The Worst Tactics

Netflix- This summer, movie enthusiasts everywhere cried in despair when Netflix raised their prices 60 percent without warning. In addition to raising prices, they also split their online streaming and by-mail DVD packages requiring users to pay for them separately. Customers were outraged and nearly 800,000 cancelled their Netflix subscriptions all together.

Netflix also wanted to redub their DVD services as Qwikster and split those into two sections of the company. But that idea crashed and burned before they could ever start it, thanks to the already existing Twitter account @Qwikster.  The Twitter account’s main photo of a marijuana-smoking Elmo clearly showed how little research Netflix put into Qwikster before announcing it to the public.

Ultimately, Netflix abandoned the split idea, but kept the price hike. CEO Reed Hastings apologized for the confusion saying, “I messed up. I owe everyone an explanation.”

Kenneth Cole- At the height of the Cairo riots, designer Kenneth Cole found a way to promote his spring collection. On Feb. 3, Cole took to Twitter and sent “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo — KC.” Clearly perceived as mocking the revolution, Cole apologized, saying his tweet was “poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate. ”

Cole’s apology was too little, too late as a parody Twitter account sprung up and gained 2,500 followers in just two hours. Parody tweets included sensitive subject material to sell Kenneth Cole clothing using the hashtag #KennethColeTweets.

Facebook- Yes, Facebook has committed one of the worst PR blunders in 2011. The popular, all-mighty Facebook apparently does have fears and being overshadowed by Google is probably at least three of them.

In May, blogger and online privacy expert Chris Soghoian received a slew of emails from John Mercurio of the notable public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, prompting him to investigate Google’s rumored violation of user privacy. Mercurio prompted the topic and even offered to help Soghoian write the article and spread it to various media outlets.

As any good journalist would be, Soghoian was skeptical and inquired which of Mercurio clients was spreading this “whisper campaign” against Google. Turns out it was none other than social media giant Facebook, who has definitely gained their fair share of privacy complaints from users.

Facebook hired Burson- Marsteller to spread rumors of Google’s use (or misuse) of users’ private information to discredit Google’s new Social Circle feature in Gmail. A spokesman for Facebook admitted to hiring the PR firm, citing two reasons for attacking Google- the most notable being “Facebook resents Google’s attempts to use Facebook data in its own social-networking service.”

It’s doubtful that anyone would overshadow Facebook with more than 800 million users, but they are trying to be sure they stay on top of the social media world.

The Best Tactics

Southwest Airlines- In April, Southwest flight 812 had their cabin remodeled midflight to include a skylight—with no glass. The unexpected tear in the fuselage caused the plane to lose pressure and forced an emergency landing. Blogger Shawna Malvini Redden whipped out her phone, captured the scene and shared it with the world.

Any other airline might have seen that as the worst possible blow to their brand, but Southwest Airlines instead proactively grounded 81 planes for complete inspection- without being told to do so to by the Federal Aviation Administration- to ensure the incident would not repeat itself on another flight.

The company demonstrated that transparency is the best policy when dealing with customers. By the end of their inspections, they found several other planes that required repairs. By this time, media outlets had already shifted their attention to the plane manufacturer and not Southwest.

The proof of a job well done is in the Google search. Many passengers praised Southwest and the pilots for handling the incident extremely well and getting them to their destinations safely.

Kentucky Fried Chicken- KFC has realized in the 21^st century that attention spans are short, technology is prevalent and many kids still need financial help getting into college. In 2010, KFC combined all of these things and asked high school students across the country to dump stuffy scholarship essays and instead send them a tweet to win a $20,000 scholarship.

The winning tweet from California high school senior Amanda Russell cleverly said, “#KFCScholar Hey Colonel! Your scholarship’s the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success! Got the grades, drive, just need cash!”

This year the Colonel is thinking even more creatively about scholarship entries. KFC is urging high school seniors to tweet a photo showing “why they exemplify Colonel Sanders’ commitment to education and enriching their communities, and why they are deserving of a college scholarship.”

University of Iowa Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Jodi Schafer told USA Today that application essays are “becoming unoriginal” and including social media in the application process will “help bring back some of that creativity.”

Kate Spade- Mashable recently praised Kate Spade for properly using social media to increase the social value of their brand. Their engaging use of multiple social networking sites helped them create a persona their target audience can aspire to be, known as the Kate Spade Girl. Their posts on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter are all written how a normal person would engage online—a real person with favorite things and hopes and dreams to share and errands to do.

“The Kate Spade girl aspires to lead an interesting life — to engage in the arts and literature and travel and adventure,” Craig Leavitt, CEO of Kate Spade told Mashable. “We talk about those things on social media because that’s who she is, and she wants to hear about what her peers are doing. It feels very, very natural for us.”

Their tactics have succeeded. Their online followers have grown by the thousands. Their posts are well received with numerous likes, retweets and reblogs. Each post is an eloquent reminder of how to be a lady. Their online sales have skyrocketed and overall sales have grown nearly 75 percent. Kate Spade has truly revived their brand by updating the way they communicate with their admirers.

There you have it folks, our top 6 memorable PR moves from 2011. Honorable mentions include PR moves from Charlie Sheen and Two and a Half Men, Alec Baldwin Vs. American Airlines, and Bank of America announcing a $5 fee.

What would you have included in this list?

We’re sharing them with you as we prepare for 2012, in hope that you’ll leave them behind when you welcome the new year- and avoid being on the receiving end of our Evil Eye Lasers of Death, lest we hear you utter any of these while in our presence.

So from us- Lanette, Lorrie, Karen and Melissa- to you, we present our three most hated public relations approaches:

1. The Best Kept Secret
If your business is the best kept secret, we predict you likely won’t be in business for long. The former president of a local university once called his school a best-kept secret. We once saw a restaurant that had that slogan on their marquis. A. RESTAURANT.

Guess what? Today that restaurant is out of business.

If you feel like this slogan is a good one, please call us. We want to help you. And we promise not to beat you senseless.

2. We Have a Combined __ Years Experience
We find this heinous public relations approach used frequently by law firms. And we positively shuddered when we saw it used on Ragan’s PR Daily recently in reference to layoffs at the Denver post: “The Denver Post, for instance, accepted buyouts from 19 staffers, whose combined experience at the paper was 470 years.”

Why do companies think this approach demonstrates experience? It’s not like a “combined 117 years’ experience” means anything to cynics like us in this public relations agency.

I hear a statement like this and I think of the handful of weathered lawyers in the firm who likely have 25-30 years’ experience each, but then I think of the young punk fresh out of law school who’s been an attorney for five whole minutes. I don’t want that guy or girl. If I’m ready to kick butt in the courtroom, I’m just fine with the attorney who’s been at it only 30 years.

3. Building Buzz
OK, so we’re including this one begrudgingly. Although we here at Lorrie Walker Communications don’t recommend that our clients take part in stupid gimmicks that generate publicity but not sales, the truth is that we use this term. However, out of love and reverence for the great Peter Shankman- who hates this term- we feel it’s only fair for us to give up a lame saying of our own if we’re asking you to do the same.

Peter once said this in a webinar:

I think it would be really good if we could kill the word ‘buzz.’ Unless it’s generating revenue for your company, you’re wasting your time.

Fine, Peter. You win. And you have a point.

Public relations isn’t about stupid stunts, even though there are some crazy things people do that generate publicity and revenue.

At the end of the day, our clients want to make money. A large part of making that happen has to do with getting the word out about their business; making it known that they are the subject matter experts; demonstrating that they have a quality product by garnering earned media for the client.

If you want to accomplish any of these things for your business in 2012, call us. We’re here to help. Here’s wishing you a successful, fulfilling year ahead.

I recently learned something that was so encouraging about community events calendars, I had to address it here.

About half of the phone calls received by the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce are from visitors and residents looking for something to do. When Chamber employees get those calls, they go straight to the Chamber’s online community events calendar for recommendations.

Those Chamber employees want to give callers as many options as possible, in hope of making their visit to Lakeland enjoyable. In the case of residents, a wide variety of offerings reminds us why Lakeland is such a great place to live.

So, what events should you post on community calendars? Anything that the general public is invited to. That means grand opening celebrations, open houses, anniversary celebrations, charity events, fundraisers and performing arts events, to name just a few examples.

Posting items to the Lakeland Chamber’s community events calendar is quick and easy once you register. But don’t stop there. TBO.com has a great calendar, as does Eventful.

We understand that many businesses have great events the public would be interested in attending, but they don’t always have the time to devote to promoting them. That’s where we come in. If you have an upcoming event you would like promoted, we can help. Remember- the more advanced notice we have, the better job we can do at spreading the word.

The element of publicity that I find myself going over most implicitly with clients is that of managing expectations. It’s quite flattering how clients assume that PR professionals have some secret “in” with media outlets and can simply make things happen when it comes to generating publicity for a particular business, event or product launch.

The truth is, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. PR professionals can write press releases, draft story pitches, make follow-up calls. But at the end of the day, this is a subjective business where stories are decided upon by producers, editors and reporters who may or may not be remotely interested in the item PR professionals are pushing that particular day.

Public relations is a constant push to generate publicity for a client, while making sure the client remembers that unless they purchase an advertisement, there is no guarantee the media will cover the story being pitched.

A fellow PR pro and I were discussing this topic a few days ago and the whole horse-and-water phrase was mentioned. Pot-stirrer that she is, she piped up with “You know, you CAN make a horse drink.”

“Oh really… do tell,” I replied.

“Give him a salt block,” she said.

She’s right! So how do we relate that back to publicity and PR, you ask?

A good public relations professional must find a way to make each client salt. Our clients and the items we promote on their behalf must be the salt that gets those subjective reporters, editors and producers to drink the water.

So when you have an event, product- whatever you’re promoting- try to think of what about it is different. Interesting. Notable. Worthy of coverage.

Sometimes you have a seemingly boring event or product that still needs to be promoted. In those cases, try to find something interesting in current events and popular culture that you can tie in to generate publicity.

If you need help brainstorming ideas, or you have those ideas but have no idea how to pitch them to media outlets, we can help.

A street view of Tennessee Carriage Lofts. Three studio apartments are located on the second floor.

The foyer, which provides access to all three sections of office space.

The lobby/waiting area inside 231 N. Tennessee Ave. We need to get some artwork on these walls!

Hallway.

My office. I’m working on getting things hung on the walls.

Intern Opportunities:
- Researching and writing news releases and articles for search engine optimization purposes.
- Using social media to meet clients’ public relations goals.
- Working on campaigns for private companies and local non-profit organizations.

Qualifications:
- Candidate should have strong interviewing and writing skills and must know how to use the Associated Press Stylebook.
- Candidate must be able to work on deadline and must have the discipline to work alone and as part of a team.

Equipment Requirements:
- Candidate must have his/her own laptop computer and Internet access.

Other Information:
Part-time; flexible hours. This is primarily a telecommuting position.

How to Apply:
Applicants should e-mail a resume and three writing samples, including articles and press releases to:
Lorrie Delk Walker, president. E-mail: lorrie@lorriewalker.com, Phone 863-614-0555.
Deadline to apply is Oct. 29.

The 2011 event, held Feb. 19 at Bunch Ranch in Highland City, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Lorrie Walker, president, will chair the Public Relations subcommittee and will be in charge of publicity for the event.

“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” Walker said. “This is a great event that raises funds for cancer research and other ACS activities, and I’m happy to help make sure we get the word out and draw a good crowd.”

Let me provide a bit of background here. Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. provides article, press release and Web copy writing services for a couple of notable Internet marketing firms in the U.S., and St. Paul, MN Orthodontist Dr. Jennifer Eisenhuth is a client of one of these firms- Master Google, a Google SEO specialist.

In addition to recently gaining a new patient from the article found on the Internet, Eisenhuth enjoys a top-of-Google ranking for organic searches of her specific keywords, thanks to Master Google’s efforts.

Each month, I write keyword-rich articles and press releases for many of Master Google’s clients. These writings help Master Google position these clients at the top of organic search results for their keywords.

Ali Husayni, Master Google’s founder and SEO expert, has said for years that the bulk of SEO success is not accomplished internally on his clients’ websites, but externally via articles and press releases.

I repeat these words to my clients who inquire about SEO and how it might improve their websites’ visibility. To be clear, I do not profess to be an SEO expert. But by working with Master Google, I have learned a great deal about the topic and I have been privileged to witness first-hand how powerful it can be and how successful it can make a business.

If you are interested in learning more about how articles and press releases can work for you in your ongoing SEO effort, please contact me for more information (863) 614-0555.

If you are interested in more information about launching an SEO campaign for your company, please visit Master Google’s website: www.mastergoogle.com.

Walker was inducted into the organization at its June 16 meeting at the Lakeland Yacht and Country Club.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of FPRA once again,” said Walker, a Lakeland press release writer and public relations professional. “I was a member when I worked in the PR field prior to starting my own business, and I’m excited to be a part of this incredible group of professionals once again.”

Walker is hitting the ground running. She will serve as the organization’s newsletter editor for the 2010-2011 year.

There are many aspects of FPRA that are appealing to Walker, she said. The organization provides a great deal of networking opportunities with like-minded professionals. It also offers PR practitioners the ability to become accredited in public relations.

Accreditation is offered through the Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) to members of participating organizations, including FPRA, according to the FPRA website.

“I’ve considered accreditation for years, and now that I’ve become involved in the organization once again, I feel strongly about pursuing my APR,” she said.

Yet another FPRA benefit is the opportunity it presents for making media contacts throughout the state. For example, the Orlando FPRA chapter has partnered with the Public Relations Society of America’s Orlando chapter to present the 2010 Central Florida Media Roundtable and Luncheon on July 15 in Orlando.

“Attending this event puts you in contact with top editors, reporters, bloggers and TV producers from local to national media outlets,” Walker said, adding that having these contacts comes in handy when conducting public relations campaigns for clients.

Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. has been in business since May 2007. Walker’s experience includes journalism, public relations and event planning.

For more information, please visit www.lorriewalker.com or call (863) 614-0555.

You can read the whole story, including the story of how the iPhone came to be misplaced, at gizmodo.com. The story is fascinating. The features on this new device seem simply amazing.

I’ll admit that after reading the account of how the phone was lost, it all seemed quite plausible. An honest- albeit ginormous- mistake.

But what if it wasn’t a mistake? Any Apple fan has heard of the company’s top-secret nature. So to let something like this happen seems like such an implausible security breach. Could it even be possible for Apple to slip up like this?

If this was intentional, this is one of those cases where any publicity is good publicity, in my opinion. It’s brilliant! Word of a new iPhone is in the national news, it’s blowing up the Twitterverse and it’s got Apple dorks (I’ll put myself in that category) salivating around the world.

As a Lakeland and Tampa, Florida public relations professional, I’m always up for a new way to pitch a new product or service. It can be challenging to come up with something fresh, different, eye-catching- something that makes a reporter or blogger say something besides, “Who cares?” This little “I lost my iPhone prototype” scenario meets all of that criteria.

I hope Gray Powell (the poor guy who supposedly lost the phone), doesn’t lose his job over this. I hope he was a willing participant in this brilliant marketing effort. But even if this was all just an accident, I truly believe the media coverage generated from this will FAR outweigh any potential damage caused by leaking this product before Apple had intended.

What are your thoughts?

That holdup frequently is caused by clients’ failure to provide the content. Because of that, I thought I’d offer three reasons why hiring a Web copy writer is a good idea.

Focus Your Energy
I’ve always been a big believer in focusing your energy where your talents exist, and hiring someone else to do the work that falls outside your gifted area.

Let’s say you own a hair salon. You know how to cut and color hair and run your business, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you are good at writing about cutting and coloring hair or the latest hair trends.

Hiring an experienced web copy writer ensures that the content on your page is well-written in a format that is reader-friendly.

Content is King
Having a Web site that looks sharp is important, but providing relevant information and consistently adding new content to that site is what keeps people coming back.

Many business owners and managers spend the bulk of their time handling the day-to-day business operations and don’t consider routinely updating their Web site a priority.

Hear this: it SHOULD be a priority. Everyone turns to the Internet these days for research and information. We have a generation coming up that doesn’t even use a phone book anymore; they Google it.

Having a regularly updated site increases the chances that when people search for terms related to your business, your Web site appears in the search results.

Get on a Schedule
Your Web site needs to give people relevant information to aid in their buying decisions or to educate, and you need to give people a reason to keep coming back.

By using a professional Web copy writer, the two of you can create a schedule for adding content to your site on a regular basis.

Josh Hallett, a local social media expert, once said businesses with Web sites that include blogs basically train their visitors how often to return to their sites. Update content weekly, and visitors are likely to visit the site weekly. Update it monthly, and you’ll see them once a month.

Getting on a schedule for updating content gets visitors on a schedule for checking out your site.

If you’re interested in creating a new site, updating the content on an existing site, or creating a plan to routinely add Web content, consider the Lakeland and Tampa, FL public relations firm of Lorrie Walker Communications, Inc. Our professional web copy writers are happy to help you create site content that keeps people coming back for more.

Call for more information: (863) 614-0555.