Force For Good Communications

Tiger Woods' stonewalling lets rumors fester

2009-12-01T12:44:09-05:00

A quick response and as much transparency as possible are prime articles of faith among crisis managers. Get any damaging news out quickly and completely so you can move on. Letting speculation fester is never a good strategy.

So what are Tiger Woods and his handlers thinking by refusing to cooperate with the police and releasing only cryptic and defensive statements to the public following his late-night collision with a fire hydrant and his neighbor's tree last Friday? The low-speed collision (the SUV's airbags did not deploy)accident left Woods unconscious. By the time police arrived, Woods' wife had pulled him from the SUV, reportedly using one of his golf clubs to smash out a rear window, evidently to unlock the vehicle's doors.

Woods is extremely disciplined in how he speaks to the media and is used to being able to control the public conversation to a greater extent than just about any highly visible athlete or celebrity. So his natural instinct is to go radio silent.

But it isn't realistic to expect the mass media and the blogosphere to simply go away. In the absence of anything resembling complete disclosure, the rumor mill runs rampant. Quite simply, Tiger's stone-walling leads reasonable people to conclude that he's hiding something. Canceling appearances in his own golf tournament and likely all other tournaments the rest of the year will not quiet interest in Tigers' strange behavior.

Woods is an incredible athlete with legions of loyal fans. He's extremely likable and perhaps the only flaw in his public persona is a somewhat cold exterior that comes with his unrivaled mental discipline.

Odds are that the public will learn sooner or later whatever circumstances surrounded the accident Tiger wishes we'd all forget. Better to get it out and move on.

- Jon Harmon

What are you thankful for?

2009-11-23T12:41:41-05:00

As we near Thanksgiving Day in the USA ...

What are you most thankful for this year?

Family, friends, good health ... yes, but also

... the cusp of possibility ...

... the sense of having survived a deep and awful downturn ...

... the thrill of a sunrise breaking through distant purple and orange clouds ...

... smiles on other people's faces telling me, "It's going to be all right" ...

... what else?

- Jon Harmon

Update 11-24: I posted the same question on some Linked In groups I belong to, as well as on Twitter. Here are some of the responses:

A talented staff ... some terrific clients ... and a new year's budget on the way! Jim Bianchi President, Bianchi Public Relations, Inc.

I couldn't have said it any better than you guys. Family, friends, health, keeping our heads above water, and of course, good clients. And all of the gifts of nature the good Lord has given us to remind us just how small we and our problems are in the grand scheme. That sunrise is a great reminder. I will resolve to enjoy a couple more next year than I did this year. Tim O'Brien Owner, O'Brien Communications

I love this! "the thrill of a sunrise breaking through distant purple and orange clouds"...one of my favorite things! The peaceful silence just before sleep - that comfortable sense of relaxation at the end of a good days work! Sheila McGirl Advertising Representative/Catholic Star Herald

That those close to me have rallied to keep my spirits up during this terrible economy and that I have remained optimistic that I soon will return to a rewarding position with a company or nonprofit......or maybe even win the lottery!!!! Mike Virgintino Communications Consultant

I'm thankful that my income is only down about 10 percent this year, and that I used some of that downtime wisely to start a blog and to undertake other efforts that offer long-term potential benefits. Beyond that, I'm grateful that family members and close friends are doing well. Richard Buse Independent Writing and Editing Professional

My new job at Pyramid Communications! Sarah Cohen Administrative Assistant at Pyramid Communication

I am grateful for my job in PR at Northern Quest Resort & Casino! Our new hotel is opening Jan 2010! Sooooo busy! www.northernquest.com if you want to see our progress! Jennifer Simmons Community Relations Coordinator at Northern Quest Casino

What am I grateful for this year? That there are agencies out there still striving to innovate. And succeeding by embracing technology and merging this with world-class creative content and business savvy. I'm overjoyed that I have been fortunate enough to interact with (humble, yet brilliant) shops that actually can & are solving business issues for their clients through the process described in the latter, even in the face of this drastic downturn. JC Fantechi Owner, Icebreaker

I'm glad I've been out of the business for a year. Nothing much has changed, Digital agencies claiming they can save the world with a proliferation of social media channels that do nothing for a brand except damage it. TV ads that are getting worse by the minute and the demise of data driven campaigns because brand managers can't be bothered to do the tricky data management part and so have resulted to e-mail which is now defunct!

On the positive side it's nice to see some premium brands return to what I call dialogue marketing which enhance the relationship with the most valuable customers thus empowering an extended sales force. Gary Brine Super Experienced Marketing and Branding Professional

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Free sample alert: Excerpts provide sneak peak at Feeding Frenzy

2009-11-23T10:00:31-05:00

If you haven't already rushed out to get your copy of Feeding Frenzy (makes a great Christmas gift for that p.r. pro or communications student on your shopping list!), you can read an excerpt here.

The link takes you to Jonathan Bernstein's excellent bi-weekly crisis newsletter, Crisis Manager. If you aren't already a subscriber, you should be -- it's free. (If you used to subscribe, but didn't get your usual e-mail with the link, it means you need to resubscribe. Jonathan recently updated his distribution list as he has moved the newsletter to HTML format. That means two things: 1) Anybody wanting to continue to receive it has to resubscribe; 2) The newsletter has a snazzier look, beginning with the issue featuring Feeding Frenzy.

The excerpts in Crisis Manager offer a look at the thorny issues of dealing with a media-savvy plaintiff attorney determined to keep your crisis in the news, and the circus atmosphere of a Congressional hearing.

- Jon Harmon

Crisis Management X01: Never stop learning, become a student of news events

2009-11-11T11:03:02-05:00

Today's Bulldog Reporter includes an interview with me as author of this blog and author of Feeding Frenzy. The interview focuses, as you might expect, on crisis communications.

Here's one quick take-away: Become a student of current affairs and think about how you'd handle issues in the news:

We don't know what the next crisis will be, but we do know that it's coming. So pay attention to how others are handling crises. Watch the news closely and envision yourself in the crisis. Imagine that you're Robert Gibbs, and ask, how would I handle that? As PR professionals, we should be students of the news, instead of just consumers.

- Jon Harmon

Start thinking about the upside of the business cycle, reinvest in vital communications

2009-11-11T10:24:08-05:00

As the economic recovery slowly begins to take hold, smart business leaders will start activating their companies' recovery plans. That means going after new market opportunities aggressively. And it means starting to invest again in essentials to the business, investments that were deferred during the downturn.

And that may include communication. If your company cut its communication budget to the bone, now is the time to make the case to adequately (not extravagantly) resource smart, effective communication.

Here's an excerpt from an interview I gave to the Bulldog Reporter:

My advice is to start thinking about the upside before your competition does. Think about how the industry will look and how you will gain market share over the competition. The first people who start looking at the horizon—as opposed to at their feet—will have the advantage.

You still want to stay as lean as you can. But this idea of saying "no" to opportunities in the name of cost cutting will not serve companies well.

One thing you should look at in particular is internal communications ... extremely important in difficult times and in times of change.... Employees are worried and insecure—and they need to hear from senior management....Communicating optimism is hugely important for getting employees in the company to buy in to the strategy and work at full capacity. Management and leaders in business should be communicating frequently and candidly. That means listening as well as talking."

- Jon Harmon

Passing of the no-name decade: Drop the oh and ... Celebrate like it was 19-99!

2009-11-09T11:02:02-05:00

A little year-end rant, a little early ...

Hard to believe, but this first decade of the new century, this decade with no name, is almost history.

One bright spot: we finally can get back to talking about a year in two easy-chunks: "Twenty-Ten," "Twenty-Eleven," etc. Just like the good all days of "Nineteen-Ninety Nine."

Ever since we were saddled with "The Year Two Thousand," we've struggled with the two-chunk dates. "Twenty-Nine" just doesn't work. So we inserted the obligatory oh: "Twenty-oh-Nine." It worked well enough. And it allowed us to further abbreviate the year to simply "oh-nine."

But, please, come New Year's Day, drop the oh! I cringe every time I hear someone refer to next year as "oh-ten," as in "the oh-ten emission standards will be tough to meet." (Remember: it's '10 -- not '010!)

- Jon Harmon

Leslie Gaines-Ross has high praise for Feeding Frenzy

2009-11-02T11:30:25-05:00

"For all of us anticipating or living through reputation recoveries and crises now, [Feeding Frenzy] is a must read." -- ReputationXchange.com

So writes no less an authority on reputation than Dr. Leslie Gaines-Ross, Weber Shandwick's Chief Reputation Strategist and author of CEO Capital and Corporate Reputation.

A brilliant thinker and a terrific writer, Leslie is a friend, but she plays it straight and true. So I especially appreciate her complimenting my writing: "His minute to minute descriptions of the frenzy keeps you on the edge of your seat (if that is how you read)."

- Jon Harmon

Can reporting co-ops save the local newspaper?

2009-10-28T11:30:17-04:00

Newspapers simply will not survive under their existing business model. Readers and advertisers are leaving in droves. Newspapers are losing out to competition from alternative news sites--including aggregators such as Yahoo! News and Google--delivering pithy electronic news bites to on-the-go consumers. Newspapers' own websites are increasingly displacing the printed word, but they haven't been able to sufficiently monetize content as on-line readers resist having to pay for content and advertising hasn't delivered enough revenue.

In the six months from April to September, the top 400 newspaper in the U.S. saw their weekday circulation decline by a staggering 10.6%, and that followed what had been considered a horrific circulation decline of 6.1% the previous six months, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation's latest data.

Unless something changes quickly, you can write the newspaper's obituary.

Along with similar pressures facing traditional television news operations, the death of the newspaper could spell the end to strong, competent news reporting. Who will provide the reporting for the news aggregators to collect and distribute? Or will hard reporting largely go by the waste side, largely replaced by entertainment fluff and gossip? And even if a few strong, national news organizations--such as the Wall Street Journal and USA Today--survive, who will do the indispensable but not very lucrative work of reporting on local issues?

One possible remedy to this dark picture could be provided by local news co-ops. The New York Times has begun publishing a local edition in San Francisco and is moving ahead with plans for a Chicago edition as well, stepping into voids in those markets caused by newspaper bankruptcies. The Wall Street Journal has similar plans. While these localized national papers will put additional financial pressure on truly local newspapers in those markets, they also are spawning news co-ops that may be the future of serious local news journalism.

In Chicago, the non-profit news co-op will be headed by James E. O’Shea, a former editor of the Los Angeles Times and a former managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and other well-regarded journalists will step into key reporting and editing responsibilities. The co-op will provide content for the NY Times' Chicago edition as well as for Chicago public TV and radio stations. It will compete with the news organizations of the Tribune and Sun-Times, both in bankruptcy, at least as long as those newspapers continue to exist.

In smaller markets, perhaps non-profit news co-ops will supply reporting for all of the area's newspaper, broadcast and web news outlets just as pool arrangements today cover national news stories that are either prohibitively expensive or are not conducive to being covered by the full circus of dozens of camera and sound crews.

Whenever a full complement of news organizations are replaced with a single reporting operation, the worry grows about compromised or less than fully objective news coverage. But as the economics of news organizations grows increasingly dismal, it may be the only local alternative.

P.S. - Nearly three years ago, I posed the question here: "Does the newspaper have a future?" But I certainly did not foresee the dire situation newspapers find themselves in currently. In fact, the lead of my post was: "Reports of the death of the newspaper have been greatly exaggerated."

- Jon Harmon