Hoosier PRSA Blog

James Burnes and Social Integration at the August Luncheon

"What are the top three goals of your CEO?"

Are your digital strategies helping accomplish these goals? James Burnes, Principal and Senior Strategist for Project Brilliant, asked these and many other tough questions to PR pros at the August 10 luncheon in the Sheraton's Panaorama room. Often in charge of social media initiaves, PR pros are especially key to keeping a company's social strategy on track - and thus, must be able to answer these questions.

To view James' presentation online, check out his website. In the video below James shares his top takeaways from Wednesday's presentation.

 

 

The Stinky Sweet Smell of Spin

In mid-September, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) announced that it had petitioned the F.D.A. to allow for the use of “corn sugar” as an alternate name for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). CRA says the goal of the suggested name change is to eliminate consumer confusion. The announcement generated significant buzz across news outlets and social networks.

In a CRA news release regarding the name change, the association’s president, Audrae Erikson is quoted, “Consumers need to know what is in their foods and where their food comes from and we want to be clear with them. The term ‘corn sugar’ succinctly and accurately describes what this natural ingredient is and where it comes from—corn.” 

Some dieticians, nutritionists and food experts applaud the name change as a more accurate portrayal of the product whil others believe it is just plain spin to combat against the much-maligned HFCS product.

As a PRSA member, I cringe when I hear the word spin (almost as much as when I hear a colleague mention advertising equivalency value), but I think that “succinctly and accurately describes” what this is—spin.

Mr. Erikson’s statement contains some carefully placed words and phrases. First, he plays on the trend of consumers’ increasing concern about where their food is sourced. It’s true, interest in farmers markets and an emphasis on “local” is at an all-time high. Movies such as Food Inc. have also helped heighten consumer sentiment on this issue. Folks are increasingly growing their own food in gardens and on patios.

Yet the word corn is in both names. From my vantage point, it’s pretty obvious that the HFCS is corn-based, just as much as corn sugar indicates it is corn-based. I also think they are both equally ambiguous.

Mr. Erikson also points to corn sugar as a natural ingredient. As a former public relations representative for Whole Foods Market and its strict standards, I can tell you that HFCS contains no artificial ingredients – which qualifies the sweetener to be labeled “natural”.

However, it’s a major stretch to say that sugar derives naturally from corn. As NYU Adjunct Instructor of Food Studies Susan Yager points out in this Huffington Post article, Japanese scientists invented the technology to convert cornstarch into fructose and blend it with glucose during the 1960s.

Just as a dried plum is a prune, the fact is that HFCS and corn sugar are exactly the same. It contains exactly the same calories and the human body will react to it in exactly the same way. (There are various versions of HFCS based on the percentage of fructose and glucose.) Like pure sugar cane, fruit juice, honey and beet sugar, a sweetener is a sweetener, and should be consumed in moderation. And one shouldn't expect any nutritional value out of any of them.

What do you think of the proposed name change? Is this just spin? Are the corn refiners doing consumers a favor or themselves?

(Recommended reading: Great expert arguments for/against the name change in this Tara Parker-Pope blog post from The New York Times.) 

Are you working for Darth Vader PR? #iabc10

A few weeks back I had the privilege of attending this year's IABC World Conference in Toronto. (And yes, PRSA members are welcome there.)

I'm not a big keynote speaker kind of guy but I attended Tuesday's luncheon that featured James Hoggan. To American communicators, this name may not mean much but in Canada the guy appears to be pretty damn popular. (When your name's on the sign, you're a pretty big deal.)

He discussed the role that public relations professionals have in the climate change debate. And, according to him, we have a very important role. He cautioned practitioners about working for Darth Vader PR (i.e. the dark side).

He knows that every company has its environmental challenges but it's the stories being told by PR pros that the public hears. He laid it out pretty simply.

1. Do the right thing.
2. Tell everybody you're doing the right thing.

Doing #1 without #2 isn't bad but you're not doing your job. If you do #2 without doing #1, you're working for Darth Vader PR.

The timing of the luncheon topic could not have been better, given what BP is currently embroiled in with its oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. And anybody would tell you there have been some serious PR missteps, but right now they're PR people better be doing #1 first.

James also shared this rather disturbing video, highlighting the challenges companies face with the availability and accessibility of social media by environmental adversaries. The clip from Greenpeace criticizes (to put it mildly) Nestle for some of its environmental practices.

I'm not here to say who's right and wrong, but this video presents the challenges faced by public relations practitioners.

(I've chosen not to embed the video due to its graphic nature so I will caution those with a timid stomach.)

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Photo credit: Roger Bits

PR Getting Social Media Budgets

"For us in the social media industry," writes Laura Fisher of Simply Zest, "we’ll all be familiar with the landgrab that’s currently going on. Ever since the concept of social media emerged, different industries have tried to claim it as their own, be it marketing, PR, advertising or search."

But a study by the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism says PR is winning the battle of social media budget control. 

Here's the break down:

• 25.4% of corporate participants in the survey gave 81-100% budgetary control of social media to PR/Comms.
• 12.6% claiming they gave the same amount of control to marketing,

It looks like PR is winning. No?

Because social media lends itself to providing conversation platforms, no surprise public relations professionals are better at this, and senior management has taken note. Interesting, however, I maintain that social media marketing is different than social PR. Here's why. Different segments of communication take a different approach to social media. Web designers build apps, PR invites bloggers to a launch, and advertisers dump money into buying their fans.

So what does this mean for public relations?

Some might ask: "Who owns social media, then?" And the problem is in the question. Everyone owns social media. So PR should continue to do its part well -- building, growing and maintaining relationships and community -- and work with web designers to create apps, and marketing people to buy fans.

Besides generating revenue for our clients, the bottom line for PR professionals using social media is to leverage it to create easier communication channels between stakeholders, publics, and organizations.

‘Explorations in PR’ - Agency Life

On Monday, March 8, I was interviewed for the second ‘Explorations in Public Relations’ video produced through the IUPUI Masters in PR program. ‘Explorations in PR’ is a series of short video interviews, conducted by past Hoosier PRSA president, Bob Dittmer, APR, which explores and illuminates the practice and profession of public relations. As the second video in the series, Bob interviewed me about PR agency life.  As an employee at Borshoff, one of Indianapolis’ biggest PR and advertising agencies, it was an honor to share my knowledge and experiences.

As a young professional, there is only so much I can offer at this point and time unlike some of my colleagues. However, as I told Bob, I am learning more and more every day and getting better at it as I go. Here are some of the highlights from the video.

As an account coordinator, my job responsibilities include media relations, planning, consulting, writing, internal communications, branding and marketing, research and more. In essence, I am the liaison and professional communicator between clients and their stakeholders. In return, I deliver strategic and optimal results. It’s just the Borshoff way.

I also shared advice to young professionals just starting out in the biz. My suggestions included:

• Be calm and confident in what you do;
• Dress for the position you want;
• Grow and develop through constructive criticism;
• Learn from your mistakes; and
• Smile—get along with everyone.

Finally, Bob asked why I chose to go for my Masters immediately after graduating from Butler. My answer was simply that I wanted to have an advantage over my competitors in this tough economy…and I think it might be working.

Check out my ‘Explorations in Public Relations’ interview and others on You Tube and Facebook.

19-year-old Bristol Palin is starting a PR firm? What do you think?

You can read the Bloomberg piece here.

Sure, maybe she's just planning ahead for after she gets her education? And she'll certainly claim she has experience with media. But... whoa.

So, what are your thoughts about this? I see an industry cringing....

The Story of the Ghost

A few days ago, an Indianapolis-based freelance writer issued a post on her blog on the topic of ghostblogging. She refers to herself as a writer, ghost blogger and social media rock star. In her post, she defended the practice of ghostblogging and rejected claims that her work is unethical, inauthentic and outright lying.

I happen to agree with her and provided my two cents on the subject by commenting on her blog. Another local PR practitioner was so adamant that ghostblogging is equal to lying that she proceeded to blog about it herself and even issued a tweet that her post would render myself and this ghostblogger “speechless.” Hardly. The debate continued all day on Twitter with dozens jumping into the debate, some with humor, some with support of one side or the other, and some begging for the whole thing to stop.

The fact that there is a debate at all indicates to me that this is a gray area. It’s not as black and white as some would like to believe.

I conducted some research on the issue and rather than try to create some impassioned post myself, please see this post by Jason Falls: "The Ethics of Ghost Blogging." I agree with his thoughts on the subject 100%. I don’t think I can say it any better—especially the four bullet points at the end of his post. Another Indy-based blogger wrote an equally interesting post on the subject ("Making the Argument for Ghost Blogging. Yet Again.") that sums up my opinions on the subject well.

What do you think? And please consider, that the term "ghostblogger" isn’t the issue, the issue is writing on behalf of your clients and/or employer and the appropriate degree/relevance of disclosure that writing services were provided (at least that’s how I see it).

The Purpose of the News Release

Just last week, I received an email from a peer in which he proceeded to tell me what news releases are meant to do in response to an opinion I expressed. I had said that I didn’t think a quote was necessary for a particular release on which our respective clients were collaborating. 

While I didn’t really appreciate the condescending tone of his message, it did make me think – what is the purpose of the news release?

He said releases are meant to tell a story and that quotes add context to a story. I agree that quotes add context to a story, but I don’t think that’s the point of a news release.

I think the point of a news release is to provide (i.e., release) information and generate interest for a story. Hopefully the reporter will cover the story, conduct an interview and include quotes in their story to add context.

I can’t think of a time in which I had a journalist use a quote from a news release in their story. Most of the time, they are made-up, overly crafted, jargon-speak that a real human would never say.

However, maybe we’re both wrong. With the rise of social media, perhaps the purpose of the news release is to start a conversation.

What do you think is the purpose of the news release?

Ethical Public Relations - Join us on 090909

I recently attended a bloggers conference in which one individual asked the presenter, "If PR isn't about spin, then what is it?"

That question could open up a whole can of worms, but what it implies is that PR professionals lack ethical standards. As a member of PRSA and a board member of the Hoosier Chapter, I pointed out to this individual, and the rest of the audience, that we have a code of ethics that the Society takes very seriously.

Unfortunately, there are some practitioners out there there giving PR a bad name because of their flawed ethical standards (or lack thereof). Perhaps you've been following the debacle around Sigg and whether its older-model water bottles contain BPA, or maybe you've heard about the PR agency that was having its interns post positive reviews of client apps on Apple's App Store. There was also a kerfuffle recently about a small PR firm's handling of accidentally CC-ing a pitch to several bloggers, journalists and industry leaders--the firm's reputation was shattered in minutes. 

With these thoughts in mind, you are invited to attended the Hoosier Chapter's monthly luncheon meeting on September 9 (090909). The luncheon will star some of our own member professionals posing ethical dilemmas – real problems they have faced.  The presenters will include Shari Morey of Batesville Casket Company, Inc.; Erik Johnson, APR, Fellow, from Borshoff; and David Shank, APR, Fellow, of Shank Public Relations Counselors.

The audience will be the ethics evaluators at each of your luncheon tables. Together, you and your colleagues will discuss the cases presented and create solutions to the problems posed. 

PR educators Debra Worley, Indiana State University; Ray Begovich, Franklin College; and Jim Bright, Indiana University, will facilitate the table discussions.

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Location: Hilton Indianapolis, 120 W Market St (map/directions)
Parking: There is free parking at the Hilton on Market St. Parking vouchers will be available at the registration desk. Note: If the Parking Garage says, "FULL" please pull up and tell them you are with PRSA and you will be able to park there.
Time: Registration and networking -- 11:30 a.m., lunch -- 12 p.m., program -- 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Cost: Member, $25; Guest, $40; Student, $18
Note: Each attendee will receive an official copy of the PRSA Code of Ethics.

TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE

To Sponsor, or Not to Sponsor Sponsored Conversations Online

When I was a journalist, about once a week I'd receive a media kit in the mail. I'd even have sources invite me to lunch, or offer to buy me a martini. What's wrong with that? As a budding journalist, my editor told me that accepting those things could compromise my objectivity. And maybe so. Admittedly, I took a few of those lunches and accepted a martini or two. Even accepted a media kit. One thing I never did was accept money to slant a story toward the positive. That's what we call a bribe. But media has changed. We have bloggers now. Some consider themselves journalist, others do not. But they are, for the most part, insanely independent. Loyal to their readers. There are no checks and balances anymore, less the moral twinge that for many pricks their soul. So is sponsored conversations with bloggers good?

The short answer is yes. With a caveat, of course.

Sponsored conversations are supported "through financial or material compensation to bloggers in exchange for their posting blog content about a brand," according to Sean Coroan, a Forrester analyst. He states that "sponsored conversation is controversial; many bloggers many believe it threatens bloggers' reputation for independence." In there lies the rub. How do we as public relations professionals, influence the influencers without compromising a blogger's independence? Again, the simple answer is to remember social media begins and ends with people. So building mutual trust between bloggers and public relations professionals is job critical. To help, I've included a few links about blogger relations:

• Bloggers & PR Are Not Enemies: But Quality Efforts Are Needed
• Blogger Relations (and Social Media Release!) Case Study
• Rethinking Blogger Relations
• Blogger Relations 101
• PR Bludgeons Itself :: Again!
• Lessons in Blogger Relations

Building relationships isn't much different than media relations. Now some of my social media colleagues may be pounding their fist on the table and yelling, No! No!. But I'm not talking about mediocre relationship-building. I'm talking about extraordinary relationship-building. Remember, social media begins and ends with people. Have you heard that somewhere before? There are several benefits to sponsored conversations and blogger relations, in general:

• Cheap and scalabe.
• Far-reaching.
• Great for search engine optimization.
• Persuasive.

But the last point is what I want to tease out. If blogger relations is an extension of media relations, then sponsored conversations is a extension of blogger relations. When you pay a blogger to write about your product, your editorial control stops there. Let go. Back away. And make sure you tell the blogger to disclose their relationship with you. But they will probably do that already. Transparency is king! Here's the benefit, though.

Sponsored conversations still hold the weight of third-party endorsement. That means if the copy is compelling, and the blogger has a trusting readership, then it's just like word of mouth. If the blogger was a journalist, and readers know that, the credibility is even greater. See, many journalists are opting for the blog because there's no editor censor, or advertising censor. When I wrote for a newspaper, one loyal advertiser threaten to pull thousands of dollar of advertising if the editor published my story. Guess what? My piece never saw the light of day. So, Corcoran gives us these pointers:

• Insist the blogger disclose your relationship.
• Keep your hands and red ink to yourself.
• Partner with bloggers who write for your target audience.
• Measure. Monitor. Listen.

Building relationship with bloggers is hard work. But it's worth it. In Twitter under my hashtag #socialmediapr, I written that social media is like a marriage. You're either in or you're out. (Something like that.) The point being, good relationships take work. Hard work. Do your part. The rewards will be worth it.