Author Archive
How Do You Define Public Relations?
Posted by: | CommentsPublic relations has always been difficult to describe, with all kinds of stereotypes and definitions adding to the confusion. Youan help shape a new definition by participating in an international crowd-sourcing project led by the Public Relations Society of America.
First, here is PRSA’s official definition that’s been in place since 1982: “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.”
And for context, here are the accepted definitions of two related disciplines: “Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development,” and “Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services.”
Since last fall the team behind the “Public Relations Defined” initiative solicited ideas and came up with three finalist definitions:
1. Public relations is the management function of researching, engaging, communicating, and collaborating with stakeholders in an ethical manner to build mutually beneficial relationships and achieve results.
2. Public relations is a strategic communication process that develops and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their key publics.
3. Public relations is the engagement between organizations and individuals to achieve mutual understanding and realize strategic goals.
Visit the PRSA website set up for this project to be part of the process. After the comment period ends this Monday an international group will convene to modify the three final descriptions that will be put to a final vote.
And some still think PR is all about party planning and publicity?
Remembering an Extreme PR Experience
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Today’s announcement that ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will soon come to an end brought to mind Sawmill’s experience working with the Hollywood producers during a 2007 build in Port Deposit, Md.
It was one of those extreme PR assignments that come along every so often, requiring constant caffeine injections as we managed all aspects of media relations while a team of more than 1,500 volunteers built a 4,300-square-foot home and a therapeutic riding facility in less than a week. Actually 106 hours, to be exact, and we wouldn’t trade those 20-hour days for anything.
Sawmill was brought on board to craft messages, help with product placement, provide media coaching and provide round-the-clock management of the onslaught of media coverage that was sure to arrive with Ty Pennington (seen above with the Luther family on “Move That Bus” day) and the rest of the cast of the Emmy Award-winning reality television show, including the always-in-pink Designer/Carpenter Paige Hemmis (below, chilling with Jeff just after the door-knock).
During the course of the build week, results included more than 55 television stories, dozens of newspaper articles, regular live radio interviews coverage in the trade press and one surprised family!
Media Relations Tip #18: Your Op-Ed Needs to ‘Grab’ the Editor
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“The purpose of an op-ed is to make one point — a good point — and make it well.”
That’s a piece of advice from Barry Rascovar, the long-time Baltimore Sun political columnist and deputy editorial page editor, who joined Michael Cross-Barnet, The Sun‘s deputy opinion editor, at the recent PRSA Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference to share insider tips on getting an op-ed considered and published.
Here are just a few insights:
The Sun publishes 12 op-eds a week. They receive more than 100 each week that are “worthy of consideration.” At The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, the competition is considerably higher.
Good writing is as important as an interesting topic. Use clear prose and concise, simple language. The academic community tends to have trouble with this, Cross-Barnet said. Rascovar suggests that writers dig out their copies of Strunk & White’s “Elements of Style” for a refresher on making every word count.
Your submission needs to “grab the editor” with a piece that solves a local problem. Be creative, imaginative, concise and cogent.
Is it “different enough, unusual enough?” Or is it another bland piece that will get tossed into the rejection heap?
‘Arrested’ and Other Real World Lessons from Social Media
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In recent months I’ve participated on several panels with the media where we discussed using social media tools in crisis communications situations.
Last week I was on a panel, “Crisis Communication in a Social Media World,” with CNN political commentator Maria Cardona and The Washington Post‘s James Buck. Cardona, also a principal with the Dewey Square Group, provided insights into political scandals and the need to be prepared to move quickly with social media as a key part of your crisis PR plan. Since former Congressman Anthony Weiner is “old news” in the Twitter world, we focused on the Herman Cain controversy and the impact of social media.
Buck talked about how the Post uses social media in its reporting, including live-tweeting meetings and events and verifying sources via Twitter by looking at Klout scores and level of engagement among other factors. Buck has first-hand experience with the power of social media. While covering protests in Egypt in 2008 he was detained by Egyptian authorities and placed in a vehicle that was to take him to a prison. In the back seat, he tweeted one word - “arrested” – which triggered a response that eventually led to his release. Twitter’s founders use this as an example of how one word tweeted to a handful of followers can have a big impact.
Still think social media is for following Justin Bieber or Snooki? It’s so much more, and you need to have a plan and tools in place – before the crisis hits.
Sawmill Partner on Social Media Panel with CNN Commentator and Washington Post Editor
Posted by: | CommentsI’m looking forward to being part of a panel on crisis communications and social media Nov.3 that will bring attendees the latest thinking on how news organizations are using tools such as Twitter and Facebook during crisis situations. Find out more about the session, “Crisis Communication in a Social Media World,” and register for PRSA’s Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference here. My co-presenters are:
Maria Cardona is a Democratic strategist who recently joined CNN as a political commentator for the 2012 election and contributor to CNN en Español. During the 2008 Democratic primary election, Cardona was senior adviser and spokesperson to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and served on the campaign’s Hispanic outreach team. During the 2008 general election, she was a key surrogate for the Obama for America campaign, and during the Clinton administration, Cardona served as a spokesperson at the U.S. Departments of Justice and Commerce.
James Buck is the Washington Post‘s local innovations editor. He came to the Post in 2010, after working at FRONTLINE/World, The Oakland
Tribune, The Center for Investigative Reporting and University of California-Berkeley. While a graduate student at Berkeley in 2008, James traveled to Egypt to cover an anti-government protest and was arrested. He used Twitter on his cell phone to alert his friends, who immediately began campaigning for his release. The founders of Twitter frequently use James’ experience in explaining the power of the site as a communication tool.
Register today and join us! The Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference has an impressive lineup of sessions this year, making it a must-attend event for the region’s public relations pros.
Facebook Friday: Can’t We Just Be Subscribers?
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The “subscribe” button is a new feature introduced this week by Facebook. Intended for those in the public eye who want to continue posting updates intended for their friends, the button allows them to share certain “public” content to a broader audience, soon to be known as subscribers.
It’s ideal for journalists, actors and other public figures who aren’t in a position to accept every friend request, but who still want to connect on Facebook. If you’re a member of the media, the “Facebook + Journalists” page has all the details, including a “Subscribe for Journalists Guide” PDF they posted today.
Check Your Crisis Communications Plan’s Expiration Date
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Does your company’s crisis communications plan look like this?
If you went through an expensive planning process that ended up with a bulky three-ring binder that’s now stuck on a shelf, it might have been a huge waste of money if it hasn’t been updated. If the words “Twitter” and “Facebook” aren’t even mentioned, it’s time for a re-fresh.
Today’s crisis communications plans focus less on setting up a media headquarters, holding press briefings and assigning phone tree responsibilities. Instead, your plan needs to incorporate social media so you can monitor and respond quickly – and while mobile – even before you get the first text, Tweet, email or even phone call from the media.
Is Your Website Press Room Missing Something?
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Does your website press room offer the information the media expects to find there, including an image library, useful contact info for your spokesperson and easily-printable fact sheets and background material? If not, you’re making a journalist’s job more difficult and that could reflect poorly on your brand.
Here’s a link to an informative blog post based on research on “what journalists really want from an online newsroom,” by David Bowen of Bowen Craggs & Co. and posted on the MyNewsdesk customer blog. [Thanks to Keith Childs for sharing it on the FIR FriendFeed room.]
Picnic in the Park!
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We’re involved in the community in many ways here at Sawmill and one of our favorite organizations is the Parks & People Foundation. I’ve been a member of the board of directors for many years and on Sept. 24 we’re holding a picnic fund-raiser. Join us if you can!
Picnic in the Park
A Benefit for the Parks & People Foundation
Please join the friends and fans of the Parks & People Foundation for an elegant picnic in one of Baltimore’s most beautiful parks. Enjoy the gardens of the historic Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory, feast on the bounty of the harvest from local farmers and fill your glass with offerings from premier breweries and wineries.
Saturday, September 24, 6-9 p.m. at the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanical Gardens 3100 Swann Dr. in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore, Maryland. Tickets are $75 person. Visit the Parks & People website to reserve your spot!
The Parks & People Foundation is dedicated to supporting a wide range of recreational and educational opportunities; creating and sustaining beautiful and lively parks; and promoting a healthy natural environment for Baltimore.
Use Earthquake Lessons to Shake Up Your Crisis PR Plan
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Here’s a crisis communications lesson from yesterday’s East Coast earthquake – if your crisis PR plan relies on using a telephone or cell phone, you had better insert an alternative method for reaching out to people.
As Gus Sentementes reported in today’s edition of The Baltimore Sun, “As Marylanders reached for their cell phones to communicate with their friends and family, they found it easier to get peace of mind through text messages, emails and Facebook updates than through calls.”
That’s because just about everyone has a cell phone in their pocket – and the first thing they do in an emergency is call family and friends, so the phone system cannot handle such a high volume of calls. To actually work, your crisis communications plan needs to rely on other means to get the word out – tweets, texts and Facebook updates.
As we counsel clients, now is the time to set up those social networking accounts and the related policy and protocol – not during an emergency! [Gus's photo sent via Twitter, left, shows an evacuated Sun staff yesterday after the earthquake shook up the building.]
