PR Tools: The Media Alert

ATTENTION! VERY IMPORTANT!

I guess I don’t have to cyber scream it, but it grabbed your attention didn’t it?  Much the same way the the media alert would.

What is a media alert?  A media alert or media advisory, is a tool used by PR professionals to interest media about an announcement or upcoming event.  Media alerts are to-the-point and answer the questions who, what, when, where and why in less than a page.  They are effective because they draw the journalist in without losing them in the extra verbiage that press releases and media kits tend to contain.

Recently, I have noticed that some PR professionals are using Twitter and Facebook statuses to promote their clients.  I understand where this trend is coming from, but I would suggest that these methods and practices are not as effective in securing TV and print coverage as the media alert.  As far as I know, journalists are not going to hop on their Twitter or Facebook accounts to find their next story.  Just look at how little journalists use other social networking sites, such as LinkedIn.  Our trip to the Philadelphia Inquirer a few weeks ago reaffirms my belief that journalists working at traditional media outlets just are not ready to fully embrace the 140 character trends sweeping the industry.  Yes, the journalist enjoys bite-sized information but sometimes 140 characters just isn’t enough and clicking the provided Web link is an extra step not worth taking.  Journalists are busy, and the more work we do in advance the greater the potential for positive results.  We are nothing if not thorough at ELISE.

Five years from now the traditional media alert might be totally extinct, but as for now it still reigns as king with us.

Happy World Toilet Day?

The next time you excuse yourself to the restroom, you might pause to consider the 2.5 billion people worldwide who lack access to toilets and proper sanitation. That is nearly half the global population, and that is a lot of people. Tomorrow, November 19, is World Toilet Day, and while you probably don’t have it marked on your calendar, it represents a luxury that most of us take for granted. World Toilet Day celebrates the importance of sanitation and raises awareness for the billions of people whose health is endangered without it.

Some of our clients at ELISE are involved in projects that tackle these issues head on, in regions that are at the greatest risk. The Lemelson Foundation has teamed with Ashoka to support Ashoka-Lemelson Fellows who work directly to solve sanitation issues. Isaac Durojaiye founded DMT Mobile Toilets, the first mobile toilet initiative in Nigeria to provide facilities in strategic locations such as markets, parks and streets. Isaac is creating jobs as well, as all toilets are leased to unemployed youth who make fixed returns at the end of the day and keep any profit over that amount. In Kenya, David Kuria is creating high quality sanitation facilities accessible to the urban poor. The founder of IKO (coined from “eco”) Toilet, David engages urban communities in the design, construction, and management of the facilities.

In addition, The NCIIA provided a grant for the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Sustainable Solar Sanitation System. In partnership with the Emory University Center for Global Safe Water, Georgia Tech’s Research Institute has designed, built and tested a system, which, through solar energy, converts waste to fertilizer.

Here at ELISE, we are very inspired by our clients’ work to revolutionize sanitation and improve the health of communities across the world. By spreading the word about World Toilet Day, we hope that our readers will likewise be inspired to consider this global issue. Interested in taking part in the celebration? Check out the list of events. And happy flushing.

“He Just Smiled and Gave Me a Vegemite Sandwich”

I decided that I would take a hiatus from our PR Tools Blog Series and take a moment to comment on a story that I have been following since I returned from my vacation to Australia in September.

While in the land of Oz, I made it a point to try all native foods, ranging from grilled Kangaroo, Tim Tams, potato wedges and sweet chili (my favorite) and Vegemite.  Vegemite, for those of you who don’t know, is a brown, concentrated yeast spread that Aussies use as much as Texans use BBQ sauce.  Meraiah Foley of the New York Times describes the Aussies’ loyalty to the brown goo best when she said: “Australians are passionate about Vegemite.”

Weeks later I stumbled upon a post on  Harvey Chimoff’s Wonderful World of Marketing blog that focused on “the great 2009 Vegemite controversy.” The controversy Chimoff was referring to began shortly after my trip:

In July, Kraft launched a marketing campaign that called for the public to help name the new cream cheese based Vegemite spread.  According to Chimoff: “35,074 people participated; 48,243 names were entered; and of those, 16,071 names were unique.”  On September 26, 2009, Kraft announced the winning name: Vegemite iSnack 2.0.  Foley reported that: “The executives at Kraft chose iSnack 2.0 to reflect that the product had been developed using information gleaned from thousands of online surveys.”

So how did the Aussies receive this new name?  Not with open arms.  Aussies took to Twitter, Facebook and used the media to show their disdain for the name.  Four days later Kraft responded by announcing another naming contest for the formerly-known iSnack 2.0.

“A marketing failure or a publicity coup?” is the question Foley asked.  It seems as though it could have been a publicity stunt to potentially garner more international attention to an otherwise domestic food.  I cannot help but think that it may have just been poor marketing and an over eagerness to associate the spread with technology.

The marketing idea to call on the public to help name the new spread was, in fact, a great idea for two reasons.  First, it aligned itself with the successful naming process of Vegemite back in 1923 by again letting the consumer control the product and name it.  Second, the campaign succeeded in gathering public interest and drove sales of the new product.  But I would suggest that including the public might also be the campaign’s downfall.  By allowing each individual voter to submit a unique name the results became overwhelming and I don’t think Kraft’s marketing team was ready for the feedback.

But then again, maybe society just was not ready for the transition of food names from something sumptuous to something practical and overly-techy like iSnack 2.0.

P[hl]R

Image credit: Flickr user Matthew & Jenny

If you check out our Web site, you’ll see a quick note on ELISE communications’ location in Philadelphia. We love our Old City office; we love that we’re two blocks from Penn’s Landing, three blocks from the Liberty Bell and almost directly behind Betsy Ross’s house. We love seeing tour guides in colonial garb leading groups of schoolchildren through America’s most historic square mile and the sound of hooves as horse-drawn carriages carry tourists right past our front door.

But as much as we love Philadelphia, we’ve found that outside of South Jersey and the Five-County Area, we’re not in the majority opinion. This week, two major Philly-related events—the 2009 World Series and the Transit Workers Union strike—have once again cast Philly in a less-than-positive light. This isn’t good PR for the city, but it’s even worse PR for the people in the spotlight in these stories. So I thought this could be a good opportunity to look at the individual situations from a PR perspective and address how to make the situation more positive. Not by putting a “spin” on the situation that already exists, but by looking at next steps going forward.

Cole Hamels “Can’t Wait” for the Season to End
After the Phillies won the 2008 World Series (the first in nearly thirty years), Cole Hamels was named series MVP. Baseball fans from all over the Delaware Valley couldn’t wait to ride Hamels’ coattails back to another championship. And we very nearly made it there—but no thanks to our former ace. Hamels had an inconsistent season at best, and the Phillies 2009 NLCS victory seemed won more in spite of the pitcher than because of him. And after an inauspicious start in Game 3 of the World Series, in which Cole Hamels blew the Phillies 3-0 lead against the Yankees (final score was 8-5, Yankees), Hamels told the media: “I can’t wait for it to end. It’s been mentally draining,” sending Phillies “phans” and sports talk radio commentators into a tizzy. Although he clarified that, should the series go to the full seven games, he’d still work hard to deliver a win, the damage was done. Even Hamels’ teammates were allegedly upset by his remarks.

Analysis: There’s a song in Damn Yankees—a musical about baseball and a statement I agree with after the World Series—called “You’ve Gotta Have Heart.” Cole Hamels does, and he was wearing his on his sleeve at that press conference. Hamels has remarked that his words were taken out of context, but that’s a risk everyone takes when talking to the media. If ELISE was in his PR team’s shoes, now that the Series is over, I’d see to it that our client gets plenty of rest and gets to spend time with his wife and newborn son, who was born the same day Hamels threw a losing game in the NLDS series. And above all, I’d make sure everyone knows how excited our client is for the 2010 baseball season, and how hard he’s working to have a better year than the last. Hamels can still show he’s got heart—he just needs to prove that it’s in the right place.

TWU Local 234 Walks Out of Contract Negotiations and Goes on Strike; All Bus, Subway and Trolley Service within Philadelphia City Limits Suspended
Very few issues in Philadelphia can get more heated than our sports talks, but this is definitely one of them. Philly’s a very pro-union town, but few people outside of Local 234’s administration are backing the union on this one—even, I’ve heard, many union members themselves. The union first threatened to go on strike while the World Series was in Philadelphia, the Eagles were hosting the Giants and Pearl Jam was performing a four-night stand at the Wachovia Spectrum, but held off until Tuesday of this week—which was election day. Rumors and reports on the strike have abounded since, but one thing is clear: people are angry. Not at the city or SEPTA administrators for not working with the union, but at union leaders for being so out-of-touch with the current economic climate. Even Governor Rendell said that the union was crazy not to accept the deal they were offered just before the strike. TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown hasn’t helped himself any by referring to Mayor Nutter as “Little Caesar,” a statement that’s been met with both ridicule and confusion. As I write this post, Local 234 remains on strike, and the El station a block away remains shuttered. I’ve been driving to work since Tuesday. Although the latest reports indicate that the union is considering a revised offer, the general feeling in the Philly blogosphere and beyond seems to be that whatever the offer is, it’s more than the union deserves.

Analysis: SEPTA struck for a week in 2005 and for over a month in 1998. Three strikes in eleven years isn’t a great track record, and it’s certainly not a way to get into the public’s good graces. If ELISE was handed the public relations responsibilities for the Transit Workers Union Local 234, there are a few things I’d suggest our client do to help with public opinion—beginning, first and foremost, with asking that they consider an essential services clause in their contract. Such clauses are already in the Philadelphia Police Department and Philadelphia Fire Departments’ contracts, and basically prohibit or put restrictions on the ability of a union to strike because the job done by the union is necessary to the functioning of the city it services. This would be a good-faith gesture on the part of the Union, making it clear that they respect the citizens of Philadelphia enough not to leave them stranded again. Additionally, I’d propose that the union suggest SEPTA give free rides within city limits every weekend for a month. It would be a good way to get press to cover Local 234 in a positive way, and it would help make up for some of the cost and inconvenience of the strike to the public. Finally, I would also strongly encourage Local 234 President Willie Brown not to seek re-election when his term expires in a few months’ time. He already understands that he’s the “most-hated man in Philadelphia,” and it’s hard to overcome an obstacle like that. New leadership would give the TWU a fresh start, and if the new president worked to build bridges with Philadelphians rather than burn them, then perhaps he or she would find a more sympathetic public the next time the union’s contract is up for renewal.

What about you, ELISE friends and PR pros? If you were doing PR for one of Philly’s more controversial denizens, how would you make sure that things go from bad to good, instead of from bad to worse? Leave us a comment and let us know your strategy!

Convenience vs. Authenticity: A Journalistic Debate

Last week, the Audit Bureau of Circulations made headlines when it reported that newspaper circulation across the country has dropped 10.6% in the past six months. This decline, the steepest in recent history, is no doubt symptomatic of the recession. However, the newly released statistics also cast light on the ongoing debate about the slow and steady disappearance of the newspaper industry.

With circulation down across the board, it’s hard to argue that people aren’t turning to the Internet for their news. Why pay when you can get it for free? But this makes sense on more than just an economic level: the collective attention span of society is about as long as a toddler’s, and it shortens as more technology becomes available to us. We are constantly in search of the next thing to obsess over, then forget about five minutes later. Lather, rinse, repeat. What better solution, in this quest for instant gratification, than the Internet? Heck, you can even watch TV for free. Still, as convenient as the Internet is for all things newsworthy, I can’t help but wonder if in our growing obsession with the Web, we are missing out on something. I recently had an experience that confirmed this for me.

A couple of weeks ago, ELISE took a field trip to the Philadelphia Inquirer building, where we were very fortunate to be given a tour of the premises, including the newsroom.

Formerly the home of the Inquirer’s printing press, the newsroom contained hundreds of desks, on which stood pre-millennium computers (gasp!) and stacks of old papers, precariously perched around writers working to make deadline. At first glance, it is madness. Yet we at ELISE couldn’t help but see beauty in the chaos. There was a liveliness to the space that came not only from the people inside, but the paper they were working to produce. A newspaper is a tangible entity. When you open it on Sunday morning, you know that physical labor has gone into its creation, from pressing to delivery. While it may be faster and more convenient to scan CNN’s homepage for the latest news, there is an undeniable authenticity to a paper publication that we ought not take for granted.

The other day, Chrissy wrote about the value of the traditional media kit in PR, and how while many agencies have opted to phase them out, here at ELISE, they will never go out of style. Why? Because they cultivate a personalized connection. Not to be sappy, but we use them because we care. Following this train of thought, where the Internet is ephemeral, newspapers and magazines are permanent, concrete. They represent the heart, soul, and a great deal of work by many people. Like many others, I question whether replacing them with Web copy would dilute their purpose. I prefer my paper hot off the presses, not popping off the screen. What do you think?