PR Diversions of the Week

It's been an interesting week for "don't look over there, look here instead" diversionary PR moves. My favorite by far is the NFL's miraculous settlement of the contract dispute between the team owners and the referees after weeks of botched calls and speculation that the two sides were not getting any closer. This was absolutely a diversionary PR move. As Bill Dwyer described well in the Postbulletin.com, "The NFL fears only two things: decreasing revenue and a bad image." Seemingly...

Media Interview Tips in a Citizen Journalism World

It only took 30 seconds of listening to NPR yesterday morning for me to hear Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney's infamous "47 percent" off-microphone gaffe at a private fund-raising event. It's one of those remarks that takes on a life of its own and spreads wildly. What the candidate said and meant is not the issue I want to address here. As a PR professional, I immediately recognized that he broke one of the cardinal rules of public figures in a...

Clint Eastwood Makes Whose Day at Republican National Convention?

The Republican and Democratic national conventions by their nature are coronation affairs attended by staunchly aligned supporters. Let's face it, they are more pep rallies than platforms for serious political discourse. But still they are the one time that each party has the national stage to itself and has the opportunity to reach beyond their constituency to tell their story and hopefully sway independents. These events are carefully orchestrated and scripted. The individuals chosen to speak work for weeks, even...

Worst PR Jobs August 2012

Marketing and communications isn't for the faint of heart. It's a tough job even in good times, with many challenges and the need to constantly be looking ahead to make sure your communications and marketing strategies are gaining traction and not being undercut by a competitor or new entrant to your market. And translating complex products and services into higher level messages and stories that resonate isn't easy. But then again, the B2B world of communications and marketing looks like...

What Would Mom Say?

When New York Times Food columnist Mark Bittman issued an apology for using an "inappropriate phrase to refer to the late VP of PR for Chick-fil-A," reaction was what you would expect. The Huffington Post did a short write up, which covers off on the details. The offending phrase was removed, and Bittman's original post now omits the "inappropriate phrase." While mentioning this on Twitter, Liem Nguyen noted in a tweet response, "If you can't say something nice...." Which got...

"What Were They Thinking?" Communications Awards Early Summer Edition

Toxic. Who knew that word would go viral? I guess Buster Olney of ESPN did when he wisely included it in a blog post about the problems in the Red Sox clubhouse that may be causing the former World Series champs to be slumping this year. Olney's comments have become the flavor of the week, with a series of articles, blog posts and radio pundit comments discussing and debating his "toxic" assertion, including the Red Sox themselves. In my humble...

Are You in the 60% of Companies That Don't Have a Social Media Policy?

Image credit Case Central (client) Caught in my Facebook news feed yesterday was this Wall Street Journal article about the CFO of fashion retailer Francesca's Holdings Corp being fired for improper use of his personal social media channels. Specifically, he used his public Facebook page and Twitter channel to share confidential financial information with personal opinions. The Journal article transcribes a few, but these are the most egregious: On March 13 Mr. Morphis posted on Facebook about a company earnings...

Boston and Bobby, Like Oil and Water

Fact: Boston sports fans are tough and unforgiving. But hey, we put up with a lot, don’t you think? It’s going to take more than a nice tan and impressive cardio endurance to become attractive in the eyes of Boston fans. Yes, I am referring to the Red Sox’s General Manager, Bobby’s Valentine’s sun-kissed complexion and his claim to fame of biking 6 miles a day. A persona that is not commonly associated with the macho tough sports town, and...

5 Simple Secrets to Crisis Communications Success

“Etch A Sketch. Those three little words may become more of a bane to Mitt Romney's campaign than, say, Bain Capital.” – Frank James, NPR It’s no secret the public relations arena has changed dramatically with the advent of social media. After all, we now live in a world where 140 characters or a simple “Quotable Quote” (#QQuote) can make or break a brand in an instant. For example, a top Mitt Romney aide, Eric Fehrnstrom, famously declared with respect...

Almost-April-Fools'-Day "What Were They Thinking?" Awards

It's been a fun week of microphone gaffes, anger management issues and just plain dumb statements by a number of people who should know better (or have better handlers.) But that made it a great week for our regularly featured "What Were They Thinking?" communications awards. The "There is no such thing as off-the-record" award goes to U.S. President Barack Obama, who not only made off-the-cuff remarks to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev during a Nuclear Security Summit about his ability...