Month: March 2005

From all the e-mails, phone calls, voicemails, face-to-face- meetings, conference calls, newspapers, magazines, blogs, RSS Feeds, websites, radio, TV and post I consumed yesterday – thousands of pieces of information – one thing stuck out.  One quote has been going around my head:

�they no longer had to worry about Janet Arvizo (Gavin�s mother) because they had put her on tape and they were going to make her look like a crack whore�.

That is a quote from Ann Kite recounting a conversation she had with Michael Jackson’s lawyers.  Kite was paid $20,000 a month to act as Public Relations officer for Michael Jackson.

I don’t intend to cover the Jackson trial, I have no opinions to offer on the matter, but that quote is powerful.

Talking with a variety of people with a vested interest in the health of the technology business, you get the feeling that there is a little bit of guarded optimisim in the air.  Things seem to be lightening somewhat, but we aren’t out of the woods yet.

Customers are still nervous and the technology business still hasn’t recovered its credibility from the excesses of the Internet doom. In the meantime, other indicators such as IT advertising continue to lag.

By way of illustration, Mike Manuel points to a CNET story on how there are plans afoot to make further in the technology coverage in many of the largest newspapers.

“A survey of newspaper reading habits from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) published last year (but drawing on data from early 2003) found that science and technology sections drew in just 22 percent of adult newspaper readers. That put the category just ahead of the last place finisher–fashion–and well behind general news, the leader with 70 percent.”

So while things are improving, the technology business isn’t driving interest like it did back when everyone was scared of missing the Internet gold rush. This inertia affects everyone in the technology business, from industry behemoths such as Microsoft and IBM to mid-size vendors, start-ups and all the tertiary industries that count on the technology business for significant revenue… PR being one.

On this very point, Tim Dyson ponders whether the larger technology firms should be marketing the industry as well as their organization:

“Of course the other way of looking at it is to say the tech industry, which is the most competitive industry on the planet, needs to do better PR not for each company but for the industry itself. The tech industry is huge and will get a heck of a lot bigger in the next decade. Growth rates may not be in the 100% range but it will outgrow the GDP of every developed nation of that I�m sure. With such a healthy long term outlook the market ought to be backing the industry. In the coming months the larger tech companies should, in my view, start to consider doing PR not just for themselves but the industry at large. Perhaps then Wall Street will start to pay some positive attention.”

Interesting idea.  What’s for sure is that any plans for that start-up launch where you rent central park for the day, hire U2 to entertain 250,000 guests and paint every New York cab purple for the day, should probably be put on ice till next year. Oh and don’t forget to send me an invitation….

There’s loads of excellent content and opinions across all the PR blogs.  Here’s a selection of the current PR memes in blogland…

 Paul Griffo gives his pitch on why PR people should embrace the term “flack”:

“PR people, note how computer geniuses have adopted the term geek. That’s refreshingly honest. Or how about the indispensable policy wonks? When I hear either of these terms, I think, “Now there’s a group of people who are brilliant, but yet don’t take themselves too seriously.” The world needs more people like that.”

 

 Profnet’s MediaInsider offers some tips on writing financial press release from Ann Sommerlath, assistant business editor at the Associated Press.

“The biggest mistake in an earnings release is when a company doesn’t itemize gains or charges that affect the current period, or provide “real” non-GAAP and GAAP figures with a detailed explanation of how they differ and why. We’re looking for the figures that compare with what analysts expect. Another problem is when a company presents tables that are reversed. Normally, the columns are labeled with the most recent period on the left. As we’re focused on speed, switching the traditional format can really slow us down.”

 

 ZDNET journalist David Berlind is very impressed with Scalix CEO Julie Farris following her wilingness to engage in a public conversation via the comments section on Berlind’s blog regarding her company’s products.  It’s a good example of good first person communications. Thanks to Steve Rubel for the link.

“Public relations personnel cringe at the idea of executives diving into the blogosphere and mixing it up with the press and end users. Maybe that’s because of how the blogosphere prevents them from interceding when an executive is about to say something that shouldn’t be said. Personally, I think it makes both the executives and the company seem more open and approachable.”

 

 Trevor Cook has a guest editorial from Talespin author Gerry McCusker on why he believes that press release-based media stories should be clearly labelled as such.

“Don�t get me wrong; I�m all for transparency and playing fair, but a lot of PR�s still get paid for �under the radar� message communication. And a lot of newsrooms rely on PR briefings and backgrounders to help them shape the stories they put out. But if VNR�s merit such clear labelling, why not press releases?”

 

 The New Communications Forum blogzine is out covering ethical blogging, the risk of blog-related libel, increasing visibility online and offline and many more articles including Elizabeth Albrycht‘s thoughts on the emergence of a new communication model.

 

 Neville Hobson reviews a Wall Street Journal article on how blogs can not only attract potential customers, but keep them coming back.

 

 Jeremy Pepper argues that blogs are a complimentary addition to a company’s communications programs, but it’s not for everyone.

“And, yes, I am recommending to a few clients that they do adopt a blogging strategy. But, only as it fits into their overall marketing mix. Not every business needs a blog, because not every business has the time for a blog.”

 

 Dan Gillmor points to the Citizen Journalist Starter Pack sounds like it might be useful for a number of crisis management teams…

 

 Hans Kullin has documented over 200 Nordic media RSS feeds.

 

  Steven Phenix offers the ten most important elements of a corporate press room.

 

Catherine Helzerman has created a PR message board designed to get people discussing the issues of the day, sharing knowledge etc.

There’s a whole host of different discussion areas from public relations to analyst releases, agency life, jobs links etc.

 Trevor Cook has a very thoughtful opinion piece on the recent spate of PR- and Media-related cash for comment scandals.

 

 Another PR CEO blogger joins the growing ranks.  Steven Blinn, President and CEO of BlinnPR has kicked off a blog.

 

 Parry Headrick was in touch with me about a new PR service being launched by SHIFT Communications.  They are planning to offer clients a PR/Sales Extranet where a client’s sales people can find the latest news, press coverage, competitive information etc. Sounds like an interesting service, albeit fraught with dificulty.  Ensuring a client’s sales people will take advantage of the resources will require a lot of work on the client-side.  However, SHIFT deserve plaudits for trying to push PR’s contribution to the sales process.

 

 The Portland Press Herald has an article on the importance for PR in management. It’s a useful beginner’s guide to PR.

 

 John Strauber provides an alternative review of Denise Deegan‘s book “Managing Activism: A Guide to Dealing with Activists and Pressure Groups”.  He is unimpressed.

“As someone who has spent the last decade investigating the seamy side of the “perceptions management” industry, I wish I could tell you that this book is a gold mine of revelation, but for me it is not. Still, I recommend that my fellow citizens read this book. It is written in classroom text-like fashion, and the author is careful to put the best face on her profession and not include advice that might offend the atypical reader. Nevertheless, it can help people working for democratic social change to understand the often successful ways in which we are targeted for defeat, especially the “good cop/bad cop” tactic for dividing and conquering activists through “partnering” and co-optation by industry. For activists, Deegan’s book provides a primer on how to recognize these traps and hopefully avoid them.”

 

As I wrote yesterday the marketing environment continues to evolve and blogs are one of the tools that are assisting in that process of change.

One of the major benefits of blogging – either writing or reading – is that it creates informal networks of like-minded people all around the “Interweb”. On a personal level I’ve built a whole range of informal relationships through these very web pages.

An even better example of the blog’s ability to bring people together is a new company that launched yesterday.  Blogging Planet aims to provide:

“… counsel and training to organizations in Europe and the United States on how to effectively adopt new communications tools such as business blogging, wikis, RSS feeds, podcasts, and more for a wide variety of corporate functions, including corporate communications, marketing, public relations, employee communications and investor relations.”

Three of the individuals behind Blogging Planet will be well known to anyone who reguarly reads PR-related blogs: Elizabeth Albrycht, Guillaume de Gardier, Neville Hobson.

I’d like to wish them all the best in their new endeavour.