Crazy and Sensible PR

Honda recently unveiled its Crazy Sensible interactive ad campaign created by Zip Television. The campaign urges viewers to email in their Crazy Sensible stories, which then appear in the ad. Zip Television specializes in the creation and measurement of new TV advertising models in a changing digital and interactive TV landscape.

Honda's Marketing Communications Manager, Matthew Coombe, says: "Working with Zip Television enables potential Honda customers to interact with the brand for a much longer period of time than they would have with a linear ad campaign. As a result, they can have some fun with the interactive content, and importantly, the Honda brand."

One participant sent in a video of himself running an entire marathon in a chicken suite. Sounds CRAZY right? Well, he was running the marathon for a cancer charity; that's where the SENSIBLE part comes in.

Interactive PR and marketing campaigns such as this develop a strong connection between consumers and a product or brand. This campaign will allow Honda's followers to view the company as both socially responsible and fun.

Persistence, persistence

A recent blog titled How not to Launch a New Client, includes several email pitches sent by the same person inquiring about the same client (over and over). As if the insurmountable number of emails weren't enough, the email included 600 names in the cc: field.

It is quite obvious that this person went a little crazy on the persistency, but I often ask myself: how far is too far when following up on a job?

Chandra Louise writes a very helpful article that gives great tips for a successful follow up. In her article she recommends to use the phone, especially for the first follow up. Louise explains that this helps to personalize the conversation. She suggests to make this call within 10 days of your interview and always send a thank you note after each significant contact. But most importantly, according to Louise, is persistency. Louise recommends setting times when you will contact your prospective employer and to stick to those times.

Finally, Louise says, "you're not being a pest; you simply call when the prospective employer agrees, and you keep following up until you get the job you're looking for ."

I say, watch the movie "Swingers" before attempting your second or third follow up.

Virtual Mayhem?

The New York Times recently covered a story on the explosion of online virtual worlds for kids and tweens. In the article, Brad Stone explains these Web sites as "Facebook or MySpace with training wheels." Stone sees no problems arising from children spending too much time in virtual worlds and not enough in the real world, he does; however, detect a problem in the broader social cost of exposing children to marketing messages.

A traffic measurement firm found that visits to a group of seven virtual-world sites aimed at children and teenagers exploded to 68 percent in the last year. This research also suggests that virtual-world sites have attracted 20 million users, showing a drastic increase among younger people.

Some marketing models include paying subscriptions for doll clothes and product placement. One site, WeeWorld, recently signed a deal that allows online characters to carry bags of Skittles candy.

The question is yet another of morality. Is it right to target these young groups so specifically? I wonder what it would have been like if my Barbie came in a box with a mini-bag of Skittles. In a time when Americans practically come out of the womb with a keyboard and mouse, I wonder: Where do we draw the line?

Walmart: Low wages, Low morals

What is more important to the average consumer? Low prices or morality? Walmart has proven for some time that low prices are the driving force in successful sales to its consumers. According to David Kiley in his article Walmart should decide what kind of company it wants to be, "Walmart rose to riches based on a certain set of business principles: relentlessly cut costs, torture vendors into submission, locate stores where a Walmart will draw customers from several downtowns, and keep store employees "down on the farm" as much as possible when it comes to pay and benefits."

Others agree that Walmart is forcing other markets to lower their prices as well. As Hendrick Smith explains, "the big box retailers, epitomized by Wal-Mart, have been driving a massive restructuring of production worldwide; moving jobs from the U.S. and Europe to Asia. They do it by setting price points and forcing suppliers to meet their targets. Only lowest-cost labor can meet their targets, and that means producing in Asia."

Now Walmart is stuck in a position where it has to constantly defend itself to its consumers as well as the market to weaken the negative buzz. Sounds like a job for Super PR. WalMart hired Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and lieutenant for Martin Luther King Jr., to help with its PR; unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way.

Walmart hired Young in hopes that he would help deflect negative attention the corporation was facing from minority communities and urban markets.

One little problem

Soon after Young was hired, he said this: "Those small shops are the people who have been overcharging us, selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. ... They've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs. Very few black folks own these stores."

Looks like Walmart just can't win. Oh well, good luck anyways.

PR and the blogosphere

Public Relations is in constant search of new ways to pitch ideas, and new technology is a huge part of that. Now that blogging is here to stay, it's time to officially marry Mr. PR and Mrs. Blog. Because these two are newly-weds, it's easy to make mistakes. In Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog, Chip Griffin explains the seven deadly sins of pitching bloggers for PR purposes.

Many of Griffin's "sins" are common for even the experienced PR practitioner and occur all the time in other forms of PR. Griffin names the "cardinal sin" of the blogosphere as a lack of transparency. He also warns against sounding scripted and recommends having your own blog before pitching it to a client, "Research shows that individuals who write blogs are more receptive to pitches that meet their needs and interests. But that doesn't mean these pitches are the same."

Though there are not many differences between pitching to old media and pitching to new media, there does seem to be that one difference that's so important. As Griffin explains, "Just as pitches to old media must be newsworthy, pitches to new media must be, as well—with one proviso: They must also be buzz-worthy."

So what does this "buzz-worthy" word mean? To me, it is the word that defines the gap between hard news, and news that starts a conversation. For PR people, the latter is more affective. So as the world enters a new phase in technology-related communication, it is vital for our world of PR to follow suite.

Who can define Public Relations?

A few years ago, I was sitting in a lecture hall with about 100 or more other journalism students. As we all sat on our first day in Principals of Public Relations, ready and eager to learn about the profession that most of us wanted to enter; our professor asked us a troubling question: Who can define public relations? There was, of course, those few students who were sure they had the answers, "they work with the public and an organization," and... "they pitch stories," and... This went on for some time, but no one really had the full answer.

That's because it's all those things combined.

Today, I sit in my campaigns class, the last PR class requirement before graduation. When our class full of seniors was asked this question, it revealed the same response as a class full of underclassmen. Silence, blank stares, whispers and half-attempts to answer the question. This begged another puzzling question: Are we ready for the real world of public relations?

As graduation nears, I feel a sense of excitement and worry. The unknown world of public relations, the same world I have devoted my studies to, is rapidly approaching. Harold Burson, a respected PR practitioner and professor, has some wonderful advice for PR newbies. Reading over the vast amount of information about what PR really is makes me realize, we really do know the definition of PR. We also know that class would never end if we took the time to explain PR, so we just smile, knowing exactly what it is.

Although the fear inside me vibrates every time I think about finding a job, interviewing, fitting in, or anything related to the real world, I know that my education has prepared me.

The scary part is that the rest is now up to me.

Celebs smarter than paparazzi?

Whether peaking at your girlfriends, or while standing in line at the grocery store, everyone has done it... read a celebrity magazine that is. We all know that the magazines follow some sort of format, to which the celebrity of the moment is plugged into. What we generally don't know is that these celebrities have more control over the "stalkarzzi" than we think. An article written in the Wall Street Journal suggests that the new age of celebrities have finally figured out a way to manage their own public image, instead of submitting that control to a person with an index finger.

Now, the stars that frequent these magazines are taking back control. The Journal explains that these stars are actually hiring their own photographers to act as paparazzi. These hired photogs capture seemingly random or private moments under the guidance of the stars themselves. They tip their photographers off to their own whereabouts and develop a mutual relationship with magazine editors.

Janice Min, editor in chief of US Weekly states that, "at least 50% of what you see in terms of Hollywood coverage is something that was not necessarily born organically. This is a totally symbiotic relationship. This is how celebrities survive."

So I ask you this: If we can't even trust the slimy rawness of paparazzi photos, what can we trust?

Too much Cave Love

If you don't know about the Gieco cavemen, YOU must be living in a cave. The "it's so easy a caveman can do it" statement plays off politically incorrect jargon in an impossible setting. I for one, was quite impressed and humored by the set of commercials, and now there's more good news- The caveman actually has his own highly interactive Web site that let's visitors see where the caveman lives. When you first get to the site you can knock on the door, this is when Mr. Caveman himself invites you in. The whole thing is very entertaining and provokes active engagement and involvement in the campaign.

But is it all a bit much?

If you think creating a television series just for the Gieco cavemen is a bit much, then yes. Burt Helm of BusinessWeek does. But with the immense numbers of new television series, trailers, pilots, etc.; will commercials eventually merge with the likes of entertainment television? Gieco may be on to something here, they just may be a little before their time (not unlike the Gieco caveman... or something). But what may seem like a good idea to Gieco now, could easily turn into a disaster if they insist on fueling the fire of their beloved cavemen. I suggest Gieco stick with the funny commercials and interactive Web site. After all, we all know what it's like to have a relative stay past their welcome.

Gen Y's on to you!

In a recent blog, Paula Zargaj-Reynolds lists the top 15 most trusted brands among consumers ages 21-27. The list is as follows:

Apple
Trader Joe's
Jet Blue
In-N-Out Burger
Ben & Jerry's
Whole Foods
Adidas
American Apparel
Target
H & M clothing stores
Levi's
Volkswagen
Converse
Vitamin Water
Red Stripe Jamaican beer

Notice anything? I do!
Most of these companies do not use overt or pervasive advertising directed toward Generation Y. Another common theme is that all of these companies practice corporate social responsibility.

As part of Generation Y and as a Public Relations student in the School of Journalism and Communications at the University of Oregon, I like to think that I can detect intrusive and pervasive advertising aimed in my general direction... and it offends me. Along with most of Gen Y, I believe that I am not as easily affected by propaganda, but I could be wrong. The new kind of advertising involves a lot more than millions of dollars spent on fancy tech-ads or funny beer advertisements; it involves being involved. Gen Y likes to know that the products they purchase are made by environmentally and socially responsible corporations.

Walking the walk is a lot more important than talking the talk. This generation can find out whether a company is truly involved in making positive changes or if they simply say they do to gain our respect. One of my favorite campaigns is the "Truth" anti-tobacco campaigns. One television ad by the "Truth" campaign shows people being good citizens by throwing away a piece of garbage or helping an old woman across the street, the only catch is that after they complete their "kind act" they make sure everyone knows (yelling "I just threw some garbage away, and it wasn't mine"). The ad ends noting that a cigarette company spent thousands of dollars for charity and then spent millions advertising it.

The tricky part for advertisers targeting our generation is to advertise without advertising. Sprite caught on to this and tried to develop a campaign using reverse advertising. Like reverse psychology, our generation wasn't having it. The campaign didn't work. Gen Y recognized their ploy and rejected it right away. The ad was like hearing my parents try to use words like "hella" or "badass," it just doesn't fit.

My best advise for companies trying to target our generation; don't appear like you're trying, 'cause we'll catch on!

Coca Cocain

James Kirby, the inventor of a new energy drink "Cocaine," has recently faced some public relations problems for his not-so-subtle name-choice. The energy drink, which contains 280 milligrams of caffeine, is not surprisingly targeted toward people ages 20-30. Kirby says the name for the drink came to him during a "brainstorming" session at, big surprise, one o'clock in the morning. As if the name and the marketing campaign are not bad enough, Kirby proudly claims that there is a secret "throat-numbing" ingredient to emulate the drink's namesake.

So you got the attention of you're target audience and the FDA; now what?

The name has been banned from use by the FDA. Is there any way that relating an energy drink to an illegal drug was a good idea? Probably not. A recent article in PR Week suggests the company leave the scene quietly. Although exiting with grace from the market is the best advice for "Cocaine Energy Drink," something tells me the company that takes pride in creating a legal version of cocaine will not be the same company to maturely bow out.

Senioritous

After a long weekend of intern-related "work" I felt a lack of motivation in the area of homework. My symptoms were as follows: watering of the mouth at the thought of an ice-cold beer, need to be outdoors, BBQ appetite only and lack of sleep. I decided that I should see a Dr. about this, so I went to the University Health Center. As I sat on the butcher paper like a slab of meat waiting to be wrapped up and later bar-b-qed, (see, there's those BBQ thoughts again) I explained my symptoms to the Dr. Once the Dr. examined me, she sat back in her swivel chair with a smirk and said, "you have a case of Senioritous." It sounded pretty serious, my Senioritous had been in remission since 2002. She gave me a bag of extra strength coffee and recommended drinking lots of caffeine and staying at my desk. I am taking the Dr.'s advice and hoping the Senioritous does not spread. I'll keep you updated on my case as the weeks go on.