What they should have said

Three tips for dealing with a wild card interview

2012-04-19T11:36:00.002-04:00

When you do Public Relations, you try to do everything you can to prepare someone for an interview. You give them all the tips for strong sound bites, make sure they have the latest info, make sure they look sharp.

Unfortunately, once they are in front of the camera, you have given up all control of the situation. So what do you do when someone says something wrong or something they shouldn't?

While holding a Motorcycle Safety Day event for Dover Air Force Base, someone we had set up to be interviewed said in front of the cameras that motorcycle related deaths were on the rise. This information was false and the deaths for Dover Air Force Base are actually below the state and national average.

Here are three tips I learned from that experience:

1. Have a good rapport with the reporter
If the interview is taped, having a good rapport with the reporter can be a life saver. After the motorcycle interview, I explained to the reporter that I think the person misspoke and asked her for a moment to grab another person to verify that, because I would have hated to send her out with bad info. Having spent most of the day with the reporter giving her info and finding out exactly what she needed for her stories, she was more than willing to talk to more people to make sure she put out an accurate story.

2. Know who your experts are
When you are setting up an interview, always have back up people ready even if they might not be needed. When the first person gave the bad info about the number of deaths, we quickly rounded up our other subject matter experts to give the correct info. Having to scramble for information makes you look unprofessional, having a group lined up and ready to speak makes you look prepared.

3. If at first you don't succeed, try again
Dont' be afraid to let your interviewee know that they misspoke and ask the reporter if they can do that one over. The reporter doesn't want to put out bad information any more than your interviewee wants to embarrass himself on television by giving out bad info. If your interviewee says something crazy or wrong on camera, don't be afraid to ask the reporter if you can do that again. Talk to the person away from the cameras, let them know what they said wrong and help them get back on message. For us, it was fixing the error of fatalities being on the rise, but if the person getting interviewed is veering off topic don't be afraid to reel them back in and get them back on topic. Remind them that they'll talk to the reporter for an hour, but only 30 seconds will get used. Do they really want the 30 second clip that plays on tv to be of their fishing anecdote?

In the end, these tips helped me make sure the reporter did a positive piece and everyone was happy with the coverage.
http://www.wmdt.com/story/17421613/motorcycle-safety-day

Your spellcheck just bounced: three tips for copy editing

2012-03-14T11:12:00.002-04:00

Copy editing is a tough business, you have to know every grammar rule there is or suffer the wrath of hundred of e-mails flooding your inbox warning you of the obviously misplaced comma in your article.

Sometimes it's worse than just a missing comma though, sometimes one typo can give your message an entirely different feel.

The Public Relations department for Rick Santorum will back me up on this. A recent e-mail went out with one missing letter in the subject line, and yet it changes the entire tone of the message.

Usually, when there is a minor typo somewhere in your press release or your e-mail , you can simply resend a corrected e-mail and include something like UPDATE: or (use this copy) in the subject line. This typo was not so fortunate, it quickly appeared on social media sites and then spread to news sites.

This unfortunate gem has also been making its way around the social media circuit.

Both of these mistakes can be avoided in the future with three simple tips.

Three simple tips for safe copy editing

1. Read your story backwards. It can be easy to read over a typo when you're reading a sentence because your mind will fix it for you. You know what the sentence is suppose to say, such as:

Mary had a

a little lamb

When you first read the sentence, it can be very easy to miss that there are actually two a's. If you read the words backwards one at a time, the a's stand out like a sore thumb. Spellchecker is a great tool, but it only catches words that aren't actually words. Pubic is a real word, spellchecker won't catch that you meant to say public instead. If you start and the end of the story and read backwards, these kinds of words stand out like a sore thumb and can save you a lot of embarrassment.

2. Read something else. When you write a story or a press release, you know what it's about so it makes sense to you. It can be heard to see it through the eyes of your readership. Step away from the computer for a minute, pull a book off a shelf and read a chapter. This will help you come back to your writing with fresh eyes and help you see the parts that aren't explained well enough or that might be confusing to your readership.

3. Do the math. I can almost hear the collective groan. I know a lot of people who thought that once they got out of high school, they would never have to do math again. If your article has a pie chart, percentages, places or any other quantitative mathematical numbers, take a pen and paper and make sure everything adds up. Just like a spelling error, a math error can take the focus away from your message.

Tigers, seals and anger oh my!

2012-03-02T11:05:00.002-05:00

Last week I gave some tips about talking to the press. One of the tips was about anger.

4. Don't get angry
Many people know the line "Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry." It's a famous line from the tv series The Incredible Hulk where, when angered, a scientist would turn into a large hulking monster and destroy everything around him.

In a TV interview, the reporter may do things that get under your skin or annoy you. You have to remember that if you lose your temper, they don't have to show the 20 minutes of the reporter making you angry, they can just show your reaction and then you come off as unprofessional. Be calm, collected and have facts ready.

There are times when a reporter or even different reporters will ask you the same question over and over again. Sometimes it's because they didn't get the perfect sound bite or might needed it worded a little differently, you may have been looking away or used filler words like 'uhh' and 'uhm', bu the important thing is to stick with your messages.

Tiger Woods, usually a solid interview, went slightly off the rails at a recent press conference.

For the first question he's getting off topic and coming off as kind of whiney because the media is paying more attention to him that other players. While it may be a pain, that's a golden opportunity.

"There is a lot of media attention on me, as [List of accolades] I certainly expect to be in the spotlight. It can be difficult, but I try to remember that I need to be a role model out there. When I started golfing back in 1996, golf was seen more as an old man sport. Today, we have players who are younger and younger. I strive to remember that I need to be a role model for all those who are trying to follow in my footsteps. I know it will be difficult, but i'm fortunate to be surrounded by good friends and family."

Now instead of whinging about how unfair it is, he's just given reporters a bunch of soundbites about how awesome he is, and he's still going to try and mentor others to be awesome like him. Those kinds of quotes show up on the cover of magazines and sportscasts all the time.

It's similar to when you go to a job interview and the dreaded question of 'What are some of your weaknesses?' comes up. You can either actually list your strengths as weaknesses, or list a weakness and talk about how you overcome it, but you never want to list a weakness and just leave it sit there.

Then he's asked about a quote from a the book "The Big Miss" writting by golfing coach Hank Haney. In the book, it's alleged that Tiger Woods was interested in becoming a Navy Seal. Now, it doesn't matter if it's true or not, because this is the golden opportunity for a solid quote.

"I have the utmost respect for the troops. I wouldn't be able to do what I do today if it wasn't or the sacrifices they've made over the years. My idea of a bad day is missing a putt, their idea of a bad day is taking enemy fire. While I may never get to experience their life, I will always respect it and what they do for this country."

He could even sprinkle in quotes about how proud he is of his fathers military service during Vietnam.

Even if the reporter asks you 20 times about an item, you want to have a statement prepared. You can say it a couple ways, add a couple different inflections, but stay on topic. Just because they ask more than once doesn't mean they're expecting you to give a different answer, it's more like being on the set of a movie and they're just looking for that perfect take. Don't give them one for the gag reels; stay calm, stay on topic and remember the message you want to convey.

Lights, camera, action!

2012-02-24T12:04:00.003-05:00

So you get a call from a local news station and they want to interview you.

How do you stop from looking like this?

There are a couple easy tips that can help you give a strong interview.

1. Know the reporter/market
A little research ahead of time can give you a big insight into how the interview will go. Does the reporter like to ask surprise questions, are they fair, do they attack and try to get reactions?

Having a basic understanding of a reporters story should help you formulate your messages and responses.

If you get the chance, talk with the reporter before the interview. This will give you a better repore and you will feel more comfortable around them so when the cameras are rolling you're not speaking to a complete stranger.

Also keep in mind the audience. Who will be watching this story? If a story is just going to play in the local area should give you interview a different tone than one that might play throughout the country.

2. Know where you are
When you agree to an interview, know where it's going to be held. Scout the location out ahead of time. Is there a billboard in the background that might be embarassing, are you close to traffic or railroad tracks that might be hard to speak over, is there a lot of foot traffic that will be distracting? If the location doesn't work for you, don't be afriad to suggest one that does.

Keep in mind what the interview is about and the tone you want to set. If you're talking about your new green initiatives, make sure there is no visible garbage in sight and that recycling cans are in plain view. You're painting a picture with the location, make sure it's one that augments your story and not one that contradicts it.

While talking to the reporter, remember to turn off your cell phone and if you see a friend, don't yell out to them. You want the reporter on your side for the best possible story, so give them 100 percent of your attention.

3. Don't just answer a question
You cannot just answer a reporters questions, you have to give a response. A response is something they could isolate and play as a clip. You have to try and work their question back into your answer.

If a reporter were to ask "How many jobs will this initiative create?" and you simply answer "1,000," then you haven't given them anything usable. They can't run a clip of you simply saying 1,000, you need to work the question back into the response and have information ready.

This is your chance to do a free commercial highlighting your work and why it's important. "The people of Delaware are ready to work and this initiative started by Sen. Carper will create over 1,000 jobs for the local area."

You need to know the image you want to convey, work out a couple sentences that convey that message and then figure out how to work them into your answers.

Something like:

We are working with local, state and federal agencies to ensure a thorough and efficient investigation is conducted to determine the cause of the accident and ensure that something like this doesn't happen again.

Being good stewards of the environment is a major concern and serious commitment for the company name.

Once you have a list of messages you would like to run, practice saying them. Make them sound natural and like something you would actually say so when you are on camera, you don't sound like you are reading off of cue cards.

Figure out some questions the reporter may ask and then work these statements into your answers.

4. Don't get angry
Many people know the line "Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry." It's a famous line from the tv series The Incredible Hulk where, when angered, a scientist would turn into a large hulking monster and destroy everything around him.

In a TV interview, the reporter may do things that get under your skin or annoy you. You have to remember that if you lose your temper, they don't have to show the 20 minutes of the reporter making you angry, they can just show your reaction and then you come off as unprofessional. Be calm, collected and have facts ready.

5. State the obvious, do not speculate and DO NOT LIE
You may not be comfortable being the spokesperson for your company, but don't be afraid to state the obvious. If you are in front of the burning wreckage of an aircraft, don't be afraid to say that "Yes, an aircraft did crash today, other than that I don't have any information."

If you're standing in front of the burning wreckage and asked if a plane crashed and you say "I don't know," you 've just lost all future credibility.

Don't speculate. If a plane crashed, there could be a million reasons why it crashed, but don't guess or speculate or offer suggestions on how it could have happened. This could raise a myraid of negative questions and speculation on the state of your company before the truth is ever discovered.

If a reporter asks a question that is out of your area of expertise, don't be afraid to say I don't know. Just make sure to follow it up with a referral. If you are a pilot and the reporter asks you a question on aircraft maintenance schedules, be frank. Tell them you don't know, but you would gladly get someone who could get them an answer. If you just guess or speak off the cuff you risk being wrong and your entire credibility comes into question.

Don't say "No comment." This makes it seem like you are hiding something. If you can't speak on it until an investigation is done, tell the reporter that. If you can't speak on it because you are not a subject matter expert, tell them that and offer to find someone who is.

Some people may remember the Iraqi Information Minister Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, he claimed there were no American troops in Baghdad two days before the city fell to US forces. He made huge and obvious lies. Once this happened, any credibility he had was quickly lost and he became a huge joke in the U.S.

6. Pracitce, Practice, Practice
When you find out you are going to be interviewed, write up some questions you expect to be asked and practice answering them. Get other people to ask you the question and film yourself answering so you can see your inflection and tone. Keep practicing right up until it's time for the interview so you sound natural and relaxed instead of wooden, and stiff.

If the interview is being recorded and you stumble on an answer or feel like you are saying filler words like um and aw, don't be afraid to ask to start over. You want to present the best image possible to the public. Take a breath, think about what you want to say, exhale and then remember all the practicing you did and let the words just flow naturally out of you as if you are talking to a friend.

7. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep the P.C. on the Q.T.? 'Cause if it leaks to the V.C. he could end up M.I.A., and then we'd all be put out in K.P.
Try to avoid acronyms and complicated technical terms when possible. Just because you've explained what an acronym stands for earlier, doesn't mean that a reporter will use every quote you say and you risk losing your message in a fog of letters, and once you've lost a crowd it can be twice as much work to try and get their attention back.

8. One last look

Before you go on camera remember to have someone give you one last look over to make sure your tie isn't crooked or your suit isn't hanging oddly on you.

Always look at the reporter, not the camera and remember to stick with the tone of the story. Don't smile at a plane crash and don't look grim at a ribbon cutting ceremony.

It means what?

2012-02-23T18:49:00.001-05:00

Someone once told me "to be an editor, you have to have a dirty mind"

This seemed like such a strange thing to me. Why possibly would you need a dirty mind to work as an editor. Then he pointed to a headline that ran in a military paper. It read "Affair between Airman and Officer ends in dishonorable discharge"

The headline is factual. Fraternization between the enlisted ranks and the officer ranks is against the rules and can result in the people being dishonorably discharged from military service, but obviously this headline is easy to take out of context.

There are some cases where a person might night see the double entendree or might not know that there is more than one meaning to a word.

Here are some more examples of writers and editors who should have thought twice before running their headline:

The most obvious and recent example was a story run by ESPN:

Now chink in the armor is a fairly common saying. It implies a found weakness, unfortunately it is also a ethnic slur against anyone of Asian decent and when you put it on the front page of your web site right underneath the photo of an Asian-American basketball player, you can be sure there is going to be a reaction.

Now the world of sports news is pretty fast place and there is always a rush to get new content up as quickly as possible, but any editor should have been able to look at this and see it was a bad idea.

The scandal caused the writer and an anchor to lose their jobs. (source)

Before you run that next story/headline, take a moment to think of any way it could be taken out of context. It could even save your job.

Level up!

2012-02-17T07:39:00.000-05:00

A lot of people focus on the negative in the world of PR. They show examples of bad interviews and people saying completely the wrong thing. Sometimes it's important to look at the people who did it right and try to follow their example.

Recently the video game company Almost Human Games knocked one clean out of the park. They're producing a game called 'Legend of Grimrock,' which has a retro feel to it that a lot of gamers who played 90's role playing games like Wizardry will connect with.

The company does a good job of keeping the information flowing and up to date, they post constantly and are good about responding to people. On January 9th, they got an interesting question from someone on their web site.

'HarpoonIPA' asks about a custom user interface, similar to one the older games use to have. Instead of having to click arrows on the keyboard, you could use the mouse to click arrow buttons on the screen.

Now Petri explains that they don't have the arrows on the screen because it was an underused feature, but he takes it the extra step. He actually asks why the person wants to know and engages them in conversation.

A lot of companies social media sites forget that the sites are not just an area to shotgun company propoganda, tossing up message after message in rapid fire to bog the reader in information. You can't over look your customer questions. You can talk to your customers like normal people and see what they want, why they want it and if you can deliver.

The customer explains that since they are disabled, the arrow keys on the screen are easier to use than clicking the keyboard.

This is where Petri wows again. Not only does he update the game, but he gets back with the customer all in under 3 hours!

I can't count the number of times I've gone to a companys facebook page and saw a valid question go unanswered for days or completely ignored.

A social media site is the perfect opportunity to get valuable feedback for free. There are companies out there that pay tons of money for focus groups and research. With a social media site, you can solicit feedback on commercials, posters, upcoming changes and find out what kind of changes customers want that you might never have considered.

Almost Human Games engaged their customers, listed to their wants and then acted. The story spread across a variety of gaming web sites and without having to spend any extra money, the company got an incredible amount of free advertising.

Serious gaming

2012-02-15T07:16:00.000-05:00

For this weeks blog we have an example from the video game world.

We have an amazing example of a Public Relations blunder by Ocean Marketing when a customer e-mails in a question about the delivery date of their Avenger video game controller, pictured below.

Now some of you might not be familiar with the Avenger video game controller. It's actually an interesting product. Video games today are so complex that sometimes you will have to hit two or three button combinations to perform different actions. For people with arthritis or physical disabilities this can be a difficult task. The Avenger hooks onto a normal video game controller and pushing just one button hits the different button combinations, and of course it can be used by everyone else just looking to improve their performance.

The company behind the Avenger controller (N-Control) took preorders at full price and then were unable to meet their delivery date of 'early December.' Now I'm sure you can imagine that most people who ordered one of these controllers for early December, was going to give it as a holiday present.

Now in this situation where a product is delayed, the PR person is going to field a lot of calls and e-mails and has to stay ahead of the curve. You want to keep the customers happy and returning for more, without customers you don't have a business.

One piece of advice that I was given was to always remember 'You may have been asked this question a million times, but this is the first time that individual has asked it.' You may be tired of fielding questions on why a product is late, a deadline isn't met, when an announcement will be made, but always remember that this is the first time this customer has asked the question and you always have to treat them with respect.

When one customer e-mailed in to Ocean Marketing, he got a lot more than he expected and none of it was respect.

*Personal information and names have been removed from the following e-mails.

From: Dave

To: Ocean Marketing

Dec 16, 2011, at 1:34 PM

I ordered 2 of the upcoming PS3 controllers (invoice xxxxxxxxx—Nov 3, 2011). Any chance of getting an update of when these items will ship? I’m not really happy about being forced to pay upfront then have the advertised date of “Early December” be completely missed without any sort of update on availability. I really need one of them for a X-mas present as well. Anyways, looking forward to finally using one of these bad boys. Thanks and happy holidays.

-Dave

From: Ocean Marketing

To: Dave

Dec 16, 2011 2:45 PM

Dec 17

- Paul

From: Dave

To: Ocean Marketing

Dec 19, 2011, at 11:02 AM

Thanks for the reply Paul. Can you clarify whether my particular order already sent or if Dec 17 was the first day shipments went out? I have not received any sort of shipping confirmation email or tracking information.

From: Ocean Marketing

To: Dave

Dec 19, 2011 11:21 AM

They still haven’t shipped yet on the way here from china

From: Dave
To: Ocean Marketing
Dec 20, 2011 4:29 PM
So then delivery to customer doors by December 24th is no longer likely correct? Do you have an estimated date of when units will arrive in California? Thanks.

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Dave
Dec 20, 2011 5:11 PM
They are in the USA now in customs so its wither before or after Christmas.

It's not uncommon for people in Public Relations to receive questions on any part of a business. Normally you track down a subject matter expert (often called 'smees') and forward on their answer with some quantitative into.

Something along the lines of:

Dear Mr. XXXX,

I spoke with the shipping department, they relayed the following information.

"The product still has not shipped, it's on it's way here from China and will probably arrive in the US around Dec. 17"

I am very sorry for the delay, I've linked a web site where you can track your order and if you have any questions feel free to contact by e-mail or phone at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

A little empathy can go a long way. Unfortunately this is not what Ocean Marketing decided to do, they decided to try a different tactic.

From: Dave
To: Ocean Marketing
Dec 26, 2011, at 9:47 AM
I noticed the updated info on the webpage, and I don't understand why there is absolutely no benefit given to those like me who have already ordered, and paid their money. You've had my money interest free for nearly two months, yet now ANY new order will get $10 off....meaning I should just cancel my order for 2 controllers, get my money back, then re-order.
My other questions is regarding item compatibility. Ocean Marketing seems to be involved with the Xtendplay controller holder, so I was wondering if the Avenger N-Controller can be used in conjunction with the Xtendplay (for both Xbox and PS3)? Thanks

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Dave
Dec 26, 2011 10:14 AM
Yes it can be used with xtend play if you remove the stand and no one is allowed to cancel and re order if we catch anyone doing it we will simply just cancel your order all together and you can buy it retail somewhere else.
Things happen in manufacturing if your unhappy you have 7 days from the day your item ships for a refund. You placed a pre order just like any software title the gets a date moved due to the tweaks and bugs not being worked out and GameStop or any other place holds your cash and im sure you don't complain to activision or epic games so put on your big boy hat and wait it out like everyone else. The benefit is a token of our appreaciation for everyone no one is special including you or any first time buyer . Feel free to cancel we need the units were back ordered 11,000 units so your 2 will be gone fast. Maybe I'll put them on eBay for 150.00 myself. Have a good day Dan.

Now Ocean Marketing is correct, software preordered from Gamestop or any other video game store could be delayed and you would have to wait. The catch is that most software preordered from those kinds of stores only require a $5 down payment and not the full purchase price in advance. Plus Gamestop has never offered a discount to people after preorders have been taken and before the item is put out on shelves.

Here is what they should have said:

Sir,

If you cancel your preorder and put in a new order, that would push you to the bottom of the waiting list. Before you do anything like that, let me talk with our sales department and see what we can work out. You've been very patient in waiting for our product, I'd hate for anything to happen to delay you further.

You want customers to know that you are on their side. You job as Public Relations is to build a positive relationship between your company and the public, it's blatantly right there in the job title. Now Ocean Marketing might think that they are safe to insult a customer and tell them to 'put on their big boy pants' and threaten to sell the customers paid for property because they are having an e-mail conversation, they aren't on their Google+ account, facebook page or twitter account, so they can say whatever they want, right? Ocean Marketing is about to quickly learn just how wrong this philosophy is.

Dave took this opportunity to Courtesy Copy his next e-mail to a large chunk of the gaming community, including a fairly popular webcomic www.penny-arcade.com. For those unfamiliar with Penny Arcade, they run a video game expo and a charity that donates video games and systems to childrens hospitals across the country. Not only that, but they're not afraid to stir it up with people that are putting the video game industry in a bad light. They had a somewhat famous back and forth with lawyer Jack Thompson who was trying to blame nearly every act of violence in the world on video games.

From: Dave
To: Ocean Marketing
Dec 26, 2011 12:11 PM
Then cancel my order if you want to. I'm making a legitimate complaint about your poor communication and you're the one stooping to childish levels, a patronizing attitude, and threats. Hell you can't even get the spelling of my name right.
And Gamespot pre-orders...wow what a terrible comparison. Retailers take a couple dollars IF THAT for you to guarantee your game availability on the release date, whatever that is. That's the understanding and that's what you get. Plus, I don't have to complain to Activision or Epic games about these issues because they're usually not missing the street dates for their AAA titles.
Now let's take YOUR situation:
1) You've promised a new product based off the design for an existing, working product
2) For the longest time, you've stated on your website (your failure to update regularly is another issue) the initial/special/limited batch of your new product by early December, obviously in time for the all-important holiday gift-giving season. I and thousands of other customers GIVE YOU OUR MONEY, INTEREST FREE on the promises you made online.
3) I reach out to you, on Dec 16 (AFTER you have FAILED TO MEET YOUR ADVERTISED DEADLINE AND FAILED TO COMMUNICATE TO ANYONE WHAT THE SITUATION IS) obviously a little frustrated but more curious about when I and other customers can expect the product we paid for.
4) Your reply to me is a cryptic "Dec 17" with absolutely no explanation of what that means. In the mean time you having been using funds from pre-paid customers to complete Research & Development, product redesigns, and manufacturing mis-steps.
5) You force me to follow-up with an email asking for clarification about what "Dec 17" means since the day has passed and I have yet to receive any new information about my order. Now you instead of ANSWERING MY QUESTION OF WHAT THE NEW DELIVERY DATE IS, you tell me the goods have yet to leave China... Why are you telling me this? I'm not your employee I'm your goddamn customer! TELL ME WHAT THAT MEANS IN TERMS OF MY TIME AND WHEN I CAN EXPECT MY PRODUCT I PAID FOR.
6) So great...I have to email you AGAIN trying to get a CLEAR answer from you whether a Dec 24th delivery date is possible and if not, what the new date is. Rinse & repeat: You give me an update of the delivery process (wow, thanks...you haven't told me anything I don't know about the order of international shipping procedures) but instead say "...so its wither before or after Christmas." WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? GIVE ME A DATE!? One that you're actually going to follow, because I already see "late Nov to early Dec"; "Dec 17"; and now "CHRISTMAS" in my rear-view mirror.
7) So I guess what's left for me to do but just wait? Oh but what's this, you've updated your website...Ok at least you've clarified the dates more, I can expect my controller my latest first week of January. But now as a "token of our appreciation" to all your "loyal customers" (you mean like customers who put up cash for you hold an use?) you're giving a $10 coupon. Let me get this straight...so you held my money interest free for 2 months to help bring this product to market, and now some new customer can place an order and pay $10 less than what I paid? You have financially penalized me in two ways for being a "LOYAL CUSTOMER."
I'm SURE you're getting tons of other inquiries and I'm sure you're not enjoying the fact that your product is not out when you wanted it to be. I and everyone else understands that "sh*t happens," but if you want us to be understanding of that, then you need to keep us in the loop. You've already set yourself up for failure by making explicit promises that aren't even "likely" given that the design and manufacturing are still be refined. Then you make sure you're going to fail by actually taking all of our money, Not just a little bit....THE WHOLE F*CKIN BEEFALO. Why wouldn't we trust that you're going to deliver our merchandise on time? Besides...it's based off an existing product so how hard can it be? Well as your youtube video shows, making any consumer device is hard and requires many iterations and improvements. But I'm not going to apologize for holding your feet to the fire. You created these expectations by acting like the release was already a done deal and by hiding the fact that it was faaaar from it.
I want my two n-controllers. I 1) PAID FOR THEM 2) WAITED 3) DEALT WITH YOUR UNHELPFUL ASS. I also didn't want to feel like my trust and loyalty as a customer was being abused and then actually punished in comparison to other customers. But I guess we can't have it all... so right now I'll settle for getting my merchandise and hopefully never having to deal with you again. I've spent enough time writing this email which I hope you gain some insight from. If you actually do want to screw me over by not fulfilling my order, then I assure you be hearing more from me or people representing me.
You show a surprising lack of business polish for someone who's quite established, AND an lack of awareness of your customer base: Hardcore gamers. We're a demanding, vocal customer but the flip side is we're loyal and eager to spend. It's lucky for you that I really want this product because it seems really deliver on making the gaming experience more effective and enjoyable. Hell, I want to combine the aventer-controller with the xtend play to make the ugliest, most comfortable, most awesome controller ever. And I'll still buy the xtend, so let that be a testament to your products, the rise above your poor representation.
-DAVE with a V
p.s. You look really douchy be having one youtube video complaining about the noise of traffic next to your home and then another video showing off your obnoxiously loud rice rocket (which is nice, I gotta hand it ya).
p.p.s. Welcome to the internet, bitch. That's how I roll.

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Dave
Dec 26, 2011 2:19 PM
LOL Thanks for the Free PR I know the Editor N Chief of Kotaku , IGN , Engadget I'll be meeting them at CES .The noise complaint was for people high up on the food chain in a corporate world of real estate you have no clue about. Thanks for the Rice Rocket Compliment too love me some motorcycle . Send that over to Engadget you look like a complete moron swearing and sending your customer service complaints to a magazine as if they will post it or even pay attention do you think you're the first or the last what are they going to do demand us to tell you were your shipment is or ask for a refund on your behalf ... Really ... Welcome to the Internet ? Son Im 38 I wwebsite as on the internet when you were a sperm in your daddys balls and before it was the internet, thanks for the welcome to message wurd up. Grow up you look like a complete child bro. I Don't have my controller so im gonna cry to the world ... Really ?? Hey take that free time and do something more productive. All you had to do was check the like everyone else , people have inquired but you're the douchiest of them all J
To all our pre-order customers looking for information on the status of their orders after a busy couple of months The PS3 Avengers are on their way from our Manufacturing plant overseas. We are aware that everyone is anticipating having their Avengers under their Christmas Tree and were doing our best to get these orders shipped out as fast as possible. We appreciate you as loyal customers and for supporting our company. Customers will start receiving their products this week before Christmas and After Christmas and into the New Year. As a token of our appreciation we are offering all our pre-order customers and new customers 10$ off your next order with us just enter Avenger1001 at Checkout. Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Oh and FYI When a street date gets pushed by a publisher on a video game you pre ordered do you cry to them too ?
You just got told bitch ... welcome to the real internet check kotaku in 2 weeks when they are reviewing free PS3 Avengers we send them as well as G4 and all the other majors hell yeah , don't forget to check Amazon, gamestop.com, play n trade , Myers , Frys and a ton of other local stores coming your way you think you speak for billions son your just a kid you speak for yourself no one cares what you think that's why were growing and moving 20-50 thousand controllers a month. We do value our customers but sometimes we get children like you we just have to put you in the corner with your im stupid hat on. See you at CES , E3 , Pax East ....? Oh wait you have to ask mom and pa dukes your not an industry professional and you have no money on snap you just got told.

The Pax East comment gets my attention and I decide to engage. I tend to have a calming effect on these sorts of arguments.
-Gabe

Okay, I supervise four troops in the military. If any of them ever sent an e-mail like this I would read them the riot act once for the tone of disrespect to a customer and then once again for their spelling and grammar. If you are in Public Relations you need to take a serious amount of pride in your communications, even if you think no one else will read them. It nearly ruins my entire day when I send out an e-mail and later notice that I used the wrong 'your' or 'there' and especially if there is a typo.

Ocean Marketing is about to find out just how many people can read a private e-mail.

Mike Krahulik is one half of the team that creates and runs the previously mentioned Penny Arcade webcomic, and the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) and he is about to unleash the full power of the followers on his web site upon Ocean Marketing.

From: Mike Krahulik
To: Dave, Ocean Marketing
Dec 26, 2011 at 8:45 PM
Holy shit this is unbelievable. Dave, if this guy has a booth at Pax east we will cancel it.

From: Dave
To: Mike Krahulik
Dec 26, 2011 at 8:53 PM
Hey thanks Mike. It's truly a shame because I think this device is great for gamers with disabilities and problems. I think of Child's Play and if anyone's gonna need greater accessibility when using complicated gamepads...it's sick kids! Shit man, I'm really gonna feel bad if I think that sick children may somewhere down the line have fewer avenger controllers because I got into a pissing match with a sad old man. Please don't cancel their booth on my account. As much as I hate this asshole, I still WANT his product and think it should be out there. GAH, I wish I was in a position to make a competing product to really stick it to guy.

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Mike Krahulik
Dec 26, 2011 at 8:54 PM
Hey Mikey,
We're not renting a booth at pax east this year , bigger and better shows to be at we got nothing from the show . Oh so you know this guy has sold over 500 thousand dollars of product in Dec and is my main distribution arm landing us in GameStop , fry's , Myers , Best buy , Activision , MLG , play N trade and a lot more . Were in 6 countries and you're not going to take my money for a booth that's a crock I can guarantee I'll get a booth if I want one money buys a lot and connections go even further. He's a native Bostonian from Little Italy . Who are you again ?

Oh Teh Noes!
-Gabe

From: Mike Krahulik
To: Ocean Marketing
Dec 26, 2011 at 9:08 PM
I am mike krahulik, Pax is my show. Feel free to google me=) I can promise you that you will never have space at any future Pax event.

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Mike Krahulik
Dec 26, 2011 at 9:33 PM
OK Mike whatever you say lol , are you sure hour not in Boston I spoke to the person who ran the show in Boston last year. If you let some little kid influence you over a pre order then we don't want to be a your show ,Ill be on the floor anyway so come find me , I'm born and raised in Boston I know the people who run the city inside and out watch the way you talk to people you never know who they know it's a small industry and everyone knows everyone. Your acting like a douchbag not that it matters pax east pax west , e3 , CES , Gamer Con , SSXW ,Comic Con, Germany I'm all over the place. If we want to be there we will be there with industry badges or with a booth you think I can't team up with turtle beach , Callibur or Koy Christmas , I can't get Kevin Kelly to pull some strings or G4 , Paul Eibler Ex CEO of take 2 , Rich Larocco Konami , Cliff Blizinski Epic who were working with on a gears version , Activision who were working with on a MW3 and Spider man Bundle , The Convention Center Owners themselves , Mayor of Boston come on Bud you run a show that's all you do and lease a center in Cities you have no pull in its all about who you know not what you do. I'll see space where ever I want , with who I want when I want and where I want so many ways around you and so many connections in this industry its silly. Anyway , I have no issue with you Sean Buckley Engadget, Scott Lowe IGN and the list goes on and on. Little kids unhappy with a PRE ORDER starting trouble and you email that to us , he's a customer unless you're his boyfriend then you should side with the company not the customer. Be Careful

From: Mike Krahulik
To: Ocean Marketing
Dec 26, 2011 at 9:40 PM
I do run Pax, but I also run a website called penny arcade. It's kinda popular.

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Mike Krahulik
Dec 26, 2011 at 9:41 PM
Love penny Arcade !!

From: Mike Krahulik
To: Ocean Marketing
Dec 26, 2011 at 9:42 PM
I'm glad you like it! You will be on it tomorrow

From: Ocean Marketing
To: Mike Krahulik
Dec 26, 2011 at 9:46 PM
Great !! Love PR

Now Ocean Marketing says they love PR. I have seen no proof of this in any of their messages so far. Everything I've seen from them is an embarrassment to the career. He's about to learn how little love he has for PR because the situation quickly went viral.

The story began appearing all over social media and the Ocean Marketing twitter account, for some reason mispelled as @OceanMarketting even though the correct spelling was available, started to explode with negative comments.

Now a good PR person can still pull this out of fire. It would be really hard, but it can be done. You have to regain the publics trust that you are a professional and know what you are doing.

What did Ocean Marketing do? They closed their twitter account and opened a new one, once again misspelling Ocean Strategy. Others took the correct spelling of the accounts and continued to spread the message and used it to highlight just how bad at PR Ocean Marketing really was.

It would only go downhill from there as Ocean Marketing would impersonate the president of the company to try and stick up for him. The company was fired and the controller company was left trying to clean up the mess.

All it took was a little respect and empathy for a customer from a person who claimed to love PR. Instead Ocean Marketing learned that no communication is private and hopefully others will learn from their example.

Maybe a knock knock joke would have been better?

2012-02-12T14:09:00.000-05:00

There are certain times when a joke will help lighten the mood, put a reporter at ease and make an interview go easier.

Then there are times when it can make you look insensitive and potentially divide a community.

This weeks example of 'What they should have said' has so many gaffs and mistakes in it, it's hard to know where to start.

We should probably start with a little background.

Mayor Joseph Maturo of East Haven, Connecticut, is being interviewed by Mario Diaz (WPIX-TV New York) because four officers were arrested and charged with civil rights abuses against Latinos in the local community.

Now this is a terrible situation, but it's not hard to give a good interview. You apologize to the local community and you say what you are going to do to make the situation better. Pretty simple right?

Lets see what the mayor says:

Now right from the start of the video it looks like either Mayor Maturo has gotten no PR training or has forgotten what his PR representative has told him. In an interview, especially during a negative incident, you want to try and befriend the reporter. This is someone you need on your side to get your story out.

Imagine going into a doctors office and loudly announcing that all doctors are quacks and rip off artists, or going into a restaurant and loudly declaring that tips are a scam and the kitchen is probably filthy. What kind of service would you expect? Probably pretty poor. This is true for reporters as well. If you insult them and their entire profession, why should they try and help you get your message across?

I've seen interviews where it was obvious that the reporter was on the interviewees side and would even feed the interviewee good lines to say, like "Would you say this is a positive outcome for the local community" or "How will this positively impact your community?" There are also interviews where the reporter is not on the interviewees side, which is where I believe Mayor Maturo finds himself.

Despite the Mayor being adversarial, the reporter feeds him a soft ball question. "What are you doing for the Latine community today?" This is almost the ultimate softball question, because you can cover almost anything. You can offer an official apology, say what happened to the officers, say what is going to happen in the following days, talk about how you plan on meeting with local leaders of the Latino community to discuss the unique issues they might run into or even explain that an investigation into the incident is underway. Unfortunately Mayor Maturo decides this would be a good time for a joke.

Reporter: "What are you doing for the Latino community today?
Maturo: "I might have tacos when I go home"

At best this is insensitive and at worst it portrays a picture that the office doesn't care about the civil abuse of the Latino community, is racist and is going to do nothing to change what's going on.

But then all is not lost, the reporter gives him an out. The reporter says "That's not really the comment to say, I might have tacos tonight." What an out! All Maturo has to do is say "You are absolutely right, I apologize, please let me start over."

If you've already watched the video, you know that isn't what he does. He continues to talk about what different kinds of ethnic foods he might eat!

By the three minute mark he's made no progress in getting a positive message out to the community and has reverted to once again attacking the reporter and the press.

He gave out some vague generalizations about being an open community and making sure the Latino community is safe, but gave no facts.

So lets start from ground zero of this train wreck and talk about what they should have said.

"In 2009, a federal civil rights probe was launch to investigate complaints against members of the East Haven police department. We have fully complied with this investigation to try and collect all the facts. We take the civil rights of our citizens very seriously and I will be meeting with leaders of the local community to try and repair any damage that may have been done."

This is a very basic statement. It says that you are taking the situation seriously, but aren't taking sides. Even if the cops are found not guilty, there is going to be a perceived bias by the Latino community for quite a while. You want to try and get ahead of that as quickly as possible. Not only did Mayor Maturo not do this, his statements imply that his office is not taking this very seriously and have very little respect for the Latino community.

A whole new blog

2012-02-12T13:14:00.001-05:00

Welcome to my blog.

I will have weekly updates on the world of PR and PR gaffs. Things that I look at and just know that they're not saying the right thing. I just watch them, turn to someone and say 'what they should have said ...'

Hopefully it will be fun and entertaining.