PR blog comments

Who really runs this place?

Link: http://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Rd-Safety/Tips/60-Sec-Driver/Pages/60sec.aspx

Date: Jun 24, 2013 (Week 1 - Case Studies)

Comment:

I have always been fascinated by lobbying. That's right, the rich and powerful spends a huge amount of resources trying to influence government policies pretty much on everything. This blog about the Big 4 (aka the four biggest accounting firms on this planet) and its influence in the British government explains the close relationship between them.

As a PR professional, lobbying is  basically part of what we do - influencing policy makers in order to benefit the very organization that we work for. However, you realize it is more than influencing when you look at the Big 4 in the UK (and to a similar extend in the US). They work with the government to formulate tax-related policies while they earn millions of pounds advising their clients on tax issues. Big 4 pays huge salary, but to me there are certain companies I would never work for because they don't sit right with my conscience. I need to make a living, but I am not going to sell my soul to pay my bills. There are other stakeholders in the equation such as the public and interest group, not just the people who own the company.

Social media and storytelling

Link: http://spinsucks.com/social-media/social-stories-how-to-use-storytelling-on-twitter/

Date: Jun 20, 2013 (Week 5)

Comment:

We have all seen clever messages on Twitter, Facebook and etc, but this blog reminds us of PR 101 - tell a story, and tell a good story regardless of the platform.

As a PR professional we all tell stories, and we can tell a story on Twitter - if 140 characters are not enough we can have a few back-to-back tweets instead. The technical side is one aspect, but we should never ever forget what we want to communicate, and what we want to be identified with. The purpose of the message forms the message, it should not be the other way round. I have seen a number of classmates who spend all their energy in coming up with clever messages, but forgetting the objective of the campaign. So my next comment is consistency. By following the objective and strategy of the campaign, one needs to ensure the messages are consistent on all platforms, whether for the traditional or social media.

Nibbles at the Apple

Link: http://www.shiftcomm.com/2013/05/nibbles-at-the-apple/

Date: June 13, 2013 (Week 4)


Comment:

I love the idea of 'nice companies finish first'. This is so true and yet easy to forget when the bottom line is more important than everything else in Wall Street.

It is true that the PR department cannot change the tax practice of a giant company like Apple, but it is our responsibilities to tell the C-level executives the damage that it can cause by practices such as avoiding tax (and we are talking about $9.2billion here, not $90,000). Moreover, I think PR, as well as any employees of an organization, should push for positive changes when they firmly believe in it. Remember the two million people who joined together to form a human chain across the three Baltic countries in 1989? When you shout loud enough, amazing things DO happen (within six months of the demonstration, Lithuania became the first of the Republics of the Soviet Union to declare independence). PR can sit and wait, or it can be the catalyst for positive changes. I would like to be the latter.
5 Examples of How Social Media is Changing the 2012 Elections

Link: http://prblog.typepad.com/strategic_public_relation/2012/01/5-examples-of-how-social-media-is-changing-the-2012-elections.html

Date: June 6, 2013 (Week 3)

Comment:

We have been using various social media platform to engage our audience, and some politicians in the US have been using them pretty extensively - especially during the 2012 presidential election. Some candidates used Instagram and Tumblr as they toured across the country. On the other hand, Google did a pretty good job by using Google+ and Google Calendar to improve its efforts. The most amazing thing about the social media platforms was that Mashable found Twitter actually helped to predict who would win - now as a PR professional, can you afford NOT to better understand these tools and use them to your advantages?

I like social media, but social media is part of the big plan - your overall PR plan. Social media is not about playing with words, it is about helping you to fulfill the overall objective of your campaign. I have seen many people playing with words using Twitter, but these are just words if these tweets do not help the overall plan.

Hence, my opinion is that we have to utilize the social media platforms, but we have to have the big plan in mind otherwise time and resources could be wasted.

 

Last-Minute, Non-Profit Pitch Rakes In Coverage

Link: http://badpitch.blogspot.ca/#!/2013/02/last-minute-non-profit-pitch-rakes-in.html

Date: May 17, 2013 (Week 1)

Comment:

We talk about telling good stories, using good visuals and building relationships in almost every single PR class. This blog has provided a real-life example to prove this formula can indeed bring you success.

The 20,000 rakes donation to a charity may not sound exciting. However, as a PR professional, a few things can be done to make it more attractive for the media. You suggested using creative visuals, such as a picture of the 20,000 rakes. Moreover, the suggestion about not having to worry about the typical news cycle too much is useful – if you have a story that cannot wait until Monday, go ahead selling it on a Friday. My opinion is just to make sure it is packaged well, and also to ensure there is a human angle. A light story with human angle is always good for a weekend.

My conclusion is that ultimately being a PR professional means we have to think out of the box, period. As PR is an art, hence creativity can really help you to succeed.

 

PR disaster: American Apparel

Businesses often take advantages on the weather condition. When it rains, umbrellas are displayed more prominently.  When Winnipeg reaches -20, stores promote winter clothes.  It seems like normal business practice; however, some businesses go to the extreme.

A recent example is American Apparel. When Hurricane Sandy threatened millions of homes on the East Coast of the US in 2012, American Apparel decided to offer 20 percent off just in case people were “bored during the storm”. American Apparel may have the best intention to offer discount and tried to be light-hearted, but it could not pick a worse line.  Naturally, it became one of the biggest PR disasters for 2012.

This distasteful campaign does not seem to be the outcome of a thoughtful plan. If American Apparel’s objective was to increase sales that was supposed to cheer people up, they should not have picked a disaster. A rainy day would be ok, but not a hurricane. Moreover, the timing was awful as it was in the middle of a natural disaster.  It was also reported that American Apparel sent this sales messages to its fans where Hurricane Sandy was supposed to cause the most damage such as New York and New Jersey.

Worst of all, American Apparel seemed to have forgotten their core audience – college-aged people and young professionals. This demographic group is extremely web savvy, and in general is conscious with social justice. American Apparel’s message used for this campaign was sure to create controversy, and it went viral instantly. Angry messages were all over the place within minutes after the 36-hour campaign was announced.

Clearly PR campaigns can be tongue-in-cheek, but there is a limit. American Apparel stepped over the boundary, and this Hurricane Sandy campaign was “revolting” according to some. I do not know the process of formulating a campaign within American Apparel, but the campaign may not have run if one person in the marketing or PR department showed any discomfort. In PR, you need careful planning. However, it is equally important to have the courage to have a different opinion.