Washington D.C. PR Pros

New Blog - Whiteboard Digital

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:49:00 +0000

I've closed the book on Washington D.C. PR Pros.

Head over to my new blog, Whiteboard Digital

The Internet: TV Guide Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Window shopping isn’t easy on video sharing sites like Youtube. If you’ve ever attempted to browse around without a specific keyword then you know what I mean. The search and sort features generally aren’t that great, and what boils to the surface tends to be irrelevant no matter how you structure the search terms. It’s easy to be discouraged, especially if you’re looking for examples of a video content strategy for a client.

I’ve waded through the cesspools of the online video underbelly to bring you fantastic examples of how organizations are using episodic video in compelling and interesting ways. These examples range from channels on Youtube to full fledged video libraries like Fora.TV and SnagFilms. Some are of these examples are oriented around a specific organization, some are purely educational, perhaps a few will even make you wonder why you still own a TV.

FORA.tv

This is an incredible collection of some of the world’s top thinkers and scientists. Similar to the uber-popular TED Talks, Fora.TV brings together brilliant minds for discussions on current events, science, business and culture. With a wealth a content, visitors could spend all day combing through the different categories. The My Fora.TV section is an excellent example of how organizations can use co-creation to engage with users. This section allows users to upload their own content, splice it together with Fora’s footage, and produce a brand new program. Genius.

@GoogleTalks

Google has a reputation for snagging incredible speakers to come talk to their employees and now you have a front row seat for every presenter that’s ever graced the halls of the Googleplex. There’s over 400 episodes in all. Some notable guests include Noam Chomsky, Richard Florida, Salmon Rushdie, Condoleezza Rice and Bob Woodward.

Worldbank Channel

The official Youtube channel for the Worldbank. With nearly 20,000 views and 100 videos, this NGO is doing it right with online video. It’s not all boilerplate and CEO interviews. There’s video aggregated from all over world. The most recent video is from Here Comes Everybody author Clay Shirky. Very interesting stuff and proof that large organizations can overcome the common barriers to producing compelling video.

MoMA

Youtube channel for the Museum of Modern Art. A video content strategy probably wasn’t part of the plan during the founding of the museum in 1929, but like many organizations, they’ve evolved. Each video generally represents a new exhibit or project.
Hulu

In the “why do I own a TV" category, Hulu aggregates free episodes available from the major network and cable stations into one, organized home. While one no organization is likely to have a treasure chest of video content like Hulu, brands looking for a video content strategy would be well advised to emulate the layout, categories, and search that make using Hulu a breeze.

Citizen Tube

A meeting ground for interviews and discussions focused on politics and the general election. With over 1.8 million views, this represents a legitimate forum of discussion and one of Youtube’s most subscribed channels. With a steady flow of fresh content, Citizen Tube is also proof that post frequency is a contributing factor to building and maintaining a large number of subscribers.

SnagFilms

This is the brand new home for more than 250 full length documentaries from all over the world. Top documentaries like Super Size Me live alongside obscure independent gems, making this site an instant favorite among film and documentary buffs.

The real beauty in SnagFilms lies not in the free content but in the way users are encouraged to share the films. Each movie comes with an individual widget that allows users to post the full length movie in their entirety. on their own site. “When you embed a widget on your web site,” Snagg Films explains, “you open a virtual movie theater and become a ‘Filmanthropist’”

I’m going to stop here rather attempting to boil the ocean by providing every example of great video content online. Instead, I’m going to turn it over to you. What’s your favorite place for video content? Post a link in the comments section and if enough readers submit we’ll expand the list for a round two edition...

John McCain is Aware of the Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:45:00 +0000

That was the line from campaign staffer Mark Soohoo at a June panel, “Personal Democracy Forum”. Aides like Soohoo have the unenviable job of touting McCain’s ability to stay relevant as technology progresses at a break neck pace.

Earlier this summer, McCain admitted to not being able to use a computer at all, citing his wife as the conduit between himself the newfangled typing machine. [1:19]

This is the latest in a series of jaw dropping remarks made by some of the most powerful men in America.

The Washington Post’s report from earlier this week on the exchange between lawmakers and executives from Yahoo! and Google would have been funny if the implications for online privacy so weren't so serious:

At the end of a two-hour Senate committee hearing yesterday on Internet advertising and privacy, Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), who led the discussion, said the affair had chiefly served to emphasize "how little we do understand."

Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), remarked wryly that because of all the talk about "cookies" and other Web terms, he was going to have to "update my dictionary."

And Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) asked a question about Internet connections so muddled that apparently no one understood.

"I think I'm not entirely sure of what you are suggesting, senator," the witness answered.

"Nor am I," he said.

It’s 2008, how can we expect a candidate who doesn't use email to understand the basis of net neutrality, or online privacy?

How about the safety of children online. Passing COPPA is a great first step but these issues still aren’t going away. Case in point: watch the first five minutes of MSNBC’s To Catch a Predator (and only the first five minutes or your head will explode). Where do all of those criminal conversations first take place?

How can we asses a candidate’s ability to lead us well into the 21^st century without asking these questions? If elected will McCain's team haul in a complex network of fax machines into the White House?

I have more on this political luddite riff but I've run out of steam. More to come....

The Practicals: Planning a Complete Social Media Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:36:00 +0000

(cross posted from 360 Digital Influence)

Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start with social media. Giving birth to a digital engagement strategy that’s aligned to an overall communications goal while employing the right digital tactics can be, well, tricky. What if internal decision makers are reluctant to incorporate social media into the equation? How do you know which tools are appropriate? How in the world are we going to measure all of this?

If you’ve tried clearing these hurdles before then you’re not alone; we had over 500 participants join us last week for a live social media presentation – a great sign that public relations professionals are reacting to the changing landscape and eager for ways to incorporate social media into existing communications programs.

In an effort to answer some of these common questions, 360° Digital Influence, in partnership with BurrellesLuce, recently hosted a free webinar titled The Practicals: Planning a Complete Social Media Strategy. My colleague, Brian Giesen, and I covered how organizations can create strategies that go beyond just the tactics. We walked through the process we undertake as we build a digital engagement strategy to accomplish a variety of communications objectives, from building brand ambassadors to selling products. If you missed out on the live show, head over to BurrellesLuce for a full replay.

In addition to strategy, we also offered up a few of the tools we use everyday in 360 Digital Influence to monitor conversations online. If you’re new to social media and are looking for ways to jump in, be sure to check out the last section where we go through the steps you can take to get started today.

I caught up with Gail Nelson, Senior Vice President at Burrelles for her thoughts on the presentation “For PR professionals operating in today’s changing communication environment, knowledge truly is power. The webinar conducted by Brian and John on social media planning attracted the largest attendance of any of our webinars to date.”

The Practicals: Planning a Complete Social Media Strategy was the first in a two part series that Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence will be presenting. The next presentation, The Practicals, Executing and Measuring a Social Media Program, will be air live on July 23. Visit BurrellesLuce to register and reserve a spot. Until then, head over to our feeds section for the Essential 15 Pack – a collection of our 15 must-have feeds for anyone in marketing or communications.

Social Media Lunch Break

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Looking for the latest and greatest ways to monitor conversations online? Want to check out some of the social media tools we use in Ogilvy's 360 Digital Influence group? Then you should register for tomorrow's (free) BurrellesLuce Webinar: Planning a Complete Social Media Strategy.

My colleague Brian Giesen and I will be presenting an hour-long look at the ways public relations pros can integrate social media into new or existing communications programs.

We'll talk about the strategy and run through some real world case studies showcasing the ways you can bring a digital perspective into the equation.

It's tomorrow from 1-2pm EST. Log on for the full presentation and we'll be fielding questions via chat throughout.

Lunch meeting you just can't get out of? It's cool, they'll post the full presentation at the conclusion for anyone who missed it. [I'll link to it here as well]

Annoying Websites: Gigantic Stick Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:16:00 +0000

Here’s a quick question you can ask yourself when reviewing your own web site to see if you’re driving your visitors crazy: “does my site feature content that’s attached to a gigantic stick?” If so, all of your readers hate you.

A long time ago, way back in the ‘80s, librarians attached newspapers to wooden rods, presumably so that patrons wouldn’t fold up the Wall Street Journal and walk out. The newspaper section was a rare area in the local library where items weren’t supposed to be checked out. You had to sit right where you were and read the paper. There may also have been a functional reason, like keeping the pages neatly folded, but theft was definitely in the equation.

Web sites unknowingly employ the digital equivalent of this tactic all the time. Every day I come across countless sites that demand I pull up a chair, sit down, and consume their content within eyesight of the webmaster. Don’t get me wrong, I’m painfully aware that some organizations need to keep a short leash on the content they produce and for whom a strong Youtube following is not an ultimate communications goal.

However, there seems to be too many sites that fall into the murky gray area between strict web 1.0 control and fully integrated social functionality. These sites may be asking to help get the word out about a certain cause or for users to check out their new product. Yet these same sites deny users the ability to share content in three all too familiar ways:

1) Neglecting to provide the embedded code for videos. Copyright violations and organizational control seem to be the main reasons for this version of the wooden stick. My take is that if you’ve managed to get the video produced, edited, approved, and posted to the site, it’s worth it to take the next step and allow people to lift the code and post it to their own blog or social network.

2) Lack of RSS. Even static web sites make changes and add content from time to time. Why not allow interested readers to be alerted when there’s something new to check out? Certainly, RSS becomes more relevant for constantly updated blogs, but without RSS you rely on your visitors to bookmark or otherwise remember to periodically check back in from time to time. That’s a lot to ask. Seriously.

3) Sites saturated with flash. Flash is sometimes an interesting way to illustrate your brand’s personality*, but too much flash and it becomes difficult to share a link to a specific page. I’m much less likely to a share a link if I know my friend will have to sit through 90 seconds of flash before getting to the content. I never understand sites that go through all the work for complex flash intros and then offer the ‘skip intro’ option. If you create something so annoying you feel compelled to offer sufferers a way to skip it, isn’t that a sign? Sometimes when I land on a page like this, I start to wish for a FireFox Tivo add-on so I could speed through it without losing the look and feel of the site.

These may seem like minor mistakes but organizations guilty of these and similar offenses may unwittingly penalize themselves by affixing the digital wooden stick to their otherwise interesting and shareable content.

[*For more on brand personality, check out Personality Not Included. Disclaimer: it’s written by my Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence colleague Rohit Bhargava, nonetheless, it’s a fantastic book and I read through it cover to cover well before I started at Ogilvy.]

Presidential Profiles

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:34:00 +0000

[cross posted from Ogilvy 360 Digital Influence]

Imagine waking up one day in the future, firing up your Facebook account and learning that one of your friends has decided to run for President. Not a joke announcement like so many faux relationship statuses or parodies like Stephen Colbert’s presidential run, but a legitimate presidential campaign in its infancy. Maybe the candidate was an old friend from college, an overachieving history major who headed to law school and then fell out of touch. And now, in between your tagged photos and status updates is an invitation to join your friend’s group: March to the White House in 2020.

During a Q&A session at the recent Converging Campaigns event (covered in a previous post), a panelist wondered when America would see its first candidate with an actual Facebook profile. Not a profile manufactured for the purposes of a campaign tool but someone who built and maintained a Facebook profile and then subsequently decided to make a run for the White House.

Certainly none of the candidates in the 2008 election spent their college days tagging friends and updating the ‘where I’ve been’ application. However, at some point in the next few years or decades, there will be a candidate who had a presence on Facebook long before he or she ever considered running for office.

I’m not as myopic as to assume that years down the road there won’t be an application several derivatives away from our present-day Facebook, but no matter the tool, the personal narratives we create for ourselves via social media today will stretch long into the future.

No longer will a candidate have the luxury of misremembering a dangerous helicopter landing under sniper fire or lay awake at night praying those incriminating photos don’t surface. That content will live online — tagged, posted, and ready to be shared.

Regardless of what may live in the dusty archives of news footage or what an old professor remembers, social networking sites will not allow future political candidates to stroll far from the reality; the uber-social Facebook-like applications acting as the biggest sticklers for truth.

I wonder who is currently Facebook friends with a future US president? Looking at my newsfeed from over the weekend, I’m not holding out much hope for my network…

Papal Pics...

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:46:00 +0000

It's long overdue, but I finally got around to uploading my photos from my recent Papal visit adventure on Flickr. Head over to the New York Papal Visit set for the full batch.

As a teaser, I'm posting one of newly uploaded photos here:

This is at the edge of the blocked off 'media village' and also rare shot of me working. Note the sunburn, sweat drenched suit, secret service pin, and my need for support to stand upright. It was a long, hot day.

By the end the of the day, I was using the minute-by-minute schedule in my left hand to beat back unruly reporters. I'm joking, sort of...

All right, that's it; no more Pope-related posts. My next post on social media, its impact on political campaigns, and sniper fire, coming soon!

From the Depths of Digital

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:52:00 +0000

Last week, I started a new job at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide in Washington, D.C. I'm working in the 360 Digital Influence department within Ogilvy's Creative Studio.

I have the privilege of joining a great team with varying specializations from online marketing, web development, SEO, social networking, print designers, the list goes on. With a grand total of five days under my belt, the 360 Digital Influence Blog will give you a much better sense of the department and my new colleagues.

I knew that I was joining the right agency during the first few minutes of orientation on the first day. Among the tax forms and the benefits paperwork was an official Ogilvy PR Blogging Guidelines Memo for employees. Before the list of common sense guidelines there was a paragraph that read:

"Understanding the nature of the blogosphere and how to interact, engage with others, and exchange ideas is essential an in our collective interest. This understanding is a prerequisite for providing meaningful and credible counsel for our clients...We encourage you to engage in this form of communication."

For me, this one memo in the collection of first-day materials was a great introduction to the creative, progressive spirit of the agency and a warm welcome for someone getting ready to jump into the Digital Influence department.

Given the blogging-friendly environment and the digital-focus of my new job I’ll definitely continue to post on Young DC PR Pros. For the sake of all three of my readers I hope my future posts reflect an increased familiarity of the intersection between marketing and social media.

Though, I sure will miss having the Pope as a client…

Counterfeiting Online

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:22:00 +0000

You may have noticed the anti-astroturfing symbol on the right hand side of this blog. If you've never heard of astroturfing or want to know why anyone would be opposed to it, head over to the New PR Wiki for the latest on this campaign and for recent case studies.

Essentially, astroturfing is a fake grass roots campaign manufactured to give the impression of a legitimate public movement. There have been far too many cases of this practice, called anything from sock puppeteering to ghost blogging, and this week saw yet another jaw dropping example.

Students at Hunter College in New York were made to believe an undergraduate student, Heidi Cee, had lost her coach bag and was offering a reward for its return. Students “couldn't miss the poster plastered around the Upper East Side campus. Reading ‘MISSING -- $500 reward!!’ it was accompanied by a photo of a young, blonde, Heidi Cee, pleading for the return of her lost Coach bag,” according to AdWeek's Andrew Newman who broke the story yesterday. Heidi, apparently a social networking enthusiast, followed up her reward posters with Youtube videos, Facebook/Myspace profiles, and, of course, a blog.

I seriously could not care less about Coach bags and counterfeit purses so I won’t get into the mindless details of this fake campaign but…you guessed it; Heidi does not exist. And, worse the campaign was created by PR students in a class funded by a $10,000 grant from, who else, Coach.

If you really want to see how far down the rabbit hole this one goes, head over to AdWeek for the full seven page article, True Story of a Bogus Blog. After reading the piece I was reminded of why I support the AntiAstrotufing campaign.

I managed to catch up with the campaign’s founder, Paull Young, via email last night to discuss this most recent example. Paull and I agree on the need for a solid ethics curriculum for PR students in an effort to stop futures astroturfing instances.

“Many who fall into the Astroturfing trap do not realize that what they are doing is ethically dubious…This points to a need for greater education and discussion of ethics, transparency, trust and honesty.” Paull said. "PR students should be well versed in the difficult grey areas PR's can venture into with edgy creative campaigns, and the lecturers and professionals guiding them should be putting greater emphasis on the ethical decision making of their young charges."

Well said, Youngie. Hunter college needs more honest communications professors and less corporate-sponsored lessons in quesitonable tactics.

For a refresher on ethics check out Kami Huyse’s Anti-Astroturfing code of ethics, as well as WOMMA’s Honesty ROI.

As Paull pointed out in our discussion, the Coach campaign failed the Honesty ROI on all three cylinders:

"Honesty of Relationship: Say who you are speaking for (this was hidden)
Honesty of Opinion: Say what you believe (this may or may not have been the case, but failure to disclose motivation and identity make it a moot point)
Honesty of Identity: You never obscure your identity (another black mark)”

Early Morning Marketing

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:05:00 +0000

On my way to work this morning I was handed a free Starbucks mug by a guy sporting the familiar green-apron barista uniform. It was outside of a DC Metro station and I was completely taken aback for a two unrelated reasons. First, the only interaction I've ever had with Starbucks has been when I've made a choice to enter a Starbucks. In my experience, Starbucks isn't an organization that you're likely to encounter unsolicited on the street, as opposed to, say, the Girl Scouts or Green Peace. Secondly, I couldn't help but note that this free mug promotion happened the very day that Starbucks was getting ready to announce a 28% nose dive in 2nd quarter earnings.

Maybe I'm just easily impressed at 7:30am on the Metro, but this mug giveaway really helped to deconstruct the narrative I had already developed; that of a company growing into a faceless organization in pretty serious financial trouble. Here's why:

The mug itself isn't too shabby, unlike most free crap, I'd actually use this. It's a full 20 ounces and looks and feels just like the ones sold in Starbucks for $10. That's a pretty big giveaway investment for a company that's not exactly raking in the profit at the moment. Not sure the scale of the giveaway - just at DC metro stations, other locations in the area.

What really drew me into the campaign was the partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - their logo featured right in the center. Anyone that grew up in the greater Washington-Baltimore area as a kid remembers the 'Save the Bay' campaigns. These were the folks who spray painted 'Chesapeake Bay Drainage' on all the sewers and who came into the schools to warn children that everything from leaving the lights on to skipping math class would ultimately pollute the bay.

While I took the mug because I recognized the Starbucks guy - to be honest I was half asleep and secretly hoped there was coffee already inside - I actually became receptive to the message when I saw Foundation's logo. I opened up the mug hoping for more info and there was a note that read: "Bring a travel mug when you buy a drink at Starbucks and we'll donate 10 cents to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Plus you'll save 10 cents on your drink, every time. Together we can help save the bay."

I assume the creators of this mug giveaway were banking on Word of Mouth to carry this message beyond the few hundred people who received a mug. Sure enough, I went to work and put the mug my desk. Over the course of the day, no less than 10 coworkers asked where I got it, which inevitability led to a conversation about our childhood Save the Bay workshops and how much we'd love to run out and get Starbucks right now.

I don't want to beat this Word of Mouth Marketing idea to death, you get where I'm going: one simple mug got a dozen people talking about both the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Starbucks. In this case, the message resonated because it was localized via the Bay Foundation and delivered through trusted social circles, rather than ad dollars or press releases -- all with an empty cup of coffee.

[Update, turns out the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is pretty in to social networking. They've got a presence on facebook and have blogged about the Starbucks partnership]

Recapping the Pope's New York Visit

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:03:00 +0000

Now that I've had a few days to get settled in, I'd like to revisit the Papal Public Relations post and add in a few more thoughts.

[Disclaimer: Event planning for the Pope is pretty old school, and as a result, I won’t be talking about Twitter, or the latest FIR on this post. No, this will be a throw back to traditional event planning.]

First, I've included a highly requested Popemobile clip. Here's the Holy Father as he leaves the Youth Rally. It was quite amazing to be so close and to have a free moment to snag the video.

This may come as a shock to some of my colleagues who, like me, faced an unrelenting torrent of questions, demands, and near riots, but this Papal visit has given me a newfound respect for the media.

Some PR pros are susceptible to developing the "us versus them" approach when working the media. I think our agency does a good job of working in collaboration with the reporters that cover our clients, but this Papal visit highlighted three aspects of news reporting that I didn't fully appreciate until this event:

1: Size Matters. There was no way on earth that every outlet could receive media credentials for every stop on the Pope's visit. Some of the events like the Ground Zero stop and the mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral allowed for precious few media assignments. When it came down to it, the largest outlets often got the spot. That's not to say smaller newspapers, radio stations, and broadcasters didn't get access to high profile venues. Rather, the size of the outlet was a factor in the credentialing and positioning equation.

2: Hurry Up and Wait. As I described in the earlier post. I spent hours upon hours camped out, often in close quarters, with journalists covering the Papal visit. At one point, I found myself stationed next to two photographers. In an effort to kill some time, I commented that today must be hard on them since the media check-in started at 8am for an event that wasn't scheduled until 4pm - thinking the eight-hour wait was brutal for all parties involved. Nope. Not at all. This was their job, they told me. United Nations meetings, visiting heads of-state, waiting was common practice for these guys. They brought books and laptops and seemed legitimately accustomed to sitting on a marble floor for hours, after having spent the entire morning in security lines. All of this for a few minutes or sometimes seconds of opportunity to take the perfect shot.

3: Plan for the Unexpected. You’d think the actual bus ride from the hotel to the venue would be the one aspect of the trip that could be reasonably scripted: get all the media through security and on the bus. Ride said bus. Get off and find the Pope. Pretty manageable, right?

Well, no. As it turns out, the Secret Service escorting the buses to the venue didn’t check the route and we encountered an overpass that was too low for buses. No worries, we spent the better part of an hour backing up on the West Side Parkway causing apocalyptic traffic delays and attracting what I think were news and traffic helicopters. Fox News, with nothing else to do, blogged about the experience here: Wild Bus Ride to Youth Rally. As I think about it, I have no real insight on this one. Shit happens, be ready.

That's it for the Pope, I'll link to a Flickr stream, as soon as I get all the pics uploaded.

Papal Public Relations

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:43:00 +0000

If you read a newspaper or turned on a TV over the last week you no doubt know that Pope Benedict XVI recently made his first ever visit to the United States. Our agency, on behalf of the Archdiocese of New York, was tasked with working with the thousands of media outlets that had converged on the New York portion of this historic trip.

As you can imagine, this was public relations event planning to the extreme. Months before the Holy Father landed in the US, we were working to field credentialing requests, process the approved outlets through the Secret Service background checks, and then assign the media to positions at various venues on the Vatican's itinerary like Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Yankee Stadium, etc.

I won’t bore everyone with the endless hours spent mapping out thousands of media assignments but it’s worth noting that the security procedures were so tight that reporters and broadcasters were to be assigned to fixed positions. That is, once an outlet arrived at their respective location – for example: USA Today at position 13 near the choir loft at St Patrick’s – they were not allowed to move or roam around the venue to gain a better angle or to interview passersby.

This was all in an effort to restrict movement in the moments leading up to the Pope’s arrival or departure. The Secret Service would institute a ‘frozen’ zone surrounding the venue. That meant no bathroom breaks, no running back to the satellite truck for fresh batteries, nothing. No. Movement.

Those that attempted moving out of their assigned location risked getting escorted out of the venue entirely. And, while PR people may have profound respect and understanding for the important role that, say, an AP photographer fills in covering these events, the Secret Service did not distinguish between an unruly member of the public and a top tier photographer angling for a better shot.

With those rules in mind, you can imagine the job of us ‘media escorts’ in ushering the media through the Secret Service sweeps, on the bus, to the venue, to their fixed position, and then standing alongside a contingent of media that spent the entire day reporting live and filing stories.

At night, after getting back from full day of media escorting, we went back to the hotel, showered, changed into street clothes, and went back out to tape down media assignments for the next day’s venue. This was the easiest part of the job – we simply were to duct tape down signs with numbers that would serve as a blueprint of sorts for staff and media the next morning. Compared to the long hectic days, the quiet nights spent shuffling down the pews in empty, dimly lit churches were almost as refreshing as sleep itself. Almost.

This photo is taken from Saint Joseph's Yorkville in Manhattan. As luck would have it, I was assigned an incredible position, in front of the first pews nearly 20 feet from the altar. This photo was taken from that position during the hours we spent awaiting the Holy Father's arrival. In the foreground producers make final adjustments to the lighting, microphone, etc.

This is taken after the Yorkville service, from the steps of the Church. In the foreground Cardinals mill about on the street. In the center, background, a 'frozen' media position of broadcasters positioned to capture the Pope's arrival and departure.

Photo taken at Saint Joesph's Seminary in Yonkers. I was assigned to a huge section of broadcast media at a Youth Rally on the grounds of the Seminary. The rally was about 25,000 people and included Kelly Clarkson as a performer leading up to the Pope's arrival. Here, on-air talent and cameramen wait for the rally to begin in an area that became known as the Media Village as a small city seemingly sprung up overnight as hundreds of outlets set up shop. Unnamed reporter catches some sleep in the foreground. Video from the same position below.

Taken from the main press box in Yankee Stadium.

Video from same position below. Note the radio broadcasters in the rows below me. My apologies for the jerky movements, the box was packed with agents and media. Also I happened to take this clip when a Spanish-speaking performer was addressing the Holy Father. Regrettably, I do not know Spanish. Any guesses at a translation are welcome in the comments.

I plan to write a follow up post touching on the lessons learned after surviving such a massive event. For now, I just wanted to get these initial thoughts and pictures posted.

End of Month Recap...

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:45:00 +0000

--It's been a busy month for the PR industry as well as me personally. Stanton Communications, my employer, launched a new Web sit e.

--The Council of Public Relations Firms launched its new publication The Firm Voice, along with a great new tutorial for young PR pros called PR Quick Start.

--Brendan Hodgson of H&K gave a great perspective on Web 2.0 tools and their role within a broader communications strategy. As I've said before on this blog, sometimes it's easy to get wrapped up in the novetly of the tool without really identifying how this tactic may fit within the overall communications plan and how that plan aligns with the objectives of the organization.

--National Small Business Week is coming up on April 21-25 here in D.C. Check out the event web site for details on event in DC and NY.

--I interviewed the Director of Sales at iDirect - a fascinating satellite company that's working to bring the Internet to remote corners of the world.

--The 10 millionth article was written on Wikipedia.

--Steve Rubel called for (once again) the death of the term social media. He may be making progress this time.

--And finally, Hulu launched. If you haven't checked it out, do so immediately; it's quickly becoming my favorite site.

Not exactly the lamb-like ending I was hoping for, but exciting nonetheless...

Executive Biz Article on Newspapers & Web 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:40:00 +0000

I'm going to break a blogging commandment and cross link to a post I wrote for the Executive Biz Blog. The article looks at how the newspaper business is evolving with web 2.0 applications.

Check it out here if you have a second....

Crisis Headache

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 21:08:00 +0000

I was reminded of one of my favorite case studies in public relations the other day as I was browsing the PR blogosphere. For anyone who studied marketing, PR, or communications, the 1982 Tylenol scare was likely somewhere in the curriculum.

As Neville Hobson points out, Johnson and Johnson, the makers of Tylenol, engaged in "corporate social responsibility long before the term became fashionable."

If you've ever wondered why there's a piece of cotton at the top of most pill bottles, then brush up on the case here.

The crisis had all the makings of a communications disaster (or an A&E movie) : a police investigation, unsolved murders, a large corporate organization, and a massive product recall. For me, the takeaway is that, with the right processes in place, large corporations can act swiftly and transparently for the greater good.

I wonder how today's social media tools would have altered the response? Would Tylenol have posted a Youtube response like the JetBlue CEO as passengaers languished on the tarmac? Would they have worked with bloggers covering the crisis?

How could you use Twitter in a case like this...? Lots of questions, I'm not quite sure, how, exactly, to marry a 1982 event and web 2.0....

MBA for PR Pros?

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Many of my friends who earned bachelors degrees within the past few years have taken the leap into graduate school. As you can guess, many of these students were pre-med or pre-law as undergraduate students and so the transition into graduate school is a logical next step.

Though, for others, especially in the financial services industry, going back to school is an employer-sponsored perk. Recent accounting and business majors who landed jobs at global accounting / financial firms are encouraged to earn MBAs in an effort to further their career – many have some or all of their tuition reimbursed by their employer.

Marketing majors, too, with their subject-area safely inside the walls of most major business schools, seem gravitate toward MBA programs. It seems only natural that students with four years of marketing and business coursework seek out an MBA, especially if a marketing agency offers to help foot the bill.

When it comes to PR firms, it seems tuition reimbursement isn’t really a common benefit. This might be because no one is really demanding it. In fact, from what I can tell in working with communications professionals across a wide spectrum of industries, having an MBA, or any graduate degree, is hardly a requirement for growth. There seems to be a sentiment within our industry that the economic and accounting oriented curriculum doesn’t really apply for your run-of-the-mill Director of Communications position.

Now, as social media blurs the line between PR and Marketing, there’s a real turf war over who is best positioned to counsel clients in this space. Doesn’t it make sense, then, that Public Relations professionals, who so often preach the alignment of communications strategy to the overall objectives of the business, posses the requisite business skills?

The Council of Public Relations firms weighed in last December. You can read the full article here.

Any thoughts on this? From MBAs, younger PR pros, or those currently in grad school?

Future of PR

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:06:00 +0000

Wow, it's been a while. I can't believe it's already December 13th. I've been blogging a fair bit over at Executive Biz, my last few posts have been on senior-level government bloggers and how the feds are adopting social media tools into the workplace. HUD is using Google Maps API, can you believe it?

Anyway, I don't have a brilliant post, just top of mind stuff....

The PR blogosphere seems to be thriving and yet there's been this series of land mines that keep damaging the profession. I mean, even the NYT times is documenting how ugly it's gotten. It's important to remember that not everyone on the planet listens to FIR or reads Luke's Observations of PR. For the vast majority, the only exposure to PR is when issues like these bubble up to the surface of mainstream media. I don't pretend to have the answers, but it sure is frustrating...

It seems that many of the PR gaffes floating around out there are from the entry-level folks employing the 'mail-merge-and-pray' technique. The solution, it seems to me, is to use both in-house education and undergrad coursework to encourage thoughtful communications online.

The next generation of PR pros is not going to simply walk in the door and have these skills on day one. Sure, they're digital natives, and they may not remember 28.8k dial-up. That doesn't mean they've got the skills needed to monitor the conversation about a brand/issue online, or the ability to identify relevant podcasts, or how to set up RSS feeds for a client, etc.

I recently spoke to a class of senior level PR students at a local University. Virtually no one in the class used RSS feeds and by a show of hands less than half had heard of Technorati.

Now, I know, you’re in college; you don’t have time to dork-out with authority rankings, but my point is that you’ve got a whole industry starting to fumble because the landscape is shifting so quickly and 99% of the incoming talent has spent the last four years studying the AP style guide and writing press releases. Those skills are critically important, but isn’t also knowing a how to write a social media new release….?

Maybe I’m just disgruntled because it’s cold and raining in D.C. I’d love some comments on this, or maybe just a great example of digital PR in action to balance out this admittedly one-sided post...

White Paper Interivew

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:30:00 +0000

Just a quick post encouraging readers to head over to Foward, for a recent interview I conducted with Matt Shaw on his Council of Public Relations Firm's white paper.

The research is available online and certaintly worth a read for anyone working in this space.

Meet the Press

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:20:00 +0000

Wow. This has been a bad week for lazy PR people who insist on using mail merge as a communications strategy.

Aaron Brazell, from Technosailor, outed a particularly clueless pitch from Guerilla PR.

Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief of Wired Magazine, was so fed up with unsolicited pr emails that he decided to publish a list of email addresses that had sent him an irrelevant press release in the last 30 days. Ironically, those published emails address will surely be harvested by spammers.

Entry level pr people are often asked to shoulder most of this media list building and outreach. What happened this week is a reminder to do your homework and to never just blast editors and reporters with what is essentially spam.

Rather, get to know your sources, what they cover, and demonstrate your familiarity with a pitch that's tailored specifically for the journalist you have in mind. Having trouble finding the connection between your idea and their beat? Then move on and research a different reporter, or perhaps that outlet isn't suited at all.

Maybe the only good to come of this is the robust debate taking place on the blogs and comments section. The Anderson posting resulted in over 70 comments in less than 48 hours.

Sun to Rise in East

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 21:14:00 +0000

Entry-level employees are painfully familiar with the skyrocketing costs of tuition. The average graduate leaving the university with debt is not a new phenomena. This is breaking news according to the New York Times: "College Costs Rising Rapidly"

In other news, San Fransisco hosted the 4th annual Web 2.0 Summit last week. Lots of applications for PR pros.

Stephen Davies has a great post on Do and Don't for Digital Natives at the request of Paull Young.

Speaking of Digital Natives, I'm planning on attending a conference of the same name hosted by the Council of Public Relations firms in New York on November 8th. It looks like there will be a great collection of speakers.

I'm most excited about hearing former Clinton pollster, Burson CEO, and Soccer Mom identifier, Mark Penn. I've just finished his new book, MicroTrends. It's a great look at a variety of nascent and important demographics in our country. I've been offered the chance to toss out a question or two to moderator, Jeffrey Rayport, on behalf of young PR pros. Here's Rayport on the upcoming conference:

If you could ask Andrew Heyward, former president of CBS News or Pete Blackshaw, EVP of Nielsen Online , or Jon Iwata, SVP Communications, IBM, or Mark Penn, a question as a young public relations profession, what would it be? Seriously. I have a blank notepad and my RSS feeds open. I need some inspiration...

Craigslist

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:03:00 +0000

According to the Craigstlist website, employers advertising on the job boards can expect to receive an average of 51 replies per job posting. If that seems like a lot, you’re right. Compared to Monster’s seven and Hotjobs’s two applicants per posting, Craigslist has emerged an extraordinarily effective means to hire employees.

Sure, a huge stack of resumes on the desk doesn’t always mean an equally high level of talent. But what started as a listerv for local San Fran events has morphed into a formidable competitor for the other big names in world of job search engines.

Yet, somehow despite its polish, the quirkiness of the Internet shines through. Like in this job posting quoting the movie Office Space in the subject line.

Do Craigslist respondents tend to fair better or worse than from other jobs site? If utilizing multiple sites, would you be more receptive to respondents referred fro Careerbuilder than Craigslist?

eWeek link...

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:56:00 +0000

Great article on "Digital Natives" moving into the workforce. eWeek reports that:

As these digital natives grow up, they're moving into the work force, taking with them blogs, wikis, mashups, RSS feeds and other so-called Web 2.0 social networking tools that will enable them to collaborate more freely in an enterprise environment, said Gartner analyst Anthony Bradley.

Google & Council of PR Firms

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:54:00 +0000

Last week I attended the second in a series of discussions jointly hosted by the Council of PR Firms and Google. There was a lot of great information, but I first wanted to post what I thought was one of the most relevant presentations. It was called "5 Ways PR Can Participate in Youtube". This was just a tip of the iceberg but I wanted to share it since so many of us are being asked to develop campaigns that feature an online video component. I consider these videos launching pads and plan to explore other elements of the campaigns: paid advertising, search engine optimization, media relations, etc.

(The last two are Youtube Channels and not singular videos)

1) RESPOND to conversation about your brand. Example: Jet Blue. Jet Blue was assaulted in the press for long delays at the airport. Customers stuck for hours filmed the ordeal and posted on YouTube.

The CEO came out with a Passenger Bill of Rights and posted his response using the same channel. By the time the major news outlets were covering the customer outrage, the CEO response was already a part of the story.

2)START a new conversation within a community. Example Nike Zoom Challenge. Nike laced up NBA player Steve Nash in Nike shoes and taped him running a popular end line-to-foul line sprinting drill. Nike then asked viewers to try to beat Nash's time.

3) PUBLICIZE your brand or event. Example: Neiman Marcus 100th Anniversary.

4) CONNECT your brand to a cause. Example Bono & Red.

5) CREATE a Single Home for all online video content. Example, United States Navy

Hiatus...

noreply@blogger.com (Washington DC PR Pros) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 21:30:00 +0000

Readers of Young DC PR Pros certainly have noticed that I've been AWOL of late. I will admit, it's been hard keeping this up-to-date.

Executive Biz, the weekly digital magazine for business executives in the Washington D.C. has just launched a blog. I've been helping get that off the ground and I encourage everyone to keep an eye on it. We've got a great line of up speakers for an upcoming Web 2.0 conference in November. My blogging duties at the Executive Biz Blog will likely take up the majority of my web 2.0 focus.

You can catch me there posting with much greater frequency than I ever achieved here.

Though, don't unsubscribe from Young DC PR Pros. I've got a few pieces in the works. I recently spoke with Matt Shaw, Vice President of the Council of PR Firms regarding the recent Google Event and as well as upcoming events. I plan to post on that in the near future.

On a lighter note, I'll leave everyone with a video of one of my favorite things to watch on youtube: news bloopers. I can't get enough of them. There's just something so enjoyable about watching Al Roker lifted off the ground by a hurricane.

(warning: there are a few accidental expletives sprinkled throughout these clips...)