More Journalists Ban PR Pros: How to Avoid the Blacklist

Okay, I know what I'm about to say is blasphemy in our world, but I agree with the recent reports of journalists blacklisting PR professionals. (Go ahead, grab your pitchforks and light your torches.) I agree because I've had enough reporter-pals share these SPAM-pitches with me to know how frustrating it is. Pitches with all caps shouting ad messages; misspelled names; identical emails sent to 5 people at the same publication; a technology story sent to someone on a real estate beat...it goes on and on.

For those who might be unaware of the uproar, there has been a flurry of reporters to officially blacklist individual PR pros and, in some cases, entire agencies because of this kind of activity. The most recent complaints have come from Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker, who published a PR blacklist of domain names from firms that had sent her SPAM-like pitches. Blogger Matt Haughey also joined the fray, complaining about an endless stream of PR SPAM and Wired magazine's editor-in-chief, Chris Anderson, shared similar frustrations last year. Todd Defren of PR Squared, one of the blacklisted firms, published an open letter of apology to Gina and other offended journalists hoping to get back in their good graces.

So, here's my inevitable two cents on the subject. Media pitching has always been a delicate art, made even more so by the explosive number of targets and tactics available to us. It's so easy to forget that for every one reporter, there are thousands of us vying for their attention. Seriously, think about how often you pitch reporters, now multiply each one of those emails and phone calls by oh, I dunno, 50,000 and maybe you get an idea of the numbers we're talking about.

So, here's my advice to avoid the SPAM-pitch.

Think like a writer. So often we forget that reporters & bloggers are writers. And, what does every writer need? Characters. Conflict. Resolution. Emotion. Every story has these. How did the company leaders meet? What problem does the product solve? What challenges were overcome to get where they are now? There is a story in there, I promise. Find it and pitch that instead of the company or product.

Think like a reader. So, you've got your characters and story-line. Now ask yourself, is this something I would read? Would this capture my interest? If not, go back to the beginning and find out why; what's missing? Where is the heart? What was the ah-ha moment that started it all?

Tailor to your target. Know what your target media writes about and tailor your story to them. Blasting out a bunch of press releases or the same pitch to hundreds of reporters will never get you a real story. Maybe, at best, you'll get a couple of minor hits. But, if you want a real narrative, you need to make it personal.

Be Brief! This is especially important when considering the volume of pitches media get. The goal of a pitch is to get a reporter's attention not to provide an epic thesis on every possible angle or idea relating to the product. You want to simply demonstrate the potential for good ink. Journalists & bloggers know their craft and they can read between the lines of your pitch to see the bigger picture.

It's not always about you and your needs. Our job is to make reporters' jobs easier and sometimes that excludes our clients. When I hear about a story that I know Joe Journalist will love, I tell him about it. It doesn't matter that it has no relation to any clients on my roster. I am building a relationship with Joe that will pay off in the long run. These guys get enough self-serving emails/calls every day. Toss them something that serves only them and they will remember you for it.

So, let's redeem ourselves here folks. Get creative. Get writing. And remember sell the story, not the product.

-- my two cents

PR Legend Warren Cowan Dead at 87

Sad news today, folks. Warren Cowan, gentleman publicist who launched and some say "made" the careers of Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Danny Kaye, Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine, Roberto Benigni and Elton John, died late last night of heart failure and cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Known for his unwavering respect of journalists, Cowan held the moniker of the "father of Hollywood press agents." His PR company, Rogers & Cowan became the biggest publicity firm in the world. It was sold to the British conglomerate Shandwick in 1988 and Cowan set up his new company Warren Cowan & Associates six years later.

Cowan was one of my PR heroes. Whenever he was asked, "who is your favorite client?" He'd answer, "the next one." He truly loved story-telling and image-making.

Cowan is survived by Barbara Gilbert-Cowan, the mother of actresses Melissa Gilbert, Sara Gilbert and actor Jonathan Gilbert; two daughters from previous marriages, Fox News Channel reporter Claudia Cowan (his daughter with actress Barbara Rush) and Bonnie Fleming; and four grandchildren.

You will be forever remembered, Mr. Cowan.

Big Oil's PR Campaign to Win Us Over

The Washington Post just ran a story that is straight out of a Christopher Buckley novel.

"Big Oil" has launched an aggressive new PR campaign aimed at reminding consumers the oil companies are on our side. According to the article, the American Petroleum Institute, which is the industry's main lobby, “has embarked on a multi-year, multi-media, multi-million-dollar campaign, which includes advertising in the nation’s largest newspapers, news conferences in many state capitals and trips for bloggers out to drilling platforms at sea.”

The current talking points emphasize the idea that rising energy prices are not the producers' fault and that government efforts to punish the industry, especially with higher taxes, would only make pricing problems worse. "We decided that if we didn't do something to help people understand the basics of our industry, we'd be on the losing end as far as the eye could see," said Nick Naylor, er, I mean, Red Cavaney, the American Petroleum Institute's spokesman.

The campaign is well-timed with Democratic congressional leaders proposing an energy plan this week that would eliminate billions of dollars of tax breaks for oil companies and impose a tax on windfall profits.

What's intriguing about this campaign is how the oil lobby is connecting with local media who, let's face it, don't get courted very much anymore. According to the article, state capitals are the backdrop for photo opps and local television stations are being granted one-on-one access normally reserved for nationals. The result: prominently placed, upbeat 30-second local news segments after each visit.

Likewise, a lot of the oil lobby's outreach has been online. The institute said it invited bloggers to Shell's facilities in New Orleans and then took them to visit the offshore platform Brutus. The same month, the institute also brought bloggers to Chevron's offices in Houston and its Blind Faith platform under construction in Corpus Christi, Tex. (These names really are Buckley-esque: Blind Faith?! Wow.) There are more tours in the works.

It will be interesting to see how the bloggers -- typically known for being impervious to spin -- report on the Institute's findings. So far, Cavaney has said his group's efforts have produced "a very different conversation" about energy, but that the job is not nearly finished.

-- my two cents

P.S. If you read my blog and you don't know Buckley, you are doing yourself a great disservice. Scroll down to the Favorite Novels section on the left and check him out. He and Max Barry are two authors you should know!

Microsoft Vies for Hipper Image with PR Stunt

Consumers tend to associate “creative” with Mac and “corporate” with Microsoft, a brand position which Apple has brilliantly and consistently fostered since the infamous 1984 commercial. Now, with a new social media PR campaign, Microsoft aims to change that perception.

Here’s the break down:

It’s an online movie-making contest called Ultimate Video Relay aiming to improve Windows Vista’s reputation, particularly for the higher-end version of Vista Ultimate.

Director, Kyle Newman began the story with a six minute clip called "The Cube" that some are calling a cross between The Matrix and The Office.

The clip has an abrupt and incomplete ending. Contestants are supposed to finish the story by creating a second and third act using Vista Ultimate and site visitors will judge the best submissions.

To execute the campaign, Microsoft partnered with TriggerStreet, the online production company owned by Kevin Spacey. TriggerStreet and Microsoft were brought together by Omelet, a Los Angeles advertising company that focuses on entertainment-based campaigns.

Of course, it’s always risky to invite consumers to create content around your brand. Remember Chevy’s 2006 call for consumers to create a new online spot for the Tahoe? Most of the ads people created highlighted the Tahoe's fuel in-efficiency and subsequent damage to the environment.

Clearly Microsoft is hoping by starting the story, consumers will pick up where they left off. I assume they are also counting on the association with Spacey to lend credibility and spark interest from genuine aspiring screenwriters and filmmakers who want their talents noticed. Of course, talents can get noticed in a well-done negative piece too.

“One of the things that makes me feel O.K. about this,” said Barry Goffe, director for Windows client product management at Microsoft, “is that we’re not asking people to write a script that says ‘Windows Vista Ultimate is great’ or romances technology.” Rather, he added, the idea is to create content that in its tone would mirror the lighthearted approach of Act I of "The Cube."

Given the number of complaints and reports about Vista glitches, it’s definitely a risky move. But, at least Microsoft is transparent in their goals and it is a clever way to tell consumers that Windows has movie-making apps too -- something I certainly don't associate with the brand. So, we'll see how it shakes out. I will keep you posted, and if you hear of anything new, please let me know!

-- my two cents

Wanna Reach Women? Blog it!

A new social media benchmark study by BlogHer and Compass Partners shows that 36.2 million women actively participate in the blogsophere every week, with 15.1 million publishing and 21.1 million reading and commenting.

68% of this community is concentrated in the 25 to 41 age group (the GenXr's), compared to 42% for the general blogging population. Together, the “Millienials” and the “Matures” account for only about 10% of this community.

Two thirds of the female blogosphere have completed college, and 46% earn over $75,000 compared to only 25% of the general community.

Additional highlights from the study:

Women are so passionate about blogging, says the report, that large percentages said they would give something up to keep the blogs they read and/or write:

55% would give up alcohol
50% would give up their PDAs
42% would give up their i-Pod
43% would give up reading the newspaper or magazines
only 20% would give up chocolate (ummm, yeah, gotta agree with that one!)

Time shift from traditional media is accelerating in the general Internet population:

24% of women surveyed watch less television because of blogging
25% read fewer magazines because they are blogging
22% read fewer newspapers because they're blogging

In addition, more than half of women surveyed consider blogs a reliable source of advice and information and half of women surveyed say blogs influence their purchase decisions.

So, if you want to reach women today, blog about it ... and maybe send us some chocolate too!

-- my two cents

Pontiac’s Interactive Scavenger Hunt Falls Flat

It’s a mad mad mad mad mad world for GM Canada as they’ve concluded a three-city interactive campaign for the new Pontiac Vibe called “Catch the Vibe.” But, in my view, this campaign was hardly worth the cost and effort. Here’s the breakdown:

A cross-country scavenger hunt fueled by Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr; plus e-mails, online ads, video clips, blogs, wikis, and text messages.

The campaign consisted of two-person teams, each driving a Vibe.

So far, it’s not unlike past campaigns: Budget’s 2005 16-city treasure hunt or Volvo’s 2007 buried car treasure hunt (a Pirates of the Caribbean tie-in), for example.

What’s so unusual is that each team is made up of journalists, 96 in total, covering their efforts as they raced around town to complete bizarre tasks and search for objects. They were given a Pearl 8130 to help search for clues and complete challenges like taking a picture in front of a church with red doors, or a shot of a participant hugging a cop. Points were given to teams who recruited people to cheer for them on the site.

The Vibe's online campaign site attracted around 4,000 unique visitors and in excess of 2,000 registered online team supporters since the event began on March 24.

Hardly a success, in my book. The math alone speaks volumes: 96 participating journalists and 2,000 registered supporters. Sounds like friends and family to me. Consider that Volvo’s campaign had more than 32,000 participants and over a million site visitors. Budget saw nearly 50,000 participants. And, both of those campaigns were directly linked to increased sales/rentals and dealership traffic.

The thing is most of these reporters automatically test-drive new vehicles. So, GM didn’t really gain anything by limiting the campaign to media. In fact, they may have hurt their launch because instead of writing about the car and its features, participating journalists wrote about the goofy things they were made to do; and – in some cases – reported on how much they love the Pearl (see paragraph 3 under Mathieu Lapointe). Sure, they had fun on GM’s dime, but writing about collecting coins and finding three vibrating objects doesn’t really boost Pontiac’s bottom line. And, nothing better exemplifies this aspect of the blunder than a quote from Chris Chase of Candian Driver, "Unfortunately, I didn't get to drive the Vibe at all (not even around the block), so I haven't a clue how it handles or feels. But, I had a good amount of time in the passenger seat -- which is fairly comfortable."

Some of the journalists invited to participate don’t cover cars at all. I can understand the notion that getting someone like Ellen Mizra, a freelance beauty writer, to post about her scavenger hunt adventures might introduce the car to her readers. But really…if I’m reading about beauty products, I’m not so sure a report about Ellen’s difficulty blow-drying her hair in public will sell many vehicles.

I don’t get why consumers weren’t brought into this campaign. The ultimate goal is to sell cars. You do that by getting the buyer in the vehicle. In fact, at about 1:37 in this clip, a representative from this campaign specifically says, "the target market is the 25-35 year old who lives in social media." Okay, so why not include that target in your campaign? It's like they forgot the "social" part of social media. Campaigns like this are about participation, involvement, community. GM approached this like old-school media where people sit around reading about the exploits of others. Had GM allowed average folks to participate, even as part of the journalists’ teams, they could have introduced the Vibe to potential customers. Seems to me this was much ado for nothing.

Then, again, this is just my two cents …

Brilliant Beer Blogging From Miller

Can you imagine dedicating staff to do nothing but blog about your competitors? To report on their news? Run their press releases and re-run their articles? Well, in a stunning blogging strategy, Miller Brewing Company has done just that.

Brew Blog is not your typical stealth blog in that it is clearly labeled as being “brought to you by the Miller Brewing Company.” What it is, is the most ingenious corporate blog I’ve seen in quite some time. Miller hired former a Advertising Age reporter, James Arndorfer, to cover their industry, including the competition. They instructed him to write just like a beat reporter would.

The brilliance is that they’ve created a legitimate source for industry news (product launches, Nielsen sales stats, etc.) across all beer makers. By offering information that is genuinely useful to media, the blog becomes a go-to source for the press. They cover all companies to get the draw, and then toss in their own news to a waiting audience.

But, the best part is it’s written with just the slightest nuance of commentary. Take the post: More Bud/Bud Light Extensions on Tap?

In this post, they say: Back in January, Anheuser-Busch told Brandweek that it planned to tone down its new product push and focus on its core brands…Since then, of course, A-B has announced plans to introduce Bud Light Lime…

That “of course” is brilliant strategy. It is so subtle, but implies so much. (i.e. “back in Jan, they said they’d do this…then – of course – they did that”) It subliminally positions the competition as less-than-credible.

According to David Kesmodle’s WSJ article, Brew Blog is the brainchild of Paul Pendergrass and Pete Marino, communications consultants for Miller who wanted Miller to have more influence over what's covered in the industry. The site reaches mostly beer-industry professionals and received about 24,000 visits in the month ending April 10 -- representing more than 12,000 individual visitors.

Kesmodle uncovered another great example of the slyness behind this strategy in his article: In February, Mr. Arndorfer's industry sources were telling him that Anheuser was planning a lime-flavored version of Bud Light, the world's best-selling beer. He posted an article saying Anheuser appeared poised to roll out a knockoff of Miller Chill, a lime-and-salt-flavored brew launched by Miller last year. The scoop, chased by this and other publications, allowed Miller to paint Bud Light Lime as a "follower," says Nehl Horton, Miller's senior vice president for communications.

Just brilliant.

So, kudos to Miller for a truly unique, super-stealth, and - by all accounts - successful blogging strategy! You’ve definitely raised the bar for us.

--my two cents

The Trouble with Agencies Is...

This is an interesting bylined article from Andy Fletcher on the three things wrong with being an agency today.

-- my two cents

The New Media Impact: How & When People Are Online

Below is a compilation of new media usage statistics and quotable quotes I lifted from The Strategist. Enjoy!

The blogosphere doubles in size every 7.5 months with 120,000 new blogs created each day. (source: Technorati)

MySpace has 320,000 new user profiles created each day, with 25% coming from outside the U.S. (source: comScore)

YouTube plays 100 million videos per day and 100,000 new videos are uploaded daily. (source: YouTube)

59% of 6-to-11 year old children used the Internet during the past 30 days. (source: Mediamark)

When 18-to-34 year olds were asked about their top media choices, 46% chose the Internet and 35% chose TV (source: Online Publishers Assoc.)

An NBC survey reports that 75% of respondents across age groups agree they are overwhelmed by the amount of media available to them. (source: NBC Research)

Americans spend 9.5 hours in a 24-hour period online -- by far the most time spent on any activity, including sleep (7.5 hours.) (source: Veronis Suhler Stevenson)

9.5 hours online! I don't know why I'm surprised; I certainly I exceed that myself. I used to laugh at people who spent all day in front of the computer and then would go home and get right back online. But, now I can't watch TV without simultaneously posting on IMDB about the show I'm watching. (You'll see me there during tonight's premiere of House!)

I've said it before and I will say it again: never before has there been a better time to work in the communications/marketing/PR field. Information drives the dollar and we drive information. Nobody buys anything anymore without first seeking blogger or user reviews and product information online. These stats only demonstrate that fact. So, let's get busy and influence those dollars!

-- my two cents

Movie Is a Great Study of PR and Damage Control

I saw a documentary film this weekend that is, among other things, a terrific study of publicity/journalism, damage control and the natural life-cycle of a story.

The movie is called My Kid Could Paint That and it follows the story behind a 4 year old and her artwork.

Not only is it a great film and one which will undoubtedly leave you debating and discussing its conclusion, it also should be watched by everyone in our field.

The issues of media access and strategic planning in terms of owning the angle, damage control, and the natural arc of a story (i.e. where will the story go after initial coverage) are wonderfully illustrated.

I don't want to give away spoilers, so I will leave it at that. But, take a look! (I saw it On Demand but it's also available on NetFlix and in most DVD rental spots). Once you've seen it, drop me a line because I'd love to discuss the PR aspects in detail.

WATCH TRAILER.

-- my two cents

Green Marketing: Hype or Hope?

This weekend, a pal asked me if I thought “green” was going to fall off soon from too much hype. Interestingly, today, a reporter-friend asked me the same question. So, here’s my usual two cents on the subject.

Greenwashing is definitely in overdrive right now and without a doubt, “green” will soon be a throw-away word about as meaningful as “innovative” and “cutting-edge.”

That said the reality behind the hype is not going anywhere. Fact is, study after study shows consumers will happily pay more for green products – particularly in the under 30 market. And, it’s no secret that many consumers see large companies as “evil empires,” so demonstrating genuine concern for and care of the environment could soften a big bad corporation’s image.

But, as is true with any campaign, success lies in the details.

At its core, Green really isn’t anything new: it’s corporate social responsibility; instead of adopting underprivileged kids, corporations are adopting the environment. Companies can launch a green campaign highlighting their recycling policies (paper, cans, hardware, etc.) or by spotlighting telecommuting employees. There is some hay to be made around these kinds of activities. Wal*Mart and Target received some favorable press when they introduced reusable shopping bags, for instance. And, Wal*Mart took it a step further with solar-powered stores, LED-lit product displays, and hybrid shipping fleets - which has done well to offset some negative PR created from labor and health care issues.

The real power of green, however, lies in potential profits. Creating products that favorably impact the environment or encourage environmentally-friendly action can attract new customers and generate new revenue. According to a 2007 ImagePower Green Brands study conducted by three WPP companies, consumers expect to double their spending on Green products and services in the next year, totaling $500 billion annually or $43 billion per month.

And, for start-ups, Green could be the difference between funded or not. According to a study from Allianz, 71% of VCs saw Green as a “buy” option. And, IDC’s Green Study found that half the respondents said they look at Green IT credentials when choosing a supplier and 80% of executives said Green IT is a growing importance for their organization.

But, before you draft that press release announcing client recycling, do the proper research. Know the science behind the Green efforts and know the regulatory atmosphere. Know how your target customers view Green and make sure you communicate your efforts on their level. And, above all, be truthful. Fake Greenwashing can be deadly to a brand when exposed. I refer to the excellent essay from TerraChoice on the “The Six Sins of Greenwashing” (sins outlined below.)

Hidden Trade Off, in which companies highlight one eco-friendly attribute, and ignore their product's other (potentially more significant) environmental concerns.

No Proof, which, just like it sounds, involves claims that can't be verified (the report found 26% of environmental claims fall into this category).

Vagueness -- terms like "chemical-free," or "non-toxic," which are both universally true, and universally false depending on your interpretation.

Irrelevance, when companies make claims that -- while true -- are unhelpful (like "CFC-free," when CFCs have been banned for almost 30 years).

Lesser of Two Evils -- like "green" herbicides, which ignores the fact that herbicides in any form aren't good for the environment.

Fibbing. The most obvious, in which companies flat out lie (less than 1% of companies make this mistake, but does happen).

So, good luck in earning some green for your clients with a creative Green campaign.

-- my two cents

When Marketing Becomes PR

I’ve been asked a lot lately about the blurring lines between marketing and PR. It’s certainly true what was once a clear and distinct difference is now more of a hazy smudge and (of course) I have a theory as to why.

In traditional marketing, you speak directly to the customer.

In traditional PR, you speak to the customer through the media.

But, today, the customer IS the media.

Today, the customer is out there reporting on his experiences with your brand. Perhaps, he's writing a blog about a new laptop. Maybe, she's scrawling on a Facebook wall about a PDA; or making a video for YouTube documenting the purchase of a first car. Maybe your customer is posting on boards about walking out of a home improvement store because she couldn’t find a single person on the floor to help her despite pressing that useless call button for assistance! (I’m just saying it could happen.)

Bottom line, customers are online telling the story behind their brand experience. And, isn’t that what PR is all about? Getting others to tell the story you want.

Look at viral campaigns. Mainstream media, bloggers, and the average customer make viral marketing work because they report on it. They're not just talking about the product; they're talking about how they learned about the product and the marketing concept behind it (including the pitching style of publicists.) The campaign itself becomes the story.

Because of this, it has never been more important for marketers and PR pros to converge strategies and allow one tactic to feed the other, to blend into each other, creating news that stands on its own; news that spawns more news as the campaign grows.

We need to embrace this convergence and speak to the customer the way we would a reporter -- give them a story to tell. We need to engage the customer in the brand and make the journey of the purchase as much the story as the purchase itself. Because like it or not, it already is.

-- my two cents

AngryJournalist.com Lets Reporters Blow Off Steam Anonymously

In the 1976 classic Network, journalist Howard Beale shouted the now famous, line "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" Well, it seems the sentiment still rings true today.

I’ve spent a lot of time here talking about blogger credibility, traditional media jobs changing or disappearing altogether, and the art of PR/MARCOM strategy stepping up with the web, but I haven’t really lent a voice to the genuine frustrations of today’s traditional journalist. Well, never fear, according to the worldwide news agency AFP, there is a new web site, which allows disgruntled, frustrated, and even enraged reporters to blow off a little steam anonymously. (Warning, some of the posts contain profanity.)

The site, which is really just a giant message board, is a terrific glimpse into the real annoyances, resentments and disappointments of traditional journalists today.

Some examples:

"I hate the fact that print and online can't work together! Come on, online is the future, so please have some respect for the webeditors!" says Angry Journalist #700.

"I’m angry I got plagiarized by a blogger, and that other bloggers picked up 'his' story … Why do readers think that some guy in his boxers sitting on his mom’s couch can give them better news? It must come back to the fact that news organizations have done such a poor job, due to layoffs, mismanagement, and outsourcing customer service, that the average reader really can’t tell the difference anymore," says Angry Journalist #2927.

Angry Journalist #2914 reflects a different perspective: "As a blogger who became a professional journalist, I’m still angry at publications using blogs for research and never giving credit where it’s due."

"I’m not angry, I refuse to be angry," said # 2900. "I am however disappointed that our noble profession has become a joke and real journalists are pushed aside. Why didn’t we catch Hillary’s Bosnia lie the moment it was spoken? Why didn’t we find Obama’s racist mentor first? Why didn’t we question the campaign finances of McCain? Why not challenge Al Gore’s hypocrisy? Or give equal time to legit scientists who challenge him? Why not look into who gave CBS a forged a memo? Why not challenge George Bush on his pre-war claims? I’m disappointed that the media has become lazy and nobody investigates anymore. The internet and bloggers are better at uncovering information than media. We’ve lost the respect of the people, and will have to regain it."

AFP scored an interview with AngryJournalist.com's creator, Kiyoshi Martinez, 23, who worked as web editor for Chicago area community newspapers. He told them he was disappointed about the direction of the industry and launched his website after reading a study on burnout among newspaper journalists.

Steve Outing, a columnist for the trade publication Editor and Publisher, said news executives should pay attention to angryjournalist.com. "Things get said on this website that otherwise would not get said -- other than perhaps at the neighborhood bar to co-workers or at home with a spouse," he wrote in his column last month. "I can't help but think that this is a good thing for the news industry."

I think PR pros should also pay attention. So often we forget, it's our job to make journalists' jobs easier. Reading about the things that most frustrate them will only help us to do that.

Meanwhile, in keeping with my previous post about journalists moving to the “dark side” of marketing/communications, Martinez now works as a communications specialist for the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus, and is reportedly happy to have left journalism, earning more money and more vacation in a better working environment.

“I'm having a blast," he said.

Credit to: AFP, worldwide news agency and Brietbart.com