public relations practice Archives - Page 3 of 4

Publish magazines on demand with MagCloud

February 25, 2009 by David

Yes, we’re sending more online messages and we’re printing less these days. But print is far from dead. And I’m always looking for ways to leverage existing printed documents using online technology, from Issuu, which lets you display printed documents on screen while preserving layout (it’s great for online presentation of printed portfolios) to Scribd, which includes social media sharing/embedding for formatted documents.

MagCloud is another print extender. With this service, you upload your formatted document and people can preview it online. You get a custom URL (like DavidKamerer.MagCloud.com), RSS, and a nice looking page that’s indexed by search engines and can be visible to customers or other stakeholders. The game changer is that MagCloud can also deliver a high-resolution printed version of your work via First Class mail. If you want, the company will handle your mailing list and subscriptions. Or, you can print just one. Digital printing makes flat pricing possible, which is great if you’re doing a small run.

You set the price of your magazine; the finished cost is 20 cents a page, plus $1.40 for U.S. shipping. If you allow a profit margin, MagCloud deposits the profit into your PayPal account.

MagCloud provides detailed instructions for setting up your document (including specifics for Adobe InDesign) and for creating the .pdf files that you upload). You’re pretty much limited to the standard 8.5″ by 11″ vertical format, and the time constraints may challenge you (7-10 days to receive your proof, then another 7-10 days for your final copy to be delivered). But the end result, printed on high quality H/P digital printers, will look much better than the output at your local copy shop.

Students might consider MagCloud for printed portfolios and campaign books. This process also would facilitate highly targeted fundraising appeals and other micro-print applications.

It’s time to start thinking about printed documents in new ways. This is a user- and web- friendly approach to interactive and digital printing.

MagCloud is a project of H/P Labs, and is currently in Beta.

Twitter: ultimate focus group or just a bunch of bullies?

February 23, 2009 by David

Tropicana is abandoning its new-look packaging after receiving criticism from consumers on Twitter and other social media channels.

Flash mobs are increasingly part of the modern life, whether it’s baby-wearing mothers who are angry at Motrin, or Facebook users upset with a change in their terms of service.

But do flash mobs constitute legitimate research?

Public relations pros quoted in The New York Times sing the praises of these new tools.

“You used to wait to go to the water cooler or a cocktail party to talk over something,” said Richard Laermer, chief executive at RLM Public Relations in New York. “Now, every minute is a cocktail party,” he added. “You write an e-mail and in an hour, you’ve got a fan base agreeing with you.”

And here’s Peter Shankman: “Twitter is the ultimate focus group. I can post something and in a minute get feedback from 700 people around the world, giving me their real opinions.”

Yes, the opinions are real. And somewhere in there you can find real insights. But the twitterverse is just a big SLOP sample – a self-selected opinion poll. The postings of the Twitterati don’t represent anyone – not even Twitter users overall.

Somewhere inside Tropicana, someone is listening to all these mini-rants. And that’s good. And that person should then consider the next step in an inquiry, which is to find out if these opinions are representative of some larger group that Tropicana cares about. There are lots of traditional tools with which to do that – from focus groups to large-sample surveys based upon an EPSEM sample (if you’re not a researcher, that’s an equal probability of selection method sample, which allows you to estimate error from the sample relative to the unknowable population parameter.)

There are lots of self-appointed “social media experts” out there who are just hammer-pounders. What’s that? You know the old saying, “give a kid a hammer, and everything looks like a nail.” These “experts” may or may not have real training or experience in marketing, public relations or research, and they view every problem as being solvable by the tool du jour, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or Flickr. They offer one-note solutions to complex problems.

Social media are a new part of the communication landscape, and they have transformed it. There are new rules of behavior, new opportunities, new cowpies to step in. Every business should learn about social media and take it seriously.

But I wouldn’t make a knee-jerk reaction based upon what a few cranks said on Twitter.

Yes, they may be customers, but they’re not representative of all your customers. Listen, yes. But don’t let them bully you into making poor decisions. That’s a poor use of social media.

Just one bad moment

February 11, 2009 by David

We’ve all had one. That moment you wish you could take back. Maybe you were impatient with your child, a colleague, or a loved one. Perhaps you laughed at someone’s expense. Or uncorked some profanity in an inappropriate situation.

You know why you did it. You were tired, you had had enough, you weren’t really thinking, you had a few drinks, you were just careless. You thought you were safe.

There’s nothing new about the one bad moment. What’s new is the omnipresence of recording devices and ways to share digital information. So today, your own bad moment can become permanently attached to you. It can go viral. And so, despite a lifetime of almost always doing the right thing, this one bad moment becomes the stain that never goes away.

Actor Christian Bale exploded on the set of Terminator 4, and his tirade has gone viral. The rant occurred in front of a small audience. But the recording has been shared millions of times. On YouTube, you can hear mashups of the rant with dance music and Dora the Explorer. There are currently about 40 videos featuring the profanity-laced rant. One has more than 2,320,000 page views.

“Christian Bale? Isn’t he that spoiled hothead? Oh, and I think he acted in some movies, too.”

Bale is not alone. Michael Richards had his bad moment. So did Michael Phelps. The pace of these moments seems to be accelerating. A-Rod lies about steroid use. Chris Brown may have assaulted his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. Squeaky-clean Disney actress/singer Miley Cyrus appears to mock Asians. And that’s just from the past few days!

So please, be careful out there. And more importantly: be good. It is true: your true character is revealed by your behavior when you think no one is watching.

A more difficult issue that deserves further discussion: forgiveness. As a culture, how can we forgive people that we really don’t know? The viral qualities of a bad moment are far more powerful than those of atonement.

Presidential spokespeople: is there a handbook?

February 5, 2009 by David

No wonder reporters don’t like spokespeople! Evasion, redirection, and just plain sucking up to reporters, straight from the playbook of how to be a lousy spokesperson (the good stuff starts at about 3:50 in on the clip).

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM – Th 11p / 10c

Obama: Day 15

Daily Show Full Episodes
Funny Political Videos

Important Things With Demetri Martin
More Funny Videos

Blagojevich: you just can’t look away

January 26, 2009 by David

photo credit Andrew Rubio

Being a liar is probably the worst sin from a public relations perspective. But right next to lying is hubris, the notion that the rules don’t apply to you, that your $#*t don’t stink, that you can get away with something wrong through the sheer force of confidence.

Hubris is alive and well in government and business all across the world. Take a seasoned CEO with lots of power and money, stir in a cadre of “yes men,” and it will grow like bacteria in a petri dish. You’ve probably seen it at some place where you work. If you were lucky, you got out alive.

Occasionally, however, you get a special case, in which there’s a complete disconnect between bending the rules to suit your goals and totally smashing them. Like when 1988 Presidential hopeful Gary Hart, who was suspected of being a womanizer, said to the media, “go ahead, follow me.” (they found him on a yacht named Monkey Business, engaged in … well, monkey business, with a young-woman-not-his-wife, Donna Rice).

Like when OJ Simpson vowed to spend the rest of his life looking for the “real killer.” Or when John Edwards tried to soften the impact of his infidelity, claiming that his wife’s cancer was in remission at the time.

And who could forget Bill Clinton, saying directly to the camera, “I did not have sex with that woman.”

And now we’ve got Rod Blagojevich, the colorful governor of Illinois, about to stand trial for impeachment. We’ve all heard the tapes of his conspiracy to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat, his plans for the op-ed page of the Chicago Tribune, and the cursing. Lots of cursing. That’s a mighty big hole to climb out of.

But some people just don’t give up. They see insurmountable odds, and to then it’s just like walking across the street. Here’s some of that hubris:

That’s right, he’s comparing himself to Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

Now Blago is taking his story to the cable news and TV talk shows, sharing his story of persecution, how the trial is fixed, and tossing off bombs like Oprah Winfrey for Senator. The TV hosts share looks of mock concern, but they’re gleeful to join in this self-made execution. After all, it’s Blago’s words that will hang him, not theirs.

What’s the take-away for a public relations professional? All you can do is watch and wonder. And inoculate yourself – and your clients – from hubris. Remember that your deeds matter more than your words. And that cameras and microphones are everywhere; showing trumps telling.

We see a horrible accident in slow motion. Here’s what Blago sees:

Annual top 10 PR Blunders

December 20, 2008 by David

Courtesy of Bulldog Reporter’s Daily Dog, here’s some familiar material. Let’s do better in 2009, please!

To my graduating students

December 16, 2008 by David

Congratulations! You’re almost out of here. Don’t forget a few tasks before you’re gone for good:

Thank mom, dad and all the adults who have cheered for you, paid for your car insurance, hired you, and took the time to get to know you as an adult. You can never have enough good people in your corner.

As you know, public relations is also personal relations. Collect physical addresses, emails and other points of contact. Obtain a permanent email address and share it with everyone. Buy some note cards and send some thank-you notes. Take care of your friends, and someday they’ll be the best thing: old friends.

Come to play. You’re going to need business cards, a really good resume and a portfolio (you should also have an online portfolio). You should never be without these assets. As you gain experience, update your portfolio.

Buy a great suit, all the accessories that you need to make it work (guys, that includes a tie and dress shoes), get it tailored and have it ready. When you get the call, then you just put it on like a uniform. Easy.

If you anticipate needing a new computer, use your student status to get a discount on hardware and software. It would be a good thing if Santa brought you Adobe Creative Suite 4 (retail price is $1,400; student price is $300). You can order through the university bookstore or a third-party store like JourneyEd.

As a recent graduate, you can join PRSA at a great rate – just $60 plus local chapter dues. I strongly recommend that you join and turn out at local meetings.

I’m truly sorry there aren’t more jobs. But even so, opportunities abound. I know you’ll find and seize them.

You have accomplished a great deal; savor it. And then get to work.

All the best,

Dr. K

photo credit by M00by

How to be an effective spokesperson: Jennifer Granholm

December 3, 2008 by David

The U.S. automakers are again asking Congress for money, and public opinion thus far has been surprisingly negative about the prospect of more loans. So it really caught my ear when I heard Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm talk about the need for the loans on the NPR program Day to Day.

Granholm put on a clinic on how to handle the spokesperson role. If you’ve ever done it, you know how hard it is. Of course she was articulate and empathetic. But more than that, she framed the issue in a way that puts Americans – not the car companies – first. I suggest you click, listen and follow along. And learn. The interview runs just under eight minutes.

Here are Granholm’s main points:

Frame it as an investment – the loan helps our economy, keeps people working, and helps the auto makers transition to a new economic environment with new (green) products.

Energy independence – the loan will help create American energy independence.

There will be blood – Granholm acknowledges that the auto industry is prepared to accept some downsizing, some loss of jobs. That takeway? The industry is sacrificing, just as all Americans are also sacrificing in this down economy.

Empathy – she shows acknowledges the pain caused by the transition in the auto industry. Many of the soon-to-be unemployed are Michigan residents.

Hang the problem on someone else – in this case, the financial industry, whose careless investments in housing have crashed, taking down the entire American economy. “We’re victims, too.”

Acknowledge past mistakes – shows humility, that the industry is capable of recognizing and learning from past mistakes.

Dire consequences – without the loan, it’s “game over” for Detroit, says Granholm. It will also bring up to three million lost jobs on the industry. Again, mostly in Michigan.

Reiterate the key point – It’s a loan, not a giveaway. Again, in contrast with the financial industry. She also brought up the case of Chrysler in the 1980s, which repaid its loan in full and with $300 million in interest to U.S. taxpayers.

Granholm is better suited to taking the case of the auto industry to the hill because:

she’s smart, well informed and articulate
she’s not from within the auto industry (for example, doesn’t go to meetings by private jet)
is able to tell the bigger story

There are many reasons to take issue with loaning more than $35 billion to the U.S. auto industry. Kudos to Jennifer Granholm for effectively representing why the loans would be good for America.