Publishing Bad News/Good News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.