Archive for the ‘ PR 101 ’ Category
Well, you can’t say this Sega ad isn’t eye-catching and memorable.
When it comes to advertising and tag lines, some companies really miss the mark…or do they? Click on the link below and take a look at some interesting ads and let me know what you think. Is it genius advertising or a marketing OMG moment gone terribly wrong. Feel free to leave a comment and add to this list as well!
Are you constantly finding typos in magazines and newspapers without even seeking them? Have you ever created a mental media training report card for celebrities or politicians to judge how well they spoke in an interview? Do you triple proof every email you send out…and then proof it one more time before sending it? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions….you might be a public relations professional.
Last week, PRDaily.com published a story by PR practitioner Lauren Fernandez in which she listed 11 signs that indicate someone works in public relations. Check out the list below.
1. Your day starts and ends with a cup of coffee.
2. You can power-walk in 5-inch heels with your laptop bag while checking your BlackBerry.
3. Inside jokes with your colleagues will get you through the day—especially the insanely stressful ones.
4. You constantly engage in “PR is dead” and “the press release doesn’t have a place in business” arguments.
5. You are so used to putting the client first that you usually forget to eat lunch.
6. It’s detrimental to your health and workday when you forget your headphones.
7. You can toggle among a PowerPoint presentation, a press release, Twitter strategy, and PSA outlines—all in an hour.
8. You recite billing codes in your sleep.
9. You preface Happy Hour with: “Sorry, I need to keep my phone on the table. I have to be connected to email and phone just in case.”
10. You know more about AP style than Microsoft Office. Because of this, you’re a regular in the IT department.
11. You proudly put “PR pro” in your Twitter bio, knowing it’s the one place you don’t have to explain your job.
Well, does the shoe fit? If you are like me and answered “yes,” you’ll probably get a kick out this extended list created by PRDaily viewers who read last week’s blog. Feel free to add to it by leaving a comment below!
Using social media for business is as much about relationship building as it is marketing and branding. As marketing and public relations professionals, do our best to “woo” new Twitter followers and keep that spark going with our current ones. But, like any interpersonal relationship, there are highs and lows, beginnings and ends.
Why do consumers fall out of love with your brand on Twitter? According to The Social Break-Up report by Exact Target and cotweet:
Don’t take it personally. According to this report, nearly half of all consumers who created a Twitter account no longer use Twitter. They aren’t just breaking up with brands, some are leaving Twitter altogether.
So, how do you get back that loving feeling? Don’t use Twitter, or any other social media platform, as an online billboard for your company. Take the time to monitor what your followers or people on Twitter in general are saying about your company. Listening to consumers or brand enthusiasts online creates the opportunity to try new tactics that might send former followers running back into your brand’s arms!
What are some other methods your company has used to engage or re-engage your followers?
Spin doctor, spin doctor, spin doctor!! Is your blood boiling yet? Are your ears bleeding? If you are like me, hearing these two words together to describe people in my profession (public relations) is like listening to nails screeching down a chalk board.
In 2008, I was honored to have the opportunity to attend the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) International Conference in Detroit, Michigan. One of the keynote speakers repeatedly referring to what we did as “spin.” She was, and is, a well-known speaker and entrepreneur. For that reason, she shall remain nameless. Attendees were so offended that the current PRSA president interrupted the speaker in the middle of her speech and politely asked that she not refer to our work as “spin.” The crowd, of course, went wild.
Spin. It’s the four letter word of our industry. PR people have fought long and hard to clean up our own image. We are not spin doctors. Believe it or not, it is NOT okay to be manipulative or disingenuous. When working ethically; we address facts and truths. As professionals, we are ambassadors of public relations and it is important to reiterate our purpose. It is not our job to simply do what the boss or client says. Part of our job as public relations professionals is to act as a consultant. If your client/boss wants you to spin a response in favor of the company, let them know the value of truth, honesty and transparency to the company, its audiences and stakeholders. They should also be aware of the consequences of spin as well. Once your organization has been blackballed as a spin machine, it will be hard to gain that respect back.
As much as we fight to prove this perception wrong, there are plenty of professionals who are perpetuating the stereotype. How can we put an end to this? Should there be more/better education in the J-schools so that we are “raising” ethical, young public relations professionals? Should we press our public relations organizations to be more vocal when those in the media refer to our group as “spin doctors?”
What are your thoughts?
How ethical are you as a public relations professional? Take this quiz to find out!
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