Author Archive
Get Ready for the QR Code
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Perhaps you’ve noticed those square barcode-looking thingies in the corner of magazine ads or on product packaging. They’re also beginning to appear on posters in malls, stickers, real estate “for sale” signs, and t-shirts.
Called QR Codes (for quick response), we’ll be seeing more of them as they catch on, and lots of PR uses are waiting to happen. Here’s how they work: first you need a mobile barcode reader app on your smart phone (I downloaded QuickMark and Microsoft’s Tag Reader for my iPhone). When you come across one, aim the phone’s camera at the little icon and voila, the QR Code does its thing and instantly brings up a website or displays contact information or generates an email or a text message (whatever the generator of the code wants to share). They’re a way to deliver “saveable” info to someone on the go. Microsoft says they “add interactivity to your physical materials.”
Aim your phone at the QR Code in this post and you’ll find yourself at the Sawmill Marketing Public Relations website. It took me about 10 seconds to set it up using Kaywa’s QR Code Generator.
Jesse Kaye, who runs HomeTryst.com in Washington, D.C., told me he’s using QR Codes for his real estate company. He also created an informative how-to video on his blog. It’s a good idea starter and can give insights into how businesses can use this new technology, including ways the restaurant sweetgreen is using them!
We’re already brainstorming ideas with clients. How about you?
Opportunities and Challenges of Social Media
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We were asked by a prospect to describe the opportunities and challenges of social media. Rather than write the latest book about it, we came up with these 10 points. What do you think? Did we miss anything?
Opportunities
Social media allows an organization to tell its story directly to audiences without having to go through the filter of the media;
The real value of social media – customer service – means the public can get answers to questions quickly and efficiently, potentially increasing a brand’s reputation;
Social media enables the sharing of video and photos – in addition to text – to provide a better story to a public that does not have time to read;
With mainstream media consumption decreasing as more people head to social media, establishing a presence enables an organization to reach people where and how they want to receive information;
As mobile devices and applications become even more popular, social media enables organizations to offer information where and when consumers want it.
Challenges
While “free” to set up, the cost of social media is in the manpower of monitoring and responding to questions/comments which can become time-consuming when done properly;
By definition, social media is two-way communication, so organizations not accustomed to listening to and responding to criticism sometimes have a difficult time accepting social media;
Opponents and critics have a ready-made venue for their complaints with social media, so monitoring and responding requires the expertise of someone trained to deal with crisis PR and communications;
Some organizations want a defined return on investment (ROI) for their use of social media, but such a measure is difficult to gauge;
With social media, complete control of the message is not in the hands of the organization as it is with one-way communications such as advertising.
Media Relations Tip #14: Don’t Ask for Guaranteed Coverage
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Here’s a new one, brought to the PR Buzzsaw’s attention via a Twitter exchange this morning:
Gus Sentementes, a reporter with The Sun in Baltimore, received an unusual request from a PR person who wanted a “100 percent guarantee” that Gus would write a story before he would be granted access to the company. No chance to judge its newsworthiness, no opportunity to see if they had anything interesting to say/show, not to mention what Gus’s editor would decide. Promise you’ll write a story first, and then you can sit down with the company reps. Otherwise it’s a waste of time!
Gus was likely as surprised as we were, and sent out a tweet to see what PR people who follow him on Twitter thought.
I tweeted that the PR person was either clueless about the media or did not have the ability to counsel his/her management team about what a bad idea it is, and that it will have negative repercussions for the company/brand down the road.
Gus confirmed in a subsequent post:
“I meet a lot of people and I have a long memory. Just b/c I don’t write about u now doesn’t mean I won’t in the future.”
Later, Gus tweeted how he responded:
“I said making a guarantee would be unethical and unrealistic. I haven’t heard back.”
If any PR people out there have ever requested a coverage guarantee, we’d love to hear your point of view. Has it ever worked? Maybe we can all learn something.
An Insider’s View from Television Hill in Baltimore
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Here at Sawmill we take every opportunity to meet with decision-makers in the news business to learn how we can help them do their jobs. We recently heard from news and assignment desk sources at WJZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore, who told us exactly what they’re looking for and how to reach them. We then took a quick tour of the studio with members of the Baltimore Public Relations Council. Here’s a behind-the-scenes (or should we say in-front-of-the-cameras) view, beginning with the Morning Edition desk, then sweeping left to the main news desk and finally the First Warning Weather center.
Media Training Tip #28: Don’t Speculate
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For years, we’ve used Exxon Valdez media clips in our Media Training Summit and Crisis Communications Summit programs. Now it looks like BP will replace Exxon in the “what not to do” segment, as BP CEO Tony Hayward has provided all kinds of examples. Where do we start?
How about one of the basics of media training: Don’t speculate. In this clip, watch how he confidently assures us that, while it’s impossible to see at the moment, the disaster is likely to be “very, very modest.”
I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest. It is impossible to say and we will mount, as part of the aftermath, a very detailed environmental assessment as we go forward. We’re going to do that with some of the science institutions in the U.S. But everything we can see at the moment suggests that the overall environmental impact of this will be very, very modest. – BP CEO Tony Hayward
Facebook Friday: A Look at Business-to-Business PR
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A common question we hear is how does Facebook apply to business-to-business audiences? We get the appeal for consumers and younger audiences, but B-to-B?
First, take a look at the demographics. The average age on Facebook is 38 (so, yes, that’s an age worth reaching), with around 25 percent ages 45-54 and the 35-44 group at 20 percent, according to stats on the Brian Solis blog. Overall, 61 percent of Facebook’s 400 million active users are 35 or older. They aren’t just high school kids planning this weekend’s party.
A B-to-B social media example that’s getting attention now is TVI Pacific, a publicly traded (Canada) copper mining company taking advantage of Facebook (and other social media tools) to communicate with the investment community. TVI Pacific is using Facebook as its investor relations page and Twitter as a hub to post updates/steer people to other sites (follow @tvipacific). TVI’s YouTube Channel offers company videos and its presentations are on SlideShare. Sounds like their investors have a variety of options to learn about the company and make informed decisions, and it’s working, according to Rhonda Bennetto, executive director of investor communications.
To hear first-hand, listen to this interview with Bennetto on the FIR podcast with hosts Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson.
A Few PR and Social Media Highlights from Asheville
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. — I just returned from the annual PRSA Counselors Academy conference, held this year at the Grove Park Inn (left), where President Obama and the First Lady spent a get-away weekend in April (in the Vanderbilt Wing, I might add, not too far from the “Cyd Charisse Room,” where I had the pleasure of staying).
But enough about me, what about social media, the topic of that kept everyone buzzing and tweeting?
Several esteemed counselors have offered their blog summaries, here and here (and search #CAPRSA on Twitter), so rather than duplicate their commentary, I’ll weigh in with a few thoughts and key quotes that, at least for me, summarized what I heard:
Amber Naslund of Radian6 had a great quote one morning, summarizing the unnecessary obsession with all the new social media tools: “Dudes, it’s only communications.” So why so much obsession with the “tubes,” or tools for communications, she asked. Were we like this when the fax machine was unveiled? Not long ago Yahoo and MySpace were “it,” so stay focused on the principles of PR and communications and not so much on the “tubes.”
Also from Amber, a good definition of social media: “Social media is the new phone, so listening is the new way of answering the phone.” It’s not a new communications channel, as some communicators are hoping for; it’s more of a customer service function.
Brian Solis, just in from Cannes and who was kind enough to sign my copy of his new book, Engage, talked about the inevitability of change that is sweeping the PR industry. Those in PR who live exclusively for the next press release are simply not going to last!
I also liked one of Brian’s quotes: “In brevity, there is clarity, and in clarity there is opportunity…better yet, offer it in 120 characters to leave room for a re-tweet.”
There were more than a few “you-had-to-be-there moments,” but I’ll still mention my favorites: Elise Mitchell’s riveting presentation on her Arkansas agency’s – and her personal – success story; Darryl Salerno’s fourth annual “English as a First Language” presentation/quiz; the presence of College of Charleston PR students with executive in residence Tom Martin (brilliant move to have the students there); and a memorable presentation on adding social media to the agency services mix by Jay Baer of Convince & Convert with client Indra Gardiner, founder and COO of Bailey Gardiner in San Diego. I guarantee Sawmill clients will benefit from what they said.
I missed last year’s conference in California, but attended the previous (2008) one in Naples, just a few months after I had discovered Twitter and recall demonstrating this new-fangled tool for anyone who asked. What a change when, in Asheville, it almost looked like a bloggers conference with laptops open and live-tweeting going on at every presentation! Thanks, PRSA, for another practical and useful conference, and I hope to see you next year in Las Vegas.
Don’t Miss This [Final] Kodak Moment with ‘Celebrity CMO’ and Author Jeffrey Hayzlett
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As a member of the board of directors for the Baltimore-Washington chapter of SMEI (Sales and Marketing Executives International) I’m pleased
to alert PR Buzzsaw readers to an upcoming event that should interest anyone who’s into social media, corporate marketing, business development – or even “The Donald” and “Celebrity Apprentice.”
We’ve arranged for Jeffrey Hayzlett, chief marketing officer for Kodak [update: Eastman Kodak announced Friday he is leaving effective May 28 "to pursue personal projects"] and author of the new book The Mirror Test: Is Your Business Really Breathing? to speak at PSA Financial in Hunt Valley, Md. on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 (cocktail reception and book signing from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., followed by the program). Tickets are $50 for members, $75 for non-members. First 100 get a free copy of the book. To register, visit the SMEI Baltimore-Washington website or call 410-925-6005.
He’s been described as a “CMO on steriods” who parlayed what he learned running his own business into his [soon to be former] position as Kodak’s CMO where he helped revitalize one of the world’s iconic brands. Forbes magazine annointed him the “Celebrity CMO” because of his countless media appearances, including on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. And Advertising Age calls him “a new style of CMO,” especially for his social media skills that made him one of the top 10 C-level executive Twitterers in the world.
Many have “liked” him on Facebook and followed him on Twitter (@jeffreyhayzlett). Now you can meet him in real life (IRL)! at this upcoming SMEI event. Hope to see you there.
[Another update! Melanie Wells, executive editor at Forbes, wrote on her blog Friday that Hayzlett is hashing out the details of a TV show. Read about it here, and consider this one more reason to join us on May 26, just two days before he launches the next phase of his career.]
Facebook Friday: Not All Wall Posts are Happy Posts
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Here’s one more reason your company’s social media program should be guided by an experienced communications professional. For a while, Nestle’s Facebook page was a place where fans could exchange posts about Kit-Kat bars and other products and receive updates from the company. Nice, huh?
But one day in March, the page was targeted by Greenpeace activists to raise the issue of Nestle’s use of palm oil and the resulting deforestation and endangered species loss in South America. Comments poured in from Facebook users – directly onto Nestle’s own Facebook page – harshly criticizing the company for its practices. Nestle’s initial responses were not well-received, causing additional need for damage control in a situation now included on the list of social media crisis PR case studies.
Coverage here by CNET News provides a good overview, but to see for yourself search for “Nestle” on Facebook and scroll down to the entries in March, 2010. To their credit, Nestle has not deleted the posts, and the company has used the page to post responses and updates about their palm oil practices.
The incident is a cautionary lesson for companies who want to delegate Facebook and all this new-fangled social media stuff to the intern or 20-something employee. Social media is two-way, and how a company responds to its fans – as well as its critics – is critical to its reputation and not something you want to leave in the hands of anyone unfamiliar with the basics of PR and crisis communications.
Credit: Nestle logo from Nestle Facebook page
There’s a Group For That
Posted by: | CommentsWith more than 185,000 apps to consider for your iPhone (or Android), we’re well into the stage where word of mouth is key to discovering what to download. One way to trade stories about devices and apps is through a new group in the Baltimore area called BUMPA (Baltimore Users of Mobile Products by Apple/Android). At their inaugural meeting at the Hunt Valley Wegman’s Thursday morning, founder Bruce R. Marshall and attendees demonstrated some of the more interesting apps, presented here courtesy of the PR Buzzsaw:
Bump – This app makes sharing contact info with people quick and easy. If you have the app, just hold your phones and gently bump hands with another person using Bump, and voila, the bumper’s information instantly appears in your contacts. You can share photos and contacts, compare friends, or become Facebook friends in seconds. Wild. [Free]
Fluent News Reader – Fluent aggregates news sources into a single, intelligently organized, fully customizable mobile newspaper. It allows you to create up to three of your own custom sections based on keyword searches. The New York Times and CNET both named Fluent News “App of the Week.” [Free]
Red Laser – This one allows your iPhone to scan a bar code (you could be holding a product at a store) and then it instantly displays alternative places to purchase the same item – online as well as other stores – and the related prices. As they say, it allows you to “shop smarter.” [Free]
Wolfram Alpha – Called the world’s first “computational knowledge engine,” it’s a service that answers factual queries directly by computing the answer from structured data, rather than providing a list of documents or web pages that might contain the answer, the way a search engine would. [$1.99]
Dragon Dictation – An easy-to-use voice recognition application powered by Dragon® NaturallySpeaking® that allows you to speak into your device and instantly have your words appear in the form of a text or email message that you can save or send. [Free]
Weather Bug – Receive live weather conditions, forecast, radar, weather cameras and daily video outlook in this Web 2.0-style application designed for the iPhone. 
[Free]
shoot it! – This app enables you to send a real, photo postcard to anyone in the world directly from your mobile device. Your personalized postcard will be delivered in just days. Just take the pic and click on the app to have it sent! [App is free, as is first post card; then it's 99-cents per postcard]
The BUMPA group plans to meet on a regular basis, so if you want to connect with other iPhone and Android aficionados, make sure you’re on the list by liking BUMPA on Facebook and visiting www.bumpa.org or www.bumpa.net. In the meantime, what’s your can’t-live-without app?
