November 2007

Dear PR Student –

I recently read an article by Paul Holmes titled A Manifesto for the 21st Century Public Relations Firm where he very succinctly recapped the Internet revolution and the role of PR, advertising, etc.

His basic premise was that one discipline can never claim ownership of the online medium, but that public relations has failed so far to even make a case for its rightful leadership in developing strategies to help clients make the most of the medium.

The reason he called it “rightful leadership” was because the Internet is really and truly a public relations medium – all about information and education and it gave everyone the opportunity to earn attention. And if something smelled funny, you can call B.S and share your POV on the subject. And now, with the second generation of the Web (buzz word: Web 2.0) being all about community and sharing, I think we all in the industry are fiddling and tweaking and brainstorming and recommending and uncovering (little by little) authentic communication strategies.

With that said, Mr. Holmes’ theory that PR needs to take its rightful throne is truly inspiring, and should be for all of us in the industry, and to those PR students sitting in their PR classes.

How are we going do it? And how will the next generation help us?

I leave you with this thought.

I can’t wait for the day a 21-year old intern comes in for an interview without a single iota of “PR experience” on their resume. Instead, their sales pitch is, “Well, I do have 10 + years of firsthand experience developing UGC content and sharing it with friends, plus bookmarking stuff I like on my del.ic.ious page. I also like to share video and photos with all my friends from my mobile phone. Did I mention I have a personal blog where I review gadgets just for fun? I think it gets about one million views a week.”

You see, PR is not like sports, where a rookie stud can come in and hit 50 homeruns and become a leader right away. In PR, unfortunately maybe, there is a “climb the ranks” approach. But with social media becoming so important, I can almost see the day where the hotshot graduate shoots right up to the clean-up spot in the lineup because they can flat out rake (that’s baseball lingo for hit the ball well).

In fact, I think we are there now…

Navigating the uneven ground of social networking continues to uncover ethical dilemmas traditional media is unconcerned with.  While marketing to children has long been considered a touchy subject, there exists a fine line between capitalizing on one of the largest influencers and convincing children they are inferior unless they purchase the endless stream of gadgets and gizmos.  Social networking sites aimed at youngsters bring these issues to the forefront.

Traditional media and advertising have the distinct advantage to claim persuasive commercial messaging is geared toward adults and therefore, ethical.  Social networking sites specifically for children are another story.  As seen in this CNET article, virtual worlds are inherently commercial.  Kids are encouraged to buy virtual goods to make their avatars “happy.”  This early form of consumerism paired with the traditional Web based advertising targeting children could spell long term consequences.

As new opportunities present themselves, marketers and consultants must carry a sense of accountability to ensure an ethical use of messaging.  Explosively popular mediums like virtual worlds give marketers the opportunity to be judicious in how they leverage them.  Just as the Joe Camel debate brought advertising to children to the public’s eye, will virtual worlds spark similar interest?

Laughter frequently spills into the hallways of CarryOn. Sometimes it’s the natural response to a shared joke between colleagues at lunch or the result of a funny staff photo that emerges on the company intranet. Whatever may be its cause, laughter is more than just comic relief in the demanding world of public relations, it is the serum fueling creativity!

 Upon a recent visit to our Los Angeles office, a client noted CarryOn’s strong camaraderie. To his surprise, not only did we produce excellent results working together, we actually seemed to genuinely enjoy each others company. Truth be told, this shouldn’t come as a surprise! Although agency life is notorious for its stress-inducing environment of deadlines and crises, there exist anomalies that manage to escape the cattiness and hostility rampant among certain agencies. 

So the next time you’re shopping for the right agency to represent your business, make sure you get a feel for the agency’s internal culture. Happy employees who get along and have fun with one another will be better at managing job stress and in turn support one another to be more productive. Don’t take my word for it? Here’s an excerpt from a recent NYT’s article on the value of work friendships: “Because work friendships lower job stress and risk for major depression, employees who get along and support each other are likely to be more productive.” When you catch us laughing, know that you’ve stumbled upon one secret to our success. 

We’ll beat any price or your mattress is freeeeee!  Or so says the man with the high-pitched voice in the bad commercials that pepper Southern California TV and radio.  Suddenly the idea of free is not such a bad thing and it’s catching on across media.

In a move that would surely make steam spout out of Scrooge McDuck’s ears, Rupert Murdoch announced that his newly-acquired baby and venerable symbol of corporate penny watching, The Wall Street Journal, would “make access to The Wall Street Journal’s Web site free, dropping subscription fees in exchange for anticipated ad revenue.”  This comes on the heels of the New York Times making a similar announcement and the announcement by Paste Magazine that it would allow new subscribers to pay as much as they wanted for their subscription.  And of course THIS happened.  And THIS.  And THAT.  And just to be safe, this will probably be free one day too.

So, as always, we must ask ourselves what does all this free media mean for P.R.?  Well, these announcements by WSJ, NYT and Paste should serve as the last of many wake-up calls that ring the death knell for the printed word.  Conde Nast’s Portfolio suggests that WSJ’s print circulation could drop by as much as 50% now that all content will be available online. 

P.R. professionals must now re-evaluate what qualifies as homerun coverage.  Sure the front page of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal is a great hit.  But it’s a hit that only a printer could love. Do these hits really grab as many viewers as an online hit would have?  Increasingly, the answer has to be no.  Especially once one factors in viral traction through email, book marking services, and outside links from websites or blogs like this one.  So, just to be on the safe side, be sure to include those Web editors on your media lists.

Why would anyone pay for something that they could get for free online (especially now that the guilt/shadiness of illegal downloading or re-using member passwords has been lifted)?  Thankfully, consumers of digital media can finally breathe knowing that there’s a good chance many of the things they love will one day be freeeeee! 

Every band, TV show, disease and industry has a message board.  Most likely there is a message board about message boards.  They are typically basic in design, but are a key component to driving buzz about a brand and communicating to the masses.  That’s because they rely on the power of word of mouth and message board readers essentially follow the rule that people are inherently good (whether or not this is actually true).  Most people assume that when tigerpeanut809 responds to Cowbell1999 about a product she believes to be the best or worst for his concern she has tried it and really believes in what she is writing.  We all know consumers are more likely to respond positively to a word of mouth recommendation than an ad; and if your client really is top notch, message boards are a great place to generate buzz. However, as a PR practitioner there are few things to be aware of:

• Be ethical – don’t post on message boards posing as Joe Shmoe from Kentucky.  You’ll get caught by the board moderators and have your name and your client’s name smeared.  Not all press is good press.
• It’s not free advertising– be honest and know that message boards are not the place to pitch or advertise a product.  It’s a place to be open and honest about why a product or brand is amazing written by someone who has first hand experience with it.
• Use it your advantage– consumers are smart and many early adopters pop up on message boards.  Use them to see which trends are emerging and what people are talking about.
• You can’t hide – remember that the entire world can see what you post and any posting can be traced back to you and your clients.  Be responsible and represent yourself in the best light possible.
• Handle the criticism – there is bound to be someone who will write a negative post and you can only hope that these are few and far between.  Be prepared to do damage control.  Take advantage of negative hits by offering counsel to your clients based on consumer feedback.  They’ll appreciate your grassroots research.

 Links:

Board Tracker– http://boardtracker.com

Board Reader – http://boardreader.com

Once a company chooses the appropriate channel to reach their desired audience, the challenge lies in creating a compelling and effective campaign.  After observing current flyers, groups, polls, events and applications it becomes clear that certain tactics work and some simply don’t.  The following is a list of effective marketing strategies on Facebook:

1. Offer something for free - It doesn’t matter what it is, Facebook users love free gifts.  This could be anything from a free download, to a free “Facebook gift” to a discount coupon.  A shining example is the Apple group which offers periodic downloads of pre-selected music or TV samples.
2. Support a charity or social cause - Facebook users want to make a difference, and if they can do it quickly and easily through Facebook they will.  Some examples are the “Causes” application that helps charities raise money, the badges or ribbons that people can post on their pages to show support for a cause and the groups that raise awareness about a cause and sometimes even donate money per number of group members.
3. Allow for a new ways to interact with friends - Facebook users want to build relationships with their friends.  Some of the post popular applications are the “Super Poke” and the “X me” applications which allow users to send messages to their friends that says they’ve been punched, drop-kicked, hugged, stepped on and a range of other actions.  Facebook users like the “Free Gift” application where users send graphics of presents they’d like to give, the “Happy Hour” application where users can send a virtual drink or the “Vampires” application where people can bite their friends and turn them into virtual vampires.
4. Provide entertainment value - Applications that allow users to play games, listen to music, share photos or watch videos are always popular.
5. Be edgy, current and funny - Facebook users want to be associated with what is hip, fun, funny and cool. 
6. Allow for self-promotion and narcissism - Facebook users love to share information about themselves, their personalities and their lifestyles.  Most Facebook users view their profiles as a direct reflection of themselves.  Users will install/join applications and groups that fit their own personal brand or garner compliments or ego boosts.  Some examples are the “Compare me application,” “The Honesty Box,” “Horoscopes” and the “Are you interested? Application”
7. Balance eye-catching yet simple - There are two schools of thought among Facebook users: those who want flashy pages that stand out, and those who cling to the nostalgic uniformity of Facebook before applications.  An effective application will be colorful and valuable yet not too distracting or take up too much space.  The choice to create a flashy application or a simple application might also depend on the target demographic.  Older Facebook users gravitate toward the simplicity and professionalism of “old-skool” Facebook, while younger users are drawn to the busy, flashy “MySpace-like” applications.

While the persona of a Facebook user is evolving, it’s important to remember what Facebook users were drawn to in the first place.  Facebook created a feeling of privacy and focus on friends.  Users could customize their privacy settings and show information to only their close friends.  Facebook was simple, uniform and uncluttered.  It was also exclusive and separated users by network.  While Facebook has expanded and lost some of its original draw, many of the most loyal Facebookers still appreciate these qualities about the site and look for those attributes when choosing groups, applications, and activities on Facebook.