JCOM 2300: Cause Marketing giving retailers the Holiday edge

Recent polls and studies have shown that people are still more likely to buy a particular brand or product if it is associated with a cause. With the recent downturn in the economy cause marketing has held relatively steady numbers and loyal consumers.
Smart companies are catching on and realizing that a great deal or product isn't enough to give them the competitive edge anymore. In order to gain market advantage companies have begun teaming up with worthy causes. Some examples of this are Macy's connection with the Make a Wish Foundation, and JC Penny teaming up with the Salvation Army.
The major reason that these campaigns are successful deals with the popularity of being involved with a cause movement. People love to be able to donate and participate in something good. By having it set up that your purchases will go go in part to help needy organizations it really gets people involved and interested. It is an easy way to donate which really attracts people to shopping at cause marketing stores during the Holiday season.

JCOM 2300: Tiger time to speak up

Tiger Woods is encountering a PR nightmare. On Friday night around 2:30 AM Woods was involved in an car accident. Woods reportedly backed his SUV into a tree and fire hydrant. The accident led to cuts around Woods mouth and loss of consciousness.
Since the accident occurred Woods has kept very quiet refusing to meet with police officers and discuss the cause of the accident. The only comment that was made was a brief statement posted on his website which stated that he was solely responsible for the accident and any rumors or speculation surrounding what happened or family member involvement was irresponsible.
News flash Tiger crashing your SUV into a tree and fire hydrant is a little irresponsible especially for a Stanford grad. Nothing is more unsettling to people than to make no comment. It leads the public to assume one of two things, you are either lying or covering up what really happened. Everyone makes mistakes. Most people get and except that. So when you are a prominent public figure that makes millions and in Tiger's case actually billions off of your image it is in your best interest to come clean and tell the truth.
I don't care what the cause of the accident was. I don't care if it was an argument with his wife, or if he was intoxicated or whatever I would just like to know what really happened. If a simple honest statement is made I will accept it and move on and so will almost everyone else. If you leave it to speculation that is exactly what you will get.

JCOM 2300: Max Hall What was he thinking?

Those of you who follow BYU or Utah football closely already know this story. After the BYU football game against Utah on Saturday Max Hall, BYU's senior quarterback made his feelings known about the Utah football team, their fans, and the school itself. Here is just a bit of what he said. 

"I think the whole university, their fans, and their organization is classless. They threw beer on my family and stuff last year, and they did a whole bunch of nasty things, and I don't respect them, and they deserve to lose."

Pretty strong words. The next day Hall came out and apologized to the Utah's football team and university itself saying that the comments were directed more at the fans who mistreated his family. This is what I don't get. Why? You don't know who mistreated your family but you do know that it wasn't any of the Utah football players or the entire University of Utah. Why would you say anything like that? You can find the people who wronged you. You can't changed what happened. Obviously you need to consider what the ramifications will be in the future for things like this being said. As a result of Hall's comments, there will be more comments, more fighting, and sadly more and more beer throwing. 

From a PR perspective the best thing BYU can do is strongly discipline Hall or any of their athletes that say similar stupid things. The only way BYU can send the message that comments like Hall's do not represent the University is to suspend players for misplaced comments. In the end people will forget that Max Hall called the U classless but they will remember that a BYU player did and and the negative image will all fall on BYU. 

JCOM 2300: Fighting of Circulation

Several recent study polls have released the circulation numbers for newspapers. One poll has The Wall Street Journal overtaking USA Today as America's most circulated newspaper. The study included online subscriptions as well as print subscriptions. USA countered by showing a poll that shows that they are by far the largest print circulation newspaper in America. It is obvious with the way things have been going in the newspaper industry that it has become a point of pride for the newspaper companies.

A few things that PR pros said about the circulation debate really hit home with me. If you are USA Today don't focus on how many print copies of your paper you put out daily. That number is becoming more and more obsolete. Many people don't even pick up a print paper anymore. It is much easier to access things online at anytime from any computer or smart phone. USA Today would be better served if they focused on free access to the site and great features of their online newspaper. The Wall Street Journal charges online subscription fees which if framed right could be a huge advantage for USA Today and other papers that are free online. The focus for the future of newspapers is electronic. If they want to survive they need to be smarter and offer more features online than their competitors. The newspapers that beat the others to this are the ones that will be able to survive the next ten to twenty years as things become more and more electronic. 

JCOM 2300: Godiva Jumps into Social Media

Godiva Chocolates has finally started a couple campaigns that will effectively use social media. The reason I say finally is because I really like them, my wife really likes them, and if I can find a way to easily send their chocolates to her then I am in business.

Godiva is providing the way. They announced a new blog which will allow people to post moments through out the day where they wish they had a little chocolate. The best entry of the day each day will receive 100 pieces of chocolate for free. The second aspect of the campaign will allow people to easily give Godiva gifts for the holidays through social media networks like Facebook.

I really think that Godiva is going to hit it big. Using social networks and social media is a very inexpensive way to advertise and it will attract thousands if not millions of new customers. I love the company and I love the store but the nearest one is about 90 miles away. If I can easily send chocolate to my wife or others through Facebook, something I use on a daily basis then that is a big win for me. I think the strategy is brilliant and in the end will make Godiva a lot of money.

JCOM 2300: The BCS and Boise State

The BCS (Bowl Championship Series) has hired a PR firm to help them repair a broken image of post season college football. There has been a lot of controversy over the system, which never seems to select a champion that satisfies even a majority of college football fans and members of the Associated Press.
The BCS hopes that Ari Fliescher Communications can turn coverage around and make any positive aspects to the BCS system a focus.

I found the announcement that the BCS is using a PR firm interesting considering that someone on the opposite side of the argument the WAC and Boise State have hired a PR firm to do basically the same thing. Boise State currently is undefeated but like last year may be passed up by the BCS because a Mountain West team TCU is also undefeated. The PR firm representing Boise and the WAC is focused on keeping Boise in the conversation and not letting people forget about them.

I find it interesting that both groups are using PR professionals to help push their messages. I think the most beneficial thing these professionals can do is provide prominent sports writers or analysts with the stats and info that support their stance, give them all the ammo and let them tell your story. If its just a PR firm saying that Boise should be let into the BCS it doesn't mean anything. Get ESPN analysts backing you up making your argument then you'll have the support of the general public and might have a some power to change things for your cause. Which ever side implements this tactic more efficiently will be one that gains footing in this argument.

JCOM 2300: Oprah it's finally over

Oprah Winfrey announced that the amazingly popular Oprah show will cease production in 2011. There was an interesting article in PRWeek about her and the influence she has on a very broad audience. When it comes to getting some momentum behind your cause or your product nothing is quite like Oprah's seal of approval. If she backs what you got you not only get her support but the support of MILLIONS of viewers who use Oprah's opinion to help them decide where to shop, what to read, watch, or what cause to get involved in.

Losing the Oprah show signals the end of an era in influencing people. In the past someone like Oprah could reach a very large diverse audience. With the diversification of media, people now get their information from a variety of sources. Because of this the audience that can be reached through any one media outlet has greatly decreased. To keep up with the times PR professionals need to become familiar with opinion leaders in many different areas such as blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, and traditional media sources like TV and the radio. While each individual audience may not be as large you can still hit the all of the people and the targets you are aiming for if you know these different media outlets and who is influential and an opinion leader in each one of them.

JCOM 2300: AOL Time Warner split

After just merging a few years ago AOL and Time Warner have mutually agreed to spilt back into two separate companies. Obviously several PR professionals are involved in the process making sure that both the general public and employees of both companies are well informed and aware of what is happening. AOL has come out and said that their most important public during this separation process are their own employees.

The spilt is going to cost AOL many jobs. About a third of their workforce(2,500) jobs will be lost. That's tough. In this economy nobody wants news of potential job losses especially to that extent. AOL's request is of its employees is what really surprises me. After announcing the job cuts AOL asked all the employees to consider their future at the company and decide if they wanted to stay. They asked people to VOLUNTEER to give up their jobs. WHAT? In this economy? You really expect people to voluntarily give up employment? It seemed like a weak leadership move on the part of the company. When things are tough as leadership you have to make unpopular decisions. AOL asking people to quit is like watching Michael Scott on The Office, when he has to fire someone. It's slow and unnecessarily painful. 

JCOM 2300: Expedia trying to stand out

When I book hotels and other vacation plans online I don't really consider the travel sites very different. They all have the same prices and my feel is that they have about the same relationship with the hotels and airlines. The said industries don't really care what travel site books their rooms and flights just as long as they get booked.

Expedia.com has figured this out and has just entered into a PR contract with HL Group. The approach is I think is simple and very cleaver. They want to get articles published in papers like the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times that highlight the differences that  characterize Expedia.com from any one of the other dozen online travel sites. 

The one thing I am weary of at least from trying to promote Expedia through PR methods are making the differences really matter. Off the top of my head I can't think of a clear difference between Expedia and Orbitz or any of the other travel sites. If you want to have the publicity and the articles written the differences that you cite better be clear, and convincing. 

JCOM 2160: Photoshop Assignment Two

This is the original a picture of my big brother.

And this is the perfected version. I made few simple changes. I cropped the image, then transformed the image so he would appear on the left. I used image layers to darken the background then used the burn tool to darken parts of the background then used the dodge tool to brighten him up a bit.

Here is the second original picture of my wife, Haley and my nephew Carter.

Here is the finished product. I transformed the picture to size it correctly then I cropped it to get a close up of the two faces. I then adjusted the levels to darken the picture, used the dodge tool to brighten little Carter's face and Haley's face a bit too. I then adjusted the hue/saturation and used the burn tool to darken the chair and the white door frame in the background to make the photo extra spooky.

JCOM 2160: Second Life

Wow. After reading about Second Life, the online virtual world, I don't really know what to say. I personally don't think I will ever get involved with something like that, but at the same time I see some positives that could come from having a avatar on Second Life.
There is potential to make actual money in the virtual world. You have licensing rights to anything you create in Second Life so if its a hit with other "residents" you could make a nice chunk of change, it was interesting to find out that there is a good number of participants that make an average of 20 thousand dollars a year. So it does make some sense for businesses to get involved in that area, lots of money can be earned in a new way. The other thing that seems attractive about Second Life is the ability to connect with people from all over the world and learn about their cultures. Many people don't have the time or money to travel the globe and experience new people and things, Second Life gives them this opportunity.
Of course using Second Life should come with some caution. If Second Life is used in place of ALL contact with real, physical human beings I think it is very dangerous. In the virtual world we live in people are connecting less and less face to face which I think is necessary and healthy. I worry that many people that use Second Life don't do much more interaction than what they get from Second Life. If that's the case they are missing out on a lot of REAL interaction.

JCOM 2300: Obama's Asian opportunity

President Obama is currently on a diplomacy trip to Asia. Things back home aren't exactly what he hoped for. If there is anywhere in the world outside the United States that he could positively impact the U.S. it would be Asia. It is the fastest growing economic market in the world and there are obvious diplomacy issues that needed to be handled (North and South Korea). 

If President Obama wants to right the American ship and secure another term as president he needs to excel in two areas. Foreign policy and the economy. If the Asia trip goes well he can take a good whack at both. Making a few pivotal economic deals in the Asia area especially with China can potentially open the way to billions of revenue dollars and can create new jobs. The trick for Obama at least from a PR standpoint is to use his public speaking/ communicating skills to win over the people that matter in Asia. If he pays his cards right in Asia and takes advantage of the opportunities he may be in office for four more years. 

JCOM 2300: What is With the Drama?

Like father like son. Last week the AP reported that Adidas had ended its contract with the University of Central Florida. Marcus Jordan, son of Michael Jordan and a member of the Central Florida basketball team, has refused to wear anything but Nike Air Jordan shoes saying the shoes hold, "special meaning to his family." The shoe incident cost UCF its contract with Adidas which required all players and coaches to wear only Adidas shoes and apparel.

Marcus' incident comes on the heals of his father's not so tactful Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech. During the speech Michael spent more time taking shots at former foes Jeff Van Gundy and Byron Russell than he did thanking those that contributed to what is commonly known as the greatest career in basketball history. Jordan even went as far as to call out the high school coach who cut him saying, "I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, Dude."

What horrible PR . Michael Jordan and his family would never have to do ANYTHING charitable or noteworthy and he would they would still be considered the first family of basketball. When it comes to having a positive image and getting people to like you a little humility goes a long way. This is not tennis you play as a team you win as a team. Michael you and your son may be very important members of that team but not even you can win a game by yourself. Even if you really believe it was and continues to be all you don't say something like that out loud. It may end up costing the Jordan brand millions of dollars. 

JCOM 2300: What Will Help you Land and Keep a job

I read an opinion article on PRweek that confirmed something that I believe strongly correlates with obtaining and keeping great jobs but is often overlooked by the masses. The article, written by Bruce Berger, cited several characteristics he deemed as "intangibles" that current employers are looking for in a tight job hiring market.

Some of the intangibles that were mentioned in the article were energy, putting in extra efforts, and communicating and getting along well with your co-workers. I strongly believe that in the end things like this along with being flexible and adaptable are what employers are really looking for. You can teach someone certain skills in areas like accounting, or computer literacy those are things that people can pick up fairly easily. It is much more difficult to teach someone how to work well with and respect other workers or how to give all the little extra efforts that are going to give the company a needed boost. Those are things that people pick up on and deeply internalize all themselves. Showing those qualities in interviews and the hiring process will definitely give you an edge over other candidates but more importantly it will give you longevity when you are hired. Employers are not looking to let go of employees that are more energetic, passionate, loyal and likable than your run of the mill everyday worker. 

JCOM 2300: ESPN steps in to Defend Their Reputation

Over the last five years or so ESPN has had several scandals when it comes to their sports news reporting staff. Recently the network fired Baseball analyst Steve Phillips after Phillips had an extramarital affair with a 22 year old production assistant.

Phillips termination has led to some controversy especially when it comes to ESPN's company reputation. Deadspin a popular sports blog has spread several rumors depicting ESPN as a sexually wild company.

Obviously the accusations and publicity is not what ESPN wants but I feel that their PR department has done an excellent job in handling the crisis. They immediately responded to Deadspin's accusations in a strong way calling their actions "despicable."

They have been shooting out statements to all of the media outlets in prompt fashion, including the use of Twitter and have even agreed to do a piece with TIME magazine. By being so open and aggressive in the handling of the crisis ESPN has definitely struck a positive cored with me. When companies pull the whole "no comment" card when they encounter a crisis it really bothers me. It is like sticking your nose in the air giving people the impression that they aren't worthy of your time or an explanation. Being open is the BEST option when something like this happens. If you approach it with that outlook people will be willing to overlook whatever happened and will still think of your company positively.
It really worked with ESPN. I still like them, and now I'm not particularly found of Deadspin.

JCOM 2160: Photoshop Assignments

JCOM 2160: On the Internet No One Knows if You're a dog

The first thing that the pictures of the dogs using the computer made me think of was miscommunication. When we are communicating online we have several disadvantages compared to when we communicate face to face. Online we don't have facial expressions or other body language, or tone the tone/volume of people's voices. These things are just as important to understanding exactly what people are portraying as the actual words that are used.

When we publish something online we need to make sure that it is easy to understand and is free from confusing errors. It is also important to be cautious of what is being communicated to you. Many people share false and erroneous information on the Internet. In order to protect yourself you need to be critical of everything you read and verify that it is legit before you trust and use it.