Category: General

 Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz have released their third PR podcast. This week’s program covers RSS, iPod Shuffle,  New Communications Forum 2005 and blogging in the workplace amongst other topics. In a related subject, Steve Rubel recommends a podcast with Robert Scoble on how blogs are impacting business.

 Colin McKay has two very interesting posts.  First a look at how Unilever handles the marketing of a consumer food product that generates passionate fans and detractors in equal measure. Marmite is a spread made from yeast extract (mmmm..).  Its distinctice taste is not for everyone, but rather than ignore this love-hate divide, Unliver uses it very cleverly with seperate websites for people who love and hate of the product. The Guardian has an article on the 100 year anniversary of Marmite.

Secondly, Colin points to a story (Free registration required) from the Guardian on how media planners are going to greater lengths to secure new business pitches… and how basic slip-ups can undo all the hard work:

“In another, following a successful pitch, an agency director left his notepad, on which he had jotted, “We’re going to have trouble with the c*** in the glasses”, under the nose of the said bespectacled client. Needless to say, the business was taken elsewhere.”

 Mark Borkowski writes in the Guardian (that’s a lot of Guardian links today…) about the growing democratization of PR…

“There is no doubt that People Power is getting stronger and corporations more jumpy. So they should be. We’re all more in tune with what is a stunt, hatched for publicity, and what are genuine product benefits. In future, when a human voice cuts through the robotic chanting of advertising copy and the blandness of today’s political rhetoric, we must cheer it wholeheartedly.”

 Mike Manuel extends his thesis on the importance of media-facing blogs for PR people:

“When you think about this in the context of PR, you can point at all sorts of audiences where strong and consistent lines of communication are important, including employees, customers, partners, and yes of course, journalists.  In fact, I think the media � especially the tech media � provide PR peeps with a very compelling reason to consider something akin to a communicator�s corridor, or rather a password-protected blog designed exclusively for communicating with this particular audience.”

 Michael Kaplan offers some advice on getting the most from your PR agency.

 Robb Hecht points to another indicator that Lizzie Grubman is successfully navigating comeback trail.

 A (ahem) software solution to writing effective press releases……

 

David Davis from Mediabuddies was in touch to let me know that they have released the “first global study into lifestyles of press and broadcast journalists, advertising and public relation people”.

The survey included 256 respondents, 53% men 47% women in the United States, United Kingdom and 29 other countries. 

The survey group worked an average of 43 hours a week with a hard working 5% claiming over 80 hours a week.

88% of PR respondents believe in what they produce, which is good to hear and 83% saw themselves as hard working.

Only 2% of the total sample hoped their children would follow in their footsteps….

You can find more detailed results from the Mediabuddies newsroom, unfortunately they don’t provide links to individual press releases…

 

 Of all the detritus you often find in large office buildings probably the worst are the “motivational” posters. Mike Manuel provides a great antidote with a link to Despair.com. One of my favorites: Despair: It’s always darkest just before it goes pitch black” – Fantastic. Mike also offers some thoughts on blogs and PR and on a related note Steve Rubel links to Brian Bailey’s “10 steps to building a better blog”.

 Jim Horton is a recommended daily read (and probably the original online PR pioneer).  He provides interesting, real world experiences each week.  Recently he wrote about dealing with the “hatchet reporter” – you know it’s going to be bad but just how bad is in the balance, and an account of a recently saved business pitch.

 Matthew Podby points out an AP article on the use of dreaded buzz words such as experience, scalable etc. in technology marketing. Though in an attempt at a weak defence of technology marketers they aren’t alone, what about all those non-industry specific terms like granular, leverage et al. Technology may be one of the worst offenders but you find them everywhere!

 Randy Wombold looks at the recent Corvette launch from the perspective of the technology PR practitioner.

 Richard Edelman has some sensible comments on the whole VNR saga, as does Shel Holtz.

 BL Ochman has a great link to a post from Seth Godin which includes some interesting comments from Danny Sullivan:

�Search marketing is more than buying ads — SEO is the search world’s equivalent to public relations.”

I wholeheartedly agree. 

 

Richard Bailey provides a link to a great discussion on Public Relations which took place last week on the UK’s BBC Radio 4 program The Message.

The program includes Gerry McCusker, author of the recent book on PR disasters, Anne Gregory Vice President of the Institute of Public Relations, UK PR guru and erstwhile blogger Mark Borkowski.

It’s recommend listening. 

News that I missed last week, Datamonitor is to acquire UK firm Butler Group for �11m ($18m approx). More consolidation this time primarily in the UK market.  Of course as always this will probably open the way for more boutique research firms.

Footnote:

Thanks to DrewB for the link.

 

I feel fairly comfortable claiming that this is the first PR blog in Hungary.  It’s not updated terribly often but it’s notable nonetheless.

Update:

The ever vigilant Constantin Basturea has thankfully been in touch to let me know that the blog is written by Damjanovich Nebojsa and he covered the Global PR Blog Week in his weblog last year. Thanks Constantin!

 The Fleishman-Hillard crisis in LA continues apace with news that a former executive has been indicted on 11 felony counts of wire fraud. The firm gave this formal response in December.

 Matthew Podboy highlights BusinessWeek’s excellent new technology blog. He also has some interesting comments related to my previous post:

“Online communications is a new tool, not a new tool-shed. If you think it’s a whole new tool-shed that can’t share space with the other tools available to PR consultants – then good luck to you.  You’re going to need eyes in the back of your head to deposition the PR consultants who learn this stuff and incorporate it into their on-going programs.”

 Jeremy Pepper points out that the PRSA and the Council for PR Firms aren’t criticizing Ketchum for the VNR snafu.  Just as well some of the PR blogging community are. It’s nothing personal just poor practice and decision making. Ben Silverman has some additional comments and it looks like the drama is set to run.

 PR’s profile is bad enough already without us all being mistaken for advertising executives :-).

 A first for PR Opinions a look at Public Relations in Boxing…

“A few years ago I was working a club fight in the Boston area, sitting at ringside near one of the fighter’s corner. At the end of a round the ref looked down at me and said, ‘Get in here and look at him’ I didn’t know what he was talking about. They he yelled at me, ‘For Christ sakes, Doc, get in here and look at him.’ With a somewhat puzzled look on my face, I looked up and said, ‘I’m just the publicist.'”

 The UK’s Brand Republic has an article on “Why advertising, marketing and PR pros should blog” written by blogger Bob Cargill.

The media business is facing a challenging competitive market, but instead of the traditional competition from a small number of long-established competitors, the competitive landscape is changing. 

As Peggy Noonan writes in the Wall Street Journal:

“American journalism is no longer a castle, and you are no longer the serf who cannot breach its walls. The castle doors have been forced open. Other voices have access. Bloggers for instance don’t just walk in and out, they have offices in the castle walls.”

If you are a regular visitor to this blog, you’ll know that I am a passionate believer in incremental change.  It’s rare for a new development to completely change or displace an incumbent – regardless of the hyperbole.  Instead the new entrant normally takes its place alongside the establishment. Blogs are no different in this regard. Blogs won’t remove the need for traditional media but they are extending the spectrum. I’ve been writing this blog for three years and I still consume newspapers, magazines, radio and TV (as well as innumerous other blogs).

Blogs have created an innovator’s dilemma for the media business.  They (and other technologies such as RSS, podcasting etc.) have emerged because first and foremost they have lowered the barriers to entry. Secondly mainstream media have for the most part, become staid and homogenous, reporting broadly the same news and events.  Blogs on the other hand tackle far more diverse issues and topics and of course provide a wider spectrum of opinion – though this may or may not be good depending on your point of view.

The major challenge for the media business is that as blogs become widely adopted there will be a change in the media mix.  If a consumer reads blogs then they are likely to still read newspapers and magazines, watch TV and listen to the radio – but it’s also likely that the proportionate mix will change.  Perhaps the consumer will reduce TV time or read a smaller number of magazines.  That’s the challenge.

For Public Relations practitioners the challenge is about understanding that mix.  You need to understand where your audience is and how they are finding information. Once you have that valuable information, you need to use it wisely and communicate using the tools your audience prefer. This is why it is so important that this profession steps up and embraces the changes taking place online.

For the media business it’s time to innovate.  It’s time to understand your audience, what parts of your business are meeting your customers’ needs and what elements need to evolve and adapt to the changes happening around you.

There’s no reason why the large media incumbents can’t continue to be successful and prosperous, however one thing is for sure, the competitive environment is extending far beyond the simple measures of ratings and circulation. It’s time to embrace change and meet the market. Ignoring these changes will create a whole new generation of extinct companies.

Footnote:

Thanks to Dee Rambeau for the link to Peggy Noonan’s column.

This is a PR blog, though given I am a gadget fiend, I make no apologies for the incursion of technology products from time to time.

At this stage there are few people in the developed world who haven’t seen the Apple’s latest innovation, the Mac mini. 

Following the recent company-saving innovations of the iMac and the iPod/iTunes combination, the Mac mini looks like yet another step forward and another graphic demonstration of why we need alternatives to the PC clone makers.  The Mac mini starts at $499, though you’d definetely want to increase the memory and hard drive on the basic model.  If there’s any justice it will prove a huge success.

In a vain attempt at linking this post to Public Relations… emmm didn’t they get a lot of coverage? OK I admit it’s pure technology envy…

Ketchum would want to re-evaluate their VNR business.  Is the revenue worth all the grief they are getting?

The fact they’ve been using Karen Ryan in the past is worrying to say the least, given the uproar that followed previous VNRs.  As a result the response to the Armstrong Williams appearance can’t have been a surprise.

Tell me they can’t have been surprised. 

Did they even remember the furore around VNRs last year?

This article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has the most daming quote of all:

Meanwhile, at least one descendant of the original founders would rather not hear the Ketchum name again associated with this sort of situation.

Carlton Ketchum, a great-nephew of the two founders, works at an insurance agency in town and has never been a part of the agency business. But the distinctive moniker means people he meets frequently ask if he is related to the firm.

He admits it could be much worse. “I’m glad my last name isn’t Enron.”

As I’ve said before, VNRs do have a role to play.  It can provide useful visual background material, but it is not editorial and any parties trying to present it as such have crossed the line between PR and propoganda.