Simple Stunts Get Noticed … Tis the Season!

October 23, 2008 by kraig

Having trouble gaining mainstream consumer attention? Why not turn to magic … or smoke and mirrors. Sometimes all you need to do to get your brand covered globally is spook a few people with a little hocus pocus.

Case in point: Ad Age reported about a You Tube video making the rounds called “Harry Potter - Magic Coffee Cup.” According to Ad Age’s coverage of this “idea of the week,” a shopping mall in Sri Lanka ran the promotion, where a “magic coffee cup” stirred itself in what appears to be a mall’s food court. This undoubtedly captured headlines and attention for the shopping mall, which had teamed up with the Harry Potter franchise.

Nothing like a simple stunt to get people to take notice. In this case, media attention followed. Most likely, so did increased foot traffic and sales … so now it’s time to tune in for the US copy cats; what kind of stunts will the U.S. be busting out to attract the always coveted (especially this year) holiday shopper?

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Change default settings on Office ‘07

October 14, 2008 by kraig

One of the latest annoyances to reporters in the world of media relations is courtesy of Microsoft. Office, which sits on practically every functional computer today, has apparently grown some new functionality in Office 2007. Unfortunately, interoperability (while there) possesses some big problems, and default settings don’t lend themselves nicely to the job of media relations, where we need to take reasonable steps to make things easy for the media contacts with which we work.

Earlier this year, while working with a PReturn client that consistently commissions and publishes third party consumer data on the online marketing industry, the client sent over a several MB PowerPoint deck that supposedly contained graphic displays and overviews of their latest survey. But before I could see any of that, I got the dreaded error message: “This file was created by a newer version of Microsoft PowerPoint. Do you want to download a compatibility pack so that you can work with this file?” I was then given the option of choosing yes or no, and only after selecting yes was I whisked away to the Microsoft site and prompted to download a 27.5 MB file. Of course, I downloaded the pack and all was well, but …

How many reporters do you think would go through this trouble? If you’re lucky, a reporter will tell you they had some issues and couldn’t open the file in which case you can correct the problem by saving it in the 2003 format as a “Presentation.” If you’re not lucky, they’ll cancel out of that error message, delete the email and never pay it another thought without first being prompted to do so by you.

So what to do to correct the problem and get your media relations efforts back on track?

  1. First of all, remember to never send attachments unless a contact has specifically asked you to do so
  2. Also remember that most reporters do not upgrade their Office suite every time the folks at Microsoft decide to release one
  3. Ideally, if you’re using Office 2007, change all default settings to save files as the standard 2003 versions (Presentation for PowerPoint, Word Document for Word, etc.)
  4. Beware the “x” … all 2007 file types seem to include an “x” at the end of the file extensions; so while a PowerPoint Presentation carries the .ppt file extension, a PowerPoint 2007 Presentation would instead carry a .pptx file extension
  5. Whenever sending an office attachment to a reporter, make sure the X is not there and go with the lowest common denominator file format (standard 2003 formats work for nearly every person with an office suite on their computer)

Follow these simple rules to boost the odds that your files get opened and greatly reduce the risk of agitating that media contact with whom you just worked so hard to make some headway.

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Throwing Ethics Out the Window

September 15, 2008 by kraig

Wow. I’ve been ignoring the blog for far too long, and I sit to write today feeling more skeptical than ever. When did everything around us start to contradict itself? When did parents start siding with their children when they got in trouble at school instead of immediately telling the kids they were also in trouble at home? And when did doing something wrong suddenly become acceptable just because you could get away with it or fool someone into thinking you hadn’t done anything wrong?

Although we make every effort to keep DynamicMediaRelations free of political discussion or opinions, some intriguing articles hit the Web today that demand we talk about the election in light of an awful problem that has taken hold of not only politics but corporate messaging in general: As the consumer news media continues to evolve into a mouthpiece for consistently repetitive organizations of all sizes, shapes and colors, communicators have thrown ethics out the window all because they can … because deception works … because if you say something enough, people will eventually believe it to be true.

With that, I will climb off my soap box, but not before sharing a couple pieces of required reading for all communications and messaging professionals. Please keep the ethics of our profession in mind. Please don’t join the ranks of those seeking the best results at any cost who will do whatever it takes to get their story told in their messages.

So with no further adeau, don’t miss these wonderful reminders of our need to not abuse the power of the pedastal:

Remember, being the media’s only source of information on a particular organization or topic in no way gives us the right to spout lies! In fact, we have a responsibility to protect the integrity and respect of our industry as a whole (at least what’s left of it).

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Damage Control At Its Best

August 9, 2008 by kraig

Media coverage of the recently discovered extramarital affair of Senator John Edwards likely won’t last long. In addition to its proximity to the start of the Olympic Games, Blogger Jack Flack has detailed three elements of the spin control efforts orchestrated by the Edwards’ team for Portfolio.com in their latest BUSINESS SPIN column, “Parsing John Edwards: Can We Get This Over With By Monday?“

The article offers a great case study of how to manage an explosively negative story with heavy consumer interest, and Flack’s analysis is clear and extremely concise. If you’re sitting on knowledge of the latest corporate or government scandal and need some examples of how to best manage that issue, then this well written case study of how to manage the media cycle is a must read.

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Media Rants Unveiled … Its the Stupid Economy

July 17, 2008 by kraig

Let’s be real: not every post on this blog can discuss the media relations implications of current events or best practices for media relations professionals. We all work with the media regularly, and in so doing, our view of the media inevitably evolves. If you’re like me, every once in awhile (or perhaps more often than that), you see something that just makes you lose faith in the state of today’s mainstream consumer media.

Case in point: Earlier this week, Bush coincidentally scheduled a press conference to coincide with a press conference from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Cooperation you ask? Not a chance. Bush clearly sought to trump Bernanke, but the media would never report on the economic state of our nation by following a Bush conference over one from Bernanke, Right? … or would they? The scariest part about this situation is that if it weren’t for The Daily Show, many (including yours truly) wouldn’t have even been aware that Bernanke spoke on the economy.

Media Rants offer the Dynamic Media Relations bloggers a chance to do just that - rant, but in this case, I’ll defer to the master - The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart. So if you’ve got 8 minutes to spare, you’ll laugh and you’ll probably shutter with fear in response to the judgment or lack thereof that you’re about to see.

So have a look at The Daily Show Segment, “It’s the Stupid Economy” … to better understand why the media would listen to an optimist instead of an economic expert …

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Editorial Calendars: Cater to their schedules

July 11, 2008 by mtaylor15

Most media relations professionals have had the uncomfortable experience of reaching out to a journalist only to be hung up on, berated or simply asked to be taken off the list. While the occasional Grumpy Gus can never really be avoided, you can make this experience much more pleasant by taking time to prepare, doing your homework and avoiding that “blanket pitch” that most journalists can smell from a time zone away.

The golden rule of media relations is to be a resource to journalists, and simply doing some editorial calendar research is a great way to prepare yourself for this. Editorial calendars, as the name might suggest, are schedules put out in advance by a publication, highlighting the specific editorial focuses of each issue.

Magazines publish editorial calendars as an opportunity for advertisers to place their ads in magazine issues targeted toward specific topics, but they can be an invaluable resource for media relations professionals as well. You will have better luck convincing a reporter to cover your piece of news if your pitch complements the overall focus of the issue. You just need to do a little research.

We typically research editorial calendars for our clients around November to identify notable opportunities in the year ahead to secure placements in target publications. This can be done in two ways. An online database, like Vocus or Cision, will allow you to search for specific topics, access a wide range of media outlet types, and see who will cover it and when. For more targeted news, identify key publications you would like to pursue and look closely at each editorial calendar to determine when you will reach out to them. These can often be found on a publication’s Web site, and sometimes in print media kits.

Now is the time to complete your homework, by researching the publication and the contact and getting your resources in order. Once that’s done, then it’s time to approach the journalists. Ideally, this should be done just as they begin to think about the target issue, so touch base a month or more in advance, depending on the magazine’s publishing timeframes. Monthly magazines sometimes require 3 to 5 months lead time, while weeklies require less.

It’s a win-win situation. Journalists get timely information related to the focus of the upcoming issue, and you get your client’s news in the publication.

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Print vs. Online - a news tipping point reached?

July 3, 2008 by kraig

With the July 4 holiday weekend upon us, I wanted to be sure to get this blog post published before heading out for a festive few days since it covers such a timely piece of research. So without further adieu …

 

A research brief from The Center for Media Research caught our eye this week: their June 30 briefing, “Coffee and the Web for C-Level Execs in the Morning.” According to Forbes and Gartner, 67 percent of C-Level executives named the Internet as the most influential and important source of business information - a number that’s increased 37 percent since 2004. Conversely, the numbers of execs who say newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal are their main source of business info has decreased 36 percent since 2004.

 

So, what does this mean for media relations pros?

 

Well, for starters, it means the landscape is shifting fast, and we need to keep up. Changing the way we choose keywords, mentioning competitors and reevaluating media targets is a good place to start.

 

Keywords

 

In an earlier post, I wrote about the importance of inbound media relations. Taking the time to choose the right keywords that will provide the highest return can net big exposure. Thanks to online news alerts and automated feeds, a company’s target audience could very well be set up to receive information specific to their interests. So knowing what types of keywords they’re likely to plug in for Google News and other automated alerts will increase the chances that your news gets delivered when relevant alerts are in place.

 

Mentioning Competitors

 

One of the golden rules of media relations used to be to never mention a competitor, but with online information, it could be advantageous to mention the competition in an effort to gain exposure. This strategy should be used very cautiously and judiciously but shouldn’t be ruled out altogether. In press releases, blog posts and other online efforts, for example, it can pay dividends if you can strategically ride the coattails of a well known competitor to reach new audiences, set the stage for favorable product or service comparisons, or specifically target the customers or followers of a particular competitor.

 

Since online news alerts and automated feeds allow anyone to pick up news containing particular keywords, using a competitor’s name can be one of the best ways to quickly expand your audience. But don’t do startups and lesser known competitors any favors by mentioning them in your communications.

 

Media Targets

 

Increasingly, execs view online news sources as legitimate competitors of print publications. The landscape is changing, expanding the reach of smaller publications and hurting the established titles that executives have trusted for years. In response, we should reevaluate the way we analyze media outlets and change the way we prioritize media contacts as needed.

 

After all, this trend will likely continue to develop, at least for the foreseeable future.

 

So how else does this impact your work? Drop me a line or post a comment to share your thoughts.

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Own the discussion for less, with search

June 24, 2008 by kraig

I recently blogged about owning the discussion and cited the recent tainted tomato scare as an example of a timely story in the news ideal for certain marketers to piggy back as a way to monitor their reputation around some sort of public frenzy. I discussed the power offered by paid search (Google AdWords, for example) in particular as a way to direct connect with consumers and others concerned about the scare. Only certain tomatoes were affected, and many suppliers and retailers needed to communicate their status regarding the issue.

Today, AdGooroo released a new white paper, “How Keyword Length and ad Position Impact CTR and CPC on Google AdWords.” The complimentary white paper is packed with 11 pages of actionable insights for search marketers, but a couple of things really jumped out at me:

  1. Most marketers should never bid for the top position in Google AdWords, particularly for broad keywords like “health scare,” specific to the tomato example.
  2. Niche keywords and low ranking positions are desirable. The additional bang acquired by bidding keywords up to top spots does not justify the extra spend.

So next time use AdWords to get a seat at the table for important consumer discussions or to manage your brand in a dicey time, consider this sage advice from AdGooroo. Who knows; you might get 90 percent of the eyeballs for 10 percent of the budget.

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Rotten Tomatoes: Owning the Discussion

June 12, 2008 by kraig

Dan Malachowski at DoubleClick Performics ran a great blog post yesterday, “Rotten Tomatoes Present a Sudden Opportunity for Search (SOS).” The post talks about the recent salmonella tomato outbreak and one legal entity’s effort to leverage paid search engine advertisements to connect with victims of the unfortunate incident.

In this ever changing era of media relations best practices, we have much to learn from interactive marketing firms, particularly those specializing in search engine marketing, social media and other emerging channels. This is just one great example.

Not only can paid and natural search help a brand enter or even dominate a conversation; it can do so incredibly cost effectively (at least today). As more marketers begin to realize the advantages offered by proactive communications campaigns like this, expect cost effectiveness to wane, because when more marketers start getting in on the action, competition will climb and so will bid prices.

So raise the voice of your brands or your clients’ brands now while opportunity abounds. The lines of paid and editorial communications have been blurring for quite some time, and PR and media relations pros only sell themselves short when they completely overlook paid opportunities to significantly boost a brand’s presence or share of voice in hot discussions like the recent tomato/salmonella outbreak.

Thanks to Dan for the fantastic cross channel insights!

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The Inbound Ideal: get media coming to you

June 5, 2008 by kraig

Shortcuts are dangerous in media relations; they can lead to sloppy communications with important journalists, announcements that lack news value and the inability to generate meaningful coverage for clients.

That’s why media relations, when done right, still ends up being a tough job. The best media relations efforts involve careful planning, contact selection and execution. Editorial calendars should be researched, past stories should be reviewed, etc. The bottom line? There are no real short cuts or substitutes for conversations and meaningful interactions with the media. When it comes to outbound media relations, take the time to do it right.

Inbound media relations, though, can be a shortcut, practically by definition, but it was non existent prior to the advent of the modern Internet; at least positive inbound media relations was anyway. So what do I mean by inbound media relations? It’s the idea that you can get some of the right media contacts to come to you. Prior to the modern Internet, most inbound media calls went to well known and established companies or were in response to some sort of crisis or negative news. There just weren’t many ways to get the media interested in a company without proactively reaching out to them first.

Today, the rules have changed. Spider food and regular reporting are two of the most successful was of creating inbound media opportunities.

Spider food?

Most journalists love the convenience of search engines just like the rest of us, and they often turn to the engines to find research, experts and a wealth of other resources to use in their reporting. Well, for those not familiar with the term, spiders are used by search engines to identify and index information on the Web. Spider food is thick juicy content that gives the spiders lots to index.

So create expansive information repositories for perhaps the most effective way to attract inbound media inquiries. DoubleClick Performics, a leading provider of online performance marketing services, does a tremendous job of this on their Web site. They offer white papers, original research, case studies, formal points of view, industry facts, press materials and more.

The result? Prospects, journalists, analysts and others go out in search of this type of expertise and discover the company while doing so. That’s inbound media relations with a side of minimal effort prospecting at its best.

Regular reporting

We always encourage clients to look within their walls. Often, the most valuable data resides within their company’s systems, Weblogs or elsewhere. We work with clients to come up with creative ways to mine valuable data, create a format that provides value to the marketplace and capitalize on that data as thought leadership within their industries.

PReturn recently published a case study with examples of marketers that found creative ways to leverage their unique resources to create valuable materials and insights for the media. The case study documents that, inevitably, when the right reporting and materials are put in place, simple outbound efforts can get the right media interested initially. Then, marketers can put those materials on a schedule to be published regularly. As long as each release provides valuable data on the industry, these materials can develop brands in their own right and create inbound requests for information and insights.

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