Just under three full days left in 2008, and I was thinking about the good and bad in PR during the past year.
Ketchum in Canada helped me out from a great white north perspective: http://tinyurl.com/7oo69q
Lots of apologizing up there last year.
Guidelines if it happens to you:
acknowledge the harm done, take responsibility, include a believable statement of regret, and a commitment to ensure that it doesn't happen again.
And @PRsarahevans on twitter gave me this gem via @radinfo:
http://tinyurl.com/4qrtjm that focuses on the PR blunders of 08.
AIG, Nike, Absolut and Merck and Schering-Plough get well-deserved shout-outs.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Oopsy -- College Prowler gets caught
This from a twitter connex who works at Butler U. Seems like someone was starting lots o' "class of 2013" Facebook Groups -- and it tracked back to a group called College Prowler.
http://squaredpeg.com/index.php/2008/12/18/facebook-pay-attention/
College Prowler is in CYA mode:
http://squaredpeg.com/index.php/2008/12/18/facebook-pay-attention/#comment-1467
People! Stop and think before you start a program this stupid and this easy to suss out. And then stop trying to blame it on "some firm we hired".
http://squaredpeg.com/index.php/2008/12/18/facebook-pay-attention/
College Prowler is in CYA mode:
http://squaredpeg.com/index.php/2008/12/18/facebook-pay-attention/#comment-1467
People! Stop and think before you start a program this stupid and this easy to suss out. And then stop trying to blame it on "some firm we hired".
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Charlie Brown knows crisis communication
This past Sunday's Peanuts re-run speaks well of Charlie Brown's understanding of crisis communication -- not to mention marital bliss, or keeping any relationship healthy, for that matter
http://tinyurl.com/5b7gny
Here, you'll see CB immediately give credit to his angry audience -- they are right. Then he further credits them -- he's glad that they feel that way. He doesn't even have to go to the point of making an apology, and he effectively diffuses their aggressive mood.
Idealized, to be sure; but educational. His ability to calmly respond with respect to a hostile audience, and their response, is one that that many should take to heart, from the governor of Illinois to the president of the U.S. to most husbands and wives.
http://tinyurl.com/5b7gny
Here, you'll see CB immediately give credit to his angry audience -- they are right. Then he further credits them -- he's glad that they feel that way. He doesn't even have to go to the point of making an apology, and he effectively diffuses their aggressive mood.
Idealized, to be sure; but educational. His ability to calmly respond with respect to a hostile audience, and their response, is one that that many should take to heart, from the governor of Illinois to the president of the U.S. to most husbands and wives.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Whale Wars more like Whale Bumbling
In many cases, the onset of reality TV has been a boon for organizations seeking PR. There was a A&E cop show (crime360.vodpod.com) on earlier this year that used an instrument (www.leica-geosystems.com) to record a 3-D model of crime scenes that the investigators used as a key part of the investigation. The main character was really the instrument. Product placement (www.americanidol.com) has become a key part of many shows.
The wife and I are big animal lovers. You'd think that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society would have a dream come true in its "Whale Wars" reality series on Animal Planet. In my mind, it is more like a nightmare.
SSCS is lauded by some for their PR savvy, but this series seems to best showcase the bungling and ineptitude produced when they take a bunch of trust-funders out on a noble quest.
They did a great job of recruiting pretty people as crew members of the ship The Steve Irwin. But they are neophytes to ocean going, and the cringe-inducing show seems to largely generate its drama by the SS crew bumbling about on the high seas.
They damage a helicopter blade. They bust the winch. The joyriders in the runabouts don't bother to check in, leaving the ship stressed over whether they are freezing to death in the water. The engines die and they have to steam back to Australia to repair it. The volunteer crew has a near mutiny thanks to the disrepect shown them by the SS staff/regular crew, and many leave. A new crew member busts his thumb badly during the first operation on their return to the whaling grounds.
They keep talking about saving whales, but it seems they mainly waste a lot of time and fuel traipsing around the ocean until they screw the next thing up.
They want to be seen as bad boys of the sea, but come across more like keystone cops.
Don't get me wrong, the research whaling that the Japanese do is a farce, and I certainly support efforts to protect whales; I'm just not sure that this -- or, at least, this way of documenting it -- is the way to go.
The wife and I are big animal lovers. You'd think that the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society would have a dream come true in its "Whale Wars" reality series on Animal Planet. In my mind, it is more like a nightmare.
SSCS is lauded by some for their PR savvy, but this series seems to best showcase the bungling and ineptitude produced when they take a bunch of trust-funders out on a noble quest.
They did a great job of recruiting pretty people as crew members of the ship The Steve Irwin. But they are neophytes to ocean going, and the cringe-inducing show seems to largely generate its drama by the SS crew bumbling about on the high seas.
They damage a helicopter blade. They bust the winch. The joyriders in the runabouts don't bother to check in, leaving the ship stressed over whether they are freezing to death in the water. The engines die and they have to steam back to Australia to repair it. The volunteer crew has a near mutiny thanks to the disrepect shown them by the SS staff/regular crew, and many leave. A new crew member busts his thumb badly during the first operation on their return to the whaling grounds.
They keep talking about saving whales, but it seems they mainly waste a lot of time and fuel traipsing around the ocean until they screw the next thing up.
They want to be seen as bad boys of the sea, but come across more like keystone cops.
Don't get me wrong, the research whaling that the Japanese do is a farce, and I certainly support efforts to protect whales; I'm just not sure that this -- or, at least, this way of documenting it -- is the way to go.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Crisis communication -- be prepared
You never know when you might have a crisis communication need. By definition, you can't predict a crisis; but you can prepare a crisis communication plan. It might not be along the lines of the Tylenol poisonings or
the Illinois governor's arrest, but many small crises loom around business every day.
Last night, a local investigative news team did a piece on a local hospital where they have some issues with their in-house food prep. Scary stuff, although they did sensationalize it. Their response was not bad, but, clearly, this has been a ongoing issue that should have been addressed by now.
The local newspaper did a story about the county suing the companies who built structures at the local fairgrounds. Radio silence from all the involved parties, both local and national. Proactive crisis communication, combined with other good-faith efforts, might have averted the lawsuit altogether, not to mention the story.
the Illinois governor's arrest, but many small crises loom around business every day.
Last night, a local investigative news team did a piece on a local hospital where they have some issues with their in-house food prep. Scary stuff, although they did sensationalize it. Their response was not bad, but, clearly, this has been a ongoing issue that should have been addressed by now.
The local newspaper did a story about the county suing the companies who built structures at the local fairgrounds. Radio silence from all the involved parties, both local and national. Proactive crisis communication, combined with other good-faith efforts, might have averted the lawsuit altogether, not to mention the story.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Opposite day
Okay, how not to PR today. The old "take what you are supporting, and just call it the opposite of what it actually is" ploy. Most commonly seen today in the practice of "greenwashing," or calling something green that isn't really.
Today's exhibit, "clean coal."
Yes, coal is vitally important to our economy. Yes, it is much cleaner that it used to be.
But this - http://www.americaspower.org/Carolers - is just ridiculous and embarrassing. This is the type of thing that makes me be ashamed of public relations.
The local coal-burning power plant is always the biggest emitter of mercury in the county -- and, in the grand scheme of things, it does not have any competition, and the mercury it emits is a pretty small amount. But nevertheless, it is emitting it. It is not clean.
We're way past the days of "healthy cigarettes," but clearly, the PR technique of calling something it is not is here for the long term.
Today's exhibit, "clean coal."
Yes, coal is vitally important to our economy. Yes, it is much cleaner that it used to be.
But this - http://www.americaspower.org/Carolers - is just ridiculous and embarrassing. This is the type of thing that makes me be ashamed of public relations.
The local coal-burning power plant is always the biggest emitter of mercury in the county -- and, in the grand scheme of things, it does not have any competition, and the mercury it emits is a pretty small amount. But nevertheless, it is emitting it. It is not clean.
We're way past the days of "healthy cigarettes," but clearly, the PR technique of calling something it is not is here for the long term.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The big three just don't get it
It's in vogue to pick on the Big 3 automakers lately, and for good reason.
Taking three corporate jets to ask for welfare from congress, and trying to defend it, was pretty nuts.
Today's Denver Egotist has a guest editorial about how GM has been losing market share for 20 years, and increasing ad spending the whole time. See http://thedenveregotist.com/editorial/3236/gm-and-ford-different-roads-to-washington. I think that the television and print media markets must be as nervous about the automakers going bankrupt as anyone, along with the ad agencies producing the work.
This was an unfortunate example of agencies, who are supposed to counsel and advise, doing wrong by their clients by just keeping up the middling work and cashing the checks.
The author correctly sees this as an opportunity for the ad industry -- I would argue it is an opportunity more for the PR world. But it doesn't matter how good a story you have to tell, if you can't produce cars that people want to drive, or products or services that people see value in, you won't succeed.
Taking three corporate jets to ask for welfare from congress, and trying to defend it, was pretty nuts.
Today's Denver Egotist has a guest editorial about how GM has been losing market share for 20 years, and increasing ad spending the whole time. See http://thedenveregotist.com/editorial/3236/gm-and-ford-different-roads-to-washington. I think that the television and print media markets must be as nervous about the automakers going bankrupt as anyone, along with the ad agencies producing the work.
This was an unfortunate example of agencies, who are supposed to counsel and advise, doing wrong by their clients by just keeping up the middling work and cashing the checks.
The author correctly sees this as an opportunity for the ad industry -- I would argue it is an opportunity more for the PR world. But it doesn't matter how good a story you have to tell, if you can't produce cars that people want to drive, or products or services that people see value in, you won't succeed.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The "we went to a show" release
A local long-time business seems to have seen the light -- they've gone on a marketing tear, with new ID, new website, putting out lots of press releases.
They are a good business, and do good work/product.
There was one posted to the local chamber website recently -- and it is not one that I would have advised to issue it.
It was the standard "company went with other industry leaders to an industry show" boilerplate piece, with info on what they did and accomplished at the show.
Not newsworthy.
If you are a leader in your industry, I expect you to grow and learn, and not to tell me about it.
Then, because this was way too lean to support a release, they added in a random quote about their new website and how customer-friendly it is. Um, hello. More obvious, not newsworthy information.
If you supply good releases on a regular basis, sending out one that is like this only hurts your credibility.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Nap Away
I had a conversation not long ago with someone -- maybe a soccer parent -- about going home on a dreary weekend day and taking a nap. He said he probably had not napped in decades. I thought that was odd. Turns out it might be unhealthy, as well.
I have not always been a nap guy, and there are times when I now go an extended time without napping, but a story came out last week that napping is good for you and your memory: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27893642/
Napping when you don't get enough quality sleep at night can help your heart health, may stave off diabetes, and more.
I know I've experienced inferior memories when I've slept too little.
I was also interested in a term -- "sleep bulimia" -- that refers to very late nights followed by sleep-in weekends.
I have not always been a nap guy, and there are times when I now go an extended time without napping, but a story came out last week that napping is good for you and your memory: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27893642/
Napping when you don't get enough quality sleep at night can help your heart health, may stave off diabetes, and more.
I know I've experienced inferior memories when I've slept too little.
I was also interested in a term -- "sleep bulimia" -- that refers to very late nights followed by sleep-in weekends.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Piling on the automakers
Okay, everyone is doing it, and why not?
The guys at the head of Ford, GM and Chrysler got into their big corporate jets and spent around $20,000 each to fly from Detroit to D.C. to ask Congress to give them money so they won't have to go bankrupt.
First class ticket from an airline for the same trip? Less than $1,000.
Then they dodged, on the television news last night, or offered up lame excuses as to why they had to do that. At least while they were sitting at the table, some of the committee members questioning them took a few shots at how ridiculous the irony was.
I'm concerned about both alternatives with the auto manufacturers -- they have not figured out a way to survive on their own, so how will they manage to do that with a bunch of our money? And if we let them go and fend for themselves, if they go away, that will be an unimaginable impact on our economy, psyche and culture.
There's no easy answer.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Integrity and Honestly
Lots of talk out there about the unquestionable integrity and honesty of a golfer this week. You can probably find the story on any news site, as well as www.espn.com, www.si.com and others.
Seems a gent, J.P. Hayes, was playing in a pro tournament. He accidentally used the wrong ball for two shots on one hole, and let officials there know. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty.
That night, he realized that the ball he used was not sanctioned for use in competition play -- meaning that he would be disqualified from the event -- and lose any chance he had to play on the PGA Tour in 2009 -- if he confessed his mistake.
No one would ever know what had happened. He stood to go on and play in 2009 as a pro on the tour as he always had. Or he could admit the mistake, and miss the cut.
He called tour officials that night to let them know about the mistaken use of a prototype ball.
Commendable, although not all that surprising in the world of golf, which prides itself as being a gentleman's game where players police themselves.
Seems a gent, J.P. Hayes, was playing in a pro tournament. He accidentally used the wrong ball for two shots on one hole, and let officials there know. He was assessed a two-stroke penalty.
That night, he realized that the ball he used was not sanctioned for use in competition play -- meaning that he would be disqualified from the event -- and lose any chance he had to play on the PGA Tour in 2009 -- if he confessed his mistake.
No one would ever know what had happened. He stood to go on and play in 2009 as a pro on the tour as he always had. Or he could admit the mistake, and miss the cut.
He called tour officials that night to let them know about the mistaken use of a prototype ball.
Commendable, although not all that surprising in the world of golf, which prides itself as being a gentleman's game where players police themselves.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Airline Madness
Yesterday's news featured a story that, because fuel prices have been falling steadily, the airlines will now end the add-on fuel surcharges they had all made into a standard fee on tickets. Sort of.
You'd think that the result would be immediately lower ticket prices. Not so.
They are just rolling the fee into ticket prices, so there is no real change -- you just won't see a fuel surcharge broken out on top of your standard fare.
A nice little trick of language and wording. Deceptive? Perhaps. But, as anyone who has flown in recent months knows, they are not too concerned about that. We're just cattle, after all -- when your very survival as a company is concerned, why bother with little things like whether you are being up front and honest with your customers?
You'd think that the result would be immediately lower ticket prices. Not so.
They are just rolling the fee into ticket prices, so there is no real change -- you just won't see a fuel surcharge broken out on top of your standard fare.
A nice little trick of language and wording. Deceptive? Perhaps. But, as anyone who has flown in recent months knows, they are not too concerned about that. We're just cattle, after all -- when your very survival as a company is concerned, why bother with little things like whether you are being up front and honest with your customers?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The PR nightmare for TSA
Truly scary.
Basically, everything that you feared is wrong with TSA is, and more.
Never too old . . .
This!
Is!
Awesome!
from the AP wire
1. I'm inclined to believe him when he said he did not soap the coach's windows.
2. Amazing, isn't it, what used to get you kicked off a college team, and what you can get away with now. Sad in more ways than one.
Man, 73, scores 2 points in college hoops game | ||||||||
"I found myself on the free-throw line 52 years after my last college game," Mink said. "I said, 'Just relax and shoot it like you know how to all day long.' I just floated the shots in there. I'm in the books now. I can relax a little bit." Mink, of Knoxville, last played college basketball 52 years ago at Lees College in Jackson, Ky. After someone soaped the basketball coach's office, he lost his spot on the team and was expelled. Mink still says he didn't do it. Last year, after shooting baskets at a neighbor's house, he wrote to several area colleges, and Roane State coach Randy Nesbit agreed to give him a chance. Mink has practiced regularly with the team since school began in August. |
Friday, October 31, 2008
Avandia -- it might help, if it doesn't kill you
Seems like the honorable thing to do in this case is pull the drug, at least temporarily, from the market. Profit is a powerful force.
The reason is 14 cases of liver failure linked to the drug, including 12 deaths. There is also evidence of increased risk of heart attacks, heart failure, bone fractures, anemia and macular (retinal) edema with vision loss. Safer, more effective drugs for Type 2 diabetes include metformin (sold in Canada under the brand names Glucophag Glumetza or in generic forms with "metformin" as part of the name) and glipizide (brand name Glucotrol), Public Citizen said.
In the statement, Glaxo said it does not believe Avandia causes liver failure and that a review by an independent panel earlier this year said the liver risks were acceptable. The company added heart attack data is inconclusive and that Avandia is safe and effective, when used as directed.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Scmoozing Made Simple
My Founders breakfast group was blessed to receive a gift at our last meeting from a fellow member, friend and colleague Adrienne Zoble (www.azobleassoc.com) -- her annual "Schmoozing Calendar." This year she had it done by those uber-creatives at Toolbox (www.toolboxcreative.com).
Adrienne delivers direct, simple marketing advice, and this calendar distills that perfectly. Each month has weekly suggestions on meetings to have with someone in your network. It also has a brief script or statement of what you might say when you call to invite someone to meet, for those of us who might need a little help on that front.
She says it better than I can:
A wise soul said long ago, "It's not always what you know, it's whom you know." How well are you tapping into the myriad people in your life for mutual leads and referrals?
This calendar provides weekly suggestions of someone you might invite to breakfast, lunch or coffee. Develop confidence and trust in each other. Build relationships and grow your business.
You can get a copy of Adrienne's Schmoozing Calendar from her website, www.azobleassoc.com, under the ebooks link.
Full disclosure -- Adrienne has since asked me to help her promote the calendar, so I've created a news release and I'm doing some media relations work to help get the word out.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
How to lose friends and alienate supporters
Sarah Palin had an appearance here this week, at the Larimer County Fairgrounds Budweiser Events Center. The local paper made a fuss over a long line of people at Republican HQ waiting to get free tickets. The print media and Denver TV stations covered her appearance Monday.
There was a little problem, though -- the venue holds 7,200, and rumor has it that as many as 15,000 tickets were passed out. The McCain campaign says it passed out 11,000 tickets. Initial plans were to admit 9,000, diverting 2,000 of those people to an overflow area at an adjacent bulding.
On site, some people waited as much as two hours or more, and never got in the building. Several thousand people were left waiting outside in the cold, despite hundreds of empty seats inside.
There was confusion between local law enforcement, the fire department and the Secret Service. There is mention in the Fort Collins newspaper today that as many as 500 people were let into the building without being screened or going through metal detectors -- scary.
Of course, the fire marshall is blaming the Secret Service, and vice versa, for the decision to stop admitting people.
For McCain/Palin supporters, this fiasco is not enough to cause any doubt as to how to vote; but I have to imagine that anyone who wanted to go and see Palin as part of their decision-making process and who did not get in has to be less than impressed.
There was a little problem, though -- the venue holds 7,200, and rumor has it that as many as 15,000 tickets were passed out. The McCain campaign says it passed out 11,000 tickets. Initial plans were to admit 9,000, diverting 2,000 of those people to an overflow area at an adjacent bulding.
On site, some people waited as much as two hours or more, and never got in the building. Several thousand people were left waiting outside in the cold, despite hundreds of empty seats inside.
There was confusion between local law enforcement, the fire department and the Secret Service. There is mention in the Fort Collins newspaper today that as many as 500 people were let into the building without being screened or going through metal detectors -- scary.
Of course, the fire marshall is blaming the Secret Service, and vice versa, for the decision to stop admitting people.
For McCain/Palin supporters, this fiasco is not enough to cause any doubt as to how to vote; but I have to imagine that anyone who wanted to go and see Palin as part of their decision-making process and who did not get in has to be less than impressed.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Carbonite, maybe not so much
I had an external hard drive from Maxtor that I was using to back up my PC. Not the safest -- a fire or tornado or whatever would destroy my PC, and the drive that sat right next to it. But some measure of safety.
The drive, as this model from Maxtor is known to do, started dying. I got a promo offer from Carbonite to subscribe, and get a free year subscription for another computer or a friend. Figured I would do the trial, and give the freebie to my wife, Jen.
All went well -- until I tried to pay for my subscription today. The website was hanging, I could not get to a confirmation page that I was paid and covered. Got on the phone -- I was 8th in line, and waited, working, my speakerphone on, for way too long. Tried online chat -- I was 15th in the queue. I emailed them -- and still have not heard anything back.
Then, an email came saying I was signed up, with info on the free offer. All is well again, for now -- but if I ever have trouble, I'm concerned about what will happen. It seems like their web chat agents and their phone agents need some additional help to get to customers in a more timely manner.
Update: I was impressed that Carbonite sought out and commented on my blog to apologize and explain. The service is really pretty simple -- set it and forget it. But then I got a double charge on my credit card because of their system glitch. They've promised me a refund of the extra charge in 3-5 days.
The drive, as this model from Maxtor is known to do, started dying. I got a promo offer from Carbonite to subscribe, and get a free year subscription for another computer or a friend. Figured I would do the trial, and give the freebie to my wife, Jen.
All went well -- until I tried to pay for my subscription today. The website was hanging, I could not get to a confirmation page that I was paid and covered. Got on the phone -- I was 8th in line, and waited, working, my speakerphone on, for way too long. Tried online chat -- I was 15th in the queue. I emailed them -- and still have not heard anything back.
Then, an email came saying I was signed up, with info on the free offer. All is well again, for now -- but if I ever have trouble, I'm concerned about what will happen. It seems like their web chat agents and their phone agents need some additional help to get to customers in a more timely manner.
Update: I was impressed that Carbonite sought out and commented on my blog to apologize and explain. The service is really pretty simple -- set it and forget it. But then I got a double charge on my credit card because of their system glitch. They've promised me a refund of the extra charge in 3-5 days.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Insta-Bench rocks!
I have a great customer service/web/social media story to share.
I coach a boys soccer team. We have a folding, portable bench -- like the chairs you see, but that folds out to seat four players on the sideline. There are a couple of brands out there, but ours is from InstaBench.
Not long after we got it, the backing on the fabric started peeling off. I thought it was because it spent too much time in the hot trunk of my car. We've been living with it, but it was only a matter of time until it ripped or tore. Then the bag it came with to haul it around basically disintegrated. We've been hauling it around by itself.
I went to a local canvas/tent shop, and it was almost $60 to replace the fabric seat -- the frame is fine, and I thought it would be a shame to throw it away.
I googled something like Insta-Bench and repair. I found the bench for sale on Amazon, with reviews, most of them very favorable. I found one person who complained, describing the same story I have. He had then amended his complaint, saying that InstaBench sent him new seat material and a new bag at no cost, under warranty.
I pulled up the InstaBench website, told them about the problem, they wrote back quickly -- in minutes -- saying they had a few problems, we were under warranty, and where should they send the repair kit, no charge. They could not give me navy blue, but I could have my choice of colors, including royal blue -- which is one of our team colors.
It arrived today, bag, hardware and seat material. It is clearly of better quality than the stuff that fell apart. I just need to put it on the frame, no big deal.
Awesome customer service.
I will certainly recommend InstaBench to anyone I can in the future.
I coach a boys soccer team. We have a folding, portable bench -- like the chairs you see, but that folds out to seat four players on the sideline. There are a couple of brands out there, but ours is from InstaBench.
Not long after we got it, the backing on the fabric started peeling off. I thought it was because it spent too much time in the hot trunk of my car. We've been living with it, but it was only a matter of time until it ripped or tore. Then the bag it came with to haul it around basically disintegrated. We've been hauling it around by itself.
I went to a local canvas/tent shop, and it was almost $60 to replace the fabric seat -- the frame is fine, and I thought it would be a shame to throw it away.
I googled something like Insta-Bench and repair. I found the bench for sale on Amazon, with reviews, most of them very favorable. I found one person who complained, describing the same story I have. He had then amended his complaint, saying that InstaBench sent him new seat material and a new bag at no cost, under warranty.
I pulled up the InstaBench website, told them about the problem, they wrote back quickly -- in minutes -- saying they had a few problems, we were under warranty, and where should they send the repair kit, no charge. They could not give me navy blue, but I could have my choice of colors, including royal blue -- which is one of our team colors.
It arrived today, bag, hardware and seat material. It is clearly of better quality than the stuff that fell apart. I just need to put it on the frame, no big deal.
Awesome customer service.
I will certainly recommend InstaBench to anyone I can in the future.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
AIDS origin, literature and rememberance
There's an AP article I found today dating the origin of the AIDS virus to about 100 years ago according to the journal Nature.
This story reminded me of a class I took as an undergrad in, I think, 1988 or 89, The Literature of AIDS, taught by Professor Carol Kyle of the English Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
It was a groundbreaking class at the time, and it had a profound impact on me. I had to take a special topics class to meet the requirements of my English major, and a couple of options fit into my schedule -- one about African American literature, and Professor Kyle's class.
I'm embarrassed to say my thinking at the time was, "do I want to sit in class twice a week with a bunch of angry blacks, or a bunch of angry gays?" It turned out to be one of the most stimulating and enjoyable courses I ever took, and it put a human face, for me, on the victims of what was then a terrifying new disease.
I shared that with Prof. Kyle -- after I had graduated, she contacted me, and said she was writing a book on the course, and wanted to quote me in it. It seems she never finished the project, since she passed unexpectedly in 1995. I did not find that out until years later -- the University lost a great teacher and a great person.
This story reminded me of a class I took as an undergrad in, I think, 1988 or 89, The Literature of AIDS, taught by Professor Carol Kyle of the English Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
It was a groundbreaking class at the time, and it had a profound impact on me. I had to take a special topics class to meet the requirements of my English major, and a couple of options fit into my schedule -- one about African American literature, and Professor Kyle's class.
I'm embarrassed to say my thinking at the time was, "do I want to sit in class twice a week with a bunch of angry blacks, or a bunch of angry gays?" It turned out to be one of the most stimulating and enjoyable courses I ever took, and it put a human face, for me, on the victims of what was then a terrifying new disease.
I shared that with Prof. Kyle -- after I had graduated, she contacted me, and said she was writing a book on the course, and wanted to quote me in it. It seems she never finished the project, since she passed unexpectedly in 1995. I did not find that out until years later -- the University lost a great teacher and a great person.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Proactive PR avoids Problems
I'm a member of eWomen Network (www.ewomennetwork.com) -- and yes, I'm a man.
Last week I got a note from them. Every month, they automatically ping one of my cards for the monthly dues. Seems they had a hiccup, and accidentally almost charged everyone twice. Fortunately, they caught the error -- and they could have stayed quiet and hoped nobody noticed.
The note was to apologize and explain what happened, in case anyone did notice. I think if more people and organizations would step up and admit to any mistakes they happen to make, and apologize, the level of discourse in the country and the world would improve dramatically.
Last week I got a note from them. Every month, they automatically ping one of my cards for the monthly dues. Seems they had a hiccup, and accidentally almost charged everyone twice. Fortunately, they caught the error -- and they could have stayed quiet and hoped nobody noticed.
The note was to apologize and explain what happened, in case anyone did notice. I think if more people and organizations would step up and admit to any mistakes they happen to make, and apologize, the level of discourse in the country and the world would improve dramatically.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Event promotion challenges
The local business publication, Northern Colorado Business Report , ran their annual Bixpo event over the last couple of days.
I went to the combined business after hours that three of the local chambers put together as part of the festivities. It seemed to be reasonably well attended, and there were lots of booths filled with exhibitors. Some were new, some old standbys I had seen there before were missing, and most of the folks I talked to said the foot traffic on the day had not been overwhelming.
The event has evolved from year to year -- the first year they tried to sell out a big arena with big speakers like Donald Trump and Rudi Juliani, at a big ticket price. The crowd was embarassingly thin. The next year they brought in smaller names, cut the ticket price, still did not get great attendance. This year they actually charged local vendors for the speaking/workshop spots -- and one speaker I talked to said he had no -- zero -- attendees for his scheduled spots.
I've recently run into the challenge of trying to promote an event, get people to make a time and money commitment to attend and learn something -- and at times I've been successful, and other times taken my lumps.
Is there a secret or trick? Is this just an impossible task given the demands of people's schedule today? I know of high-priced to free events, promoted with a big budget or small, that have struggled.
I went to the combined business after hours that three of the local chambers put together as part of the festivities. It seemed to be reasonably well attended, and there were lots of booths filled with exhibitors. Some were new, some old standbys I had seen there before were missing, and most of the folks I talked to said the foot traffic on the day had not been overwhelming.
The event has evolved from year to year -- the first year they tried to sell out a big arena with big speakers like Donald Trump and Rudi Juliani, at a big ticket price. The crowd was embarassingly thin. The next year they brought in smaller names, cut the ticket price, still did not get great attendance. This year they actually charged local vendors for the speaking/workshop spots -- and one speaker I talked to said he had no -- zero -- attendees for his scheduled spots.
I've recently run into the challenge of trying to promote an event, get people to make a time and money commitment to attend and learn something -- and at times I've been successful, and other times taken my lumps.
Is there a secret or trick? Is this just an impossible task given the demands of people's schedule today? I know of high-priced to free events, promoted with a big budget or small, that have struggled.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Reffing, mistakes and manning up
As a soccer referee, I often have some interesting experiences -- as a coach, too.
If I make a mistake, I try to be aware of it, and admit it and apologize; and I've made some pretty big blunders, and try to learn from them and not make that mistake again. Hey, I'm human, and perception is an individual thing. I may get it right or wrong, and I will make mistakes.
But it's amazing to me how unsympathetic people are, ranting and raving from the sideline as if they know -- and could do -- better. In almost every case, I'm sure they do not and could not. On top of that, most of what they are venting about has no impact on the outcome of the game.
So I felt for NFL official Ed Hochuli, who blew a call in the Broncos/Chargers game last Sunday that had a pretty direct impact on the outcome of the game.
I was not surprised that the refs association came to his defense, and that the league announced he would be graded down. I was surprised, though, that it came out that he not only admitted the mistake and apologized, but that he's responding to hate email -- hundreds of them -- that he's receiving from fans.
Good for him. One step in humanizing officials to people who seem to forget that we're people, too.
I also love one of his comments on the matter: "nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already feel about my mistake" -- perfectly put.
There's no need for you to abuse and beat up most officials -- we're harder on ourselves than you could ever be. Most of the time, your rants just show your bias and ignorance of the rules, and highlight the fact that you have no clue.
He also avoided the excuse that the Chargers had the opportunity to stop the Broncos and preserve their lead and win the game -- which is true.
If I make a mistake, I try to be aware of it, and admit it and apologize; and I've made some pretty big blunders, and try to learn from them and not make that mistake again. Hey, I'm human, and perception is an individual thing. I may get it right or wrong, and I will make mistakes.
But it's amazing to me how unsympathetic people are, ranting and raving from the sideline as if they know -- and could do -- better. In almost every case, I'm sure they do not and could not. On top of that, most of what they are venting about has no impact on the outcome of the game.
So I felt for NFL official Ed Hochuli, who blew a call in the Broncos/Chargers game last Sunday that had a pretty direct impact on the outcome of the game.
I was not surprised that the refs association came to his defense, and that the league announced he would be graded down. I was surprised, though, that it came out that he not only admitted the mistake and apologized, but that he's responding to hate email -- hundreds of them -- that he's receiving from fans.
Good for him. One step in humanizing officials to people who seem to forget that we're people, too.
I also love one of his comments on the matter: "nothing anyone can say can make me feel worse than I already feel about my mistake" -- perfectly put.
There's no need for you to abuse and beat up most officials -- we're harder on ourselves than you could ever be. Most of the time, your rants just show your bias and ignorance of the rules, and highlight the fact that you have no clue.
He also avoided the excuse that the Chargers had the opportunity to stop the Broncos and preserve their lead and win the game -- which is true.
Microsoft, Seinfeld and looking good
Microsoft has pulled its quirky but completely ineffective ads featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates -- a comic who no longer has a TV show and an executive who no longer works for the company.
But instead of just admitting it was a bad campaign and a waste of money ($10 million), MS PR folk are saying they are going to phase two of the campaign, and that the plan was always to drop Jerry.
You know, you're a huge company, an industry founder and leader. You do computers, not ads -- and you make mistakes at both. This was a big one, but it happens. Don't spin -- or, more accurately, lie -- to try and polish this turd.
I actually liked seeing the more human side of Gates, and his move to focus on his philanthropy takes some of the ego, aloofness and nerdiness -- and the "we know better, just use our stuff" aura -- away and makes him more of a real person in my eyes -- something someone should have done a long time ago.
And, echoing the thoughts of The Denver Egotist, pretty amazing the power that feedback has to influence -- and kill -- a campaign today.
But instead of just admitting it was a bad campaign and a waste of money ($10 million), MS PR folk are saying they are going to phase two of the campaign, and that the plan was always to drop Jerry.
You know, you're a huge company, an industry founder and leader. You do computers, not ads -- and you make mistakes at both. This was a big one, but it happens. Don't spin -- or, more accurately, lie -- to try and polish this turd.
I actually liked seeing the more human side of Gates, and his move to focus on his philanthropy takes some of the ego, aloofness and nerdiness -- and the "we know better, just use our stuff" aura -- away and makes him more of a real person in my eyes -- something someone should have done a long time ago.
And, echoing the thoughts of The Denver Egotist, pretty amazing the power that feedback has to influence -- and kill -- a campaign today.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Corn Syrup and You
I was intrigued to read in my local paper that the Corn Refiners Association <http://www.corn.org/> has launched an effort to promote high-fructose corn syrup as healthy -- or at least not healthy -- if consumed in moderation.
I have not yet sussed out if this a purely in-house CRA effort, or they've retained a PR firm (most likely) to create this campaign for them <http://www.hfcsfacts.com/>.
The spots tout the syrup as "natural" -- but it does not exist in the natural world, and is created through chemical processes.
That said, it contains the same calories as sugar, but, because it is cheaper than sugar, it is in a ton of products -- so it can be difficult to know how much you are consuming, and thus a challenge to consume it in moderation.
I have to wonder, with concern about diverting corn as a food source to produce ethanol fuel, where this is all headed -- which faction, ethanol subsidies or corn syrup subsidies, will win?
The campaign, basically straightforward, provokes viewers to think about the large gray area between the poles of classifying it as nearly toxic and viewing it as inert and innocuous. One of the main reasons we PR folk seem to have work in many industries is to tell all the in-betweens of a story when two polar opposite views are easy to latch onto and trumpet to the world. A black and white issue is much easier to blast out to the public than a more nuanced one.
What are your thoughts?
I have not yet sussed out if this a purely in-house CRA effort, or they've retained a PR firm (most likely) to create this campaign for them <http://www.hfcsfacts.com/>.
The spots tout the syrup as "natural" -- but it does not exist in the natural world, and is created through chemical processes.
That said, it contains the same calories as sugar, but, because it is cheaper than sugar, it is in a ton of products -- so it can be difficult to know how much you are consuming, and thus a challenge to consume it in moderation.
I have to wonder, with concern about diverting corn as a food source to produce ethanol fuel, where this is all headed -- which faction, ethanol subsidies or corn syrup subsidies, will win?
The campaign, basically straightforward, provokes viewers to think about the large gray area between the poles of classifying it as nearly toxic and viewing it as inert and innocuous. One of the main reasons we PR folk seem to have work in many industries is to tell all the in-betweens of a story when two polar opposite views are easy to latch onto and trumpet to the world. A black and white issue is much easier to blast out to the public than a more nuanced one.
What are your thoughts?
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