Public Relations - Not Always Glamorous

Or, title #2, "Public Relations - Rarely Glamorous." My friend, who is the director of PR where I work, had a lousy Tuesday. She drove a longer commute than normal to attend some meetings she had not planned on. This, after only two hours of sleep because her son was sick all night. Her nanny arrived to save the day, but my friend still had to work all day and try and get her son into the doctor.

When she finally left to go home, after about 8 hours of work, I was notified of an incident - I began gathering more information to see if she would be needed, and when I called to tell her about it, she turned around and started driving back, "just in case." Thus - she left work for the second time, two hours after she left the first time - and still had her long commute and a sick child.

My friend is great at her job and takes it very seriously. She is also, I must add, a fabulous mother. However, as illustrated above, her job is not always (or is rarely) glamorous. She is occasionally on TV, often quoted (and occasionally misquoted) in print. Her name is well known in the industry, and she earns every glamorous moment she experiences.

Black Friday on Thursday?

Seriously. At one time we could wait until the sun had set on Thanksgiving before we worried about Christmas. It's always been a big deal to check the ads on Thanksgiving Thursday, make a Christmas shopping list and map out the early morning shopping route for BLACK FRIDAY. Which used to start around 4 a.m. But now? Now we start Black Friday on Thursday. Thursday at 10 p.m. Actually - even before that. I received an e-mail from Amazon.com on Monday, with their "early Black Friday deals."

So, is it just me? Or have we forgotten the days of the week? Is ANY special Christmas sale labeled "Black Friday?" Can we not have "shop this Tuesday and save?" What's the big buzz with Black Friday? Yes, it's been around a while. People have been getting knocked down and trampled for some years. Black Friday does have a special meaning ..... biggest deals of the year, right? So I get the PR in that - maintaining the whole "Black Friday-dom" of before-Christmas sales. It has a ring to it - but can we let Black Friday be Black Friday, and anything before that be an "early-bird sale" or something?

When I'm in charge of holiday PR, Black Friday will go back to the day after Thanksgiving. And it won't start at midnight - that's absolute madness. There is no reason to start the sales until the semi-reasonable hour of 6 a.m. We'll enjoy Thanksgiving Day - I won't even let newspaper ads be delivered before 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving, so people will enjoy their families and their dinners before worrying about shopping lists.

It will simply be, Thanksgiving.

The Health of Traditional Media

I've been concerned for a while about the health of traditional media. Is it on its last legs? I would like to argue that it is not. By traditional media, I'm specifically talking about television, magazines and newspapers. Oh! And books.

While it is nice to be able to pull up whatever item you'd like to view on the Internet, I don't think the Internet can replace television news. It's a nice addition, to be sure, but how nice is it to be able to vegetate in front of the TV on occasion, and have the news come to you?

And magazines and newspapers? I'm guilty of checking Internet news several times a day, but it cannot replace (for me) HOLDING a newspaper or magazine in my hands, reading what I wish, turning (and perhaps earmarking) the pages. It's way harder to take your computer into the bathroom with you, too.

Books. That's all. Books are bound, page-turning novelties. If you're making your Christmas list, don't give me Kindle. Give me a book. I don't care. I'm in front of a computer all day - and half the night. When I get ready to read something for pleasure, the only way it can be a pleasure is if I can snuggle up with it. Can NOT do that with a Kindle.

While perhaps the younger generation has grown up with reading and finding information on the Internet, I sincerely hope they don't ruin media for the rest of us.

Battling negative PR

Have been noticing the news today of some of our favorite starts. First, Robert Wagner, and the reopening of the case of Natalie Wood's death thirty years ago. Second, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutchner's divorce, after his scandalous affairs in their supposedly open marriage.

How do you react to that kind of news when it is about you? It would be nice to think you could just tell the truth and all would be well. In Robert Wagner's case, that would be nice. Unfortunately there are a lot of allegations coming forward that he will likely have to fight. How, after 30 years, do you do that? If I'm Robert Wagner's PR consultant, I advise him to stick to his story - that it was a tragic accident. He and Christopher were on the top deck and heard nothing - then discovered Natalie was missing. On the other hand, if you're on Natalie Wood's side (say - her sister), you want to get to the bottom of it, so you fight to uncover the truth, if need be. So I would advise her to keep the allegations in the news, ensure the investigation happens, and don't let it die until you're satisfied.

With Demi and Ashton - that is just a sorry state of "affairs." What a mess. I don't believe for a minute that they both agreed to an open marriage. But that's beside the point. If I were to advise Demi, I would keep her in the public eye in a positive way as much as possible, and advise her agent to find her a spectacular role to play - if she still wants to act. I would tell her to remain non-committal about her marriage. "It's over, and it's nobody's business," and to portray nothing but beauty and pride. You don't want to know what I'd advise Ashton. But to be fair, he should be positive about his relationship with Demi and speak nothing bad of her. The marriage didn't work. That's it, that's all, finito. And I would further advise him to lay low for a while - no naked hot tub parties for the time being - just out of respect.

There you have it - two very different public relations dilemmas facing some very different stars. But probably very similar ways of handling them. Pride, respect and honesty - as much as they can manage.

Social media to help find runaway teen?

Really - What better tool could there be? Allie Loftis has been missing since November 4. Her mother returned from work that Friday night, discovered the 13-year-old was gone, and reported her missing. Since that time, family and friends are using a variety of social media tools to try and find Allie. It is presumed she has run away, as she has once before. Also, she was struggling at school, and having "typical teenage angst." I hope that's it and she's safe and sound somewhere.

Allie's father, Tony, has several degrees and works in ......... Public Relations! So social media is a natural tool for him to use to find anything, or anyone. Shel Holz interviewed Tony about the social media being used in the search for Allie. With the goal being to get the word out about Allie to the New York area (where she is presumed to be, as she is familiar with Brooklyn), tools used include Twitter, Facebook, and the podcast Holz recorded. Along with those tools, Tony is working on a Find Allie YouTube channel. With Twitter, besides creating fresh tweets, Tony's team is monitoring Twitter feeds and answering any questions that come up.

Tony's initial tweet instigated a Huffington Post article, which more than 3,000 people like or recommended it - widening the reach. The "Find Allie" Facebook page has 600 follower. On Allie's own Facebook page, people are posting how much they want her to come home. The fact that she hasn't even responded to friends, makes me wonder if she can.

In any event - social media's reach is far and wide, and can work successfully in many situations. Some of which you hope you never need to.

New PR for Perry?

The Republican candidates participated in another debate tonight, one in which some wondered if Gov. Perry could redeem his "fumbling, forgetful performance" at the last debate. Alas, it was not to be. But did anyone really think it would be? I cringed for him (along with everyone else in America) when he was addressed with a question. I don't believe he ever directly answered a question. Rather, he would turn the answer into something he did feel he knew about, and even then he struggled. I wondered aloud several times, "Who are his PR people? How are they going to spin this one?" I mean, someone is dressing him really nice, but they really need to find someone to stand up and talk for him, too.

I'm sure Gov. Perry is a very nice man. He seems like he would be a lot of fun at a party. I just don't see him being our next president - not even close. I feel for his PR team that has to figure out how to recover after every debate. After his forgetful episode, which - yes - happens to everyone, Perry tried to downplay the "Oops," saying, "This isn't about who's the slickest debater." Well, yes, it is. You'd better be able to think on your feet if you're the president of the United States.

In any event, I feel bad for Perry - he's way out of his league. And so, perhaps (since we're not seeing much in the way of recovery), is his PR team.

PR for Paterno

I suppose SOMEBODY has been working on the variety of scenarios the Penn State scandal could have resulted in and determining what to do in each case. But I think even if you were one who thought Paterno would be fired immediately - you're still at a loss for words. Besides, "Wow."

He made a mistake. He made a horrible mistake. One which he regrets and wishes he could change. The decision to let him go seems obviously correct, yet horribly sad. And yet, what is more sad? The immeasurable devastation resulting from his not following up more thoroughly on sexual abuse reported to him. Beginning with abuse against eight boys - who were in a PROGRAM FOR TROUBLED YOUTH! Who knows the end result of these crimes and how much they were perpetuated? Nobody.

What do you do when you are fired at the age of 84, with the tremendous career and legacy of Joe Paterno? To quote Joe Pa, "With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." We wish he had, too.

Haters are good?

I was in a luncheon today, and a friend told me, "Don't be a hater!" I didn't think to much about it. When I came home and got ready to post to my blog, I looked at Ragan.com and saw the headline, "5 surprising reasons haters are good for your business." I thought two "haters" in one day was too much of a coincidence - so I'll report on the haters.

Ragan's article explains that a hater is someone who is disgruntled enough to actively talk about how much they hate you and your business, and they generally don't have enough of a life to do much but find their way to your social media channels, post negative comments, and ensure they pull up on Google results.

That sounds like a terrible thing, but Ragan says the reason haters are actually good for your business include: haters expose vulnerabilities (so you can fix them), haters can be converted, haters bring attention (you can counter the negativity), haters publicize frequently asked questions, and haters validate social media efforts (fans and friends stick up for you).

So don't hate the haters! They draw attention to your product and business. If they point out actual problems, it gives you a chance to fix them. If they promote falsehoods, it gives you the opportunity to correct them and tell the truth. Haters draw attention and provide you the opportunity for free advertising. You gotta love 'em.

PR Still Matters

Doug Flora posted an article on ragan.com today called "10 reasons PR still matters." He talks about the growing pains PR has been going through, including all the changes social media has brought to bear, but he says for these very reasons, effective communication is even more important than ever.

His first and, I think, his most important point is, "In the social universe, messaging is key." He says that it isn't enough to have lots of "likes," friends and followers - if your key messages aren't getting "out there," then your social media efforts are a waste of time. Makes perfect sense. To do social media for social media's sake doesn't make any sense. It only makes sense if your message is reaching the ears of your intended public.

He ends this piece by talking about ROI - and it isn't just about dollars. You can assign a dollar value to just about anything, but you have to make sure it means something. You have to "build a reservoir of good will" to help your company overcome crises, as well as everyday difficulties. Additionally, he reflects on Steve Jobs' passing, "A bulletproof reputation can protect a brand even during trying leadership changes."

So - go after social media - knock your socks off. But be sure you're knocking your customers' socks off, too.

While we're on the topic of PR ...

My company sponsors a fabulous program in Northern Utah, for girls in grades 6-9. It is called "Expanding Your Horizons," and is based on conferences begun by a national group in California: http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org/. It is an amazing opportunity for young girls to meet women in STEM professions, participate in three fun hands-on workshops, all while mingling with girls their own age - no boys allowed.

It's sad but true that too many girls seem to take "the easy way out" (I know I did). That is get married - then you have another income and you don't have to worry. The problem is (one of the problems), no matter what you think, you don't know what will happen with that marriage. And not just that one or the other of you may decide to leave at some point. Your husband may become disabled, or he may pass away - you never, ever know. Girls need to be prepared to be prepared to take care of themselves - and maybe even their family. It's a lot better feeling to know you can rely on yourself than to hope you can rely on someone else.

So my PR point today is showing the number of ways my company has used technology (PR) to advertise and promote this conference, which, by the way, 500 girls from Cache Valley to Davis County are attending. We have used e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, newspaper ads and radio. Also some snail mail that went to schools (because some firewalls are so strong that our e-mails bounced). It was a MASS mass-communication effort - and it worked. At least 10 of our workshop presenters and/or assistants attended EYH when they were younger - and now they are working in STEM-related careers.