Was NBC Practicing Imagination at Work?

by Dan Ward

GE’s corporate slogan is Imagination at Work.  I wonder who working at GE-subsidiary NBC imagined that not covering GE’s $5.1 billion profit/$0 tax payment would go unnoticed.

As the Poynter Institute’s Kelly McBride points out in Paul Farhi’s Washington Post article, failing to air dirty laundry hurts the organization’s credibility.  That’s music to the ears of anyone in the communications business, and a good reminder for any organization.  Failure to report uncomfortable news doesn’t make it go away; it just adds to the discomfort.

Does Moving a Public Notice Online Make it “Not Public?”

by Dan Ward

The Florida Press Association (FPA) has been running a series of advertisements fighting proposed legislation that would remove the requirement for public notices to be posted through paid newspaper ads.

While I happen to agree that public notices should remain in newspapers, I find some of FPA’s arguments confusing.

For instance, its latest full-page ad discusses how broad categories of Florida residents broken out by age and ethnicity lack access to the Internet, then proceeds in the very next line to promote how Florida’s newspapers provide free access to public notices … online.

It just seems odd that after years of encouraging subscribers to go online for the latest news and blog posts, newspapers would complain when others suggest the very same thing.

When you encourage your customers do go elsewhere for your product, don’t get upset when they take your advice.

Out of Sight … Out of Mind

by Roger Pynn

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from writing for “Taking Aim” it is the importance of doing it often. Watching the statistics of visits by readers, the penalty for failing to keep up with our blogging duties is that our following thins out.

Contacted by an old friend who wanted to go to lunch to catch up, I was drawn to his website to see what he’s been doing … and there I noticed he writes a blog on a topic I’m truly interested in. In fact, I subscribe to a blogger who actively writes on the same subject and am surprised I hadn’t found my friend’s blog referred to there or elsewhere.

This guy’s a smart fellow. Known to work with major global brands, he writes with solid insight from an executive perspective. His most recent post was pretty interesting stuff.

Then I noticed the dates on his posts: one in March and two in February … preceded by two last December and two before that in April of last year.

Out of sight … out of mind.

Sweet Success

by Heather Keroes

If you had told me that I would end up ordering 6,500 cupcakes for anything, I would have never believed you.  And yet, there I was, meeting and doing tastings (poor me) with cupcake pros, trying to find the right match to bake thousands of cupcakes for our client, Lake Mechanical, a family-owned plumbing, HVAC and piping company.  And what does a company that builds intricate mechanical systems for the likes of schools, hospitals, hotels and theme parks need 6,500 cupcakes for, you may ask?  To celebrate their 65^th anniversary, of course!

Cupcakes Galore

At Curley & Pynn we listen to our clients before developing plans.  From Lake Mechanical Chairman and CEO John Smith we heard several things that set us on the sweet path to success:

1. Lake Mechanical (headquartered in Eustis, Fla.) is proud of its hometown.
2. The company is also very involved in the local community.  In fact, John Smith’s wife, Evelyn Smith, was mayor for a number of years.
3. Lake Mechanical wanted to do something special and make a statement for its 65^th anniversary, but without going too far “over the top” for this homegrown business.
4. And most importantly … John Smith wanted to put a smile on childrens’ faces.

After taking these important points into account, GeorgeFest was the natural choice for Lake Mechanical’s 65^th anniversary.  GeorgeFest is a long-running local festival that celebrates George Washington’s birthday, attracting large crowds each year to Eustis.  Now in its 109^th year, the several-day event features a parade, live music, carnival, water ski show, fireworks and other amusing activities for families.  This beloved event offered a great opportunity for Lake Mechanical to celebrate its 65^th anniversary with the community it cares so much about.

Lake Mechanical employees giving out free cupcakes turned out to be irresistible for the community.  “This is the best place in the world,” and “I can’t believe this is real,” we heard young children exclaim as they excitedly grasped a colorful cupcake and sunk their teeth in — smearing red, white or blue icing on their hands and faces.  Not even the event’s George Washington could resist helping himself to a few of the sugary delights.

Not only did Lake Mechanical get a chance to delight its neighbors, 6,500 cupcakes proved an attraction for the media, as well, when our master baker, Sugar Mama’s Bake Shoppe of Clermont opened her doors to press … welcoming the Orlando Sentinel and others into the sweet, but arduous baking process.  Even those heavy-duty trade press editors had to admit cupcakes are hard to turn down.

Just goes to show you … sweet things happen when you listen.

George Washington Chomps Down on a Cupcake

The New Minority

by Roger Pynn

Those of us who worry first in the PR planning process about who we want to communicate with are going to be challenged more and more in the future not to leave out those who refuse to adopt new media.

There will always be holdouts, those who cling to tools and media that are rapidly declining and they will – like all minorities – be critical to communication success.

The release of Pew Internet & American Life Project findings on social media habits is one more indicator that we will be faced with fewer opportunities to reach those minorities as their mediums of choice disappear, and they likely resist new ways to stay informed and connected to their world.

Pew reported that 73 percent of teens are actively engaged in social media while slightly more than a quarter of adults over 30 visit social media sites. As their parents and grandparents age, these kids will control the media market with buying power and threaten the existence of traditional channels.

If there’s a silver lining, the challenges to create ways of reaching the new minority present a tremendous opportunity for communicators.

Born Too Soon

by Roger Pynn

Working on a website development project for a client today, two of my young associates showed me a really cool tool for forms and I marveled at all the things their generation will likely see.

Then I returned to my desk and my Google Reader told me that Erik Qualman at Socialnomics was probably thinking the same thing when he blogged about a study that shows one in five people born this year will live to be over 100.  How lucky can you get?

Just think of what they will live to enjoy.  Sure, my generation experienced Sputnik and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.  And we’ve enjoyed all the Internet had to bring … yet.

What do you think 2111 will look like?  I’d make some comment about the Orbit City but few who read this have ever heard of Skypad Apartments.  But you have to believe there will be a Rosie in every home.

Your Plan WILL Change

by Dan Ward

It’s often difficult for people to understand why public relations plans need to be fluid, and why communicators can’t define six months out exactly what they will do and say.

Plans must constantly evolve because our ability to deliver a message is constantly affected by external stimuli, the “noise” in most communication models that impacts whether and how a message is received.

No plan can be so detailed as to anticipate everything that “might” happen. We’re working with one client right now to assess and update their crisis communications plan, knowing that it’s impossible to anticipate every potential crisis. (For example, our 2010 plan for Beaches of South Walton didn’t anticipate a massive oil spill.) So instead we plan for the process … who is in charge, who to contact and when, where to establish communication centers, how to identify audiences, etc.

I’m working with another client on a major public issue, and the primary spokesperson was just called for jury duty … on a case that could last at least three weeks. I can guarantee that “next steps when client has been sequestered” was not part of my original plan. Luckily for us, he was rejected in voir dire, but you can bet we were already updating our plans to adapt to his potential absence.

The only constant communicators can plan for is change. It’s up to us to make sure our companies and clients understand that the plans we develop will almost always differ from the plans we implement.

Curriculum Omission is Not a One-Way Street

by Kim Taylor

When I read Anthony D’Angelo’s Op-ed for the Financial Times, it felt very “pot calling the kettle black.”

The Op-Ed slams MBA programs for failing to include strategic communications in its coursework, stating that “even the most communications-savvy CEOs are less astute about strategic communications …”  Given the number of corporate scandals gone awry lately, there are few who’d argue that employees at every level could stand to brush up on their communications skills.

But, what appears to be missing from D’Angelo’s invective is how few communications/public relations professionals have had coursework in business—which I’d argue is as essential to a communicator’s career as communications is to a CEO’s.

So while we’re rewriting the course catalogs, how about some coursework which would teach a communications professional, who’s often bargaining for a seat at the table, how to read and interpret their client’s financial statement?

Did Hard Rock Invent the iPad?

by Roger Pynn

I had to laugh when reading a cnet news article on the success of the iPad, and how with the release of the iPad2 Apple is driving consumers crazy by making them wait in line for the product rather than allowing them to reserve one.

Brooke Crothers’ article “Five ways the iPad2 works on the buyer’s subconscious” focuses on “Consumer.ology” author Philip Graves’ evaluation of why we buy things … and more importantly in this case are willing to wait to buy them.

I’ve long said people buy for one of two reasons:  hope of gain … you want it so badly you can’t stand it; or, fear of loss … you’re willing to pay just about anything to keep it.  The iPad and its successor fall under hope of gain.  It is the shiny object on the table.  Those insurance policies they try to sell you at nearly every electronics retailer in existence appeal to fear of loss once you own the object of your desire.

But the wait factor is nothing new.  And it wasn’t invented by concert promoters, video game manufacturers or Apple who for years have been able to create long lines waiting outside their doors.

Years ago we worked with the Hard Rock Café organization opening restaurants around the world and devising programs to keep the brand hip.  To this day you’ll occasionally see a line outside a Hard Rock … “the queue” where folks will stand in line to pay an amazing amount for a hamburger while surrounded by rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia.

In the early days, those lines were not necessarily a sign of a full-house, but rather they were designed to create the perception of one … to give consumers the belief that what was inside was so cool it was worth waiting for.

Apple has a Hard Rock Café by the tail.  The iPad was cool.  The iPad2 is cooler.  Just wait and see.

Tips for Abbreviating on Twitter (and Staying Professional!)

by Kerry Martin

Keeping within Twitter’s 140 character limit is an everyday challenge for users who have more substantial things to say than “I just ousted so-and-so as mayor of Who-cares-ville.”

For communications professionals who help manage a client’s corporate social media presence, it’s even harder to make formal announcements and share news that is concise enough to stay within the limit, while still keeping a consistent and professional voice for the organization.

While I agree that twitter is an informal and conversational medium, I also don’t think that abbreviations like ”b4” and “l8r” should be used in communication coming from an actual company.  My general rule of thumb is: if your tween daughter would text it to her bff Jill, it doesn’t belong in a professional tweet.  (Of course, it also depends on whether your brand does communicate with audiences like that).

So, I’ve compiled a list of recommended ways to shorten tweets while still staying professional.  This list is not comprehensive and follows no agreed-upon list that is already in the blogosphere; it’s just my humble opinion (and some suggestions from other C&P staff—thanks team!).

Acceptable Abbreviations	Gray Area
The obvious:  “&” for “and”; “1st, 2nd, 3rd” for nominal numbers Days and Months:  Sat. 9/24 or Sept. 24	I happen to think “w/” for “with” makes sense (w/o for “without” our w/in for “within”)
Contractions:  They’re great!  (just make sure to use correctly)
Most units of measurement:  min., hr, sq ft,	M/B and Mil/Bil can be difficult without proper context (like $ signs)
Company, business: use “firm” instead	“biz” and “org” are okay too
State Abbreviations:  people will know “NY” and “TX”	Sorry, Hawaii, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon – you might confuse people
Standard business language:  “Execs” “pros” “mgmt” “Int’l” “mtg”
People: ppl
Facebook: FB
“Thx” (good to use when acknowledging followers)	“Pls” is another abbreviation that works well with context (“pls RT” for example)

Also, another good tip is to leave enough room in your tweet so that someone could retweet it.  That means your tweet has to be enough characters under 140 so that it can fit “RT @userhandle: “, or 6 characters + the characters in your twitter handle.

Don’t overuse abbreviations so that your tweets are too choppy to understand.

Twitter is used to convey meaningful content through short messages—it’s up to you to compose intelligible ideas that get your point across.

Think back to some of the questions you should ask yourself when communicating:  What do you want them to know?  What do you want them to do?