Monday Morning Media Minute

Monday Morning Media Minute
Volume 12, Number 13: May 20, 2013

Media Minute: A big step backward

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Do you feel a chill in the air? As a former journalist, I do.

I committed journalism for 20 years, seven of them with The Associated Press and five of those in Washington, D.C.

So last week’s stories about the Obama administration’s secret seizure of two months’ worth of records showing incoming and outgoing calls to and from 20 phone lines used by AP reporters and editors got my attention.

I’m mad as hell about it. And worried about it.

Presidents and other elected officials have found leaks a frustrating reality of their jobs for generations. And we, the public, have been better off because we’ve learned things that helped keep those officials from overreaching.

Acknowledging the political fallout, President Obama has called on Congress to reintroduce a press shield law that has a loophole in it big enough to render it more or less useless — except as a political talking point. I’d lile to see Congress pass a press shield law that would make it difficult or impossible for a repeat of the incident we learned about last week. That’s not likely to happen.

Press shield laws that once protected journalists from having to disclose their sources have been eviscerated over the years. People willing to talk to reporters in secret are less likely to make those disclosures if they know their identities will become known.

What we learned last week about the government’s seizure of AP’s phone records was a step in the wrong direction, in my opinion.

Despite the political rhetoric we’re likely to hear in the weeks ahead if Congress really does take up the nothing-but-a-fig-leaf shield law, the AP intrusion we learned about last week won’t be the last such incident unless the media and the public demand an end to such fishing expeditions. That means our nation’s press, already weakened by economic forces that have decimated newsrooms across the country, will become weaker yet. And we’ll be less informed.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

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Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 10:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: Cheese with that whine?

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

He should have kept his mouth shut.

Instead, pro golfer Sergio Garcia complained to the media on Saturday that Tiger Woods made him muff a shot during the Players Championship golf tournament.

And the media went nuts. It was the dominant angle in stories about Saturday’s round and a major theme of stories about Sunday’s final round — when Garcia put three balls into the water on the last two holes to drop from a tie for the lead to eighth place while Woods went on to win.

The facts are a little murky. But, as is often the case, they don’t really matter much.

Garcia’s version: While Garcia was at the top of his backswing during a shot on the second hole, Woods reached into his bag for a club and “everybody started screaming” causing Garcia to muff the shot.

Woods’ version: “The marshal said he already hit and I pulled the 5 wood and hit.”

The Washington Post’s version: Replays showed Garcia hadn’t begun his swing so he could have stepped back from the ball.

I’ll go with the Washington Post’s version since they relied on replays and presumably are less biased in this case than either Garcia or Woods.

But it doesn’t really matter. If Garcia thought Woods had done something wrong, he should have filed a complaint with the officials running the tournament and let them decide.

Taking his complaint to the media makes him sound like a whiner — something he has a history of doing.

It was no surprise his complaint became the story of the day. The media buzz would have been deafening if the two golfers had ended up paired together for the final round.

That didn’t happen. But they were tied for the lead with just two holes remaining and a playoff pitting them head-to-head against one another was a real possibility. That would have churned up the buzz machine once again.

Garcia’s collapse on Sunday made his Saturday whine, legitimate or not, all the more embarrassing.

The lesson for the rest of us? Just because you think you’ve been wronged doesn’t mean the story will play out that way if you complain in public.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: Going viral can be bad for you

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Everyone, it seems, wants their social media posts to go viral. Be careful what you wish for.

Just ask the sorority member whose email rant to her Delta Gamma chapter at the University of Maryland went viral last week, labeled the “most deranged sorority girl email you will ever read.” That’s a pretty good assessment.  If you’re not familiar with it, you’ll find it here. It’s worth a read if you’re drawn to self-inflicted disasters.

Or ask the young North Dakota TV news anchor fired for dropping the F bomb into a live mike as he was going on the air for the first time. Even worse, he was referring to the news script he was about to deliver to his audience.

Going viral may be a reasonable goal if you’re just playing around or posting a creative work — a new song, for example.

But most business posts that go viral do so for the wrong reasons. Delivering your message effectively to your audience should be your goal.

Creativity is great. It’ll usually help you communicate more effectively. And viral marketing campaigns designed to get people talking about your products can be extremely effective.

But if your goal when making social media posts for business purposes is simply to go viral, there’s a pretty good chance you’re aiming at the wrong target.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

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Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: The power of anecdotes

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Boston. What a week. And a horrible event brings out the strength and resiliency of the city where it happened.

You can tell the story of last week’s events in Boston with a broad brush: Explosion. Shock. Photos of the two hats. High-speed chase. Daylong search. And the capture.

But it’s the personal anecdotes — the hero in the cowboy hat, personal information about the victims or add your favorite example here — that fill in the details and add depth and poignancy to the story.

Every one of us was touched by one or more of these personal anecdotes that emerged as the events of last week unfolded. And each of us has our personal collection of these stories that we remember from last week’s events.

Some of these details are shared — things we read or saw on TV. Some are more personal, based on being in Boston or knowing someone who was.

But here’s my point: You recognize the high-level, broad-brush version I outlined above. But it’s the smaller, personal-interest stories that had the biggest impact for most of us.

Anecdotes are powerful storytelling tools. They humanize your story. Use them whenever you can to humanize your story and make it more interesting.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: Does winning take care of everything?

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Does winning really take care of everything? Maybe. But don’t stumble.

You’ve probably seen the Nike ad that debuted a few weeks ago with the words “winning takes care of everything” superimposed over a picture of Tiger Woods.

The ad hit just as the golf world and the journalists who cover it decided Tiger was back at the top of the game. And, until this weekend at The Masters, he had been on an impressive winning streak.

The ad understandably kicked up a bit of a ruckus. And it quickly spawned a series of takeoffs featuring Lance Armstrong, O.J. Simpson and Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius, who’s accused of murdering his girlfriend. Their roads to redemption are a little harder than Tiger’s.

But the fact is that there’s some truth to what the ad says. If Tiger really is back as golf’s undisputed top player, the ad’s likely to be a winner for Nike — even though some will find it offensive and arrogant.

If Tiger doesn’t continue winning, though, that ad will quickly disappear and become a footnote in the annals of advertising as a classic mistake.

Which will it be? That depends on what Tiger does on the golf course over the next few months. In this case, winning is likely to take care of everything. But if he stumbles, the critics and the second guessers will have a field day.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: Make waves to make a difference

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Michael Bloomberg isn’t afraid to make waves. In his 11 years as mayor of New York, Bloomberg has:

• Banned smoking in restaurants, offices and other public places — including parks and open spaces.
• Forced fast-food and other chain restaurants to display calorie information on their menus.
• Banned the use of trans fat by the city’s food establishments.
• Proposed a ban on the sale of soft drinks larger than 16 ounces by restaurants and movie theaters. A recent court ruling preventing the ban from taking effect is being appealed.
• Launched a controversial ad campaign designed to lower the incidence of teen pregnancies.
• Proposed banning the use of Styrofoam and other polystyrene foam cups.
• Become an outspoken advocate for gun control.

And the list goes on.

Bloomberg’s taken on enough of these issues that a recent CNN headline asked whether he was “Nanny-in-chief or health crusader?”

Every one of the issues listed above is or was controversial. And, regardless of how you feel about what’s he’s done, it’s pretty clear Bloomberg has made a difference. The bans on public smoking and use of trans fats by New York restaurants aren’t likely to be overturned anytime soon. Ditto for the calorie counts on menus. The jury’s still out of most of the others.

What’s my point? Bloomberg has made a difference by taking a clear stand on controversial issues.

Despite taking on these issues, Bloomberg’s maintained a respectable approval rating throughout his 11 years as mayor. And he’ll leave office having made a difference.

Too many companies and public figures see controversy as their enemy and do everything they can to avoid it.

But controversy can be your friend by drawing attention to what you have to say. I’m not an advocate of picking fights in public for the sake of picking a fight. But, if you want to make a difference, you’ll also have to make waves.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: A secret no more

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

It’s a girl. But don’t tell anyone. It’s supposed to be a secret.

Some people think Catherine Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, accidentally spilled the beans last week about the gender of her unborn baby.

According to news reports, the mother-to-be said “thank you, I will take that for my d…” when offered a teddy bear during a recent public appearance.

Did she really spill the beans? My guess is yes.

I don’t much care one way or the other. But enough people do that her apparent slip of the tongue was big news in the tabloids and for royalty followers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Why do I bring it up here? Because it’s a good reminder of a piece of advice I’ve offered media training and other clients for many years: If you don’t want to see it in print or hear it on the air, don’t say it.

There was a time when I offered that advice to people who talk to reporters — or get talked about by reporters.

But it applies to all of us these days. Celebrities have always lived in a fishbowl. With social media, the rest of us do, too. Potential employers, prospective customers, prospective dates and others regularly go online to check us out.

So, now my advice is: If you don’t want to see it in print or online or hear it on the air or on YouTube, don’t say or do it in public.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros radio show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s new content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: Come-to-Work Ruckus

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

CEO Marissa Mayer certainly kicked off a ruckus when she told Yahoo employees they have to come to work. No more working from home.

The announcement brought some support and a lot of negative publicity, including references to Mayer as tone deaf, out of touch, snobbish — and worse.

A PR blunder? Yes.

The right thing to do? I don’t know.

Should she reverse herself and let Yahoo employees work from home? No.

At least three factors contributed to the backlash to Mayer’s come-to-work order:

• The no-exceptions tone of the new policy. Softer wording would have helped. Requiring workers to come to work except in extraordinary cases to be considered on a case-by-case basis would have softened the criticism. Or “encouraging” workers to come to work and not granting many exceptions. The absolutist, no-exceptions tone was a PR blunder.
• Announcement of the come-to-work order came on the heels of stories about Mayer having a nursery built next to her office so she can bring her baby to work with her, an option unavailable to other parents working at Yahoo. Another PR mistake. There should have been more time between these two events. Better yet, how about building a nursery available to all parents on a pay-to-use basis?
• Mayer’s order triggered an emotional response among telecommuters across the country, including those who don’t work for Yahoo. The no-exceptions tone of the order made this worse.

Having said all that, Mayer may have made the right decision in asking workers to show up at the office instead of working from home.

Her edict has an air of desperation to it. But Yahoo’s clearly struggling. So, she may be right when she says everyone being in the office will lead to more collaboration that will help turn the company around.

Will her back-to-work order save Yahoo? I have no idea. But emphasizing the need for everyone to pitch in to help restore Yahoo to its former greatness was important to say. Did she say it? I don’t know. It certainly didn’t come across that way in the media coverage.

Given all the criticism, should Mayer reverse herself and tell Yahoo employees they can work from home after all? No. And this is the point of this week’s Media Minute.

The wave of negative publicity is pretty much over — unless something happens to revive it. One of the things that could revive it would be to reverse or modify the earlier order in the wake of all the criticism. A reversal wouldn’t lead to positive comments. It would simply open up a new round of criticism rehashing the bad publicity from last week.

If the come-to-work order proves to be a mistake, Mayer should change it. But not just yet. And if she’s right and her come-to-work order turns things around at Yahoo, let’s hope she gets credit for that someday.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s new content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: When an apology isn’t enough

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

Give CEO Gerry Cahill of Carnival Cruise Lines credit for stepping forward to apologize in person for the horrible conditions endured by the passengers of the Carnival Triumph.

And give the company credit for refunding passengers’ fares, paying their expenses to get home, giving them cash on top of that and offering them a credit for a future cruise.

But everything I’ve read so far indicates Carnival has fallen short on one important count: They haven’t told us what they’re doing to prevent similar disasters in the future.

The Triumph is the second Carnival ship disabled by fire in the past three years. An engine room caught fire on Carnival’s Splendor in November 2010, forcing passengers to endure unflushable toilets and other conditions similar to those found aboard the Triumph, also disabled by an engine-room fire.

Even without the earlier incident, Carnival omitted a key step when it comes to crisis management and crisis communication.

They acknowledged the problem and apologized. But fixing the problem and telling us how they’ll prevent it from happening again are vitally important. They haven’t done that yet.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s new content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.

Media Minute: Sexy + Smart = Buzz

By Jerry Brown, APR
www.JerryBrownPR.com

The Go Daddy Super Bowl kiss. What a great publicity stunt.

Which got the most post-game attention last week: the outcome of the game, the blackout or the kiss? I think it was the kiss.

And the kiss was clearly the runaway winner when it comes to which Super Bowl commercial generated the most buzz.

Good publicity stunts are imaginative. You don’t generate buzz by doing what everyone else does. The Go Daddy kiss was imaginative. And, better yet, it included one of Go Daddy’s messages – “when sexy meets smart.”

There was a story claiming the filming of the ad took 45 takes, with model Bar Refaeli asking for many of them. True? I don’t know. But it made for the kind of buzz that kept people talking about the Go Daddy ad during the week following the game — especially the idea that she asked for many of the retakes. Ewww.

The kiss made some viewers uncomfortable. The very thing that made them uncomfortable, a beautiful woman kissing such an ugly guy, is what generated the buzz.

And Jay Leno’s spoof that had him kissing the same guy just added to the discomfort — and the buzz.

You don’t have to be offensive to stage a great publicity stunt. But being willing to push some boundaries definitely increases your chances of grabbing attention and creating buzz.

The term “publicity stunt” often gets a bad name, even among some PR professionals.

I’m not on that page. I encourage you to look for opportunities to stage publicity stunts that will grab attention for your story. The great ones get noticed by a lot of people and remembered for a long time. The Go Daddy kiss got noticed by a lot of people. And I suspect it’ll be remembered for a long time.

That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?

_____

Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show, KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archives. And check out Jerry’s new content-focused blog at www.JerryBrownPR.com.