Thursday, December 27, 2007
Hut one, hut two, hut three channels to see the big game!
I'm not the biggest fan of the NFL, but when my home team Patriots are set to make NFL history with the possibility of becoming the first team in NFL history to go undefeated with a 16-0 record, it's a little hard not to get wrapped up in all the excitement.
Until a few days ago, the game was only going to be seen on the very limited subscriber-based NFL Network. You can't help but laugh, or get upset, because the NFL Network is like trying to find a needle in the haystack - not every cable provider in the country offers the channel. Ouch! For die-hard fans, this meant that the historical game would be seen by less than 40% of the country.
So people made noise. A lot of noise. Even lawmakers got involved and the pressure and attention was brought straight to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Similar to my blog (or rant...) on the U.S. Postal Service putting a stop to toy drops at the post office, this is a clear case of a company doing the right thing and listening to its public.
As a result of all the clamoring, the game will now be seen on three stations: NBC, CBS and the NFL Network. You have to wonder, was it a marketing strategy gone bad? Did the NFL expect to see a spike in subscriptions as the big game day drew closer? Who knows, but if the NFL were my client, I'd give them a big pat on the back and let them know they did good. It's not often you see a company listen to its core audience, but low and behold, it happened. The NFL did the right thing, and that's good news for us Pats fans... or for those of us who like to get wrapped up in the exciting game-du-jour.
Until a few days ago, the game was only going to be seen on the very limited subscriber-based NFL Network. You can't help but laugh, or get upset, because the NFL Network is like trying to find a needle in the haystack - not every cable provider in the country offers the channel. Ouch! For die-hard fans, this meant that the historical game would be seen by less than 40% of the country.
So people made noise. A lot of noise. Even lawmakers got involved and the pressure and attention was brought straight to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Similar to my blog (or rant...) on the U.S. Postal Service putting a stop to toy drops at the post office, this is a clear case of a company doing the right thing and listening to its public.
As a result of all the clamoring, the game will now be seen on three stations: NBC, CBS and the NFL Network. You have to wonder, was it a marketing strategy gone bad? Did the NFL expect to see a spike in subscriptions as the big game day drew closer? Who knows, but if the NFL were my client, I'd give them a big pat on the back and let them know they did good. It's not often you see a company listen to its core audience, but low and behold, it happened. The NFL did the right thing, and that's good news for us Pats fans... or for those of us who like to get wrapped up in the exciting game-du-jour.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Horrible Article
Horrible, disgusting, trashy. That's how some of my senior public relations colleagues are describing the recent Wall Street Journal article, "Paying for PR -- But Only When It Works."
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB119782320047832221-lMyQjAxMDE3OTE3NzgxMjczWj.html
Not to mention that this practice of guaranteeing coverage is unethical. I have to laugh. What public relations professional would want to be named in such an article? The answer is none. Did they guarantee coverage for themselves in this article?
Just to be clear: One cannot promise coverage and be a professional. It implies things. And, those who pay those who promise what can't be promised don't get it, and their brands should be viewed with suspicion. What's more, what professional journalist would write such a piece? Do they realize the implications? Might there have been at least one more quote disputing this lower-than-low practice?
I feel slimy just having read the article.
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB119782320047832221-lMyQjAxMDE3OTE3NzgxMjczWj.html
Not to mention that this practice of guaranteeing coverage is unethical. I have to laugh. What public relations professional would want to be named in such an article? The answer is none. Did they guarantee coverage for themselves in this article?
Just to be clear: One cannot promise coverage and be a professional. It implies things. And, those who pay those who promise what can't be promised don't get it, and their brands should be viewed with suspicion. What's more, what professional journalist would write such a piece? Do they realize the implications? Might there have been at least one more quote disputing this lower-than-low practice?
I feel slimy just having read the article.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Nontraditional tactics are clever and produce results
A recent article on PRSA online reports about the findings of a comprehensive survey of media usage among consumers and communications professionals. The findings?
Advice from family and friends is the No. 1 source consumers turn to when making a variety of decisions — ranging from purchasing consumer electronics to planning a vacation — and advice from an expert rates highest when making medical decisions and purchases based on a product’s environmental impact. Despite the strong evidence that friends, family and experts play a key role in influencing decisions, only 24 percent of communicators report having a word-of-mouth program in place.
The takeaway? Communicators must focus on individuals and not just broadcast to the masses.
Most nontraditional approaches are focused on brand ambassadors connecting with a very specific target audience such as students at a college campus, guests attending an awards show or beach goers in southern California.
Our team has partnered with a company, Trashtalk, to coordinate Segway street teams for clients such as Bruegger's and the WNBA. Other recent campaigns include:
--Over five consecutive weekends Segway street teams distributed 100,000 restaurant branded sarongs and 125,000 coupons at beaches, malls, concerts and other events in southern California.
--57 college students at 24 campuses drove branded vehicles and distributed cases of Coca Cola's new ready-to-drink coffee, Planet Java.
--Completely wrapped two New York City buses with real clothes to demonstrate how much a small bottle of All laundry detergent can clean while distributing 75,000 coupons in 12 days.
--Curly's selected two soccer moms in seven markets to wrap their personal vehicles for two months to promote the product to their peers and attend sampling events.
Not only are these campaigns extremely creative and laser focused on a specific consumer but they also personalize the communication and create dialogue.
I don't know about you, but I would be much more influenced by my buddy in the flashy wrapped car. I wouldn't hesitate to try the product she was personally recommending.
Advice from family and friends is the No. 1 source consumers turn to when making a variety of decisions — ranging from purchasing consumer electronics to planning a vacation — and advice from an expert rates highest when making medical decisions and purchases based on a product’s environmental impact. Despite the strong evidence that friends, family and experts play a key role in influencing decisions, only 24 percent of communicators report having a word-of-mouth program in place.
The takeaway? Communicators must focus on individuals and not just broadcast to the masses.
Most nontraditional approaches are focused on brand ambassadors connecting with a very specific target audience such as students at a college campus, guests attending an awards show or beach goers in southern California.
Our team has partnered with a company, Trashtalk, to coordinate Segway street teams for clients such as Bruegger's and the WNBA. Other recent campaigns include:
--Over five consecutive weekends Segway street teams distributed 100,000 restaurant branded sarongs and 125,000 coupons at beaches, malls, concerts and other events in southern California.
--57 college students at 24 campuses drove branded vehicles and distributed cases of Coca Cola's new ready-to-drink coffee, Planet Java.
--Completely wrapped two New York City buses with real clothes to demonstrate how much a small bottle of All laundry detergent can clean while distributing 75,000 coupons in 12 days.
--Curly's selected two soccer moms in seven markets to wrap their personal vehicles for two months to promote the product to their peers and attend sampling events.
Not only are these campaigns extremely creative and laser focused on a specific consumer but they also personalize the communication and create dialogue.
I don't know about you, but I would be much more influenced by my buddy in the flashy wrapped car. I wouldn't hesitate to try the product she was personally recommending.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
The Toy Drive Is On - Again
For the last 15 years, Connecticut post offices have served as collection points for the Toys for Tots program. It's a pretty logical partnership, if you ask me. If you think about it, the postal service has the real estate and offers just about every single town a convenient place to drop off toys.
Low and behold, somewhere along the way, someone rocked the boat. For the first time ever, the grinches at the U.S. Postal Service in Connecticut banned the collections saying that it violated their policy of soliciting to customers. Bah humbug!
The media was all over this, and rightfully so. It was a story that stirred up a lot of emotion in people and hordes of complaints filed into the post offices. The sad thing is that the children and families that benefit from Toys for Tots are the ones who ultimately lose out.
Fast forward to nearly two weeks later and the public outcry has taken full effect. Postal officials have come to their senses and recently announced that the ban has been lifted. So my question is this - did the U.S. Postal Service handle this the right way? Is lifting the ban the right thing to do? I think it was.
I'd like to hear from public relations professionals out there on whether or not the post office made the right choice. If this was your client, what would you have recommended? How would you have handled things?
Low and behold, somewhere along the way, someone rocked the boat. For the first time ever, the grinches at the U.S. Postal Service in Connecticut banned the collections saying that it violated their policy of soliciting to customers. Bah humbug!
The media was all over this, and rightfully so. It was a story that stirred up a lot of emotion in people and hordes of complaints filed into the post offices. The sad thing is that the children and families that benefit from Toys for Tots are the ones who ultimately lose out.
Fast forward to nearly two weeks later and the public outcry has taken full effect. Postal officials have come to their senses and recently announced that the ban has been lifted. So my question is this - did the U.S. Postal Service handle this the right way? Is lifting the ban the right thing to do? I think it was.
I'd like to hear from public relations professionals out there on whether or not the post office made the right choice. If this was your client, what would you have recommended? How would you have handled things?
Monday, December 10, 2007
The O Factor
As public relations professionals, one of the things that gets our blood pumping is that big media hit. It makes us feel good and it makes our clients feel even better. The Today Show, USA Today, or Live With Regis & Kelly are just a few of the big media opportunities that many PR pros often dream of landing their story, product or client on.
Now imagine the product you're pitching is the American presidency and you land it on the Oprah Winfrey show. Wait a second! This is actually happening, sort of. By now you've probably read the headlines and stories just about everywhere regarding Oprah Winfrey endorsing Barack Obama's Democratic nomination campaign. Let's face it, there's probably no one better than the queen of daytime television to get behind your product and help create awareness and influence the public. We're all familiar with the power Winfrey possesses - she just has to mention a book and it becomes an instant best seller, or name her favorite product and it flies off of store shelves. Winfrey has the power to influence millions, but can she influence people's vote?
Time will tell and no one is quite clear as to what Winfrey will bring to Barack's campaign. If I had to guess it would be that she's brought a new level of awareness to Barack by reaching out to her millions of faithful viewers. And if that's the strategy, then it has already paid off.
Now imagine the product you're pitching is the American presidency and you land it on the Oprah Winfrey show. Wait a second! This is actually happening, sort of. By now you've probably read the headlines and stories just about everywhere regarding Oprah Winfrey endorsing Barack Obama's Democratic nomination campaign. Let's face it, there's probably no one better than the queen of daytime television to get behind your product and help create awareness and influence the public. We're all familiar with the power Winfrey possesses - she just has to mention a book and it becomes an instant best seller, or name her favorite product and it flies off of store shelves. Winfrey has the power to influence millions, but can she influence people's vote?
Time will tell and no one is quite clear as to what Winfrey will bring to Barack's campaign. If I had to guess it would be that she's brought a new level of awareness to Barack by reaching out to her millions of faithful viewers. And if that's the strategy, then it has already paid off.
Monday, December 3, 2007
The Bell Jar
Don Imus is back. I listened to a clip of Mr. Imus this morning on NPR. He explained that what he said about the basketball team was wrong and how he's gone back and reviewed interviews during his last days on CBS. He now realizes it didn't matter how many good deeds he had done for charity, people shouldn't have cared because there was no excuse for what he had said and that using that defense did not offset the negative.
I think he's trying to set a new stage. Is now the time to come clean or is he simply repeating the negative? The answer is simple: He is on the offensive knowing that the media will do its job by reminding us what transpired last spring. He is trying to put his crisis behind him once and for all so that his new effort can be successful.
Imus also said that he'll use his new show on New York's WABC to further race relations. That's good news indeed. Do you think this time he has professional public relations counsel behind him?
I believe that he might have avoided a great deal of pain had he sought proper public relations counsel and taken a different path last April. No matter what your feelings about Imus are, his future will be interesting. I would imagine that many will be watching and taking note. You might say that he'll be under the bell jar.
Don Imus is back. I listened to a clip of Mr. Imus this morning on NPR. He explained that what he said about the basketball team was wrong and how he's gone back and reviewed interviews during his last days on CBS. He now realizes it didn't matter how many good deeds he had done for charity, people shouldn't have cared because there was no excuse for what he had said and that using that defense did not offset the negative.
I think he's trying to set a new stage. Is now the time to come clean or is he simply repeating the negative? The answer is simple: He is on the offensive knowing that the media will do its job by reminding us what transpired last spring. He is trying to put his crisis behind him once and for all so that his new effort can be successful.
Imus also said that he'll use his new show on New York's WABC to further race relations. That's good news indeed. Do you think this time he has professional public relations counsel behind him?
I believe that he might have avoided a great deal of pain had he sought proper public relations counsel and taken a different path last April. No matter what your feelings about Imus are, his future will be interesting. I would imagine that many will be watching and taking note. You might say that he'll be under the bell jar.
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