Marketing Blog: FootPrints

Media relations wisdom from the girl behind HBO’s “Girls”

2012-05-11T19:49:23Z

Whether you’ve watched the first four episodes or not, it’s highly unlikely that you’re unaware of HBO’s latest Sunday night special “Girls,” the semi-Judd Apatow produced show that critics and viewers of both genders have been touting as Gen-Y’s follow-up to “Sex & the City.” (This post isn’t about me telling you how indescribably relevant this program is to my life and how it’s poignancy makes it a must-see for men and women, but if you’re asking my opinion then, absolutely, you should give it a try.)

What’s even more worthwhile examining than the plotline itself is the cultural calamity “Girls’” 30 minute segments have been stirring through all echelons of the media, from The New York Times to YouTube, and how the show’s creator is navigating through it all. Initial reviews raved about Lena Dunham (the 25-year-old bumbling brunette/anti-hero who writes and stars in the show) for her ability to so accurately recreate the essence of a particular cohort and her self-deprecation in personally portraying the not-so-beautiful (but always comical) side of twenty-something life.

By the morning after episode two, the discourse morphed into a criticism of Girls’ lack of cultural diversity. Overnight, the show’s spotlight went from its pithy dialogue to its demographic flaws, from sentiments resembling, “The show’s characters were too ethnically homogenous,” to “How could a show be representative and encompassing of all Millenials’ if that cast excluded integral populations?” It wasn’t exactly an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or a padded CEO résumé, but still a PR crisis in its own right.

I was too excited then, to listen to Lena’s interview with NPR goddess Terry Gross, to see how she would tackle the inevitable interrogation regarding the unplanned criticism. When the topic arose, I was relieved to her Lena’s heartfelt response, which can be boiled down to this final quip, “I did write something that was super-specific to my experience, and I always want to avoid rendering an experience I can’t speak to accurately.”

While I must admit that Terry Gross’ presence alone and the unmatched tranquility of her voice could make anyone reveal their innermost thoughts or most sacred secrets on air, the credit goes to Ms. Dunham for striking the optimal balance between honesty, sensitivity and chutzpah. She didn’t play the victim, protesting the naysayers in defense of her art, nor did she bow down to them, in hopes of squashing the debate.

So what does this mean for us PR folks?

On a client level, it’s a healthy model to follow when we find ourselves in crisis communication mode – the know-how to stay calm under pressure, the understanding that you cannot address every critic individually, and the aptitude to choose your words, and the venue for them, wisely.

And for us, as people who write and create and strategize for a living, we, like Lena, should be willing to defend our work, play it ever so cool in the face of scrutiny and, if possible, make all confessions on Fresh Air.

Eight Reasons Why Lowly Ranked Journalists Should Consider PR

2012-05-09T14:08:48Z

Judging from the response on Twitter and media blogs, journalists are wearing a recent CareerCast survey that ranked newspaper reporter as the fifth-worst job in America like a badge of honor.

Having spent a decade in newsrooms, that doesn’t surprise me. Journalists are a different breed who consider the long hours, stressful deadlines and angry readers part of the price they pay for the sake of the cause. It’s a martyrdom mentality that finds its reward in serving the public interest.

Many journalists feigned insult and gave us lots of reasons – many of them legitimate – why being a reporter is actually the best job ever. Of course, they also quickly pointed out that there are much, much worse jobs out there, including “anything in public relations.” Despite their industry turmoil and uncertain future, reporters always find comfort in the fact that they’re not doing PR. (Public relations executive was ranked No. 70 on the list of the 200 best and worst jobs of 2012, compared to No. 196 for newspaper reporter.)

Well, as someone who came over to the dark side, I’d like to give my noble-minded friends eight reasons why they should consider selling out.

You still get to tell great stories. Sure, you have to abandon objectivity, but that doesn’t mean clients don’t have compelling stories. Discovering and articulating a brand’s story can be every bit as challenging and rewarding as penning that 100-inch masterpiece.
You get to shape the story. It’s like a game of chess trying to anticipate what reporters need and which direction a story will head next. And seeing your pitch turn into a placement is every bit as satisfying as seeing your byline in print.
You get to be an advocate. While you might occasionally have to smile and make the BPs of the world seem like good corporate citizens, quite often you’re helping advance the agendas of reputable companies and organizations with missions you can embrace.
You still get to regularly learn something new. I might not get to dig for mastodon bones like I did when I was a reporter, but public relations does require becoming experts in clients’ industries and products.
You don’t have the emotional baggage. When I left journalism, one of the things I soon realized was how jaded I had become. There were days when I came home emotionally exhausted, perhaps after visiting a mother who just lost her teenage son to a gang war. Like cops, reporters often make light of tragedy as a coping mechanism. The unfortunate result can be a loss of compassion.
You get to be optimistic. This one goes hand in hand with No. 5. Instead of being an eternal pessimist, PR pros get to focus on the positive. Journalists will call that spin, but it’s an overall healthier worldview.
You still have constant deadlines. Let’s face it: Journalists thrive on them. Don’t worry; we still have those. We just don’t have a hole to fill in tomorrow’s paper.
You understand what makes a great story. Developing solid news judgment only comes from experience. So you can help us prevent those awful PR pitches that result in newsroom laughter once you hang up the phone.

There are certainly things I miss about being a newspaper reporter, such as election night and the thrill of chasing breaking news. And I certainly wouldn’t rank it alongside oil rig worker as among the worst gigs out there. But I do have to say that it is nice to move up the list.

Dave Parro is the Director of Communications at Aurora University, where he oversees public relations and editorial strategy. A former reporter and editor with Sun-Times Media, he holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Aurora University. You may follow Dave on Twitter @daveparro.

Mother’s Day Purchasing Trends 2012

2012-04-30T14:56:19Z

Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so of course I’ve been scouring the internet for the latest and greatest gifts to get Mom. During my research I found some great purchasing stats from Internet Retailer.

According to a survey by PriceGrabber, a unit of Experian, 43 percent of respondents stated that they’ll stick to the old standard gift of flowers. The most interesting finding though was the number of respondents who said they’d buy gadgets for their moms: 13 percent said they plan on purchasing some form of technology. Of those, more than half said they’d buy tablets, 21 percent said they’d buy smartphones, 15 percent said computers and another 15 percent said they’d buy e-readers- multiple answers could be selected. Our mothers are growing up so fast! Who would have thought? Just last Christmas, my mom didn’t even know what an app was.

In a trend similar to last year’s winter holiday purchasing shift, many consumers will make their Mother’s Day purchases online. In a survey conducted by National Retail Federation in April, a little more than a quarter of respondents stated that they’ll be making online purchases – up 4 percent from last year.

Side Note: Since I started this research, I’ve seen nothing but flower ads and mom-ish things popping up all over my browser. Google is messing with my subconscious… Maybe I should get my mom flowers for Mother’s Day?!

In other Mother’s Day news, NRF is expecting U.S. consumers to spend approximately $18.6 billion this year. The majority of individuals will spend under $100 (62 percent), another 20 percent will spend $100-$249 and only 8 percent will spend more than $250. Sorry Mom, but 10 percent don’t plan on spending anything.

Although, my mom says that some of the best gifts she ever received were made by my own two hands. She might be biased.

Burger King’s Cage-Free Promise: Good Business Practice Makes Life Easier (And Tasty)

2012-04-26T19:34:46Z

Did you know that breakfast, lunch and dinner at Burger King just became more animal-friendly? In one of the more bold sales moves I’ve seen in a while, Burger King joined with the Humane Society on Wednesday in announcing an aggressive yet kind-hearted move to sell only pork and eggs from cage-free sources by 2017. Burger King’s decision certainly tops those of its rivals, some of which have announced similar but less aggressive plans.

I believe this genius move is justified by a sales decline in today’s turbulent economy, pressure from competitors and Burger King’s plans to relist its shares on the New York Stock Exchange within the next few months. No matter the motive, Burger King’s cage-free promise benefits all involved.

As a PR professional, my job consists of strategic efforts to create and sustain an understanding between an organization and the public. Sometimes an organization makes a mistake or catastrophic goof, and the PR team has to pick up the pieces. Sometimes the organization prevails. Sometimes it doesn’t. However, my job is made so much easier when the organization I represent has sound, ethical business practices.

When Burger King signed off on its new pork-and-poultry effort, it made the PR team’s job that much easier to pitch to the pubic a win-win situation that ultimately will increase profits while concurrently building a positive reputation for the fast-food chain and improving the lives of animals.

Based on Burger King’s announcement that both its pork and eggs will come from cage-free animals, I am asking that business leaders and decision makers do us all a favor and not only partake in good business practices, but go the extra mile when doing so. Just take a look the benefits that follow when headlines bear good news versus bad: businesses increase profits, shareholders smile as stocks rise and company morale becomes that much more collegial. Good business practice not only makes your pockets deeper, but also increases happiness in the lives of all involved.

Building Social to Mean More: Using personality as a branding tool

2012-04-24T17:32:47Z

As I (finally) finish up my last semester of college, I have been closely studying the association between social media use and its relationship to the, “Big Five” personality traits, as categorized by Coasta and McCrae (1992). The (too massive) pile of research I’ve read, in coordination with my findings on the relationship between individuals’ personality traits and their sharing on social networks, has led me to consider the benefits of using personality research and social media in another aspect. There is a huge opportunity to use social media to relate to an organization’s target audience.

All too often organizations want to be “social” or use media as a branding tool to showcase their capabilities without getting to know their audience. Although some brands try to discern the kind of content that would best relate to an audience, they still often fail to understand the ways in which consumers would prefer to interact; they post too often, not enough, or don’t choose a particular type of person to whom they tailor their content. Brands are still missing out on a chance to take initiative in showcasing interactions that relate more to the audience and directly to the actions and behaviors of those individuals on social networks.

While Coasta and McCrae’s personality traits are directly coded across five categories; openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism, there is an enormous opportunity to build upon this template with more in-depth research to help discover traits of specific niche audiences.

By paying closer attention to the ways individuals in a particular audience communicate with one another, as well as how often and what types of information these individuals are posting, organizations should not only use social media as a tool to teach about brands, but also to learn about the business or consumer they’re trying to reach. I look forward to psychology being used more in-depth to create a real “social” atmosphere in which social media truly becomes a two-way street.

When I first decided to major in both psychology and advertising/public relations I was warned that I might not find a place for both skills. I am happy to say that I believe that has changed and will continue to change as the trend of audience behavior dominating all platforms of marketing moves its way into digital- a tangible element that can be efficiently utilized for observational studies. I’m betting we can learn a lot from what is right in front of us.