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.