Absent Without Leave, Communications-Style

RSS

Posted on June 25, 2009 
Filed Under General | 1 Comment

What do you do when your client or CEO pulls something that even you, the PR professional, didn’t see coming (or that, even if you did see it coming, blind-sided you anyway)? It’s a question that the communications team behind disgraced South Carolina governor Mark Sanford must be asking right about now.

Sanford’s undoing has taken a most unusual path. Earlier this week, after being questioned about Sanford’s whereabouts, his staff said the governor was hiking in the Appalachian Trail. Specifically, Joel Sawyer, Sanford’s communications director, said in an email to reporters, “I apologize for taking so long to send this update, and was waiting to see if [we had] a more definitive idea of what part of the trail he was on before we did so.”

That was June 22. By June 24, it was clear that Sanford wasn’t in Appalachia at all, but in Argentina. In a bizarre turn of events, he held a press conference after his arrival back in South Carolina, admitting that, not only had he misled the public about his whereabouts, but he had gone to Argentina to visit his mistress.

As the sordid details of the whole affair continue to emerge (most recently with the publication of email exchanges between Sanford and his paramour), one thing is certain: his communications team is in all-out crisis mode. How much or how little they knew about his jaunt abroad is still in question, but it hardly matters. Either possible scenario—that they were hiding information at Sanford’s request or that they were communicating what, at the time, they believed to be true—brings up compelling PR dilemmas.

In the former scenario’s case, the failure to communicate is always a bad plan, as nothing gets by the public these days. Case in point: The firestorm surrounding Apple’s failure to disclose news of CEO Steve Jobs’ liver transplant until two months after the surgery has led many of the brand’s loyal stakeholders to feel deceived.

The comparison between Jobs’ liver transplant and Sanford’s extramarital activities is tenuous, to be sure, but both reputational crises represent how quickly the mighty can fall when transparent communications isn’t the number-one priority. Had Sanford’s PR staff chosen to take a more logical approach—announcing the affair up-front so a disappearing act wasn’t necessary—the governor’s ability to bounce back likely would be far greater (he can kiss the 2012 presidential election goodbye).

That said, if his team really did think he was getting in touch with nature, it’s hard to blame their ambiguity early on. The decision to have Sanford deliver a press conference AND open the floor to questions was clearly a necessary one. Unfortunately, though, it’s too little too late.

Ultimately, what are the communications lessons that can be learned from the current Sanford scandal? Is his team’s response going to go down as a textbook example of how NOT to communicate during a crisis?

By Courtney Barnes

Brand Loyalty: Price isn’t Always Right

RSS

Posted on June 22, 2009 
Filed Under General | 1 Comment

It should come as no surprise that consumers are shopping around for the best price.  And price is, more often than not, trumping brand loyalty in everything from cars to toothpaste.  A new study from Catalina Marketing and the CMO Council reveals that for the “average brand,”  52% of consumers who were very loyal to package-goods brands in 2007 were more apt to switch brands in 2008. Imagine what those numbers will be for 2009. Just today, the New York Times reported that smaller car brands are gaining significant market share over the big guys as consumers from Detroit to Dayton are saying yes to Kia and no to GM, and the smaller car makers (such as Hyundai which owns Kia) can make a respectable profit by selling less inventory.

These same consumers do go to work and are inclined to react the same way to “business brands” unless marketers and PR pros focus attention away from price. Buying Dove over Irish Spring is a less risky proposition than switching to PR Firm B because PR Firm A’s prices are too high. Or by cancelling a vendor contract and going the DIY route because you’ve got nothing but time and hair to pull out, right? What every communicator should be doing now is telling the unique story of their brands and what their brands can do for their customers.  If you sell on price alone, then when the economy recovers (and it will), what’s your real story? That your prices are lower? That might work at Wal-Mart, but when a client is choosing a PR Firm to manage a crisis or choosing a vendor to measure its PR, quality of work and brand reputation are the real currency.

– Diane Schwartz

Pardon Me, but Would You Mind Working for Free?

RSS

Posted on June 18, 2009 
Filed Under General | Leave a Comment

When I was in college, I would gladly work for free. Call it what you will (naiveté, paying my dues, idealism, boredom), but it turned out to be profoundly strategic; by the time I graduated, I had a laundry list of internships that made me poised for full-time employment.

Now, had I not been 17, 18 or 19 years old, the unpaid portion of the internship job descriptions wouldn’t have gone over so well. Imagine, then, how employees of British Airways felt when their CEO made a particularly unreasonable request: work for free for up to four weeks to help offset the company’s record annual loss of $656 million.

Everyone knows we are in the midst of the most staggering financial crisis since the Great Depression—no doubt about it. But, in a time when employees by no means expect grandeur—let alone small gestures—from senior management, compensation for their efforts is still well within the realm of reasonable expectations.

From an employee relations/morale standpoint, British Airways’ decision seems surprising—not to mention profoundly challenging to communicate. I’m assuming the rationale is that foregoing a month of pay is more palatable than being laid off altogether; plus, the execs were quick to point out that employees could opt to take unpaid leave if they preferred.

My question, then, is simple: How does this apply to the senior management team, which is surely making exponentially more per month than the average employee? Are they losing out on a month’s salary? I’d venture a guess that they could not only afford a pay cut more easily, but that a pay cut from the top would go a lot further than one that takes $50,000-a-year employees out at the knees.

Any thoughts on alternative approaches to communicating this news, or to addressing the company’s financial strife in the first place?

By Courtney Barnes

Ask and You Might Receive

RSS

Posted on June 15, 2009 
Filed Under General | 1 Comment

At a recent PR News 3-hour workshop on measuring public affairs activities, an interesting challenge was presented to the attendees and BurrellesLuce trainer Johna Burke. A PR executive lamented that it’s perceived by her senior management that she’s so effectively managing her PR department that there’s no need for additional staff or resources.  The better she performs with the resources she has, the less likely she can effectively petition for a bigger budget.  So how can she get more money in her budget; how can she hire an additional staff person so she has, um, time to breathe and a fighting chance at improving her PR activities?

I hear this problem often from PR professionals, who are dealing with a legacy of comparatively lower budgets than their Marketing counterparts and in which proving PR’s value is a Holy Grail endeavor.  Let’s put aside the fact that in this challenging economy it’s probably not the best time to be asking for a bigger slice. Because it turns out this story has little to do with measurement.

PR measurement has become the license of the trade — if you can’t measure your PR, then you shouldn’t be driving your organization’s communications efforts.  So let’s assume that you read PR News every week and check out our Measurement channel and Webinars for additional ideas. And let’s assume you have the dashboard and the other basic measurement tools. Interestingly, the PR professional at this PR News workshop had all that and was spending an afternoon and the following day learning more about measurement from our PR News conference trainers.

After speaking with her at the break, during which she indulged in not one but too energy bars, I realized that her challenge was not so much the activity of measuring.  Rather, it was how to communicate with her boss. How to ask for more without feeling like she might get fired or, at best, looked upon as a less competent employee. In other words, she didn’t have the courage of her convictions. She was, after all, a pretty good communicator from what I could tell.  Among her peers, she knew how to talk the talk. But with her superiors she became a shrinking violet who didn’t believe in her ideas or her ability to communicate need. Turns out she hasn’t even asked for additional resources. “I was getting vibes from my manager that I was doing so great that he doesn’t need to worry about spending more on PR,” she told me.  Operating on “vibes” and failing to communicate PR’s successes are a recipe for disaster for PR professionals who’ve come a long way from being perceived as press release pushers.

– Diane Schwartz

When Speakers & Marketers Don’t See Eye-to-Eye

RSS

Posted on June 11, 2009 
Filed Under General | 2 Comments

As the editor of PR News, I am partially responsible for securing speakers and content for our various events (webinars, conferences, etc.). While the logistics themselves are usually painless, I have encountered a number of instances in which I realize (only after receiving the presentations the speakers plan to give) that the content only vaguely resembles what we agreed upon during planning calls.

I think what often happens is that marketing copy with the event’s “deliverables” is crafted up front, and then speakers are chosen accordingly. Usually, each person is asked to address certain areas of content to avoid any overlap or redundancies. And they do … for the most part.

Often, though, I find that speakers get an idea of what they want to cover in their heads and then run with it, crafting their presentations around this information and then peppering in points that address their “assignments.” Sometimes this works well; other times, it results in an event that isn’t completely aligned with what attendees were promised in marketing materials.

As a frequent conference attendee myself, I see this happening often, but I don’t know how best to address it. Being strict with speakers is an option, but there is no guarantee it will work (plus, there is a strong chance of souring the relationship). Another option is choosing speakers, identifying their discussion topics and then writing the marketing material with their input; of course, this flies in the face of the separation of church and state.

Ultimately, I don’t know what the solution is, or if one is necessarily needed. It’s just an observation, and I’d welcome any comments or insights …

By Courtney barnes

New Chairman of GM Driven to Tell It Like it Is

RSS

Posted on June 10, 2009 
Filed Under General | Leave a Comment

The newly appointed chairman of GM says he doesn’t know much about cars.  From the Bloomberg article: “I don’t know anything about cars. A business is a business, and I think I can learn about cars. I’m not that old, and I think the business principles are the same.”  From a media training perspective, this is both refreshing and frightening. Now that most Americans own a bit of a stake in GM, we are listening more closely to what the top brass at the auto companies (and banks) are saying. So while Edward Whitacre is being very upfront about what he brings to the table (and he does have an impressive business background spanning 42 years including a major overhaul at AT&T), it might have been prudent for him to have chosen his words more wisely.  His quote hit the Web fast and furiously and stuck at the top of the fold for maybe an hour before other news surpassed it.  The other good news for GM is that Whitacre promises to learn about the auto industry (pheeew) and, according to a former AT&T colleague quoted by Bloomberg:  “He doesn’t like long meetings.”  That’s a sentiment people can really relate to.

– Diane Schwartz

Ghost-Tweeting: How Legit Is It?

RSS

Posted on May 29, 2009 
Filed Under General | 4 Comments

Ghostwriting has been a staple of business and academia for ages, and it’s something most people seem to have grown comfortable with. True, it is a bit distasteful to think that a high-profile executive or professor received a byline for something authored by his/her assistant, but then we think: They spent many years ghostwriting for others, and then many years on top of that writing their own thought-leadership pieces, so they’ve put in their time. Or something like that.

Then blogs made their grand debut, and senior professionals hesitantly began dipping their toes into the conversation cesspool. With some notable exceptions, though, these executives were blogging vicariously through their communications staff, which was actually responsible for drafting and, after a quick once-over from the “author,” posting the missive. At first, we the people were dismayed, as this behavior flew in the face of all that blogging represents: transparency, authenticity, openness, etc.

But then many of us were reminded of the time constraints placed on these senior executives, not to mention the red tape created by legal departments and similar types of bureaucracy. So came another divide: On one hand, we admonish the act of ghost-blogging, while on the other, we agree to look the other way and, in some cases, even participate in it ourselves. Right or wrong, the point is moot: It’s a reality.

Now, though, we have Twitter, the micro-platform that packs a big communications punch. Of course, many executives now participate in the tweet-o-sphere, be it out of enjoyment, pressure or the fear of being left out. Even big-time celebrities like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore tweet, and—at least most people are inclined to believe—they do it without the help of any assistance. But is the same true for senior executives?

I’m willing to venture an educated guess that, while there may be some C-suite professionals tweeting on their own, there are just as many who rely on ghost-tweeters to maintain their Twitter presence for them. This is the point at which I can no longer suspend disbelief. Honestly, is 140 characters really too much to expect to come straight from the horse’s mouth? Or am I—someone who is pro-ghostwriting and grudgingly accepting of ghost-blogging—being a hypocrite?

By Courtney Barnes

Maya Angelou is now my friend

RSS

Posted on May 26, 2009 
Filed Under General | 3 Comments

A few days ago, Maya Angelou accepted my request to “Friend” her on Facebook.  I requested her friendship when I first starting using Facebook (about a year ago) and I must admit, I regret the action. A year later and so much wiser about social media, the email that arrived declaring that Maya is now my friend not only fell flat but was a bit embarrassing.  I don’t even remember asking her to be my friend, and why did it take so darn long for her to respond? Granted, she’s busy, and I realize it wasn’t Maya herself who friended me.  But why do we need to have so many friends in social media? Will it really lead to a more enriched life?

So, let’s not forget who our “real friends” are and the power of face-to-face communication. Surely, if Maya saw me in person she wouldn’t recognize her “friend.”  How many friends do we all now have who we’d walk right by at a conference or in the coffee shop? And not because we’re rude friends, but because so many of our friends online are really strangers in reality.

– Diane Schwartz

Employees’ Privacy versus Employers’ Right to Monitor

RSS

Posted on May 22, 2009 
Filed Under General | 3 Comments

Managers have long been wary of their employees’ extracurricular activities in cyberspace, whether it’s a question of their profiles on social networks or the content of their personal blogs. There have even been a slew of well-documented tête-à-têtes between employees and their bosses, usually occurring when the latter unceremoniously fires the former for their digital dalliances. In most cases, both sides were able to mount strong defenses, leaving judgments of right versus wrong to the public.

Now, a new study released by Deloitte points to a trend of managers exerting heightened control over employees’ online behavior in the name of protecting against reputational risks. Sixty percent of surveyed business executives said they believe they have a right to know how employees portray themselves and their organizations in online social networks, but an almost-equal percentage of employees (53%) disagree, saying their social networking pages are not an employer’s concern. The crux of the issue is easy to identify: Who is acting within their rights, employees or employers?

It’s a question I posed on PR News’ LinkedIn group, which received a number of responses in defense of both sides. Some were very pro-employee: “I think it’s unfair … Does an employer have the right to read one’s diary, to listen to one’s personal conversations outside of work, etc.—no. It’s a slippery slope, and can lead to a great deal of discrimination, privacy, etc. issues.”

Others strongly defended employers’ right to monitor social media content: “I’m amazed that anyone would even think an employer has no business/interest in what an employee is saying about them … Get over the worry about big brother. They are not monitoring YOU. They are monitoring mentions of the organization.”

As for my own feeling, I can see legitimate arguments on both sides. I personally make a concerted effort to keep my digital “self” at work separate from that at home (I used LinkedIn for professional interactions and limit Facebook for friends only), and I would be bothered to learn that my boss was monitoring my Facebook updates. That said, I would never even think about maligning my employer on ANY social media platform, personal, professional or otherwise. Either way you slice it, it’s a slippery slope, and it raises the question: Will privacy exist in the future?

By Courtney Barnes

Banking on Twitter

RSS

Posted on May 14, 2009 
Filed Under General | 5 Comments

I’m not gonna lie: I’m not a fan of Twitter. That’s not to say I believe it to be irrelevant or unnecessary to present-day PR initiatives … I just don’t like it. For many users, it’s just one more platform for indulging in “talking at” anyone who will listen. Whether it’s useless posts (hyperlinks without any context don’t do anyone any good) or shameless self-promotions, it’s just too much clutter in an already chaotic social media environment.

That said, PR News hosted a webinar on May 12 about the best ways to leverage Twitter for effective, meaningful communications with stakeholders. Even I—a self-proclaimed Twitter skeptic—was impressed with the creative ways these professionals used the platform to engage customers, manage media and brand themselves and their organizations.

Then I saw this—news that Wells Fargo and Bank of America have begun tweeting with customers—and I wasn’t sure what to think. As the article notes, banks have been more hesitant to embrace social media, so this is bold move to preserve whatever reputation capital they still have with customers. And those customers seem to be raking these bank tweeters over the goals, with one posting this message: “Stop making your living off my late fees! You fine me more than you loan me!”

Your move, banks.

By Courtney Barnes

Next Page →

Copyright © 2009 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved • All Rights Reserved.