Public Relations & Social Media Insight

There’s a new ‘surprise’ PR campaign most days at the minute, but this one to highlight the reopening of the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam – the National Museum – on April 13th is really quite good....

A company called Powerful Yogurt is now selling what it calls "the first yogurt in the U.S. designed for a man's health and nutrition needs." The Sandwich Monday gang gives it a very manly taste test.

 

Last week on Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me, we talked about a new yogurt for men, or brogurt, from a company called Powerful Yogurt. Here's what our panelist, comedian Jessi Klein, had to say about it:

"If male yogurt marketing is anywhere near as annoying as female yogurt marketing, you are in for a treat. Every female yogurt commercial is basically like women in a wedding dress just petting a kitten and eating yogurt."

Powerful sent us a crate of the stuff this week. It arrived as all manly products do, carried by a Navy Seal who then punches it into your face....

Cindy Ronzoni had to refrain from her normal duties as a publicist during Hurricane Sandy. She knew that there are just some days you can't do your job and that it's being responsible by not contacting the press during national disasters.

 

...The point I am trying to make with this post is that there are just some days that you can’t do your job, and that’s okay. Would it have hurt if I sent out a general media pitch? Probably not. Would my pitch have been read during that time? Probably not. Was the news I had to communicate a top priority in the events of the world? No.

 

So to all those publicists in training reading this post, please be mindful of the news cycle. Refrain from general product pitches during such times as a national disaster, a Presidential election and mass shootings. By not bothering the media during these times, you’ll gain respect as opposed to the real possibility of losing face with them....

 

[Great reminder that timing is everything when it comes to media relations ~ Jeff]

Many of the stories we read or watch on a daily basis - about celebrity feuds, love affairs, or marriages - are phony stories from Hollywood publicists.

 

At the end of every month, I write an article that lists that month’s five worst video media disasters.

A few weeks ago, I saw a video of a media disaster and thought, “This one has to go on the list.” But the more I thought about it, the more I concluded that it may not have been a media disaster at all, but a purposefully staged “fight” to bring more buzz to a television program.

The video involved two of next season’s new judges for American Idol: singers Mariah Carey and Nikki Minaj. Here’s the clip:...

 

[Fun reading from Mr. Media Training, Brad Phillips ~ Jeff]

Check out the four examples of companies reinventing how they use and present the press release.

 

Every year, for the last ten years, someone has proclaimed that the press release is dying. While the rumors of its demise are exaggerated, they are not totally unfounded. That’s because the press release is, in fact, being eclipsed by digital alternatives that are more flexible, more interesting, and more relevant.

 

...This shift in medium and message represents a new era in corporate communications. News now needs to be conveyed in an empathetic tone and delivered in a user-friendly format....

Owner Samy threatens diner after 90 min wait for pizza"

 

You're about to witness one of the biggest social media meltdowns and PR fails in the short recorded history of the Internet. The big question is was it all a staged publicity stunt?

 

It all happened on the season finale of chef Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Many companies large and small have attempted PR stunts and there are some great examples of successful events large and small that have worked out for the sponsoring company: think Red Bull’s Stratos Mission, with it’s daredevil leap from the edge of space, or Kentucky Fried Chicken’s giant logo in the Nevada desert, or even the granddaddy of them all, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. These efforts and others like them garnered tons of free press coverage for their sponsors, generated millions of impressions, and ultimately led to increased awareness and sales. But for every successful PR stunt that is launched by a wide-eyed marketing team, there are dozens of unsuccessful efforts littering the road. Even though the old saw, “there is no bad PR” is still widely subscribed to, real damage can be done when an attempt at a PR stunt fails, in truth the damage done to a sponsoring company’s reputation can be immense (not to mention the expense). Here are 5 legendary examples of PR efforts gone horribly, terrible, awfully wrong. #fail has never had better friends than these!....

...A ‘synthpop’ duo (I’ve no idea, I’m afraid) were behind a succession of mysterious packages sent to the Pop Justice office.

 

On January 9th, Pop Justice posted this blog, concerning an old school portable cassette player they received in the post:

 

It didn’t have a tape in it and a letter, signed off with a simple H (the eagle-eyes may have spotted an H on the cassette player above, too) told them to keep it handy:

 

Yesterday, Pop Justice’s Peter Robinson blogged again.

 

A hand-written letter, sent from Russia, told how there was a jacket waiting in a dry cleaners with something in one of its pockets, enclosing a collection ticket and address....

Smart PR: Chillisauce auctions World's Largest Bra, raises money for Breast Cancer Campaign...

 

“What can you do for no money?” was the challenge a high-powered venture capitalist (VC) shot at me after I pitched my business idea that required, I thought, $13 million to launch. He was testing me. How committed, driven and passionate was I about my idea. How creative could I get? I think of that line from the VC often when testing my ideas, or considering the aspirations of others. It’s easier to be creative with a lot of money. What can you do with just your imagination?...

 

[Creativity, zero budget for a great cause ~ Jeff]