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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....
Jason Sadler, a 30-year-old entrepreneur, is auctioning off rights to his last name for one year so that he can can raise money to invest in his IWearYourShirt startup. Sadler, who lives in Jacksonville, Fla., makes a living wearing T-shirts. For a fee, Sadler will wear a sponsored T-shirt featuring a company's logo for a full day or an entire week. He calls his company IWearYourShirt and, of course, uses social media to get the word out about his latest clients.
But like any small-business person, he needs capital.
Which leads to his latest idea: He is holding an online auction and will legally change his last name to the name of any company that makes the highest bid....
[$250K in revenue, ingenuity, lots of buzz. Top bid is $34.5K so far. Successful or stupid? Comments alone are worth reading. ~ Jeff]
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]
Just another week in the crazy world of PR and publicity. Drew Kerr assesses the week in ballyhoo and finds it as always, desperately seeking attention. ~ Jeff
Timing a launch is one of the single most critical business decisions to be made, but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. The term "launch" holds different meanings to each entrepreneur. Some immediately think of a media blitz as the pillar of a launch, but I've seen many startups launch publicly much too early because they want their idea covered in every major news and trade outlet right away. That comes secondary to developing a sustainable product or business model. It may seem counterintuitive, but it's best to avoid media blitz until you have fully fleshed out your idea. Here are seven signs you're actually ready to launch publicly... [Really useful guidelines for small business and entrepreneurs ~ Jeff]
I’m fortunate to work at an organization that encourages employees to volunteer and give back to the community. As a guy who loves to work with nonprofits, this makes me so happy. Throughout the year, in and outside of work, I help nonprofits publicize their events to the public. It’s not only an opportunity to fundraiser for a cause, it also gives the nonprofit a chance to tell their story to the community. I just finished helping with PR for the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales in Richmond and thought some of the best practices would be helpful to other organizations. So, without further ado, here are 10 tips for getting the word out about your event... [10 basic tips for event publicity - JD]
Free publicity on the social media sites and in newspapers and magazines, and on TV and radio, is a lot easier with these 50 tips to get you started. Promote a product, market a service, advocate a cause, or take a stand on an issue using these DIY publicity ideas. Whether you need online visibility or offline publicity, or both, small business publicity campaigns and nonprofit marketing pros will find no shortage of tips. [Joan Stewart's 50 free publicity tips page is a gold mine for DIY publicists and media relations managers - JD]
In the era of the Kardashians and Donald Trump, everyone knows it’s crucial to toot your own horn as often (and as loudly) as possible. Of course, gaining press is a catch-22: you need more coverage because you’re not well-known, and you’re not well-known because you’re not splashed across the front pages. Not all is lost, however. Even if you don’t have a big name, it is possible to get more press and make media connections on your own. You just have to know where to look....
PR Examples is a blog dedicated to celebrating the best in PR and social media marketing, stunts, campaigns and efforts. [An enjoyable daily read from Rich Leigh and guest bloggers - JD]
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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....
Commuters travelling near the river this morning were left wondering if they’d had something slipped into their Weetabix, as a giant rubber duck casually paddled down the Thames.
Via Joana Machado
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]
Red Bull was more than just along for the ride Sunday when Felix Baumgartner successfully touched down on Earth after a jump of 128,000 feet in a mere space suit. Some observers are telling us that sponsorship boundaries were also shattered along with the sound barrier, which was officially known as Red Bull Stratos. Folks watched on YouTube (more than 8 million livestreams), followed in the tweetosphere, and later caught up with the feat on blogs, traditional news broadcasts and print articles. Speculating that it may be “the most successful marketing campaign of all time,” Huffington Post’s Janean Chun writes that the brand “broke the traditional barriers of marketing, sponsorship and social media, skyrocketing from an energy drink known for providing a quick buzz to a big-time generator of international buzz that makes the endeavors of other marketing innovators like Apple look small by comparison.” That is indeed quite a leap, but Leverage Agency CEO Ben Sturner tells Chun that Red Bull stands to rack up “tens of millions of dollars” in sales because the stunt “hits the brand message spot on, which is that Red Bull gives you wings.”...
While catching a reporter's attention seems impossible, a few pitches have lived to tell the tale. Here are the stories of five savvy and successful ones. Do you pitch via email?
Reporters can easily get 50 to 100 pitches a day in their inboxes. That's a lot of mail, and they can't possibly read and respond to it all. Your pitch really needs to stand out.
While it's important for PR pros engaging in media relations to have a solid story and a better news hook, another essential pitching tip is to have a clever way to earn reporters' attention. Here are five examples of creative pitches that worked.... [Nice! ~ Jeff]
Prestigious brands like Badgley Mischka, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein will take to the runways September 6-13 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. These and other design icons will showcase their Spring 2013 collections, while some industry up-and-comers will carve out a niche for themselves in the highly competitive fashion world. In anticipation of this event, we’ve used Cision’s media database to compile 50 independent blogs in North America that cover fashion and ranked them based on our Cision Influence Rating. Covering everything from high fashion to athletic footwear, these blogs provides updates of the latest trends, and some can be contacted to help you promote your latest brand.... [Awesome free media relations, blogging, marketing resource from Cision. Kudos to them for making it available - JD]
Cause marketing can be tricky. You need to make sure the cause you are supporting aligns with your branding and that the two come together for a win-win. This is even more important if you are just one. Molson M, which is a craftsman version of Molson Beer brewed and sold in Canada, is conducting a cause marketing campaign that seems to get that balance right. Its massive Liquid Art campaign, which consists of outdoor advertising, video ads (see below) and a social media components, centers around the idea that beer making is an art, and like other art forms, it can be mastered....
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....
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This is a really useful list and social media resource.