If We're Being Honest...

There is a website/blog I recently started following called Honest Slogans, where they have literally what the title implies – honest slogans. They post a name brand company and where the company's normal slogan would be, there is a new, honest slogan.

One of my favorites is for Levi's Jeans: wearable napkins. I also liked The North Face: for outdoor activities across school campuses. I liked them because they were pretty honest. I wipe my dirty hands across my jeans all the time after dinner.

I wanted to bring this up because in the past book "Measure What Matters" the author talked about visibility of a brand. As well as what people think about you effects multiple aspects of success, one of which being how well your company will survive a crisis. If your brand is adequately represented and key publics know your brand’s character in a positive way, the more likely a company will survive a crisis with minor damage.

I thought that this website was a good example of the informal character analysis people give to companies every day with or without the companies’ approval or knowledge. In PR, it is a company’s responsibility to monitor this sentiment and try to change it if it is negative.

Brand Ambassador and Proud!

I have finally found out what I am a brand ambassador for: Disney World and Pink by Victoria's Secret. I love both of these brands with all my heart and would recommend them to someone in a heartbeat. Since it is Christmas time and I have been shopping at Pink, both for myself and friends, I have to talk about how wonderful they are.

Pink by Victoria's Secret has expanded their brand so much within the past few years. They go above and beyond just a ladies underwear store that they have been known for in the past. Their line of lounge wear is so popular now and it is quality made. They also know where their target audience is:  college campuses. College-aged young ladies usually have their own money to buy, the somewhat expensive, loungewear and Pink knows that college kids want to be comfortable while sitting in class. I love Pink clothes, they are so soft and the colors and patterns can appeal to almost everyone.  What I also love about this brand is that they stay loyal to those who are loyal to them. They do not give all their best deals to just new customers. As a member of the "Pink Nation" I get exclusive coupons and deals that those outside of the "Nation" do not have access to, and to be honest it makes me feel special and rewarded for staying loyal to the brand. I would highly recommend Pink appeal to everyone, and also become a member of the "Pink Nation" by downloading the app from your Google Play store. Once, you slip on their amazing leggings or fleece hoodies you will know what I am talking about.

Moving on to Disney World, they just know how to reach that child inside everyone. Disney World is a timeless place (like Neverland) that makes you happy. I have been to Disney World in Orlando, Florida twice and counting. Disney not only makes the five parks, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Downtown Disney, interactive and fun they make the Disney Universe outside the parks magical. I mean have you ever wondered why "Frozen" is so popular? Not only does the brand give a positive message it connects people, whether it be family or total strangers, everyone can rock out to "Let It Go." And to be honest, I love anyone who tells me I can still be a princess, mermaid or ice queen.

I encourage you to check these two brands out. I promise it will be worth your time and the companies will make your experience memorable.

Pop Tarts and Flashlights, Who Knew?

If I have learned anything from Katie Payne’s book “Measure What Matters” it is that measuring is not an option. A company, no matter what it does, needs to measure, analyze, gain insight and direction from that analysis, makes changes then measure again. This measuring may be in different aspects for example non-profits measure volunteer levels and sentiment while for profit organizations may measure bottom line and employee buy-in  whatever the case may be measuring must occur or the business will go belly-up. Measuring also helps learn something about campaigns; the fact that 79 percent of organizations do not measure their social media campaigns at all is astonishing. Why invest time and money in a campaign if you do not even know if it is working?

This year in PRSSA a speaker from InfoTrust, a web analytics company, said that Wal-Marts in Florida sold an astounding number of flashlights and Pop Tarts during hurricane season. So they moved the Pop Tarts next to the flashlight aisle and got an exponential jump in sales. How would you know flashlights and Pop Tarts, of all things, were usually sold together when hurricane season arrived other than to measure and analyze sales? The answer is you wouldn’t know and this is what Payne is stressing. These are the things measuring can help with that can boost your bottom line.

In the long run, measuring is essential is what this book is all about. Katie Payne stresses measuring isn’t supposed to be a punishment. By measuring we can all gain insight and facts into a company t make sure it is in favor of the public and a crisis isn’t sneaking up and instead of relying on “gut feelings” measuring will give hard facts that can be presented to the rest of the company to justifying goals and future campaigns that will actually be effective.

Thanksgiving 2014: Blessings, Food and Naps

My Thanksgiving Itinerary this past Thursday:

·         10:00 a.m.: get to grandma’s house to help Grandpa set the table.

·         11:55 a.m.: steal a small piece of the turkey that just came out of the oven even though Grandma gives me a disapproving look.

·         Noon: sit down to eat as a family.

·         12:02: say grace; (everyone will be peeking during grace to see the steaming piles of deliciousness that overwhelms the table).

·         12:03: Grab a platter, plate-up and pass.

·         12:10-12:30: FEAST!

·         12:30-1:00: clean up.

·         1:00: Fall into a deep, turkey-induced nap.

·         After Nap: PIE TIME!

·         After Pie: nap, football and seconds, thirds, possibly fourths.

I love Thanksgiving, not only is it a gateway to Christmas, but it is a time to bond with the family who drives you crazy yet you love them dearly. In the daily grind of work, school, dinner plans, kids and trying to get enough sleep it can be easy to oversee the amazing blessings bestowed upon us so Thanksgiving is an important holiday because it brings these blessings back into focus. I am thankful for my family, my boyfriend, my friends, my freedom and The Ohio State University football beating Michigan this Saturday. What were you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

A Hard Pill To Swallow

Honesty can be a tough pill to swallow. Whether it is children or adults it can be hard to tell the whole truth upfront, especially if you know the truth will be damaging. As a kid I spilled grape juice on the couch and I spent the whole afternoon trying to cover it up. My dad came home and asked what happened and guess what? I lied. My dad of course saw right through it and punished me more than he would of if I had told the truth. It is better to tell the truth than try to cover it up.

Katie Payne in "Measure What Matters" echoes this sentiment in chapter 12. When crisis eventually breaks companies need to be ready with a reliable communication plan and the first step of this is upfront honesty. Do not let the masses hear intricate details of your screw-ups from someone else.

 In the case studies given on page 167, Payne shows this is true across the board. Those companies who gave all the details immediately, no matter how gruesome, had shorter crises. The interest peaks and then immediately declines once everyone knows what happened and there is sincere information on how it will be fixed. The crises that seem to go on forever are those that give an inclination they messed up and then try to cover up, or give "no comment", which is the number 1 thing not to do in today's communication. An example given was Kodak's Layoffs in 1997, Kodak laid off some workers, but first there were hints about layoffs but no answers were given, layoffs were then announced, and then they did not layoff enough people and had to continue with the process later. This series of announcements were awful news, and must have seemed insensitive to the workers actually laid off.

Like ripping off a Band-Aid, honesty may hurt initially but it is better to get it done and over with than to slowly peel it off and cause prolonged pain.

Boosting Visibility

I love a good infographic, and prdaily.com has a myriad of good ones. Todays infographic that sparked my interest was "10 Ways To Get More Eyeballs On Your Posts." This topic is near to my heart because we all want what we have worked hard on to be seen and appreciated. In PR it is also important to prioritize visibility of content.

In the latest infographic, the brilliant people of prdaily.com have listed tips like search engine optimism and frequently posting good content. However, there were a few other tips I think that thought outside of the box to help people with sharing the content people work so hard on.

The tip I want to talk about was tip number 9: Break up a long post. This seems like common sense but I wanted to list it here anyway. I am guilty of reading a catchy headline, clicking on the article and then scrolling through the whole thing to see if I want to make the commitment of reading the entire article. I am sure I am not alone in the fact I seldom read long articles unless I am really interested in the topic, especially on social media.  They suggest to break up long articles into one, two, or three consecutive posts. This led me to think like a "part 1, 2 and 3" idea. If you get someone hooked on the first one, it's a good bet they will check in for the next few installments. This aspect of storytelling could  also get them hooked on the website, blog, or social media platform you are trying to promote anyway; this could then lead to the path of loyalty.

There is another tip about email marketing, which I know you all may think "spam alert!", but you will be pleasantly surprised when you hear their ideas. Please, check out the article here; I promise it is worth the few minutes to read. I hope it helps!

The Cheesier The Better!

     I enjoy cheesy pickup lines. Sometimes social interactions can be awkward, especially if you like the other person. I think a good icebreaker is being able to get a girl or guy to laugh. Pickup lines should never be given or taken seriously. If you say one it should be out of fun, and if you hear one and it makes you laugh, do not be ashamed! However pickup lines can go to far, so if you use one be sure the cheesy pickup line is in good taste. If you like cheesy pickup lines strap on your seatbelts because I am sharing a few!

I found all of the following on Google Images by searching "cheesy pickup lines" if you would like to find some more!

1.) Are you a tower? Because Eiffel for you.
     ( -Very pun-ny.)

2.) On a scale of 1 to 10: you're a 9 and I am the 1 you need.
     (- I am drowning in this pickup line's sea of cheese.)

3.) You must be a banana because I find you a peeling.
      (-I find this one so absurd it would be funny. Props to whoever would have the courage to say this.)

4.) Hey girl, feel my sweater. Know what it's made of? Boyfriend material.
     (- LOL.)

5.) If you were a triangle you'd be acute one.
     (- Who said math couldn't be fun!)

6.)

(Found on Google Images) I personally love "The Big Bang Theory" so this one is right up my alley.
 

7.) Are you an alien? Because you just abducted my heart.

8.) Do you have a Band-Aid? I just scrapped my knee falling for you.
     (- Do you feel the love and sacrifice? You owe this person a Band-Aid, and a date!)

9.) If I had a nickel for every time I saw someone as beautiful as you I would have five cents.

10.) Are you Google? Because you have everything I am searching for.

 Have any funny, appropriate (lets keep it PG) pickup lines? I would love to hear them!

PRSSA Speakers Fall 2014

PRSSA speakers are so important to the continuation of learning and growing in the pre-professional environment PRSSA has to offer. By listening to speakers chapter members can make connections and see what we learn in the classroom has merit in the professional world. That's right; we are learning all this stuff for a reason!

I have loved listening and asking questions to professionals because it is such an open environment and there is a lot to learn from the professionals who do what I am learning on a daily basis. In my YouTube video attached here, a few more chapter members shared why they love coming to PRSSA meetings and what they get out of them.

Employee Responsibility: Communication is a Two-Way Street

In chapter 10 of “Measure What Matters,” Katie Paine says employees are no longer in isolated glass bubbles. No longer can an employer spoon feed news of the organization to employees. Since the social media breakthrough, employees have access to any information about the organization any other stakeholder can get through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, wikis and news apps. Paine says because of this rapid stream of information, around 63,000 advertisements, throughout an employee’s day it gets increasingly difficult to reach employees with pertinent information about the organization. In fact she even goes to say that “the chances of the message getting through to the employee are only slightly better than the chances of getting hit by a meteor.”

I agree that employees can gather their own information, and there is a lot of information out there in modern times. No person is in that glass bubble anymore. However, to say that a meteor hitting an employee is more likely to occur than a message from an employer getting to them seems a little exaggerated. It is an employee’s job, they are paid a salary, to be familiar with the organization’s information and actively work in the environment. Values statements, ethics, codes and goals should be known by an employee. An employee is in the environment. It is their responsibility to, within reason, seek information, read the memos, get caught up in the latest talk about upcoming goals and campaigns. Communication is a two-way street; if an employer talks it shouldn't fall on deaf ears.

Now I do not mean to say that all employees should be tossed hints and become sleuths about their organization’s needs because supervisors won’t openly communicate. Of course communication should be optimized, and then measured to see if the action taken to communicate was effective and promoted buy-in and feedback from employees. However, employees shouldn’t be treated like a helpless, wandering potential stakeholder who has never heard of the organization before. There should be a reasonable amount of responsibility on the behalf of the employee to be in-the-loop in their place of employment, even amongst the river of content flowing through their social channels.

Winter 2014: I Am NOT Ready

The snow makes me sad. I love absolutely Christmas, as I have said in a previous post in September, but I hate the cold weather. I would much rather have Christmas in Florida. That being said I like a small amount of snow on Christmas morning, but that is the only exception.

Reasons why I hate winter:

1.) I hate driving in the snow, ice, freezing rain, etc. People drive slower, I have to drive slower, and there are more accidents that slow down traffic.

2.) I hate scraping snow. I am filled with dread when I wake up and see my frost covered car. I know that I can go out and start my car earlier, which would fix the problem, but I often forget to do this and it eats my gas.

3.) I am a very cold person; not in spirit, in body temperature. I am not sure if I just have poor circulation or what the problem is but my feet are perpetually cold; with or without socks. It also makes my nose runny and red, which makes me have to carry tissues. By the time March rolls around all I want is to feel the sun on my skin again.

I know in my short list I may sound like a Grinch, but winter and I just aren't friends. Power to those of you who embrace the cold; you have thicker skin than mine.

This forecast is not what my dreams are made of.

How to Build Brand Ambassadors

I have talked a few times about energizers on this blog. It has come to my attention that it is one thing to say you need energizers, but it is another thing to actually understand and explain how to get them. Being a college student, I have not needed to get energizers for my brand yet, so once I need to go get them for a company I will probably ask myself “well how in the world do I get the energizers I know I need?”

            Well future Haley, prdaily.com has come to your rescue because they posted an article on how to attract and establish energizers, aka brand ambassadors. I have posted the link, the infograph is on the link, but I would like to point out a few things I think are important on the infograph:

1.)    In the “Attract” stage Visibility of content is more important than awareness. Visibility brings people back, gets people to engage, and constantly reminds people of the brand.

2.)    The “Convert” section attests to how well digital marketing helps with ROI, or Return on Investment. Within the process on how to get energizers you can also get measurable metrics.

I found this article so helpful and I hope you guys will too. Thanks for saving me a lot of future stress prdaily.com!

#RetailTherapy #Don'tJudgeMe

           I am a shopaholic. I love shopping; whether it is window, online or in person. My worst shopping habit is emotional shopping; specifically when the emotion is stress. I love walking into the mall and finding the thing I did not know I needed until that moment and forgetting all my troubles. It makes me so excited and I get to forget all my problems before I walked into the mall. It is like the mall’s front door is a portal into retail Narnia.

I know this is a bad habit, but to be fair I do not get so stressed that I just go and blow all of my extra money (and believe me that extra money is not a very high number) on a regular basis. Only about once or twice a year; and that once a year is about this time of year: when all of my final projects and papers are coming to a head in November. I get so overwhelmed about my long to-do list that I choose to do none of it and go shopping. Yet the projects are still there to do when I get home, which makes me stressed all over again. It is a viscous cycle in which my wallet and psyche pay the price.

            There is light at the end of the tunnel though, and I get my work done. Then afterwards I can turn in all my projects while wearing new clothes or shoes. I know this is not exactly the best example for not procrastinating but let’s reserve judgment. Go retail therapy!  

Ask and You Shall Recieve

            When I was flipping through “Measure What Matters” today I came across “New Rule #2: There is No Market For Your Message,” so I of course was thinking how is there no market for my message? What does that even mean? Author Katie Payne explains by saying there is so much content to look through that consumers get bogged down in the clutter. The message your company is trying to convey will either be passed over or skimmed through. If skimmed through people can choose whether or not to buy into that message, read further or completely reject it and move to the next bit of content.

            Payne says because communication has changed a new approach needs to be taken and listening is of the highest importance. I would like to focus on when she writes “ They’ll [customers] be more than happy to tell you what they like and what they don’t like.” That is the key.

            Stakeholders want to know they are listened to, just like any normal human being; it makes us feel special. If tomorrow Coca-Cola asked me what I thought about Coke Zero I would be happy to tell them (I love Coke Zero by the way, the flavor is wonderful and smooth with zero calories; just in case you’re listening Coca-Cola). This genuine interest in the stakeholders and target publics will get people talking and excited. At the same time it improves the product by asking people how improvements can be made and what they would like to see next. Asking and responding gives a more human quality to businesses and makes them more relatable; not just a name on a screen.  

            In the world of constant communication, ask and you shall receive; plenty of people will give their opinions.

 

 

Vague Won't Do

One thing I have learned with in the book “Measuring What Matters” is when it comes time to set a goal ,or to measure, it is not the time to be vague. As PR practitioners we should not be vague anyway, but in these moments it is crucial.

            On page 35, author Katie Payne says when businesses are asked to set a goal they sometimes say something like this “To reach our target audiences with our key quality message.” Payne says this is a good goal but the objectives are mixed. I agree with her, but I would like to be even more critical. There is a larger problem than just overlapping objectives. This is too vague. What is the message? Who is the target audience? What do you want to achieve by sending this message out? If you do not know what you are enacting it will be difficult to achieve a measurement at the end of the campaign.

            Vagueness should also be expelled from the workplace when picking Key Performance Indicators, or KPI. Payne talks about this on page 38 and 39, that KPI’s are valuable assets when it comes to output and outcome measures. A KPI can be downloads received, attendance records, retweets, comments and so on.  They indicate the performance of the campaign and should reflect back to the initial goal. The goal and the future KPI should be thought of before ever launching a campaign to avoid stumbling around searching for a metric.

            I believe one of the key aspects of measuring is planning; and in this endeavor vagueness won’t work. Be creative and think outside the box! It can be fun planning a unique, well-planned campaign and then seeing its results at the end.

Trying New Things

          One thing you I would like to share with the blogosphere today is that I am hesitant to try new things. This may be because I have anxiety about almost every social situation which stems from my social awkwardness. Let me tell you, I am very awkward. For example my baking experience I posted about earlier in October.

            Back to not trying new things, I am making a conscious effort to improve this aspect of my life. For example I tried Northern on Main today and it was really good. After I stood in line for a good five minutes before ordering because I didn’t know what I wanted even though the menu is only about ten items. Small victory for me though because I tried something new.

            I also always have a “standby” when I go to restaurants. Do any of you do that? I am notorious for that because I want to try new foods on the menu, but I always psyche myself out and worry whether or not the food I am going to order will be worse than my “standby.” Then, in turn, I have wasted my money.

            In the long run, these are very minuscule problems, but I am slowing making an effort to try new things.

Introducing a Little Chaos

Want to practice crisis communications in your business? According to SHIFT Communications, in the article "Bring Chaos Into the Workplace", you should initiate a crisis.

When I first read this I really could not believe what I was reading. Shouldn’t we go by the old standby “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it?” I thought this would go against everything I have ever learned. As I thought about it though, I think SHIFT has shown their genius once again. It is  wonderful to have a crisis communication plan when the time comes to use it. We will all use it at one time or another, the deciding factor is how well we enact our plan. If businesses have already used the plan in a crisis situation, whether it is fake or not, then they will be so much better prepared from the experience.

Like a fire drill, we all can look at the little diagram on the door showing us where to go in case of a fire, but if we have done it before as practice it becomes second nature.

SHIFT recommends not telling employees of the coming fake crisis so it will be a genuine reaction to the problem. The article also gave example of companies who are actually doing this, like Netflix.

As the author of the article Tori Sabourin said, “Go forth and break things!”

The Advantages to Relationships

            In the book “Measure What Matters” author Katie Delahaye Paine talks about measuring and why it matters; hence the title. Today’s topic is relationships. You may say “Haley what does measuring have to do with relationships?” On page 6 Ms. Paine addresses just that.

            Relationships are more than a quantified number. When asked most businesses say that their customers and/or employees matter to them, and they would be partially correct. What matters about those customers and employees should be the relationship established between the business and the public.

            Paine specifically says “good relationships lead to profits.” Well if that is the case why don’t more businesses establish good relationships? Sometimes because they do not measure properly on why and how their relationships are not succeeding and what could be made better. What content could be published to relate to employees more, what can be said to the public that will make them loyal energizers, or what statistics or mission statements should be more widely known to establish stakeholders and investors? All of these factors can be measured and once analyzed should lead to more profits and loyalty.

            Poor relationships leads to high legal fees, turnover rates, fewer sales, and customer loyalty; ultimately just a disadvantage across the board.

            Measure what matters. Relationships are what matter.

 

White Toast, No Butter

Did you read this story because of my headline?

If not, well then I did not do a very good job of a headline and thank you for reading anyway. If so I did an aspect of my job right. I lured you in. Not in a way meant to trick you, but I wanted you to show interest and headlines are essential for peaking interest. Headlines are the first bit of content someone reads about whatever was posted. Therefore, headlines should not be dry, deceiving or irrelevant.

           Prdaily.com wrote a post about headlines today which sparked my interest in this topic. Headlines seem small since they are just a few words, and besides what really matters is the content posted in the article right? However, how many times have you looked past an article because the title did not compel you? I have done that many times. It could have been an earth-shattering, wonderful article but I skimmed past it because the headline did not catch my eye.

PRdaily takes it a step further and asks the question “what will attract Google?” I had not thought of this fact but it makes a lot of sense. A headline is a major factor in what people search. To get better search engine optimism (SEO) then a relevant, catchy headline is a must.

When I think of catchy headlines I think of a saying one of my best friends who is a singer always says when someone’s singing is dull she says it’s “white toast, no butter.” As in it is extremely dry and uninteresting. I think this can go for headlines too.

Don't be white toast and no butter

 

"Friends" Making Its New Home on Netflix

Have you heard? “Friends” is coming to Netflix!

            If any of you are as crazy about the 1990s television show “Friends” as I am this is wonderful news. If you do not have Netflix now get it before January 1, 2015 because that is the month that all 10 seasons, 236 episodes, of “Friends” will make its debut according to Huffpost T.V. The best part: no commercials! It will be like a second Christmas.  

 Since the show is on Netflix, all the episodes are in one place so we do not have to watch the random episodes on programmed television or buy all ten seasons in a box set, which I have seen for $137.00 or more. Netflix offers plans from $5.00 to $17.00 per month and you get more shows and movies than just “Friends”.

            Thank you Netflix for increasing our love of “Friends” and our binge television watching, because I for one will be a couch potato enjoying a lot of pizza while watching the comedic antics of Joey, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler, and Ross.

If you have never watched “Friends” then I give you my condolences and beseech you to get Netflix and watch it next year. It will be well worth the hours spent watching all 236 episodes.

 

Setting A Good Example

Last night I went on to PR Newswire’s blog because it is good at updating content and staying relevant with information. Then I noticed there is a link to a special website specifically for bloggers. How neat! I clicked through and made it to the home page and as I was looked through the website design I noticed a lot of aspects from the three different books I have read this semester especially in “Share This”.

There were links going back to the PR Newswire  blogger website, it promoted the Twitter account and the blog (of course because the website is geared toward bloggers). This must enhance click-through rates and get different kinds of content seen more often and thoroughly.

The second aspect I enjoyed was that the website was not all about the field of public relations. The line under the heading was “Tools to help your blog thrive”, and I think that the decision to just put tools on the website to help bloggers was a good idea because not everyone just blogs about public relations. So, PR Newswire has a blog list on its blog website that lists an array of different kinds of blog topics that are popular that the company’s bloggers have viewed and decided to share. The blogging website also has a list that lists recent or new press releases. I thought this was genius. Bloggers can come to them first when news breaks in real-time (doesn’t that sound familiar from “Real-Time Marketing and PR”). This can also help the company’s SEO because once people get the website popular the more tags, the more sharing and commenting and the more hits on Google.

This all comes from good, updated content that is relevant to the community the website is trying to reach. Good work PR Newswire.

"Tell Us How We Did!".....How Many Times Have We Heard That?

In Chapter 11 of the “Real-time Marketing and PR” book I have referenced in the past week or so, author David Meerman Scott brings up a good point about how to reach customers to ask about feedback on a product. He brings up how a hotel asked him to take time to fill out a survey. To me this doesn’t sound uncommon. As consumers you and I are bombarded with surveys on receipts, emails, websites and various other mediums. Do any of us take the time to fill them out?

Scott says this technique is ill-advised because in all communication sent to the customer a business should think about how it benefits the customer instead of being self-centered. Even though communication like these email surveys are peppered with words like “we humbly ask you to…” or “we would deeply appreciate…” this is not the right way to ask for feedback. As Scott said on page 116, these methods can appear lazy.

I do not have the right answer to ask for optimal feedback techniques however so it is easy to see how businesses can fall short of praise in this aspect. However, Scott brings up the “sophisticated” email system a luxury hotel and spa in California that focuses on a prestay program of emails to hotel guests starting when they book a reservation with confirmation emails. Further than that, the hotel sends itineraries and other relevant offers specific to guests up until the time their stay rolls around. The emails are specific to guest’s additions to their schedules. So if you buy a round of golf you won’t get an email two days later asking if you’re interested in a round of golf during your stay.

Now I like discounts and offers as much of the next customer, but I do not want you to continually spam my inbox for three months until I get to your spa. I know my itinerary and I do not expect a major corporation to have to update me about my schedule. Other people might like this but I think this technique would drive me crazy.

When it comes to customer communication I think there is definite boundaries between lazy, optimal communication and spamming that companies need to straddle.

Halloween in Walt Disney World

With Halloween coming up I am having a crisis on what costume to wear this year. Last year I did not have this problem because I was in Disney World in Orlando, Florida over Halloween and it was amazing! If there is one place that knows how to do Halloween it is  Walt Disney World.

I have been to Disney World twice now in my life: once when I was eight and last year when I was eighteen. Let me tell you, I love Disney World so much more as an adult than as a child.

Back to Halloween though; I think it was the best time to go because the fall weather in Florida is perfect, and the park was not near as crowded as it is in the summer or in December around Christmas time.

The factor I liked most about Halloween Disney style was the Halloween party the park puts on at the Magic Kingdom all season long. It was called Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and it was fun for all ages. The party included a parade with appearances from the Disney villains, the ghouls and ghosts from the Haunted Mansion and of course all the favorite characters like Mickey and Minnie dressed up in their costumes. Plus there is a mind-blowing light and firework show over Cinderella’s Castle once the parade is over to top the night off.

Disney is magical any time of year, but it was the best over Halloween and has something festive to offer people of all ages. That being said, this nostalgia will not help me pick out my costume this year. Any fun ideas anyone would like to share with me?

Disney villains making an appearance.

Learning from the PRos

While searching through the Web today I came across an article on the SHIFT Communication blog that I had to blog about. It was an article was called “What Beyoncé can Teach Us about PR& Marketing” and is was about how Beyoncé uses well-crafted public relations techniques in her daily career, and there are two I would like to explore specifically.

            One of these is risks. Beyoncé takes risks that usually have amazing payoffs. Now, she also has gained a wonderful following that helps move these risks into success but that is not what I want to focus on. Risks can be a wonderful surprise for not just loyal customers but every public. Risks can create good buzz and circulation of a product. Metaphorical asterisk should be put into place here though because risk does not mean jump off the deep end with no planning or goal in mind. A well planned risk could mean a lot of good buzz.

            The other point I would like to point out from the article was how Beyoncé handles rumors or bad buzz. We learn sometimes it is better not to comment on some of the rumors because it is more pain than it is worth. Now, in an all-out crisis of course make a statement (and make it in real-time; see  my last blog post for more about that). Beyoncé will nudge the public back onto the right track without making formal statements about subjects that are not quite so critical. For example, the post talks about in the midst of small rumors about marital trouble Beyoncé posted pictures of her husband and daughter on a recent family vacation just to assure everyone that everything was fine; and without coming out and being obvious about it. I think that is a wonderful way to handle buzz that is starting to spiral.

Real-Time Speed, but with Accuracy

          I have talked about specific crises a few times on this blog but they are so interesting I want to talk about them again. I have frequently asked myself about what I would do if a major crisis comes up when I have a professional job in the PR world because crisis is a pretty serious term and the business you work for is now looking at you (and your fellow PR practitioners) to fix the situation.

            In Chapter 7 of “Real-Time Marketing & PR”, as I mentioned two posts ago, directly talks about crisis communication and how it does not have to be as intimidating if you know generally what to do.

            This first point the chapter makes, and what I think is most important, is being honest and fully transparent. Author David Meerman Scott says on page 78 if the company is transparent, even in a negative story, the people will give credit that you “fessed up.” He goes on to say if people think a company is hiding something people will assume the worst is yet to come and become even angrier.

            Now with this transparency respond in real-time of course, do not make the company’s first comment five days after news breaks, but I think it is stupid to be so rushed the comment doesn’t make sense or makes the company look even worse. For example, the book gives the Eurostar train delays. Eurostar trains broke down in 2009 in the underground tunnel that is 50 kilometers long causing major delays, and I am sure huge anxiety for those trapped in a tunnel underneath tons of water and earth. In the wake of this Eurostar was in complete silence, no word of help or maintenance work was released from the company.

            When they finally said something it was laced with confusion and no real help or sincere apology. Scott says the released statement was first that trains were running, but then two hour later they retracted that statement and said “trains (are) not running at all, maybe tomorrow. It’s a state of chaos.”

            Now how thought out was that statement? Your company is in a state of crisis and that is all you could muster?

            In crisis situations I agree that a statement needs to be made transparently and in real-time, however, I do not think we should sacrifice speed for accuracy because if a statement is poorly thought out, like the one Eurostar did, it makes you like incapable, unprofessional and clueless. On top of all of that now you have to come up with a statement that covers the previous comment and the initial crisis which just fuels the fire and the headlines.

Dancing With the Ada Stars #ONUHC14

          As all of you ONU students, alumni and Ada community members know last weekend was Homecoming. For Homecoming weekend I live Tweeted from the Freed Performing Arts Center as I watched "Dancing with the Ada Stars." The Utah Ballroom Dance Company goes around to towns promoting the show "Dancing with the (your hometown name here) Stars" as a live version of the hit television show "Dancing with the Stars."

         I was enjoyed the performance but I did not get to tweet as much as I would have like to about it because the ushers scolded me for having my cell phone out. The performance was a good community activity though that included dancing by citizens of Ada and the ONU dance students as well as the professionals and was a fun time had by all in the midst of Homecoming 2014.

Two and a Half Cups of Flour and a Pinch of Embarressment

          Just to give you all a nice glimpse into my life as an awkward individual I have a story that you may find humorous. Two weeks ago my boyfriend and I decided we wanted to make some cookie dough because who doesn’t want to just pig out on raw cookie dough right? Regardless of the threats my mother has given me about Salmonella we broke out the chocolate chips.

            We are going along and did not want to make the whole batch so we halved the recipe. Well I added two eggs instead of one…oops. Minor set back, so we went back and made a full batch and agreed to bake the dough we did not eat.

            It gets time to add the flour and after we do so the dough does not look as stiff as it should normally. So, being the impromptu and amazing bakers we are, we just added more flour; but it still tasted really sweet and was not stiff enough so we threw caution to the wind and threw it out to make another batch from scratch.

            Time to add flour to the second batch and the dough turns out the same exact way: too sweet and runny. I could not for the life of me understand what was happening; I have made cookies a billion times! I add more flour but it just seems to get sweeter and runnier the more flour I added. The second time as I reach the measuring cup in the plastic bag to pull out some more flour something possesses me to look at the white powdery substance and after looking at it for probably a long time I tasted it.

            My boyfriend’s family puts their sugars and flour into plastic gallon bags. So I came to find out I was adding powdered sugar instead of flour the whole entire time. After these endeavors we felt so defeated we went and got Blizzards at Dairy Queen.

            Epic fail.

Money Can't Buy a Following

The new book for my PR class is called “Real-Time Marketing and PR” by David Meerman Scott. It is about how the business world is changing from mass media and big business to a mass chat room that holds conversations about billions of different companies, tools, trades, pitches, case studies, screw-ups and products all at once.

This creation of fast and meaningful information and relationship building now requires fast and agile communication everywhere by businesses as Scott has said throughout the first five chapters. On page 22 Scott says “Breaking news on company sites and blogs is an important real-time technique because it gives your greatest supporters first access to the information.” What does this mean? Energizing! This real-time technique means to get the information out to be read, tweeted, emailed and liked by the loyal customers who follow the company and can attest to how wonderful it is. So let customers energize in the moment and let them know the company is  listening to their promotions and appreciate their feedback.

Like Taco Bell. Taco Bell is one of the best example  of energizers in this real-time environment. I follow Taco Bell on Twitter (@TacoBell), and it is constantly tweeting new products and deals and responding to, or re-tweeting,  its energizers’ love and satisfaction.

 Money cannot buy a following. Taco Bell understands energizers are loyal customers that help build product love and credibility.  To get that energy level, real-time conversations and postings on multiple platforms like company websites, blogs and Twitter feeds are what builds the relationships companies should seek.

Thinking Outside the Inbox

            Last week at the PRSSA meeting Mr. Pete Grasso came in to speak with us about pitches and I would like to focus on what he said about how to get in touch with people. Mr. Grasso said to sometimes pick up the phone and create a relationship with future buyers, publics or whoever it may be; people do not want to only be contacted by email. To become memorable different approaches to communication is needed.

Sometimes emailing is not always the correct approach and this is not just for pitching ideas this goes for any communication.

            It is easy for the business world to hide behind a screen, tailor our words just right and send something in an email, but emailing is not always the best way to contact someone whether it is a client, a co-worker or a boss.

            Marijane Funess, an article writer for prdaily.com, also echoes this statement with an article titled “Before you hit ‘send’: Should you call or text instead?” Funess explores telephone, texting, social media, emailing and face-to-face conversation and list when the best time for each of these communication tools to take place.  

            Her list is very helpful because she attests to the fact that important information sometimes needs to be said in person or that to catch a journalist’s eye retweet a few of their articles; communication does not always have to exist inside an inbox.

            Emailing is a good tool but not the only good tool.