Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Death at a Press Conference
As a public relations professional, I have heard many
interesting stories over the years about press conferences going horribly
wrong. From product demos not working properly to botched interviews to
breaking news events across town forcing all of the gathered press to
unexpectedly pack up and leave… I have heard a lot of nightmare tales of the
best laid PR plans going awry. But never had I heard of the star of a press
conference being killed at his very own event… until now.
Last week, a small zoo in eastern Germany held a press conference
to introduce the world to its newest attraction, a 17-day-old rare bunny named
Til who was born with a genetic defect of having no ears. The cute, earless and
shy Til was hiding in some hay on the floor waiting for his big moment while
the media in the room was setting up its cameras and getting ready to meet Til.
That’s when the big moment came… While setting up his equipment, a TV cameraman
took a step backwards and stepped on the tiny Til… killing him instantly, abruptly
ending the press conference and making cute, earless bunnies even rarer.
The shocked director of the zoo later explained that Til
“did not suffer” as the crushing misstep was a direct hit and that the
cameraman was “distraught” over the accident. What a bummer press conference.
As a PR practitioner, you never want years of therapy to follow your press
conferences. Instead, hopefully everybody makes it out the other side alive
with some good resulting press coverage as long as it’s not an obituary.
To add insult to injury, zoo officials have reportedly
frozen Til’s body until they decide whether or not to have him stuffed. Suddenly,
I am feeling pretty good about my next press conference.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Homelessness…a new digital career?
Using the
homeless for internet access…and I thought getting a free connection in
Starbucks was unique.
At last week’s
SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX, New York City based advertising agency, Bartle,
Bogle and Hegarty (BBH), introduced festival goers to the first “Homeless
Hotspot,” a trial initiative aimed at improving the lives of the homeless, as
well as providing the public with an instant internet connection outside of
normal business centers and coffee shops.
Throughout
the festival, homeless individuals from the Front Steps Shelter in Austin had
the opportunity to sign up for the Homeless Hotspot program. Each participant received
a MiFi device and t-shirt which read, “I’m (insert name), a 4G hotspot” (see
photo). Customers could approach the homeless person and login to the 4G
network using their phones/tablets/laptops for a quick internet connection. The
homeless were paid $50 up front for their service, and were able to keep any
tips received. Customers were encouraged to donate $2 for every 15 minutes of
internet usage.
While some
critics argue that such a program exploits and takes advantage of the homeless,
others believe it to be beneficial to the lives of the homeless and an
opportunity to aid and assist those less fortunate. When some of the homeless
participating in the program were asked, many said what they enjoyed most about
the initiative was the human interaction, when usually they were ignored or
treated as nonexistent. To them, it wasn’t only putting quick money into their hands;
it made them feel as though they had a purpose. One man said this was the first
honest job and honest living he made in a long time.
However, since
receiving national attention, the backlash received from around the country has
halted future plans for Homeless Hotspots at this time in cities such as New
York. Although I admire BBH’s innovative
and creative, outside the box idea, and would probably use this service if
offered, I do think it could cause additional controversy if the trend were to
spread. For example, I am not homeless, but what if I wanted to stand outside
and let people pay me for internet access? Could the program turn you down for
not being homeless? What might start as an honest way and innocent way to
assist those less fortunate could end up a way for others to take advantage of
the program.
Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com
Monday, March 19, 2012
BAD LUCK FOR HORSE RACING AND PR
By Chris Daley
Like most horse racing fans I was eager to watch the pilot
episode of Luck when HBO gave a sneak preview of the show in
December. Luck boasted great writing and an all-star cast, with
horse racing footage that would keep you on the edge of your seat. After
one-and-a-half episodes, I feel asleep.
I tried to keep an open mind, but the show just didn’t do it
for me and I didn’t think it would last very long. Taking the horse
racing scenes out of it, the story lines weren’t captivating, and I didn’t feel
like wasting hours of my time waiting for characters to develop.
But there was some hope as I followed along people in the
horse racing industry on Twitter. The National Thoroughbred Racing
Association (NTRA) hosted a successful #LuckChat on Twitter each Monday night
with actors from the show and fans of horse racing. Although I didn’t
participate, the discussions were fun to follow and more interesting than the
show.
This week HBO pulled the plug on the Luck, they say,
as a result of three unfortunate horse deaths behind-the-scenes. The news
has caused quite a stir from animal rights activists, horse racing fans and
other people that have no idea what they are talking about. The story put
horse racing in the mainstream for the wrong reasons. People who don’t
normally follow the sport are now captured by negative headlines, and people
have been coming out from everywhere calling for the sport to re-evaluate all
of its safety measures.
It’s pretty clear HBO was trying to pull a clever PR
maneuver and use the accidental horse deaths as a way out so they wouldn’t have
to say they were cancelling the show because of its declining ratings. As
someone who works in the industry of horse racing and public relations, I
didn’t like this strategy at all and felt it was a little sleazy. The irony is
that in the pilot episode of Luck, the show glorified a fatality on the
race track, and just a couple months later the creators of the show cancel it
because of accidents they couldn’t control.
When the show first aired, I heard many people say that Luck
was great sports marketing. Yes, to have a show about a sport that needs
help drawing the mainstream audience can be a good thing. However, in
this case the attempt to create a mainstream television program about horse
racing backfired, which hurt the sport and gave a bad impression of what public
relations professionals do for a living.
Chris Daley is a Senior Account Executive at Maroon PR.Contact him at Chris@MaroonPR.com
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Building Your Brand beyond the Field
Whether it is Peyton Manning trending on Twitter or a March
Madness bracket consuming your work week, one thing is for sure – sports is no
longer simply a game. The sports world
as we knew it has evolved from an isolated competition into an entirely new
ecosystem of sports entertainment.
That’s the belief of Beverly Macy of the Huffington Post – and I tend to agree with her. She described in a recent article that aggressive marketing changed sports at the professional, collegiate, and even local levels into “sports entertainment.” Sports entertainment - a phrase once reserved for steel chair-wheeling professional wrestlers now encompasses everything from a Coach’s post-game tirade to an athlete’s high ankle sprain.
And at the center of it all is social media. A world that first gained popularity in
sports from athletes putting their foot in their mouth, transformed into a medium
that allows an individual to contact thousands of fans – potentially generating
millions of dollars through appearances and endorsements. With that type of exposure, brand awareness
becomes essential.
A brand is not simply a logo. It is not a business card, letterhead, or a website design. In my opinion, a brand is the reaction a person gets when they hear a name. For example, when I say “Nike” – what do you think of? As a brand manager, if there is a negative perception it is my job to change that. If there is a positive reaction, I want to reinforce it. That’s what makes a successful brand, I believe.
A brand is not simply a logo. It is not a business card, letterhead, or a website design. In my opinion, a brand is the reaction a person gets when they hear a name. For example, when I say “Nike” – what do you think of? As a brand manager, if there is a negative perception it is my job to change that. If there is a positive reaction, I want to reinforce it. That’s what makes a successful brand, I believe.
An athlete’s social media perception needs the same brand
management. Professional athletes are
already fortunate enough to have thousands, if not millions, of fans. With strategic use of social media platforms,
an athlete can easily build a brand strong enough to turn their on-field fans
into loyal followers for life. With that
sort of incentive, I would not be surprised to see more athletes focusing as
hard on their social media campaigns as they do on their sport.
Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.
Pete DeLuca is Manager of Creative Services at Maroon PR. Contact him at Pete@MaroonPR.com.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Oh Tweet! What is Free Speech in a Social Media World?
Buried amidst the Peyton Manning soap opera, the glory of
championship week, and NBA and NHL regular season madness was a short, couple
graph story from the Associated Press about Twitter violations by NCAA
athletes.
Jen Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jennifer@MaroonPR.com.
Yesterday, the University of Michigan football team received
a verbal commitment from Ohio high school junior linebacker Mike McCray to play for the Wolverines starting in 2013. As a junior, McCray was
only allowed to verbally commit to the Wolverines, not sign a National Letter
of Intent, or a contract stating he will play for the school. A verbal commitment
is non-binding and allows the recruit to continue the recruiting process if he
so chooses.
Shortly after McCray committed, two current Michigan
football players tweeted at him to congratulate him on being a Wolverine. One,
redshirt senior wide receiver Roy Roundtree, attended the same high school as
McCray. Redshirt senior linebacker Kenny Demens, the other tweeter, did not. Michigan
was then informed that they may have broken a secondary NCAA violation which prohibits someone
affiliated with a school from sending messages to recruits via social media.
The issue, or non-issue as many would argue, brings up a
couple of questions: does the NCAA, or an individual institution, have the
right to monitor what its members say online? Is there a difference between
interaction via social media and interactions in person? Does one’s speech
being public, and in many ways permanent, change the definition of it being
free?
Social media is, by definition, social. It allows us to communicate
with people in quick, short bursts no matter location or time of day. But
social media is also a powerful news and marketing tool. There’s a difference
between talking to a friend in a restaurant and communicating with someone for
the whole world to see. College athletic departments are brands, as is the
NCAA, and they want to protect that image. Neither tweet was incriminating, nor
did they offer the promise of lavish gifts, or anything at all. But Roundtree and Demen did break a (silly)
rule and it briefly hurt the athletic department’s image and credibility.
In all likelihood the NCAA MAY slap the Wolverines on the
wrist. On an ever increasing list of possible violations being committed around
the country, a congratulatory tweet from a couple players is miniscule at best.
However, schools are wising up to the importance of maintaining an image on
social media. The University of North Carolina has stringent social media rules for theirstudent-athletes, and many others may follow suit. The College Sports
Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) put out their own list of Twitter tips forstudent-athletes. It focuses a lot on not only maintaining the college’s
brand, but the student-athletes’ personal brand as well. And if you think professional
athletes aren’t immune from Tweet-lash, outside the confines of the NCAA, think
of Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rashard Mendenhall.
Free speech on social media is one of many issues facing
collegiate athletics, yet it applies to students, companies, pretty much
everyone. For individuals and companies out there on social media just
remember: you are what you tweet!
Jen Schiller is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Jennifer@MaroonPR.com.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Very PINTERESTing
By Katy Fincham
If you haven’t already heard of the latest social media craze, Pinterest, then you’ve clearly been living under a rock! A co-worker showed the site to me back in December, right in the peak of the hype, and like many, I signed up for just for the heck of it. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, I had to wait for an invite…basically an approval of my inquiry to join the “cool kids club.” Ever since then, I’ve been addicted!
According to research reported by Mashable.com, Pinterest is currently dominated by female users (87%) between the ages of 25 – 54. The site has quickly grown to 11.4 million users in less than a year, with the largest jump in the last four months. As a 27-year-old female who is currently planning a wedding, I am the average user. But as someone who works in the PR industry, my company has taken quick notice to the unique opportunity to help our clients brand themselves on a new social platform.
Mashable.com recently suggested eight strategies for launching your brand presence on Pinterest. These strategies mentioned include:
Happy Pinning!
Katy Fincham is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.
If you haven’t already heard of the latest social media craze, Pinterest, then you’ve clearly been living under a rock! A co-worker showed the site to me back in December, right in the peak of the hype, and like many, I signed up for just for the heck of it. Unlike Facebook or Twitter, I had to wait for an invite…basically an approval of my inquiry to join the “cool kids club.” Ever since then, I’ve been addicted!
According to research reported by Mashable.com, Pinterest is currently dominated by female users (87%) between the ages of 25 – 54. The site has quickly grown to 11.4 million users in less than a year, with the largest jump in the last four months. As a 27-year-old female who is currently planning a wedding, I am the average user. But as someone who works in the PR industry, my company has taken quick notice to the unique opportunity to help our clients brand themselves on a new social platform.
Mashable.com recently suggested eight strategies for launching your brand presence on Pinterest. These strategies mentioned include:
- Reserve Your Space - Just like you would reserve your Facebook or Twitter handle, you should make sure your brand/business has a handle reserved
- Themes, Not Product Promotion – Pinterest is extremely visual and is currently centered on interests such as weddings, home décor, recipes and color themes. Your board should not look like a product catalog!
- Use Hashtags – Just like Twitter, Pinterest uses hashtags in interest descriptions. Use wisely to ensure creative, yet consistent messaging.
- Engage with the Community – “Like all other social networks, you need to listen and engage, not simply broadcast your message. Try allowing members of the community to post to your boards, but be sure to monitor activity for appropriate content.”
Happy Pinning!
Katy Fincham is an Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Katy@MaroonPR.com.
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