Clueless PR on the Major League level

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

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...

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

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!

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

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!

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!