s p o t l i g h t on >med¡a relations

Internet protocol:Agency professionals discuss best online media practicesBy Lorra M. Brown

Blogs, podcasts,YouTube, Facebook,MySpace, message boards and media sites>ire just a few nontradidonal mediasources that savvy PR practitioners mustbe aware of in this ever-changing mediaenvironment. Long gone are the days ofsimply picking up the phone and pitchinga local newspaper or magazine now thatevery editorial oudet has one or moreonline offihoots, not to mention online-only publications, social networking sitesand blogs.

So how does one choose on which(jf the millions of online media to focusPR resources and efforts? In the threeyears since I left agency life to become acollege professor, the landscape haschanged so dramatically that I decided tospeak with current agency professionalsto learn how they are meeting objectivesfor their clients and managing endlessonline opportunities.,, I reached out to senior executives

John Bell, managing director/executivecreative director of the 360° DigitalInfluence at Ogilvy Public RelationsWorldwide, and Rene A. Mack, presidentof Weber Shandwick's global travel andlifestyle practice.These seasoned profes-sionals develop innovative integratedstrategies for an array of organizations. Ialso spoke with entry-level professionalsLeslie Bressor,assistant account executiveat Edelman Worldwide, and LoganWilliams,account coordinator at MWWGroup, who are on the 6ünt lines,chained with securing online coveragefor clients.

Here is what they told me:

What is the hest way for PR pros tosecure meaningful coverage onlinefor their ciients?

Rene A. Mack: The medium is notthe message.The message is still the mes-sage, so look at online sites and evaluatewhere your client fitsjust as you once did.it the m a r i n e rack.YouTube or theDaily Kos blog may attract enormousaudiences,but they may not be the siteswhere your clients attract the greatershare of attention .The operative word isit!eaningfijl,not mass.

John Bell: PR practitioners need toplay in several arenas online. First, there isonline media, which is everything fkjmtraditional media outlets to "head of therdil"blo^ers like Pete Cashmore andMichael Arnngton in the tech space.Üiese highly popular blogs are media ,now."Longtail"bloggers and people cire-

ating media put thePR person in the ruKofword-of-mouthmarketer. In additioi ithere are insidersonline such as cus-tomers and employ-ees. These folksbecome our mostardent advocates; tlieyare online andexpecting participa-tion with the brandsthey love.

John Bell Rene A. Mack Leslie Bressor Lo^an [Villiams

How shouid YouTuhe, MySpace andFacehooitheused?

Leslie Bressor: YouTube is a greatvenue for"how to" videos and causecampaigns. Facebook and MySpace canbe used to get members to attend anevent or make a donation.

Bell: The social networks are greatplaces to find influential groups — affini-ty groups — and offer them something ofvalue that intersects with your brand insome way.The jury is still out about howeffective a channel they are for paidadvertising.

Mack: These an? cost-effective andentertaining syndication tools for a client.However, many brands think they canmanipulate these mediums. Not true.Theminute you start with heavy-handedbranding, it s a commercial and the userno longer allows you to converse withthem... they click out.

When shouid podcasting herecommended to ciients?

Mack: When you have a relevantstory or valuable information to offerconsumers.The Islands of theüahamasWeather Conference podcast worksbecause it is educational and has enor-mous credibility thanks to the NationalHurricane Center. It is relevant to thataudience (weather broadcasters andenthusiasts).

Bell: When you have real assets —video and audio -— that you want toleverage. Or when you want to get someexperience with social media, but aren'tready to let go of control.These arecanned messages or programming andwhüe you can add and solicit comments,you don't have to.

Bressor: One example of a greatpodcast is the Dove campaign.They tookreal women who made a tliary of theirHves.The girls spoke about topics such asbody image and it was not scripted.

How about corporate biogs?Logan Williams: Executives and

employees can directly communicatewith the public and internal audiences.Blogs can enhance a company's reputa-tion while giving a name, face and per-sonality to an otherwise single corporateentity.

Bell: Corporate blogs help create adirect connection with customers andcan build goodwill and reputation whileheading off customer service hiccups {ordisasters) .They are not the solution forcreating a social media strategy.Thedownside is the underestimation of thesoft costs and commitment involved indoing it right.You really have to jumpinto the conversation, posting regularly,and reach out to comment on other blogsto begin to reap the value of a corporateblog.

Mack: Ironically, the technologyprovides the opportunity for a corpora-tion to add a little of the traditional "per-sonal touch"to doing business, especiallywhen things go wrong.The client mustcommit to active and consistent partici-pation in the process. Once entered into,it needs to be funded and maintained, aswell as transparent. A client must remem-ber that everything in writing is just that— public record and in writing.

How can a company track thesuccess of a campaign?

Bressor: Itis hard to track your suc-cess unless you have a campaign set upthat will have consumers go to a site andsay where they learned of the program.Google alerts are helpftil in finding aplacement and then eitherTechnorati togauge the authority of a blog or Quancastto tell you the unique niontlily visitors toa site are helpiùl.

Mack: ThenL* are programs fiximNielsen orbur Radian 6 that are search-ing out coverage and then qualifying andquantifying it. For our travel clients, wework to develop stories and promotions

that drive audiences to specific Web sites,tailored offers or to volunteer informa-tion so we may start a conversation withthem. And we still measure the old-fash-ioned way — did the client's phone ring?Are we driving consideration?Generating Web clicks?

Bell: We track engagement, word-of-mouth, reach and search visibilityonline using a combination of site metricsand Web-wide monitoring of consumer-generated media. At the very least, PRpros need to listen to what people are say-ing about their clients and the issues thatmatter to them on blc^, message boards,product review sites and social networks,and then use that listening post to trackgrowth in positive and neutral word-of-mouth mentions.We also need to under-stand our own defmidon of engagement,which is something more than howadvertising marketers mig^t define it.

Can you give an exampie of somenontraditionai media work at yourfirms?

Bell: My team — 360" DigitalInfluence — is the global, digital word-of-mouth marketing discipline withinOgilvy. We use all aspects of social mediaand digital marketing to engage bothinfluencers and networks of peopleonline to amplify their \A'ord-of-mouth.For Sleep Number we found a ton of

promoters online — customers that lovedtheir Sleep Number bed and tiUked aboutit frequently. At www.beds.com we pulledtogether what folks were saying on blogsthroughout the Web about SleepNumber beds and issues in a-gards togreat sleep.We also created a SlumberParty blog.This strategy helped us corwnect with customers and generate moreauthentic, positive thirj-parry contentabout the bed.

Mack: In addition tti the WeatherConference podcast, the Howie card forCanada [is now available]. It is a simple

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24' May 2008 TACTICS

s p o t l i g h t o n >media relations

Communications iessons from tiie campaign trail:Nothing is off the recordßyTim O'Bnen,APR

Editor's note.Tliis article was first published on

Tactics and The Strategist Online

As elecrion 2008 continues with thepresidential campaigns in high gear, any-one who is paying attention should getcredit for at least one term toward a mas-ter's in communications.Tliis month s les-son is brought to us by Samantha Power, anow fonner foreign policy adviser toDemocratic presidential candidate Sen.Barack Obama.The title of the lesson is"nothing is off the record."

The scenario for the lesson is aninterview between Power,a PulitzerPrize-winning Irish-American journalistand educator, and Scotland's leadingnewspaper, Tlie Scotsman,two days follow-ing her candidate s narrow primarydefeats to Democratic Sen. HillaryCbnton inTexas and Ohio on March 4.

According to the newspaper. Powersaid that "Mrs. Clinton was stopping atnothing to try to seize the lead from hercandidate," and then went on to quoteher as saying/'She's a monster, too — thatis oif the record — she is stooping to any-

" There's your money quote.Her instruction about her precedir^

comments being"off the record" only got

Samantha Power.

her a pair of dashes around that verydirective, which obviously was disregard-ed and exposed.

This set off the usual feigned indig-nation from the opposition, the standardoperating procedure in all current politi-cal races. However, under the currentunwritten rules, once you enter the realmof name-calling, specifically when youropponent is a member of the same partyand a potential ally at some point, apolo-gies arc soon to follow.

The New York Daily News reportedthat Power was forced to apologize forher remarks in a carefiiUy crafted state-ment. Wliat she really believes, accordingto her statement, is that her earlier com-

ments to 77te Scotsman,"do not reflect myfeelings about Sen. Clinton, whose lead-ership and public service 1 have longadmired."

This apology did little to slow theClinton campaign's fanning of the flamesin the national media, which is happy tofocus on the intense race between thetwo Democratic contenders. Powerresigned from the Obama campaign onMarch 7.

AnalysisTo analyze the situation, the first

question to ask is whether what Powersaid was all that bad. Anyone who hassupervised at least one person in his or hercareer, or has had a teenager in the house,has been called worse. But it seems thatbecause Power resorted to name-callingagainst someone who could possibly beon the same ticket as her boss, she createdthe discomfort of crossing a line.

But for the purposes of our lesson,let's look at that"offthe record" instruc-tion. One of the first rules of media train-ing is that when talking to reporters noth-ing is ofTthe record, ever, particularlywhen you're being interviewed.

Telling reporters that what you justsaid is offthe record is a throwback to thesmoke-filled room days of the 1940s and1950s, when politicians and captains of

industry could straddle the lines of per-sonal and public ethics in full view of thepress and with a wink ensure that wasnothing more than '\>ur litde secret."

Welcome to the 21st century. It's adifferent world.WeVe giit every kind ofmedia imaginable. Hand-held audio andvideo recording technology is ubiquitous.Blowers and the press compete to get thelatest scoop. Nothing is offthe record.

Yet even if such a phrase could beused effectively, it would make muchmore sense to give the disclaimer beforeyour comments so you could commit thereporter to some level of propriety, if notcomplete confidentiality. Still, thisapproach only tends to work withreporters you can trust, with whomyou've built good relationships or withwhom you have some leverage, notunusual in the brutal game of politics.

With this in mind,remember thatwhen talking to reporters, especiallywhen the notepads are out, recorders arc-on and the cameras are running, nothingis offthe record. O

Tim O'Brien,APII, /̂ ¡»iiuip^ii of(Ylirim (\mmiuni(4iiivi^. Hi-if ii Jn-qufiii lOiiirihuliv in'i ill tin. ¡:-nunl:lii>uii>rien(ä>jimolineupt.t iwi

InternetCoiitiiitiCilJrom Mii;f 24

case of using a celebrity [Hovwe Mandel]to help drive brand messages and giveCanada a quirky personality.You can viewit at ww'w. stepintocanada.com.

Bressor: For Barilla we reached outCo blot^'rs regarding a free, downloadablecookbook,"The Celebrity Italian PastaLover's Cookbook." It was availableFebruary 2007 and for every download,BarÜla donated S1 to America's SecondHarvest. In total, we had more than 100blogs post about the cookbook and hadI ( ) million unique monthly visiton.Thiswas a huge part of our campaign's successand helped us reach our goal on the ninthday of the campaign.

jDther findingsWhile reviewing responses from

these professionals, I found several tips tohelp PR pros develop and maintain suc-cess in the online arena:

• Build e-mail relationships withcontacts rather than sending press rcle!B,es.With blogs and traditional o^pne m t s ^oudets.spend time (weeks, riw^days) '-' ' %

A PR pro needs to track

trends and manage

client expectations,

without becoming a

nonentity online.

familiarizing yourself with the contentand type of coverage. As with newspapersand magazines, developing a relationshipwith the author or editor goes a long way.The less commercial the message, the bet-ter the chance of getting coverage.

•YouTube,MySpace and Facebook,as well as podcasts, should only be used ifthey match your target audience. Be surethe campaign is relevant and nieaningflilto these users by reaching them not justwith messages but with offers of truevalue or service.

• Commit to updating blog content

regularly. Honesty, legitimacy and trans-parency are critical elements to managinga corporate blog effectively Engage keyaudiences (internal and external) in intel-ligent dialogue. Make adjustments basedon feedback when necessary.The Web is agreat place to address issues as long as theclient demonstrates genuine interest andaccepts responsibility in times of crisis.

• Don't ignore influential blogs, espe-cially those that focus on your client orarea ofbusiness. Some organizations stillunderestimate the power of social net-working and blogs. Carefiilly evaluateblogs and other online arenas that impactyour clients business. Research the credi-bility of sites, author bias and audience tohelp focus your campaign.

•Take the time to understand theonline space. Ask colleagues, clients andfriends about their experiences with sites.As social networking is the buzzword inpublic relations these days,the more peo-ple you personally engage in tlie discus-sion, the more knowledgeable you will beabout the spaces where you may wish toplace your clients'messages and programs.

I was overwhelmed researchingonline media and sites for this article. Icertainly empathize with PR profession-als who are tasked every day with navi^t-ing digital media strategies and opportu-nities for their organization or clients.With change happening so rapidly, a i'Rpro needs to track trends and manageclient expectations, without becomii^ anonentity online.

All PR counselors won't use thesame online strategies and clients'opin-ions on how to allocate restiurces vary, yetno one can argue that an organization'sonline programs don't have significantimpact on business.Tlie key is to cnsua*that impact is mostly positive. It will befun to watch PR innovators take risks thatmake a difference and, perhaps, changethe way (once again) public relations ispracticed online. O

Lorra M. Brown in ati ussiiiaun-liiioiis ¡itid

I hiiimity, ill Wityiu; \'.J. Siu' is alomwr rxcMtiw mib ( ijiiliy i'lMKclitiioiii aitdlMiCT SlumihnckWorldwide. She laii be rcdâu'd al

26 May 2008 TACTICS