Murphy's Law

Ryan May has found an article on NewsForge, a site dedicated to Linux and Open Source, on “Getting Good PR for your Open Source Project”.

It’s a good simple overview of the basics of good media relations. I don’t think it’ll shake the fundamentals of the PR business, but it’s always useful to refresh best practice and the article does a good job of it.

It also links to my favorite media relations guide, the Care and Feeding of the Press by Esther Schindler – which is always worth another read. 

Two new PR-related weblogs to report.

Steve Rubel has kicked off a new PR blog called Micro Persuasion which looks at “how blogs and participatory journalism are impacing the practice of public relations”.

Media Culpa is concerned with “incoherent opinions about media and public relations” – author at this point unknown 🙂

There’s has been loads of fantastic PR content posted while I was away, here I present a selection as much for my own reference as anything else!

 Constantin Basturea has a very interesting interview with Billy McCormac of JKL blog on corporate blogging. JKL are a Nordic strategic marketing firm with a multi-lingual blog. 

“PR professionals should help clients build a solid foundation for the blogging effort. First and foremost they should help craft the weblog policy. Second, they should educate potential bloggers in the dos and don’ts of blogging, and introduce them to blog-style writing.”

 Greg Brooks writes about Google’s “restrictive” PR activities whic walk the tightrope between promoting the company and protecting competitive information.

 Jim Horton has uncovered an interesting speech from David Weinberger on how the Internet takes the control of information away from marketers. I personally think this is one of the immediate impacts the Internet has had on Public Relations, where historically we liked to think we “controlled” the flow and release of information.  Not anymore I’m afraid.  It’s the reason the Internet has created such a productive environment for crises.

 Trevor Cook covers the recent Yanelovich study which found that 60% of consumers have a more negative opinion of marketing than they did a couple of years ago and 64% are worried about the motives of marketers and advertisers.  I don’t think those findings are a shock, though I’m amazed people are concerned about the motives of marketers and advertisers.  I think the motives are crystal clear… shifting product.

 Colin McKay ponders the Google IPO and has a great link to a Hill & Knowlton presentation (PPT required) on how PR works in the IPO process from 2001

 Elizabeth Albrycht has had an article on blogging (PDF) published in PR Tactics.

“The purpose of a corporate blog is to spark informal conversations about the organization and its products and/or services among current and potential customers, partners, resellers, media, industry influencers etc.”

 Robb Hecht points to a story from Advertising Week on the slump in PR billings in the US – down 5.5% in 2003 (as against a rise in Ad billings of 6.1%). Interestingly the survey found clients were hiring firms more for “arms and legs” than strategic counselling. This sounds like the typical corporate response to a downturn where marketing investment must be tied to specific metrics or results. Other surveys contradict the findings in this survey, but what is clear is that we’re not out of the woods yet.

 Jeremy Pepper links to a story in the Washington Post (free registration required) on using the Internet for Guerilla Marketing.

“All this is a reaction to the fact that traditional media marketing is crumbling, just crumbling,” says Jeff Hicks, president of the Miami-based advertising firm Crispin Porter & Bogusky.

Interestingly Ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky  (Flash Warning) are getting a lot of airtime at the moment, there’s a big profile of them in the current issue of  Business 2.0.

 Stuart Bruce highlights two recent UK stories on PR. The Guardian on the (ahem) acceptable face of PR and the Observer covers the changing face of financial PR.

 Meanwhile Phil Gomes shares his desktop!

Good morning. Well after an enjoyable absence I’m back. Looks like things were very busy in my absence…

As I reported last week, postings will be sparse (read non-existent!) on the PR Opinions blog until next Monday. 

Thanks to everyone who has been in touch, I’ll try and respond to your e-mails early next week.

 

Keith O’Brien, Editor at PR Week has written an excellent story on the rising influence of blogs, particularly in specific markets – in this case the gadget market.

“My advice for PR people is that you ignore Engadget and other blogs at your own peril. It doesn’t mean that [PR people] should instantaneously start soliciting a new blog. It doesn’t mean that you have to try to pitch 5,000 blogs; it just behooves you to pay attention to the ones that have an effect,” said Peter Rojas, editor of Engadget (and the former editor of Gizmodo).

I think Peter hits the nail on the head.  Be aware of the blogs that matter to your client and employer.  Just as you read the trades, read the blogs.  If you think a blog can help move the needle for your client, then contact them carefully.  When I say carefully I mean that you need to understand the nature of blogs.

These websites do not subscribe to the usual media-PR relationship.  Some bloggers will welcome an opportunity to talk with you – some will not. Don’t just whack a press release to them, don’t misrepresent yourself.

Blog relations is different to media relations, to succeed you must understand those differences.

Computerworld has an interesting feature on the tools available for measuring online reputation.

“Reputation management is one of the most important components of a successful PR department, but it is also one of our greatest challenges,” says Dan Miller, public relations manager at PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., a health care provider in Cypress, Calif. Miller says his five-person department has struggled to find the time to adequately assess what’s going on in the industry and has relied on an outside consulting firm to perform a manual analysis of what’s being said about PacifiCare in print and on the Web.

Microsoft has unveiled a new online resource for developers called Channel 9.  It combines blogs and discussion forums and aims to promote better interaction between Microsoft and third party software developers.

According to the site’s rules:

“Channel 9 is all about the conversation,” according to the posted rules. “Channel 9 should inspire Microsoft and our customers to talk in an honest and human voice. Channel 9 is not a marketing tool, not a PR tool, not a lead-generation tool.”

I wonder if that was written by a Microsoft PR person?

So Microsoft’s Channel 9 is all about conversations, all about interaction and better communication with customers, but it’s not about Public Relations.

Ahem. Indeed.

So would anyone there like to explain what PR is? In this case the author obviously views PR as a euphenism for some dark, hidden and nefarious practice. To me Channel 9 is all about Public Relations.

The news that subpoenas have been served on Fleishman-Hillard by the Los Angeles attorney’s office has been widely covered in the media.

According to one of the stories:
“a source with knowledge of them said the subpoenas are very “broad,” and give the appearance of being a “fishing expedition.”

Richard S. Kline, Fleishman-Hillard’s regional president and senior partner commented that:

“We’re cooperating fully with them,” Kline said. “From our standpoint, to the best of our knowledge, we’ve performed our business for the city of Los Angeles in a totally appropriate manner.”

There’s little actual fact in any of the stories and we should remember that one is innocent until proven guilty.