Flack's Revenge

Now Blogging at Social Fluency

Just thought I'd let Flack's Revenge readers know that I will also be blogging at Social Fluency.  Social Fluency is the name of the "pure play" social media PR agency that we are launching.  The post I have there today will tell you more.

In a nutshell, we help clients achieve social fluency - i.e. further communications goals through use of social media - in the following ways (excerpts are from the post):

What we offer is a handcrafted approach based on in-depth knowledge of and experience for just about every category and subcategory of tech. We help our clients see (by social media monitoring), be seen (by taking their stories to the right places) and influence (by helping them have their voices heard through blogging, Twitter, social networks, etc.).

It is about communicating in a way that resonates, whether taking the shape of an informal missive to a member of one’s social network, a blog post or a social media release.

So, what does Social Fluency really mean? If you are in mobile handsets, high performance data storage, desktop virtualization, CE, gaming or Web marketing tech, we can implement a program that taps into the buzz that is already happening in each space and helps you take your story to the top blogs, Tweeters, social networks, online directories and user forums. It is about helping clients build out their digital “footprints” and influence.

Social Fluency is a natural extension of core PR – when done right, an integrated program will deliver better results than programs that favor traditional media channels or just social media.

And it is social media with a purpose. The programs are very specifically tailored to achieve goals such as brand building, reputation management, awareness and lead generation.

CNET Says "Press Conferences are Over"

I take my responsibility for maintaining the PR Death Watch list seriously.  It is a lonely and thankless vigil. So little free time.  So many PR sacred cows to slay, and anachronisms to highlight; all those knives to keep sharp; so much blood to drain from cutting board (well, you get the picture).

That is why I thought "great now I have some help, from none other than CNET!" when I saw the headline Press Conferences are Over (thanks for your tweet about this @bakertweets).

In reading further, though, it became clear that the story is not about the death of the press conference; rather it related a journalists' pet peeves, and was based on reporter Kent German's experiences at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona.

German has some good tips that are worth reading.  See the link for the full story, and the following excerpts:

I may be in the minority here, but I'm at a press event to work. I'm there to get in, get the news and get out because I have a story to file. A bar is nice and food is welcome, but I don't need either. Skip the chitchat and the fluff and let's get on with the program.

...If you do hold a press release event, there are a few things to remember-

 First off, your product, and not the location in which you show it, is the star of the show. A location can be an accessory of sorts, but when it becomes inconvenient or ill-suited to the event then I don't care how fashionable it is....

Remember that we'll want to take photos of the phones that you unveil, so please give us the light we need to do so.

Seriously, folks, you could hold your event in a tent and I would be there. It's my job to attend, so if the tent has enough room, the Internet works, we have a place to sit, and press check-in isn't complete chaos... then I'll be a happy camper.

But even better,.. Just send us an e-mail with your announcements. You know we'll cover your news anyway, so let's just save each other time.  

PR in the News: Errors, Corrections and Omissions Department

While most of the rest of the world is focused on the Winter Olympics, the NY Times covered another high stakes event earlier this week: the Westminster Dog Show.  More specifically, the article was about PR (or so it seemed).  The headline "Best PR in Show" did its job and reeled me in (note: as often happens, online NY Times articles get different headlines than their print versions for some reason).

Apparently, some spend big bucks on lavish multi-year campaigns to try to draw attention and influence the judges.  As the article says:

Among breeders, owners and handlers, it’s understood: you can’t just turn up with the paradigm of the breed, if such an animal exists, and expect a best-in-show ribbon. To seriously vie for victory, a dog needs what is known as a campaign: an exhausting, time-consuming and very expensive gantlet of dog show wins, buttressed by ads in publications like Dog News and The Canine Chronicle.

The cost of a campaign can add up fast... Altogether, a top-notch campaign can easily cost more than $300,000 a year.

However as above implies, most of the focus is on ads.  Despite the headline, I could not find mention anywhere in the article about PR.  This is another example of how the field is portrayed inaccurately in the news.

One would think that at least some of the campaign investment and effort would go towards true PR programs.  Don't people read Dog News for the articles?  Doesn't Canine Chronicle have any actual chroniclers? Apparently not, it is all about ads:

Most magazines are struggling with a downturn in ads. Not Dog News. It’s about 75 percent ads and runs as long as 600 pages in issues coinciding with big shows. Prices vary from $250 for a full-page black-and-white ad to $4,000 for the cover...

Judges are the main target — they are sent the magazine gratis — and they star along with the dogs in most of the ads. There’s a tradition at shows of taking a photograph of winning dogs along with the judges who selected them, and most of the ads are little more than that photo and a cutesy tag line.

Flack's Revenge Goes 3D

Hold onto your seats, folks: Flacks Revenge is going 3D.

Yes, you heard it right: a 3D blog!  Starting next month, you will need special glasses to view my blog.

Some may call this a crass attempt to draw attention. Others will recognize it as a groundbreaking effort that is sure to propel my blog to the next level (see my earlier posts Flack's Revenge Relaunching as Cloud based Service and Flack's Revenge is opening up to Developers).

Regardless, I am proceeding with my plans to introduce a 3D blog concept.  And what will I use to promote this blog? A 3D press release, natch.

Call me crazy.  Well maybe, just maybe, I am crazy like a $1B Avatar.

The social media release will have nothing on this new format, as the 3D press release will literally jump off the screen, instantly transforming otherwise mundane news into something that grabs the eyeballs and pulls viewers in.  Actually, if you are not careful it may poke you in the eyes, so go easy on the hype in those headlines please. (One kink that remains to be worked out is the "hurl factor" - the blog and 3DPR can make your news so dizzying that - well, you know).

With this development, my musings and your news can now be enjoyed via all available viewing form factors including the nascent but rapidly growing 3D TV market, and on-demand services like Vudu, Hulu, Shmulu and Polamalu (OK I just threw that last name in there but others are real).

iPad?  We got that covered.

It is a brave new 3D world and I am truly excited to bring Flack's Revenge and my readership to the next level in PR and blogging.

Books and Advice on Blogging

I have been blogging for several years now, and have learned much along the way. I've gained a following and gradually (at least I like to think, and have been told) improved the quality of Flack's Revenge.

Having said that, I believe it is never too late to up my game, and have started reading books on the subject.  The long form advice is a nice complement to the many conversations I have had with other bloggers and great blog posts I have read on the subject.

One very good book (I am about halfway through it) is The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging, from Simon and Schuster.  The Huffington Post rocketed to becoming a major force in blogging, and I reckoned there must be some good advice within the pages.

I have already gotten some great value from it, here are a few excerpts:

On the topic of how often to post, which I have often wrestled with:

Rule #1: Blog often

If you want an audience... you need to reward visitors to your site with new content... We've heard arguments about quality vs. quantity, but we believe this argument is a luxury for people who already have a big readership.

Other rules include:

2. Perfect is the enemy of Done
3. Write like you speak
4. Focus on specific details
5. Own your topic
6. Know your audience
7. Write short
8. Become part of the conversation with like-minded bloggers

Advice on finding your blogging voice:

Use the voice you already have...Think of blogging like writing an email to a friend.  Better yet, an email to a really cool, clever friend with whom you have a great and witty rapport... just start writing... Don't try too hard... Don't try to be funny (especially if you're not) and don't try to be serious (it's too much pressure).  Don't try to be anything but exactly who you are.

I also recently received review copies of two new books from Pearson that I look forward to digging into and reporting back on soon Blogging to Drive Business and Create your own Blog: 6 Easy Projects.

Super Bowl for PR

It is fun to watch the Super Bowl for just for the commercials, even if you are not a big football fan. The annual event is great PR for the advertising industry given all the buzz about the campaigns, their entertainment value, and the stories and drama behind the controversial ads.

It is a little ironic because the NY Times wrap noted that the most popular ads were either user-created or user-inspired.  (I tweeted about this, and one person replied "If true why do we need advertising professionals?"  You could ask the same question about PR, given that anyone can launch a blog or write and post a press release these days.  A source in the article said that user input "complements efforts by marketers to engage and involve consumers.")

It makes one wonder why the ad industry does not produce ads like these every day.  If you are in PR, it might also make you envious of all the nice attention for advertising and wonder if there ever could be the equivalent of the Super Bowl for PR.

PR Checklists: What is the State of the PR Program?

My post on Tuesday discussed PR process and checklists.

There are many types of checklists covering many different areas of PR. They can be about things as seemingly trivial as covering for a colleague on a briefing (my team sometimes regrets asking me when they see my checklist of info needed to make sure that I have everything), to large projects like events management.

Since President Obama just gave his State of the Union address I thought it might be a good time to ask: what is the State of the PR Program for your accounts? The checklist below is one I put together that can help a PR team make sure that the basics are in place and that the account is in good standing:

PR Toolkit

Key Messages
Last update / frequency of update

Thematics
Last update / frequency of update

Media/Analyst/Bloggers lists, graded for:
Accuracy
Categorization
Core list identified
How up-to-date it is

Editorial calendars, awards, graded for:
Completeness
Usefulness
Key opportunities called out

PR plan, graded for:
How up-to-date it is
Goals identified

Results / coverage

Quality - Did messages get through?  Did stories reflect our key themes?

Quantity - Did we have sufficient coverage?

Comparisons: vs. competition; previous year results; against goals identified in plan

PR Mix - Are you using a good mix of tools? Relying too much on any single approach?

Of PR, Checklists and Happy Work Places

The turning of the calendar in a new year is always a good time to reflect and look ahead.  In PR, we take start of the year as an opportunity to make sure that account basics are in place and develop PR plans for the coming months.

I was inspired towards this end while working with our teams at Fusion PR by a very relevant article and book.

The article, Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work, from the WSJ, ran last week and was timely.  Many work places are not particularly happy right now given cutbacks and the general state of business.  The article described strategies that companies are using to deal with this, and focused in particular on the growing trend of using happiness coaches:

Indeed, the happiness coaches go beyond traditional positive-thinking approaches, taking new tacks that tend to ring true with workers. Some examples: Write e-mails to your co-workers every day thanking them for something they have done. Meditate daily to clear your mind. Do something for somebody without expecting anything in return. Write in a journal about things you are thankful for; look for traits you admire in people and compliment them. Focus on the process of your work, which you can control, rather than outcomes, which you can't. And don't immediately label events good or bad, but remain open to potentially positive outcomes of even the most seemingly negative events.

One passage that caught my attention was the idea of focusing on process and not getting so hung up on things that are out of your control.  This especially tings true for PR.  We cannot control the media, bloggers, or marketplace conditions.  We emphasize these facts when we do media training with clients.

Through a focus on repeatable processes, and careful attention to each step we can achieve excellent results for our clients while injecting a does of sanity into our work lives - and hopefully leading to a more rewarding and happier career and existence.

Very much in line with this train of thought, I took note about all the recent buzz regarding the book Checklist Manifesto.  The author has gotten tons of coverage for his book and approach.  The following text is from the NY Times review of the book:

Doctors often overlook or omit steps in the multitude of tasks we perform every day. As Atul Gawande argues in “The Checklist Manifesto,” these are situations where a simple to-do list could help. For example, a five-point checklist implemented in 2001 virtually eradicated central line infections in the intensive care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital, preventing an estimated 43 infections and eight deaths over 27 months. Gawande notes that when it was later tested in I.C.U.’s in Michigan, the checklist decreased infections by 66 percent within three months and probably saved more than 1,500 lives within a year and a half.

Gawande, a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and a staff writer at The New Yorker, makes the case that checklists can help us manage the extreme complexity of the modern world.

It seems obvious to me that simple checklists can be part of the processes that help us manage our work and deliver results for clients. I will share some of the PR checklists I am working on in an upcoming post.

Curb Your Enthusiasm Apology: Season 7 Episode 2

Caution: Borderline Content Alert

Four Essential Characteristics of an Apology

In the NY Times Shortcuts column on Saturday, Alina Tugend wrote an excellent article: An Attempt to Revive the Lost art of the Apology.

According to the piece, there are four important components to an apology:

These include an acknowledgment of the fault or offense, regret for it and responsibility for it — and, if possible, a way to fix the problem, said Holly Weeks, a communications consultant and author of “Failure to Communicate: How Conversations Go Wrong and What You Can Do to Right Them” (Harvard Business Press, 2008).

The article includes examples of inadequate apologies (classics include "I want to apologize" or "I am sorry that I have offended you").  On Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David was famous for his poor apologies (one of my favorites was when he was taken to task for apologizing via telephone while loudly chewing pistachio nuts.  The other characters argued with him about whether his apology was valid).

It seems so simple, yet why do so many people stumble when it comes to apologizing (especially when it involves a public figure and some kind of crisis)?  We are all familiar with the carefully parsed apology that sounds like it was written by a lawyer and does not adhere to the above apology "specs."  In fact, fear of legal liability - and the involvement of lawyers - is a major cause of ill-conceived apologies.

Here, I disagree with the article, or at least one of sources quoted. Holly Weeks is quoted in the article as saying: “So many apologies are constructed by legal or P.R. people” as a defensive mechanism, not as a sincere expression of remorse.

This implies that legal and PR are generally agree, and of course that is not always the case.  The last thing we (PR people) want our clients to do is sabotage apologies by making them legalistic and incomplete.

Another interesting thing I learned from the article is that a number of states have enacted "apology laws" that protect people from penalties they would otherwise be subject to simply because they apologized.