Not your average news link

Have you ever seen a company's news page in the form of a blog?  Novita Issue Communications posts its news releases into a blog, headed by a podcast.  The podcast isn't a simple rehash of the news release but changes up the lede and integrates the voice of the client.  I love it.  Hearing the client speak adds to her credibility.  Makes it feel like the words are from a human and not thrown together by the firm for a client.  I'm curious as to how the blog format affects audience receptivity.

Nothing like a good apology

Earlier this week, Scott Baradell posted a brilliant excerpt on the subject of apologies from Ireland's Sunday Business Post.

Four steps to a good apology:

1. Be timely
2. Offer clear public acceptance of the damage done
3. Understand the other side's point of view
4. Rehabilitate the relationship

The post reminds me of wisdom passed down from Communications Director Frank Michel during my intern days at the City of Houston's Mayor's Office, which I wrote about in an undergrad paper:

Survival of organizations is contingent upon the publics’ confidence in the institution and its leaders.  The extent of that confidence dictates the extent of the public’s trust, says Frank Michel.  Trust allows effective operation by fostering public participation and cooperation.  Public relations should emphasize trust by creating a bridge between an organization and its publics.  When the organization is aloof, it cannot expect positive relationships.  When problems arise, publics are less likely to give the organization the benefit of the doubt. 

Michel also says public relations gives organizations and leaders an opportunity to show their humanity by admitting mistakes and rejecting a facade of perfection.  A leader who elevates himself above his publics alienates them, while a leader unafraid of displaying humility can connect with publics.  For example, after Chrysler and two of its executives were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, company chairman Lee Iacocca apologized for the “lapse in judgment.”  Berg and Robb write Iacocca was able “to accept responsibility for corporate mistakes, however benign, without assuming personal guilt"  (Toth and Heath 106).  Mistakes occur with or without devious intentions and must be acknowledged.  Houston Chronicle columnist Loren Steffy explains, “Admitting a wrong means being held accountable.”  Admission lends credibility to a company and facilitates trust.

The Sunday Business Post excerpt also refers to the tendency in the political arena to shift blame. What a salient issue in light of the scandal surrounding Houston City Council's Mayor Pro Tem Office.  I deeply respect Council Member Carol Alvarado, but she's had trouble with steps 1 and 2.  If she can nail steps 3 and 4, she may see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Interestingly enough, I briefly interned in the Mayor Pro Tem Office last year, so I tend to hold out more hope than the media and agree with some bloggers that this isn't the end of her political days.

Consumer control’s the thing

While I applauded Chevy’s engaging of the consumer with its contest, Jackie Huba of Church of the Customer Blog had a different opinion.  A few days before I posted on the topic, she had this to say:

Some marketing blogs are calling this “consumer generated media.” 

Calling it CGM is rather generous. I disagree. It’s really a game. To wit: Participants submit their finished commercials to win prizes.

The finished “commercials” — which are assembled using standard car-ad imagery and music pre-selected by Chevy — hardly fit the CGM rallying cries of consumer control. Nor are the finished videos posted for community comments or votes. The commercials cannot be distributed beyond the campaign website, so the notions of widespread viral distribution via YouTube or Google Video are dashed. Everything, except the copy, is all very much under the control of the Tahoe brand manager.

In all fairness to GM, this dawning age of citizen marketing is virgin territory. Any campaign by a big company into these waters is bound to loudly sink or swim. But should companies wish to engage their evangelists by inviting them to create multimedia love poems, they would do well to free participants from ponderous limitations. Converse, Vespa, and even the rock group Nine Inch Nails have nicely demonstrated some of the potential of true customer empowerment.

Jackie makes me realize my comparison of Toyota and Chevy was shallow.  Sure, Toyota fails to engage the casual Web surfer while Chevrolet offers more bells and whistles.  But today, generating interest has to be more than an “opportunity to create digital graffiti set to music,” and products can extend greater reach through consumer control.

John Wagner of Wagner Communications offers more insight on this topic, saying the typical Tahoe demographic is unlikely to enter the contest anyway.  He calls promotions like Chevy’s “forced” and even “a little silly.”  

Toyota: a 10 for missing the mark

I was intrigued by an online Toyota ad spotlighting the number 10, which is how many Toyota plants operate in the US.  Though the ad dazzled, it turned out to be a waste on Toyota’s part because the Web site linked to the ad held no value for me as a consumer.  I was thoroughly uninterested as Toyota invited me to learn more about its US operations and what makes it the fourth largest automaker here.  There are plenty of ways Toyota could appeal to car enthusiasts and others by telling a story, profiling everyday Toyota drivers or facilitating discussion on issues important to motorists.  Toyota’s ad dollars go down the drain when they glorify Toyota but don’t show what’s in it for the consumer. 

Chevrolet taps into consumer interest with its contest to to design a Chevy Tahoe commercial.  Its interactive Web page allows you to immediately get started by dragging and dropping clips of the vehicle into frames.  Way to engage the audience.

Earbuds: the newest sign of intelligence?

In the quest of Apple’s marketing geniuses to mesh the iPod with college curriculums, they’ve won over Georgia College & State University, the Houston Chronicle reported this morning.  Students are downloading class films and lectures to iPods.  One professor goes so far as to create a weekly FAQ podcast for students.  Harvard Medical School is in on this, too.  If iPods were hot when I was in high school, they probably would have been banned from classes like walkmans and CD players.  Apple anticipates this threat by promoting the educational reach of the fun and entertaining technology.  Now, a kid with earbuds poking out of her head isn’t necessarily “wasting” time.

Maximize your university fees

A tip for students ever grieving the loss of free publications online (like PRWeek last November):  Log into your university’s online library system and do a journal search.  The University of Houston carries PRWeek, PR Tactics and PR Quarterly. You can also score those select articles from The Economist and New York Times that require subscriptions to be read online.

Chevron wants you to join the conversation

Chevron is promoting discourse on energy policy, with a Web site aiming to tap into “Human Energy.”  More of a discussion board than a blog, comments are moderated and required to abide by community guidelines.  Chevron presents the facts and includes perspectives by energy experts on local policy and Asia-Pacific policy.  I think the Human Energy campaign is right on target in today’s participatory/conversation age. 

Flaunting the rules?

Reading publications like The Guardian and Economist and popular blogs, I’ve noticed the placement of punctuation outside quotes, contrary to the way my high school English and college Journalism teachers fervently preached. 

Here’s what my old Journalism prof (and Houston Chronicle Senior Copy Editor) had to say:

“If you’re seeing punctuation outside quote marks, that’s just people getting it wrong. It is an AP rule, yes, but it’s fairly commonplace throughout the industry whether people strictly adhere to AP style or not. It’s almost more a grammar thing than a style thing.”

 

Rolling out

Circles convey both movement and stability, beginnings and ends that converge yet take on an identity of their own.  Everyone has a story, and our stories, though unique, converge at vital points, and those are the points through which we create conversations and evolve.