind of a job.

It's time we as PR pros let people know just what it is that we DO for our clients. Here's the short version (pay attention Princeton Review): Public Relations is about communicating and building relationships. We build relationships for our clients with all of their important audiences and stakeholders. These relationships help our clients to do what it is that they do, better, more efficiently, and more effectively. Often that means helping them to sell more products or services. Just as often, it means communicating their vision and direction with their employees, so that they, in turn, see that they have a stake in the client's success, and are motivated to help the client to do more, do it better, and do it more effectively.

Our success usually depends on us developing relationships for our clients with their customers. This is often accomplished as a result of relationships that we have fostered with the press. These days, we can often encourage relationships and engage directly with customers, through social networking sites and other Internet venues.

Is "image shaping" a part of this? Of course it is. But calling PR pros "image shapers" is pretty much akin to calling doctors "pill prescribers." In both cases, those tasks are essential to our ultimate goals, but hardly the goal in and of itself.

I could go on and on for hours on this topic. Oh, and notice that I've only taken issue with The Princeton Review's opening sentences. There is more -- much more -- that I can say (that part about telling lies? Putting a "warm and fuzzy spin on a company's latest oil spill?" AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!), but it will have to wait for another day.

How to Launch a New Company or Product

2007-11-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to an article that I authored on how to launch a new company or product. It appeared in the November issue of New Jersey Business magazine. Enjoy.

Another Point of View about Facebook

2007-11-05T08:42:00.000-05:00

I just stumbled upon this interesting article from Daniel Lyons at Forbes. It's worth a read, especially if you are over 40 and somewhat stressed about either pulling the trigger on creating a Facebook page (that would be me, by the way), or wondering if your friends and business colleagues will see your existing page and somehow think less of you.

Buried within this somewhat whimsical and well-written piece are three facts that have just convinced me that I need to set up a Facebook page. They are:

- Facebook adds 200,000 new members every day.

- The site is one of the most popular destinations on the Web, with 54 billion page views per month.

- In May Facebook opened its site up to outside software developers, and now there are 3,000 additional applications created just for the site.

What does it all mean? Well, as Arlo Guthrie put it in "Alice's Restaurant:" (Again showing my age. And by the way, complain to Arlo about the non-politically correct language if you feel the need):

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day, I said fifty people a day walking in singin' a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

It seems to me that we have a movement on our hands. And I'm joining it.

Social Media: It's here. Get used to it

2007-11-01T12:23:00.000-04:00

"Social Media," one of the key components of the Web 2.0 revolution, is rapidly gaining strength and momentum, and exhibiting tremendous staying power. Not that it is a be-all/end-all, nor is it replacing the "traditional media," but nowadays if you don't have a strategy for incorporating social media into your marketing communications plan, you are missing a very large, very important and rapidly growing boat.

Just this week, Google's stock price raced through 700, due in large measure to anticipated demand for and use of new social networking applications. And last week, Microsoft handed over $240 million for a 1.6% stake in Facebook -- which works out to a perceived value of $15 billion (yes, that is BILLION with a "B") for Facebook.

The big boys are taking notice, and what they see is a very lucrative "the sky's the limit" market for the continuing surge of social media.

Need more proof? Take a look around at who is blogging these days. Around here at R&J, it's not only the old guy (me), but one of our up-and-coming superstar Account Coordinators, Crystal Decotiis. Take a look at Crystal's blog here.

Fake News is Bad News

2007-10-31T22:01:00.000-04:00

Is there ANYONE who thinks that FEMA's fake "press conference" last week was a good idea?

The staged press conference (story here) was called in haste (they knew that the media would need more than the 15 minutes' notice that was provided in order to attend), and actually carried live by MSNBC and Fox News who picked up FEMA's provided video feed (proving that both the left and the right are just as easily duped).

This odorous "event" has been blasted by everyone from the White House on down, including the Secretary of The Department of Homeland Security. Keith Olbermann summed up what most of us think about it on his "Countdown" program.

FEMA is in place to help coordinate a national response to natural disasters wherever they should occur in the US. Too bad they also seem to be manufacturing their own "man made" disasters as well.

Big Time Ad Man Sings PR's Praises

2007-10-28T21:22:00.000-04:00

Need more proof that PR is the communication vehicle that will drive brands and move consumers in the 21st century? Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP Group, one of the largest ad agency groups in the world, had to go before analysts last week and report on his firm's sluggish earnings. The bright spot? WPP's Public Relations and Public Affairs groups, which bucked the trend and reported strong growth. Seems even Sir Martin himself can read the authoritative, credible PR writing on the wall (and on the blog, and on Facebook, and yes, even in traditional media).

These days, just about everyone who speaks authoritatively about marketing communications sings the praises of PR over advertising.

Thanks to my friends at O'Dwyer's for bringing this story to light, and for reporting it so well in their blog.

And welcome aboard the PR bandwagon Sir Marty!

Joe Torre - Class Act

2007-10-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

Anyone who saw any of Joe Torre's "farewell" press conference yesterday has to be impressed by the class, dignity and honesty of this great manager. He handled himself wonderfully in a very difficult press situation -- answering honestly, and deftly demurring when asked questions that he was not yet ready to answer.

The point? Anyone who has to engage with the media would do well to watch a tape (or segments) of this press conference, to get an object lesson in how to handle a very difficult situation.

No doubt Torre will manage again -- he's earned that. And no doubt he will be fired again in the future (remember, he had three previous managerial jobs before the Yankees; Torre knows that managers are hired to be fired). But there is absolutely no doubt that when that day comes, he will go out on a high note, and, once again, handle himself as the class act that he is.

This is one Mets fan that has the greatest admiration for Joe Torre.

Tooting Our Own Horn

2007-10-11T17:05:00.000-04:00

R&J Public Relations received five first place awards and one second place award for excellence in communications during the 33rd annual JASPER Awards presented by the Jersey Shore Public Relations & Advertising Association. The awards ceremony, held at the PNC Bank Arts Center, recognized programs and individual works of creativity and excellence by companies throughout the state of New Jersey in the communication and advertising industry.

We’ve had many opportunities to develop and execute inventive, comprehensive and effective communication campaigns on behalf of our clients throughout the past year. It is an honor to be recognized by our peers in public relations and advertising, and I am very proud to see our employees’ hard work rewarded.

These awards mark a very successful completion of the 2007 "Awards Season," which saw R&J PR take home a PRSA Bronze Anvil (if you're not in PR, trust me, this is a big deal), a national Healthcare Marketing Gold Award, the "Best of Show" award from the New Jersey PRSA Chapter, along with seven Jersey Awards from the NJ Ad Club, and five Pyramid Awards from NJPRSA.

View our Bronze Anvil award-winning Video News Release here.

See our First Place JASPER award-winning Public Service Announcement on inhalant abuse education here (60 second version) or here (30 second version) or here (15 second version).

Slings and Arrows

2007-10-06T14:06:00.000-04:00

Usually I can absorb the slings and arrows of outrageous ignorance when it comes to the views of so many in the general public about the public relations profession. But sometimes I can't. Today is one of those days.

A columnist in the local Gannett newspaper chain here in New Jersey, Michael Riley, was offered a job in PR. He wrote about his horror at the thought of coming over to what he certainly perceives as "The dark side of the force" in today's column.

I just had to respond. Here's the email I just dashed off to Mr. Riley:

Mr. Riley,

I’m (usually) a big fan. In fact, just this morning, I roused my 16-year-old son from “my chair” at the kitchen table, specifically so I could “read Riley.”

That said, where do you get off denigrating the public relations profession? Your ignorance about what PR is, what it does for so many people, and the contributions the profession makes to society and the economy is, frankly, astounding.

In the spirit of full disclosure: I’ve been in PR for over 20 years, and I own a mid-sized PR agency in Bridgewater. Let me tell you just a few of the things that my agency has done over those years, and I’ll try to avoid unnecessary adjectives and adverbs like the “horribly terrible bubonic plague of olden times.” (No, I didn’t miss the slight). Here are a few:

- We mobilized a grass roots campaign that moved the New Jersey state legislature to change an antiquated law that was resulting in the unnecessary deaths of babies in need of heart transplants.
- We conceived and orchestrated a national educational effort on the dangers of teen and pre-teen abuse of inhalants, or “huffing” as they call it.
- We helped to bring about regulations that are now protecting at-risk populations (the elderly, the profoundly handicapped, etc.) through the mandated installation of fire sprinklers in residential settings.
- We have given voice to the needs of those recovering from the ravages of substance abuse, resulting in programs and regulations that are keeping more and more off drugs and in good, taxpaying jobs.
- We helped to overcome decades-old political opposition so that people in three suburban New York counties can now receive life-saving cardiac care without having to leave the state or travel to Manhattan.
- And yes, we have helped companies sell things from cameras to air horns, helping to keep a lot of people well employed, and able to feed their families.

I could go on, but I’m hoping you get the point.

Sure, there are some amateurs in public relations. But, by and large, most of the people I know in PR are real pros who know communication, and who take great pride in their work. You could do a hell of a lot worse than to “take such a job.” In fact, many journalists do successfully transition into PR, and go on to live happy, fulfilled lives. I know because some of them work for me. And not a week goes by that I don’t get a resume from a journalist seeking to go down “that particular rabbit hole.”

So, Riley, lighten up, and c’mon down off your high horse. But if you still want to go “toe-to-toe” on how journalism is somehow more noble than public relations, I have two words for you and your profession: Britney Spears.

Sincerely,

John Lonsdorf
President
R&J Public Relations, LLC
Bridgewater, NJ

The "most effective advertising medium"

2007-10-05T08:29:00.000-04:00

Thumbing through the morning paper, I came across a full page ad with the headline, "What is the most effective advertising medium in New Jersey?"

Much like Claude Rains in Cassablanca who was "Shocked -- SHOCKED -- to find that gambling is going on in here," imagine my utter surprise to learn that the New Jersey Newspaper Network thinks that newspapers are the "most effective" way for companies to advertise in New Jersey.

Don't get me wrong -- I LOVE newspapers (remember how this post started? With me reading the morning paper). But I also love the radio in my car. And TV. Magazines, too. And the Internet.

So, I would ask, why not have them all? (Spoiler alert: here comes the "commercial" for Public Relations.)

PR firms routinely target all of those, with the most audience-appropriate messages, and in the media that will best reach decision makers. Our clients regularly find themselves in newspapers, trade and general interest magazines, on television news, on the radio, and liberally distributed all over the Internet. Moreover, their message is delivered far more credibly and believably than ads, which people tend to look at with a jaundiced eye.

Almost EVERY successful major new product introduction in the past decade has been launched via a public relations campaign. There is a reason for this. PR works. It's credible. And it can deliver your message in the widest variety of media.

Powerful messages in the least expected place

2007-10-02T09:19:00.000-04:00

Those of us who have been following the ordeal of Lisa and Les in the comic strip Funky Winkerbean have been given an object lesson in just how effective and poignant communication can be in even this most simple and unexpected place. We all know the fate that inevitably awaits Lisa, who is in the final stages of a losing battle against cancer, but we still pull for her, and are moved on a daily basis by the little things that point to a life well lived. With few words and simple pictures, we are drawn to these people, and feel their pain. And it touches us deeply.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, O'Dwyer PR

2007-09-27T18:01:00.001-04:00

Our friends at O'Dwyer PR have joined the blogging revolution. Welcome Jack, John, Kevin, Greg, and all of the OTHER new PR bloggers.

Take a look at the O'Dwyer PR blog here:

http://www.odwyerpr.com/blog/

In defense of PR people

2007-09-24T17:22:00.000-04:00

All too often, PR people get a bad rap. The insipidly stupid "Jim Mike, PR Manager for the US Women's Soccer Team" is just the example du jour of PR-bashing.

In my experience, most PR people are real pros, who know how to handle a rough situation with poise, tact and professionalism. Take for example this piece (link below) from YouTube, where some prankster somehow obtained the cell phone number for YouTube's own PR representative, Julie. Sure it's funny. Sure he's "punked" her. And sure, it makes for entertaining watching.

What it also does is point out how totally unflappable, how truly professional and how incredibly patient she is. If public relations is all about connecting with people, Julie flat-out has it down. Take a look:

Remember Julie and her performance under extremely strange circumstances the next time some under-informed or ignorant person calls a PR pro a "flack" or "spin doctor."

(By the way, the "Jim Mike" thing aside, I am a HUGE Rainn Wilson fan, and absolutely love "The Office.")

PRSA

2007-09-12T18:15:00.000-04:00

Note to Jack O'Dwyer:

Jack, you make many very valid and insightful points regarding management of PRSA, and how they serve (or don't serve, as the case may be) the rank-and-file of the PR industry. That said, your refusal to use the "A" in PRSA comes across as a hissy-fit from an obstinate old man. Give it up.

But, please, Jack, don't give up on your quest to have PRSA better serve its members, to adopt more open policies, to employ PR professionals to do "PR for PR," and to implement sound and accepted fiscal and accounting policies.

August off

2007-09-04T14:09:00.000-04:00

Just a note to let you all know that I took August off from the blog, but hope to be back semi-irregularly in September. I've been thinking about some things, and will be sharing them with you soon. Stay tuned...

World’s Largest Advertiser Demonstrates PR’s ROI

2007-07-28T00:14:00.000-04:00

Procter & Gamble, the world’s largest advertiser with over 400 well-known consumer brands, recently concluded an in-depth, 18-month study of their marketing tools and tactics. The result yielded a bit of a surprise. P&G found that public relations more than any other discipline provided the best return on investment within the company's vast marketing mix.

P&G developed the study to measures its PR efforts in the context of, and in relation to, all of its other marketing efforts such as advertising, sponsorships, promotions, direct response, and merchandising. The study incorporates detailed analysis, including information on cost, scope, audience, geographic markets, and possible synergy with other marketing tactics.

The result? P&G’s findings showed a greater ROI from PR than other marketing discipline in four of the six brands tested.

Given the difficulty in measuring PR’s effectiveness (this is an age-old problem and a good subject for a subsequent post) it is gratifying that a sophisticated marketer like P&G has finally put their analytical muscle behind what we in the PR field have known for a long time – that pound for pound, PR is the most effective way to market a product or service.

As always, I'm happy to hear your feedback on this article. Post your thoughts, or email me at jlonsdorf@randjpr.com

Advertising People are Finally getting on the PR Bandwagon (What took them so long?)

2007-07-23T14:27:00.000-04:00

Ask any advertising “creative” person who the hot agency du jour is, and they will most likely answer Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the irreverent Miami-based firm that brought you the Burger King making a tackle in an NFL game, the Slim Jim “Snagalope” and Volkswagen’s “German Engineering in the House” campaigns.

Leaving aside the relative merits of those campaigns, what CPB’s CEO had to say last week in announcing that his firm had opened a PR division spoke volumes. Here are his words, as reported in the July 16 issue of PR Week:

“In truth, we have probably believed in PR more than advertising in terms of its power in the marketing mix. Everything that we’ve been a part of that has had any element of success has had large collaborations with PR.”

Virtually every major business book on marketing in the past several years has touted the power of PR. The most famous, of course, is the Al and Laura Reis tome The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR. A real sea-change is taking place in the marketing field. Smart marketers – including those with a stake in selling high-priced advertising campaigns – are joining the revolt. Will you get in before it has become a full-scale revolution?

Take Steps to Ensure That Your Brand is the One That You Want

2007-07-11T08:52:00.000-04:00

When speaking to many marketing people on the subject of branding, I often hear an exasperated response along the lines of, “We don’t do any branding, and as a matter of fact we don’t even have a brand!”

I try to remind them that, of course they have a brand, because a brand is, by definition, a mark of distinction that is representative of how your product is perceived by its intended target audience. Like it or not, every organization and every product out there has a fundamental “brand” in the eyes of its consumers.

Sadly, it may not be the brand they want!

It is important to realize that the branding of your organization is happening, with or without your participation. Perceptions of your brand are being shaped through experience, word of mouth, and every public act undertaken by the organization and its people. Even though you may not be actively shaping the perceptions of your brand in the marketplace, strong (and lasting) perceptions are still being formed.

This begs the question, if you are not actively managing your brand, then who or what is?

If you are not actively shaping your intended brand message in the marketplace, then you can be sure it’s being shaped either by consumer scuttlebutt, or worse, by your competition. Either way, are you content to let someone or something other than you determine what the marketplace perceives about your organization?

An appropriate analogy might be a car hurtling down the highway. The driver has chosen not to drive (he may be napping or is busy doing something “more important”) but that does not mean the car will not arrive somewhere – it will – we just don’t know where it will arrive, how suddenly it will get there, or whether we will need a tow truck, an ambulance or a hearse to clean up the mess.

The bottom line is you DO have a brand, and it is essential that you know exactly what your consumers’ perceptions of that brand are. If you are happy with those perceptions, then your next step is to develop a strategy to defend and enhance it. If, however, you need to change your brand perception, a strategic and comprehensive program to move public perception in your favor is in order.

Consider this: Strong brands are sought out by consumers, who are willing to pay a premium for those brands (studies show that strong brands command price premiums of, on average, 7% over lesser brands).

Let me know what you think. Respond or email me at Jlonsdorf@RandJpr.com.

# # #

jetBlue - Crisis Management

2007-06-02T09:21:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you why I admire David Neeleman. While I feel sympathy for the CEO of jetBlue (who's surely been taking quite a beating in the press lately), and I wouldn’t have wanted to be in his shoes for the past few weeks, I can honestly say he’s one of my PR Heros.

Why? Because despite all of the bad breaks, despite a number of missteps, despite all of the bad press, and despite the ritualistic media pile-on that he continues to endure, his airline will be just fine, thank you. And (as I predicted) passenger volume is back to near-normal.

It’s not because he was flawless in how he handled the Valentine's Day stranded passenger crisis (no, far from it, in fact). It’s because from the day he started jetBlue in 2001, Neeleman knew the secret to success:

Managing your reputation is Job One for every business.

From the airline’s very first day of operation, Neeleman and jetBlue went the extra mile to build customer support and trust. They listened – really listened – to what airline passengers were saying, and provided the services, the amenities and the atmosphere that passengers wanted, but were not getting from the bigger airlines. As a result, jetBlue’s passengers are among the most loyal in the airline industry – an industry that notoriously lacks customer allegiance.

When the crisis hit – brought about by a Valentine’s Day ice storm at the epicenter of jetBlue’s main hub in the Northeast – jetBlue was initially slow to respond (they were in “Stage One - Denial” of the five stages of crisis management – a good subject for a subsequent blog post). However, once they realized the full magnitude of the situation, Neeleman got “out in front” of the cascading failure, acknowledged that jetBlue’s performance was intolerable, and focused on making it right. This included an industry-first “Customer Bill of Rights,” and Neelman's realization that the airline was more important than his ego.

A less-respected (and yes, less liked) airline might never have recovered from such a total systematic breakdown. But jetBlue was fortunate to have had a generous supply of good will in the “reputation bank” – the most important “capital” to have in any crisis. And they have continued to pursue a customer-centric approach.

The result: While jetBlue still has more to do to earn back its customers’ trust, one horribly painful week-long incident will be forgiven, exchanged for the storehouse of goodwill that Neeleman and jetBlue were savvy enough to accumulate over the short lifespan of the airline.

We provide a good deal of crisis planning for our clients. In fact, we insist that our clients have a crisis communications plan in place. No matter what your industry, crisis preparedness and a plan for a disciplined response is a necessity. How your organization behaves and communicates during a crisis can be crucial to your future. But as I say to all of our clients, the best crisis management tactic is to make sure that you are favorably positioned and regarded well in advance of the crisis.

R&J Public Relations’ Crisis Management Practice helps companies anticipate, prepare for and manage complex situations. We work with corporate management teams to identify vulnerabilities and develop strategies and protocols that help our clients seize control of crisis situations and manage communications to help prevent problems and issues from escalating and spiraling out of control.

Tell me if you agree with me or not. I look forward to your perspective. Email me at Jlonsdorf@RandJpr.com.