Playing ball….
The challenge of managing the PR surrouding the youngest GM in Major League baseball (not to mention at one of the highest profile clubs) is an interesting read in the Boston Globe….
“If you try to control image, you’re going to drive yourself crazy. Far better to have good people that you don’t need to control. Just go with it. Public relations is easy if you have good people to go with it.”
“We’re safer here than in the U.S”….
A Wall Street Journal article which looks at the difficulties in doing PR for the Middle East right now, includes an unfortunate turn of phrase from one of the PR practitioners interviewed for the piece:
“To be honest, we’re safer here than in the U.S.,” she says. “Nobody is going to bomb their own.”
Indeed…. the comment doesn’t really encourage you to travel there does it?
IDC launches new service for IT marketing….
It’s very quiet out there today. The only interesting bit of news I’ve come across is from industry analyst firm IDC, who, according to Technology Marketing magazine have launched a new service aimed at marketing executives. The service will gather marketing performance data from around the industry and create benchmarks which can be used in measuring marketing programs. More information is here 
PR in war, the Google brand and PR in local government….
Wonder what’s it’s like doing PR on the front lines? A story in the KnoxNews looks at how Lt. Linda Rojas handles 600 reporters in Kuwait.
If you’d like to try your hand at it, why not have a look at CNN’s student assigment: “Develop a public relations strategy for Mr. Bush or his opponents”.
Interesting article by Monica Horten from UK marketing firm Pragnetix on how Google has built a brand without using the tools traditional associated with brand building.
Baltimore are turning to professional PR help in improving how the city government delivers PR programs.
Ethical treatment of PR professionals…..
Given that our profession regularly suffers from the sub-standard work and ethics of a very small minority of shady “practitioners”, a strong professional code of ethics is vital.
So the news that the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (Global Alliance), which represents national public relations associations around the globe, has announced that member organizations have agreed to standardize on a professional code of ethics by the end of 2005 is great news.
Here is the proposed wording.
This new work on ethics will supplement existing national codes and the existing international code of ethics known as the Code of Athens.
Crisis communications online…..
The Internet clearly has created an environment where crisis can occur faster and more frequently. Over the past few days many marketing websites and blogs have been abuzz with what was purported to be the latest Puma print ads. [Viewer discretion advised :-)] The ads are “controversial” to say the least.
The first stories claimed these ads were from Brazil, while other reports claimed they were from a campaign in Europe.
Puma have now come out with an official statement that these ads are in fact fake.
In parallel, Puma are conducting an outreach program to blogs that are carrying the ads (and the companies hosting those blogs) in an effort to have the offending ads removed.
So Puma are fire-fighting a crisis solely enabled by the Internet.
Now there’s a Nokia ad doing the rounds [Cat lovers beware] that may or may not be real but is sure to cause a stir.
The Internet is viral – and like any good superhero you can use that power for good or evil….
Update: Sarah Carey believes the Puma furore is a double bluff. She thinks that there’s a good chance (given the professional quality of the shots) that they sent these ads out themselves to stir up a bit of controversy and are now releasing statements disowning them…. this is getting complicated!
Training for the Internet….
Back in September I revisited the excellent Cluetrain Manifesto. Even in the post-Internet crash economy, the book has a lot of good lessons for all communicators.
My respect for the Cluetrain means that when some of the book’s authors come together and publish their thoughts on the Internet then I for one, sit down and read.
Doc Searls and David Weinberger have crafted World of Ends which looks at explaining in simple terms what the Internet is really about.
It’s a fantastic piece of reality and if your head is still spinning from my post about PR and the Internet, World of Ends makes a lot of sense.
Media buzz is buzzing….
Deborah Branscum is back blogging regularly and it’s a recommended blog for anyone interested in some interesting views on the media world.
Whether or not you agree with Deborah’s point-of-view (and I do in most cases) it’s thought provoking stuff.
Among the more recent postings was reportage on the comments from a Fleishman-Hillard exec:
“Feed a Flack, Bomb Iraq sez PR Watch about this lovely little item from the fine folks at O’Dwyers: ” ‘Let’s have this damn war and get it over with it,’ said Doug Dowie, a senior vice president at the Fleishman-Hillard PR firm. Speaking at a Los Angeles meeting of the Public Relations Society of America, Dowie complained that uncertainty connected with the Iraq war has paralyzed client spending. ‘The sooner we get there the better off most of us are going to be,’ he predicted.” (subscribers only: http://www.odwyerpr.com/members/0303get_iraq_over_with.htm)”
Google Dancing….
Well Google is finishing it’s search update for the month. Find out more at Google Dance.
The ultimate conference giveaway….
Picture the scene.
You are sitting around the conference table with the marketing group. You are half way through planning and organizing a user conference for your customers. The venue is booked, you have the entertainment, your partner conference hall is fully booked out. Thousands of your customers are already confirmed, the media is showing high levels of interest in attending. Everyone is motivated and ready.
Towards the end of today’s agenda is an item concerning attendee packs. You know the usual stuff, conference guides, computer bags etc. Someone to your left pipes up.
“I’ve a great idea,” he blurts. Everyone turns to him.
“Let’s give all the attendees dolls in the image of our executive team with bobbing heads.”
Do you: a) Ask the proposer to take a drug test or b) Break into spontaneous applause?
Murphy's Law 