Public Relations in my mind

After a year at college, I decided to change my major. After careful debate, and help from advisors, I decided to change my major from nursing to public relations, and for the past year, I have not been disappointed with my change. The classes I’ve taken so far have really enlightened me as to what the PR industry really is like, and what would be expected of me as a PR professional. In my Principles of Public Relations course, I learned a lot about different popularized PR campaigns. One of my favorite’s that I learned about was the Coca Cola Share a Coke campaign, which is a campaign that sold bottles of coca cola with names on them, so you could buy a bottle with your name on it, and could even customize bottles online. Another campaign that I really liked was the MasterCard Priceless Surprises campaign, which featured singer Justin Timberlake surprising MasterCard users by appearing at their house. 

This class has taught me a lot about what is required of a public relations professional. A year ago, I thought it would be as simple as running the twitter account for a company, or putting on events. I realized it is much more than just that. The PR process requires great creativity, because you do create events, but have to do much more than that. You need to figure out how to get the word out about this event, how to make people want to attend the event, and what to do during the event to make sure that everyone enjoys it. You need to make sure that there is media coverage at the event, so people that didn’t go try to make it to your next event. This means that there are social media, advertising, and journalism components to being in the public relations field, so it’s important to have a basic knowledge of all of these important subjects as well, which is something that I’ve learned through my principles of public relations course. Overall, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve learned about PR so far, and I hope to continue learning as much as possible. 

 

PR photo used by my sorority to advertise for our philanthropic event, Kickin’ It For a Cure for the Arthritis Foundation. 

Microsoft makes a bad move against Google

Microsoft is known for its software and other technology products. But did you know they sell clothes now? Microsoft has released a new line of products that are anti-Google, including shirts, hats, and coffee mugs. All of the products contain some slur against Google, the most recurring one, “Scroogled.” People are responding to these products in a way that Microsoft was not expecting. 

This move doesn’t make Google look bad– it ruins Microsoft’s image. Microsoft is now seen as “the big bullies” and it’s only providing sympathy toward their rival company. Not only is the product line offensive, it’s hard to come by unless you search the direct link to the website. It appears to be a quiet shout for attention and contempt from Microsoft, and the public is disappointed in the company for this move.

As a public relations practitioner of this company, I would first of all, have never let this become a real product line. Now that the products are out however, I would handle this situation very delicately. I would first reach out to Google and extend apologies and make a statement that it was simply a gag merchandise line, and possibly even encourage Google to release anti-Microsoft merchandise. This could encourage some friendly competition and may improve sales for both companies for users engaging in a “Microsoft versus Google war”. I would also release a statement to the media saying the merchandise is a joke. If Google responded kindly to the ‘war,’ then I would also include in the media statement that we were eagerly awaiting Google’s comeback. If Google was uninterested and did not respond well, then I would include in the statement that the products were no longer being sold, and we would cancel any orders, along with an apology. 

Here is the link if you think these products are harmless and are interested in buying. 

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/cat/Scroogled/categoryID.67575900

 

Do you think Microsoft is wrong here? Or do you think the media and public are overreacting? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think!

Gap doesn’t like graffiti

Advertisements at street level are always in jeopardy of being tampered with or defaced by graffiti. Usually companies place their ads and do not monitor them if they are tampered with and just leave them, until they replace them with different ads. Gap is keeping an eye on their latest advertisement, a photograph of Sikh designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia with the words, “Make Love,” next to the photo.

Photo taken by Twitter user Arsalan Iftikhar (@TheMuslimGuy)

Racist remarks were written on the advertisement, as can be seen in the photo above. Gap immediately responded to Twitter user Arsalan Iftikhar (@TheMuslimGuy), who tweeted a picture of the ad. Gap quietly replaced the defaced ad with a fresh one, and sent a photo of the replaced ad to Iftikhar, encouraging him to spread the new ad.

Gap handled this situation very well. They quietly responded to the situation, and instead of making an general attacks, they simply encouraged twitter users to spread the replaced ad. It’s nice to see a company making an effort to keep their advertisements free from graffiti, since it normally isn’t a concern because so many ads are placed around the country. Gap was clearly prepared for the situation, and took the proper actions. I was very impressed with the PR team in what could have been a big crisis.

Check out the related articles, and see the full story. Give your support to Gap and follow on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Gap) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/gap).

Related articles

• The Inspiring Way Gap Responded To Racist Graffiti (huffingtonpost.com)
• Vandals’ Hateful Words on Gap Ad Walloped by a Must-See Response (thestir.cafemom.com)
• SEE Gap’s amazing response after an ad featuring a Sikh model is defaced (pix11.com)

Is Black Friday the new Black Plague?

Perhaps the biggest holiday of the year is Christmas, a time for being appreciative of what one has, and giving to those who don’t. The beginning of this holiday season is symbolized by Thanksgiving, a day in which we reflect on all that we are thankful for. Yet the following day is considered the biggest shopping day of the entire year– Black Friday. We talk about all that we are thankful for, and then within hours are fighting each other in the aisles of stores for the best deals. What’s worse is now, Black Friday doesn’t even begin on Friday anymore. Retail workers are ripped from their Thanksgivings in order to open up stores to the demanding public on Thursday.

But some stores are not alone in the idea that Thanksgiving should be about time with family, and not about the latest and greatest deal. Stores like Costco, Nordstrom, BJ’s, and other larger stores have decided to shut their doors and let employees take the day off, as they deserve (http://www.prnewsonline.com/water-cooler/2013/11/27/retailers-look-to-boost-pr-by-staying-closed-on-black-friday/).

These companies are making a great move. Not only does it boost employee morale, it also presents a good image to the public. These companies look family-oriented, and are more likely to get patient shoppers the next day, and in the future. If I were a public relations practitioner for a retail company, I would definitely encourage corporate headquarters to give employees the day off on Thanksgiving. I would also propose an idea to close for Black Friday as well, and instead offer the same quality of sales and discounts for the entire week following Black Friday. Generally, shoppers pick and choose which places they visit on Black Friday and in which order so they can get the best deals, and our store may be cut from the list. By closing Black Friday, we increase employee morale even further. We also will increase the probability that a greater number of customers will come in the following week and purchase more things.

Thanksgiving begins the start of a great holiday about giving. So why does it start with self-centered shopping?

The War on Wages

Fast-food employees are demanding higher wages, and are going on strike to prove their point. The strike includes organizations like Fast Food Forward and Fight for 15, and are backed by Service Employees International Union. The strike is planned to take place in over 100 cities, and public relations practitioners are trying to keep the situation under control. 

PRNewsOnline discusses several helpful hints to keep in mind when dealing with a PR crisis, with my own interpretation (http://www.prnewsonline.com/water-cooler/2013/12/02/communication-strategies-in-response-to-wage-strikes/).

• Train telephone gatekeepers to keep accurate phone records. This is true of any company at any time, not just during a PR crisis. This ensures that untrue or discriminating information is not leaked and a situation can be contained. It also ensures that when a statement is made, it can be as accurate as possible. 
• Assign one spokesperson to communicate with journalists. This is a must. If there is one person speaking on behalf of the company, there is only one message being given out and the message cannot get mixed up. 
• Never say “no comment.” Even without the studies to support it, I think it is always better to have an ambiguous minimal statement than to have no statement at all. It often implies that you are unprepared, or don’t know how to defend yourself. 
• Send written statements in response to reporters’ queries. A PR practitioner can release a concise statement that has all of the facts and provides a certain image for the company, that cannot be skewed by a reporter in an in-person or phone interview. It also saves PR practitioners from being surprised with questions they’re not prepared for, although every practitioner should be. 
  
• Issue new releases selectively and strategically. All releases must be done this way, not just in a crisis. A strategic practitioner allows releases to paint the best picture of a company or organization as well as get out the information needed. 

Something that I think any practitioner should keep in mind is thinking on ones feet. In press conferences, a practitioner can’t always be prepared for the questions asked. It’s important to imagine questions that may be asked and prepare answers, and to be prepared to come up with an answer on the spot. 

What else do you think is helpful to know as a PR practitioner? Leave a comment below!

GoldieBlox in hot water over parody song

A toy company named GoldieBlox recently released a new commercial for one of their products, called the Princess Machine, a Rube Goldberg styled product. The commercial features a song about young girls abilities to engineer and create whatever they want in life. However, anyone who knows the famous song “Girls” by the Beastie Boys may recognize the song playing in the commercial. One of the last dying wishes of one of the band members, Adam “MCA” Yaunch, who died May 2012 of cancer, was to not have the music of the band used in advertising of any kind. The band also came to a general consensus on this subject as well years ago. So how did the song end up in this commercial? 

GoldieBlox made a parody of the song and used it in their commercial, and then filed a lawsuit against Beastie Boys for threatening them with copyright infringement. The Beastie Boys “claim that the GoldieBlox Girls Parody Video is a copyright infringement, is not a fair use and that GoldieBlox’s unauthorized use of the Beastie Boys intellectual property is a ‘big problem’ that has a ‘very significant impact.’ ” (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/beastie-boys-girls-viral-video-659308) All of this is just another copyright battle between companies, but what makes this a public relations nightmare is that there have been numerous attacks against GoldieBlox on their Facebook page that the company has not responded to. If I were handling this crisis, I would be working on it in a completely different way. I would first of all, respond to comments made on the Facebook page. I would also try to keep all material about the lawsuit out of the media. After speaking with a representative from the Beastie Boys, I would also try to see if there was a way to settle out of court. After taking these steps, I would then release a statement to the public either apologizing for use of the song, or stating that we had gained permission for use of the song and apologize on behalf of the company for using the song without the necessary permissions first.

How would you handle this PR crises? Do you think GoldieBlox is justified because it’s not the exact same song? Or is it still copyright infringement? Leave your thoughts in a comment below!

Here is the commercial:

Chivalry isn’t dead

On the shores of St. Petersburg beach, an elderly couple takes a sunset stroll.
Photo by Kim Strathman

Rock On

Brian Kelley, of Florida Georgia Line, playing his heart out at the Dallas Bull in Tampa.
Photo taken by Kim Strathman

Patience is the key to the register

A cashier at Walmart at Bruce B. Downs Blvd in Tampa helps out an angry customer with practiced patience.
Photo taken by Kim Strathman

The campus pet

Student Caitlyn Furbee, a Business Administration major at the University of South Florida Tampa campus, is at one with nature playing with local squirrels.
photo taken by Kim Strathman