Category: General

 Nooked are conducting two online surveys to find out how journalists, analysts, bloggers and marketing communications practitioners are using RSS.  You can find the journalist, analyst, blogger survey here and the Marcoms survey here.

 

 David Berlind was recently interviewed by PR Week on the topic of media transparency. (via Andy Lark)

“Established media is coming under attack as a result of some serious and unfortunate gaffes in credibility. The timing of that coincided with the uprising of an alternative source of information: the blogosphere. Leading up to the WebCred conference at Harvard [where established media and bloggers met], there was a lot of clamor about journalists needing to be more transparent. I took that to heart, and said, “Well, my credibility has not yet been called into question, but it’s probably only a matter of time that it is.” A lot of people were talking about transparency, but not many were practicing it. The only way we were going to move the needle on transparency is if someone starts doing it. The best definition I could come up with for transparency was to un-obscure that which is obscured. Generally speaking, the press obscures the raw material behind the work they do.”

 

 Is the essence of good media relations sending bad news about your client’s competitors to the media?  Some agencies obviously think so.

 

 Philip Young is presenting a paper on Ethics in PR Practice next week.  Philip provides an abstract online.

 

 Jeremy Pepper has published a couple of interesting interviews with Howard Rubenstein and Ronn Torossian.

Howard Rubenstein: “I dropped out of Harvard Law School after 2 months, knowing I did not want to practice law. I opened my business at my mother’s kitchen table with one account that billed at $100/month. My father was the Crime Reporter for New York Herald Tribune and he taught me to write in a newsworthy way, how to place articles; he set me on my career. I stuck with it, and built my agency to what it is today. The second important moment was finishing law school at top of the class, sticking to it and then coming back to PR.”

 

 Jim Horton bemoans the arrival of a new service from PR firm Qorvis Communications that aims to teach journalists and politicians to be better communicators on-air. Interestingly this is a service that has been offered by an Irish PR firm for many many years.  They have been so successful marketing the course that practically every political party uses the service.  The result?  Regardless of political views or the issue involved they all sound remarkably similar.  We’ve become accustomed to hearing every politician mutter “I’m glad you asked me that” in response to any difficult question as they desperately try and collect their thoughts. I think in the long run, these “services” become self-defeating – after all being different and honest is often more memorable.

Jim also points to some recent research that points out that blogs aren’t ubiquitous. The message is don’t believe the hype.

 

 Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson have released two more installments of their excellent PR podcast For Immediate Release: Podcast #15 and Podcast #14. Is it just me or is Steve Rubel the scarlet pimpernel? Poor Shel and Neville seek him here, Shel and Neville seek him there…

 

 Phil Gomes shares a potential client’s desire for some astro-turfing consulting.

 

 Jeremy Pepper discusses how important it is for PR (and marketing) people to get closer to the customer and get an understanding of what they are thinking.

“If you are in a public relations department, here’s a suggestion: work down in customer service for a day. Answer the phones, answer the emails. Do you really know what your customers are saying, or are you too insulated in the PR department? You want to know the real issues for your company, spend a day in the trenches of customer service. Then, work with the head of CS to ensure that messaging is consistent across the board. Should the two departments be connected? Of course not, that’s close to impossible. But, they should work together.”

 

 Steve Rubel links to an interesting story from The Digital Age that looks at the intersection of RSS and newspapers.

 

 Trevor Cook points out a recent survey in Australia that found that 74% of PR practitioners are female. 

 

 Andy Lark points to Tim Bray‘s thesis on why blogging is good for your career.  Andy also adds his own points and in a separate post, highlights some more dubious VNRs.

 

 Although not specifically about Public Relations, can you believe its five years since the last days of the Internet empire?  Like every empire before it, the Internet’s fall followed the usual pattern, slow initial growth, massive opportunities, wild excess and a terrifying fall. Andrew Smith has some great links to coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Internet bubble’s burst. Also Check out Om Malik‘s collection of links. 

Just back from vacation and working through the usual work backlog. 

One item of housekeeping, Joe has been kindly in touch to point out the danger of online translation tools.  I was in fact on vacation/holiday in Spain and not on “a holy day”.

It should have read “Estoy de vacaciones en Espa�

You can get away with nothing online…. not even bad Spanish.

I am delighted to report that PR Opinions will be quiet until March 14, 2005.

Estoy el d�de fiesta en Espa� (courtesy of Google)

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.

 

Successful marketing and Public Relations programs adapt to changes in their audiences.  Whether those changes are the adoption of new technology or changes in behavior, it’s essential that programs reflect those differences.

There’s a lot of hype online about blogs and RSS, which are both growing nicely, and they will ultimately become an everyday part of corporate and personal marketing campaigns. But there are other changes afoot.

The Cluetrain Manifesto has finally infiltrated marketing departments around the world.  Marketers are increasingly aware of the need to reach out and connect with consumers and influencers in a personal manner. Blogs are one of the tools which enable this person-centric communication, but it’s broader than blogs.

We need to think about how we engage with our audience.  How do they find information, how do they share that information.  There’s loads of opportunities for organizations that think through these issues.  The important point is that you need to be addressing these changes.  They still apply to a small proportion of the total market, but it’s growing fast.

James Cherkoff has published a ChangeThis manifesto titled “What is Open Source Marketing” which looks at many of these issues.  Just as James Governor over at Red Monk believes industry analysts can learn from the success of Open Source, Cherkoff tries to apply some of the same open source principles to general marketing practice.

“A new breed of marketers is emerging with a different vision of the world. Inspired by websites such as The Cluetrain Manifesto, they understand the mindset of the modern consumer and the influence of open source values.”

Cherkoff provides an interesting read and also offers some modern context for this growth in the number of consumers actively choosing what information they will use and where they will find it.

Although the original Cluetrain book is nearly six years old, it should still be your starting point on this journey. While the economy and technology have moved in the meantime, it still provides the best thinking on the need for organizations to learn about one-to-one communication.

Footnote:

Dan Gillmor‘s book We the media is another must-read if you’re interested in how your audience and media are changing.