We all make mistaks

I remember once, as a kid, seeing a very brief news item about a traffic sign, painted on the road, warning drivers they were entering a "school zone."  School, was spelled "sckool."  Funny enough to make the six o'clock news.

But, could such a thing possibly happen on a national level, causing embarrassment, say, to one of the nation's institutions of higher learning?

It did.  The poor folks at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, allowed their PR team to put in motion a campaign around the notion of "D+."  The "plus" is to signify an advantage of some sort.

The campaign was "designed to catch the attention of high school students" who may find it difficult to differentiate among the countless come-ons they receive from prospective colleges.

I bet it's succeeding.

I have to admit, from a high school perspective, it's kind of funny.  In an email defending the campaign, survey results are carefully drawn out to show that target audiences found the campaign interesting.

A few thoughts:

1.  I think the concept would work much better if it was tongue-in-cheek, as in: "Now that we have your attention, here's why Drake is a good school for you."

2.  The problem is in taking it seriously.  Only compounding the challenge is that school officials now need to explain the campaign to faculty and staff.

3.  If the campaign was designed to simply increase awareness and cause people to talk about Drake, they've already succeeded.

If you take a look at the firm that created the campaign, you see right away this doesn't appear to be a fly-by-night or a bunch of idiots who don't know what they're doing.  Part of the execution seems a bit off, but other than that, if Drake is smart, the school can make lots of hay out of this.

And, after all, that's what this is about.

Tiger Inc.

Seems like lots of commentators are piling up on Tiger for his mishandling of the crisis communications around his car crash and subsequent fall from grace.

I'm not sure I agree with them.

Yes, silence is typically not a good thing when faced with a pressing issue, however, this article from The Wall Street Journal makes some good counter-points about why he may be shutting up.

Basically, it seems that Tiger's people are trying to make sure any more of his extra-marital lovers keep their mouths shut. And, Tiger has the money to make that happen.

A PR pro typically wants to make sure his client is communicating the correct messages. Sometimes, though, there is nothing to say that will be helpful.

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say everything will go back to "normal" before long in Tigerland, assuming he gets back on the golf course and does what he does so well. In the end, that will allow endorsers to keep making their money and that's all that really matters.

Message is king.

Here's a nice post from Richard Miles on the importance of the message and distinguishing between the message and the medium.

Talking off-the-cuff. Not such a good idea.

It's been a while since I posted. Maybe you see that as a lack of commitment. In fact, I recently read a posting about just that. Something along the lines of, if you don't post regularly, it shows lack of commitment. People who read you are then led to think, "What else is he not committed to?"

I don't see it that way. In fact, my feeling is just the opposite.

Why post if you have nothing to say? Posting for posting's sake is kind of like that annoying kid in class who would ask a question just to insert him/herself further up the teacher's butt. Or, the annoying bigger kid in a meeting who will speak but add nothing other than an over-complicated summary of what everyone else just said...

So, I don't post for posting's sake.

Shifting gears, sort of...

Question: When does it make sense for the President of the United States (Yes, always capitalized.) to comment on a local police matter?

Answer: Never.

I was shocked that President Obama found it necessary to comment at all about the arrest of Harvard Professor Louis Henry Gates. (Capitalized because it's a title, as opposed to Louis Henry Gates, a Harvard professor.) To me, it seemed like the President acted stupidly. Perhaps, because Gates is Obama's friend, the President wanted to stick up for him. Nonetheless, one would think the President would have the wherewithal to say something like, "I'm not sure of all the facts and I have every confidence the Boston PD will work it out. Next question." But he didn't. And now, there's another thing on the President's plate that will take him away from real work he should be doing.

In public relations it's equally important to know when to keep your mouth shut.

Is Twittering the same as communicating?

Is Twitter changing the way public relations and communications are practiced? Should it?

Both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times recently ran articles outlining some of the challenges Twitter is facing. The company is growing by leaps and bounds and in addition to enjoying all that success, it’s experiencing some growing pains.

I still haven’t made up my mind about Twitter. Sure, if you’re in the communications biz and don’t get excited when people start holding forth on the miracles and wonders of Twitter, you risk being labeled “old school.” Yes, Twitter is cool if that whole Facebook page is too much for you to consume and you want to know what I’m doing right now (writing this post) or need to know your best friend’s status (stressing over her upcoming history test).

Yes, Twitter is cool. But I’m not sure what the value is to communications pros (other than keeping tabs on journalists).

I can’t help but get that old “2001: An Internet Crash Odyssey feeling.” I can’t help but be reminded of colleagues who looked me earnestly in the eye and said things like “This is the New Economy; profits don’t matter anymore.” Or, “The company represents a paradigm shift away from the old way of thinking.” Or, “It’s all about eyeballs and content is king.” Or, my favorite from Razorfish founder Jeff Dachis, “We've…re-contextualized what it is to be a business-services.”

What’s the point? At the risk of sounding older and grumpier than I am, I’m not sure that compressing communications into 140 characters is a good idea. While “brevity is the soul of wit” and “heard melodies are sweet” continues to ring true, real communication still requires development of thought and appreciation of the process.

Of Interviews - For Jobs and Media

With everyone looking for work these days, it seems like one thing there is no shortage of is advice on what to do to help you land a new job. Sure enough, yesterday's Wall Street Journal published an article on tips that will help you suceed if you are lucky enough to actually score an interview.

Some of the tips are patently obvious. ("Signal confidence by offering a firm handshake;" and "Show you've done your homework on the company.") As I read the piece, I couldn't help but think of the kind of advice we give to our clients as they prepare for media interviews. It struck me that, to a certain extent, preparing for a job interview is much like preparing for a media interview.

- Figure out what your key messages are and stick to them. In other words, know your story.
- Anticipate questions. If you have gaps in your resume, think about how you will explain them.
- Be ready to use concrete examples.
- There is definitely no such thing as "off the record."
- "Yes and no" answers will not serve you well, at all.
- "Flag" questions that you know you will answer well.

Anyone prepping for a job interview would be able to approach the experience with confidence, assuming they take the time to consider their key messages.

Just like in public relations.

Susan Boyle, Communications Expert

Today, like millions who watch all sorts of videos forwarded from friends and family, I was introduced to Susan Boyle.

Three seconds after she started to sing, the crowd went wild. Ten seconds later, they were on their feet.

What does this teach us about communications and public relations? I think we can draw a few conclusions, but I'll point to two I often repeat:

1. Public relations is about what you do and not about what you say. Susan said she was going to do well and no one in the theater believed her. But, her actions spoke louder than her words.

2. Conviction and belief in your messages is of paramount importance. Susan believed in what she came to do and, therefore, was admirably confident in her pre-performance delivery.

Do the right thing first and then make sure your messaging is correct. People can't ignore that.

We're forgetting how to talk.

It turns out that people don't like voicemail anymore. Apparently, it takes up too much time and checking for messages is a complicated and arduous task.

Fascinating, but not really suprising in an era when Twitter is fast becoming a normal way to communicate. If you can't say it in 140 characters, then it's taking too long.

But, is that really communicating?

I think the challenge some people have with voicemail is that those who leave voice mail messages don't appreciate the importance of keeping messages succinct and to-the-point. Callers, somehow, are caught off-guard and aren't sure what to say or how to say it when they have to rely on the spoken word.

Here's my take: I think people are forgetting how to TALK to one another. Think about it. How many times do you get together with friends or family, only to have the people you're with texting, IMing or emailing throughout your conversation? I don't think people are too busy to talk or listen to voicemails, I just think people don't know how to relate to the spoken word, anymore.

TMI - Three Mile Island or Too Much Information?

This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the Three Mile Island meltdown. Without a doubt, people a whole lot smarter than I will be discussing and dissecting what happened and what should have happened from both a communications and operational point-of-view.

The meltdown led to several new "truths" in crisis communications and nuclear energy. Specifically, the world was taught the importance of preparing for the former and the hazards of the latter.

But is nuclear power dangerous? The common perception is that it is. (You can read an article from The Washington Post about the relative safety of nuclear power. You can also read about the critical hours of the meltdown here. ) In many ways, that's all that matters.

To be sure, the world of communications has changed drastically in the past 30 years and, while there is a lot to learn from the events of Three Mile Island, it's important to remember that at the time, there were no cell phones or Blackberrys; internet or email. Information could be released in a controlled, deliberate manner that I'm sure some communicators look back upon with envy.

I think the lesson for today's communications environment is attitudinal in nature. It's important to remember that companies and organizations much do what they can to prepare for a crisis situation. They must be ready to communicate effectively and avoid stonewalling. Information will always find a way out, either through deliberate or accidental action.

Take the steps you need to now by examing what your organization's exposure to risk is and determine how you can prepare to deal with a crisis when it happens.

Heeeeere's Barak!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that President Obama appeared last night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was a big deal. A sitting president has never done that before. And, of course, everyone has an opinion.

Including me.

It wasn't a mistake for him to schedule the appearance and, in retrospect, it went well. The only gaffe came when the president compared his bowling ability to the Special Olympics.

So, does this mean that sitting presidents now have to do the late night circuit? No, and we can all learn a lesson. Every media appearance and speaking opportunity for any spokesperson or chief executive needs to be judged in terms of importance and weighed against the person's ability to handle the situation. Obama did well because he thinks on his feet and doesn't seem to have to rely on thoroughly canned talking points. Also, he's usually rather funny.

Imagine if President Bush had tried the same.

Bottom line: it went well and it was a positive experience. As my favorite television president says, "What's next?"

Discovering your key messages

What's the best way to figure out your key messages?

Many executives think long and hard about this. And, more often than not, they think about it in the wrong way. It's very tempting to say, "We offer Service X, therefore, our primary key message is that our company is a leading provider of Service X."

Maybe it is. But what about what the customer wants or needs from you? Your customer likely wants to hear about how you can HELP them achieve a certain goal. Sure, it may be implied within the message of being a leading provider of X. But why imply? Say it outright!

Put another way, your audience doesn't want to hear what YOU think is important; they want to hear about what THEY think is important.

Here's an example. I worked with a furniture remanufacturer on their corporate messaging. When I asked the president and the VP of sales why their customers buy from them, they both said, "price."

So we went to work talking about who their audiences are, what their concerns are and how the company addressed those concerns.

Know what? Price wasn't the primary reason customers were buying. It was environmental -- a "green" thing.

The first step in marketing communications always has to be about discovering the right messages. If time isn't taken to appropriately explore what your target audiences want to hear, they won't listen when you start talking.