Friday, October 29, 2010
Another new thread. We're on a blogroll!
Please use this post to comment on your colleagues' recent posts or to pose your own questions or issues. For example, this week you're "deconstructing" the recent NYU-PRSA partnership press/news release based on Wilcox's news release guidelines and tips. What do you think is the future of the news release? (Did you notice the subtle name change?) Press releases aren't just for the press anymore, or are they? Can you suggest another name for the format? Are the stakeholders the traditional ones or new ones? I suggest; you decide.
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Although I could argue both sides of Prof. Noltenmeier's query, I will present reasons for the retirement of the press release. The Internet has drastically changed the media landscape. News is now a 24-hour cycle, and outlets must report constantly to remain competitive; news cannot feel stale by the time we receive it.
ReplyDeleteThe Internet has made public relations public again. Previously, only the media saw press releases. Now, millions of people see press releases online. PR people are no longer communicating only with the media. They are communicating with the customers, buyers, investors, business partners, friends, followers and connections. The Internet has transformed press releases into conversation and community, and it's enabled narrow, niche markets to be targeted.
I wouldn't say news releases are dying, but they are becoming unneccesary. I believe online norms were copied from offline norms once the Internet became popular. For example, companies probably thought it was necessary to place their materials online, so they just transformed their hard-copy materials into an online format. The problem is that offline does not equal online.
Instead of posting these news releases to wires and blasting unpersonalized releases to outlets in hopes of coverage, PR professionals should narrowly target their media with pitch letters and follow up fact sheets. They will have better luck sending personalized e-mails to outlets likely to cover their stories than blindly disseminating traditional press releases.
Finally, companies must take advantage of social media; this allows for conversation and community. Most journalits know what their beats are, and if a story is important enough, they will find it online. They'll also find audience opinions online, which is more than a news release could provide. Traditional news releases can't compete with the interactive experience of the Internet.
Like other public relations tools, the news release has changed since the beginning of the profession. As the media continually transforms, the news release will also evolve. The slight name change already confirms that the releases aren’t only for the press anymore, but for a wide variety of audiences.
ReplyDeleteThe term “news release” is far more appropriate than “press release”, but I don’t know if there is a different term that would be better. We want a name that describes what we’re sending out and “news release” does just that. Anything too specific would lead to several names describing the same thing. Perhaps the best practice would be to specify what kind of news release is being, i.e. newspaper news release, radio news release, and social media news release.
Alyssa is correct that pitch releases are more effective than a news release due to the personal vs. mass aspect and should be targeted. In addition, part of being a good public relations professional is creating lasting and effective relationships with journalists. It should be a mutually beneficial relationship which is built off of offering occasional exclusives and tips, not generic news releases. Yet at the rapid rate in which we often have to churn out information, a news release will still be more time effective.
I also agree that a standard news release format can’t compare to the interactive capability of social media. A new format designed specifically for social media would greatly benefit both public relations practitioners and the audiences consuming social media.
During my sophomore year of college, I expected to learn how to write a press release in my Intro to PR course. Imagine my surprise when the professor told us that he didn’t believe in press releases. News releases, on the other hand, were useful tools that appeal to all media outlets – not just those who were printed using Johannes Gutenberg’s invention.
ReplyDeleteHis point was that print media only make up a small fraction of those who we intend to read our news. Broadcast outlets, Web sites, and investors are a few other audiences that can benefit from a written announcement. Today, when a release is posted to a company’s Web site, it can be read by anyone with access to the Internet.
While the term “press release” should be retired, news releases are still valuable to our field. I find that when I pitch reporters, they still ask for a news release to explain and validate what I’m pitching. It helps them to have accurate company-approved language about the news.
Since news releases can be read by the general public once posted online, it may be helpful to determine ways that reporters can still feel like they’ve been selected by us to receive news. As Alyssa mentioned, we can send personalized pitches to reporters, and may be able to give them advanced notice of an announcement before it goes public. Newswires are still relevant, as they get the news to reporters in one of their preferred methods.
“Pithy: Inside the Urge to Shorten”
ReplyDeleteWhile in Boston for the weekend, I’ve had to replace The New York Times with The Boston Globe. Erin McKean wrote an interesting article in the Ideas section today called “Pithy: Inside the Urge to Shorten.” I thought Professor Noltenmeier would appreciate this one.
McKean first explores the new world of technology. As electronics advance, they also decrease in size; this tends to be the accepted progression for technological gadgets. On the other hand, while sentences are becoming more concise, individual words are not. People seem to correlate larger words with greater intelligence.
“Words transmit information, too, but there’s not an equal outpouring of awe when they get smaller, quite the reverse,” states McKean. For example, using contractions in formal writing has only recently been accepted by the writing stylists. Personally, I was always taught to avoid contractions in formal materials.
McKean first analyzes the book, “Short Cuts,” which covers abbreviated communications throughout the course of history. People want to take quick, familiar and direct paths to meaning. The book draws examples of situations in which we’ve had to communicate messages with limited time or space. Examples given were calling cards, holiday cards, obituaries, dog tags and note jobs – or “bank robberies committed by passing a ‘demand note’ to a teller.” The other book, “OK: The Improbable Story of America’s Greatest Word,” follows the history of the terse word, including its widespread dissemination following the invention of the telegraph.
After analyzing both books, McKean concludes that it is not laziness that leads to simplified words; it’s our eagerness to express ideas in familiar terms. Once we become comfortable with the words, we look for opportunities to show off our new understandings. Although many people believe shortening words means lack of knowledge, McKean believes it’s an indication of deeper knowledge.
What do you think?
I found yet another intriguing article in today’s Boston Globe that I’d like to share. The article, “Turning Pink into Green: The Gaping Disconnect between the Product and the Cause,” explores cause marketing.
ReplyDeleteAs we all know, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. A massive amount of companies partner up with organizations to promote the pink ribbon and donate to the popular cause. This month, the application of pink seems to have spread from yogurt containers to unrelated items, such as NFL footballs, vacuum cleaners, mezuzahs and hijabs. Landmarks including the White House and the ancient Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza have been dressed in pink light to support breast cancer awareness.
The most bizarre partnership, in my opinion, is KFC with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. How do buckets of fried chicken relate to breast cancer awareness? On one hand, KFC’s breast cancer awareness promotion reeled in $4 million for the foundation. On the other hand, KFC is linked to obesity, which is known to increase the risk of cancer. Although it was clearly beneficial, was it wise to link KFC with the foundation?
One group calls this trend “pinkwashing,” which takes place during “Breast Cancer Industry Month.” Most people are already aware of breast cancer, so perhaps the group is valid in saying that the month should change its name from breast cancer awareness month.
What do you think about the marketing plan? Do you think it’s getting out of hand? The journalist poses an interesting question: Should we only buy products that do not have chemicals suspected of links to cancer, or should we continue to think pink?
I wanted to refer back to Courtney & Rachel’s comment on revamping MySpace.
ReplyDeleteRachel, you proposed the same position I had in mind. MySpace was originally a platform for bands and music fans. It was a true promotional aid and a must for any new band. If MySpace wants to revamp the company image I would suggest returning to the roots that made them successful in the first place. Rather than trying to compete with these companies MySpace should focus on their specialty – music. One of the keys to positioning is finding what sets you apart from your competition.
I do believe that MySpace has lost its relevance as a social networking site when compared to sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I feel MySpace continues to fail as a social networking site because the demographics of users have shifted to a younger age group. Facebook on the other hand appeals to people of all ages. You use it, I use it, our grandmothers even use. The same can’t be said for MySpace.
A clean, fresh design would certainly make MySpace easier to navigate, but that’s about it. It takes more than a new look to peak user interests. We demand a lot from our social networks. We want updates aggregated, the ability to group friends, and not a lot of cheesy graphics. Okay, the last one may just be a personal preference.
There’s no doubt MySpace has a challenge on their hands. I’m looking forward to seeing how they decide to remarket the company brand, and whether the public feels a need for them to remain as a social networking site.
Well, the five of us are having a thoughtful exchange. I wonder why we can't seem to "peak" your classmates' interest? (Look up "peak" and "pique.)
ReplyDeleteAlyssa's Boston Globe articles piqued my interest. (Oops! I gave it away.) Boston's intellectual aesthetic is different from New York's. It's also colder there; you have to talk and write faster. I'm glad to see the authors agree with the stodgy professor. Short is good.
You also make good "news release" and social media points. I agree with Rachel's professor: we need to make sure the communication processes and media are organic—but they still depend on relationships and communication fundamentals.
As for MySpace, it will be interesting to see how it repositions itself. Analyzing its success or failure in the context of social media might be a good capstone project.
I'm sure everyone is aware of the UPS-Yemen-Cargo "plot" that unfolded Friday morning not only in the US but also in the UK. If you aren't, then let me catch you up to speed.
ReplyDeleteA number of UPS cargo planes, originating from Yemen, were grounded when pilots and crew grew suspicious of an onboard parcel. The supicious package was an inkject toner that had protruding wires.
As I was watching this unfold on the news, a number of analysts were commentating. Many of them highlighted the main problem with cargo plans. While flight passengers and their luggage are screened and safety-ensured, cargo is not.
Many times, cargo is shipped on passenger flights. So, if we are ruthlessly screened and forced to take off our shoes in the airport (one of my least favorite parts...YUCK!), a package that has not been checked, rests under my feet.
Some of the analysts said that everytime a shipping company such as UPS or FedEx try to figure out how to screen packages in a timely manner, they leave scratching their heads with no solution.
The fact that UPS does not screen packages and the fact that these packages could be on the same flight as you is now very evident to the public.
As I was typing this, a CNN story broke. "3 parcel bombs found in Greece."
Oh no. Now's its really a bad situation. If you were the PR person for UPS or another parcel company, how would you address this issue?
I agree with Alyssa that the traditional news release cannot compete with the internet. The next step, already in process, is working on combining the Internet with the news release. This form of news release is called a smart media release, multimedia release, or social media release. For this blog I will refer to it as a smart media release.
ReplyDeleteThe smart media news release is becoming more widely used. Our book (PR Writing and Media Techniques) lists Business Wire, PR Newswire, and Marketwire as three distribution channels that help create and distribute smart media releases.
These releases contain pictures and links to helpful sites and videos.
Reasons the smart media release will prevail over the traditional media release:
1. The traditional news release is still present in a smart release. Only links, pictures, videos, and social media aspects are added.
2. They are just as easy to distribute as traditional news releases.
Reasons the smart media release will not prevail over the traditional media release:
1. People are too apathetic to links and extra content. They don’t feel it is necessary to click on the extra links and want all the important content in the news release portion of the smart release.
2. They are more difficult to personalize to media outlet since everything is combined onto one release, on one webpage.
The key conditions to making a smart media release effective are, not let the main message get lost in too many links, pictures, or video, and make sure the end product is easily searchable and accessible.
Miryam, I agree with you that there should be a specific news release format that encompasses social media. I researched a little and here is what I found. Most have the traditional news release or a list of facts as the main portion and then links and photos are off to the side.
http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/novell/25197/
http://blogit.realwire.com/?ReleaseID=6892
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ReplyDeletePerusing through Bulldog Reporter, “A Crisis of Crisis Punditry: Why Public PR Advice Should Be Taken with a Dose of Skepticism,” (http://tiny.cc/kd9w7) caught my attention. I noticed that the writer, Bob Conrad, was a PR blogger; thus I was curious to see why he had a negative view of PR professionals providing commentary on social media platforms.
ReplyDeleteBob discussed how, when a business crisis occurs, PR professionals get caught up in the media frenzy; hastily adding in their two-cents without fact checking. The problem is media reports can be over-exaggerated or even false. When a news story garners worldwide attention, popular media want their share of the coverage. The goal of these news reports is to win the public’s attention, not making truthfulness first priority.
PR professionals, like the majority of readers, tend to believe what they read. They look at one article covering the issue and base their PR advice on the “facts” presented. Posts and comments from industry experts proliferate the rumors and add credibility to the speculations.
Bob gives Toyota as an example. Many of the reports about its malfunctioning breaks turned out to be driver’s error. As the claims were being investigated, PR professionals shared advice on how the company should manage the crisis. This added to the buzz and unfairly critiqued Toyota’s management team.
This is a crucial lesson to remember. I am guilty of this myself. When blogging about PR controversies, I read the first article I find and take its statements as objective fact. Now I’m going to do a little research before forming an opinion and make sure I have the story straight.
The press release has a bad reputation as being an unnecessary and outdated practice in media relations. This is not because press releases are ineffective at communicating news, it’s because most press releases are not newsworthy.
ReplyDeleteAt the agencies I’ve worked at, press releases are sent out at least twice a month for every client, regardless if there is actually something important to share. This frustrated journalists who are bombarded with hundreds of releases daily. They end up ignoring most releases because they don’t have time to sift through and pick out the worthy ones.
This is not to say PR professionals don’t know how to use a press release for the right reasons. Businesses who outsource PR to agencies are removed from the process, thus agencies need to constantly prove they are working on the account and worth the cost. Clients, who are (in general) not PR savvy, think the more releases the better. In order to please clients, agencies tend to send out way too many press releases.
The content is usually based on combining a few of the company’s existing products or services to create a lengthy release. The release is then sent in a mass email to all journalists who write about a general topic. For example, a release about furniture is sent out in a mass email to every reporter has “furniture” listed as a general subject they cover. This means releases are not targeted, and journalists who don’t deal with the topic are inappropriately contacted. Journalists then start blocking emails from that PR person.
Instead, the information should be conveyed in a pitch and addressed personally only to those journalists, who from researching past coverage, would cover the topic in a story. This way the message is tailored and only delivered to media who may have an interest in writing the story. The PR representative is then being helpful to the reporter’s needs, not disturbing them with irrelevant press releases.
A press release must have a legitimate purpose to justify sending it to media. The subject matter must be newsworthy, which means (according to our textbooks) it has one or more of the following elements: impact, oddity, conflict, known principal and proximity. This information should be organized in a clear, concise and well-edited press release then sent to the appropriate media. If we enhance the quality of press releases, media will start paying attention to them and appreciate its value.
I think all the cause marketing for breast cancer awareness has gotten terribly out of hand. It reflects poorly on the Susan G Komen foundation, an organization that will take money from wherever it can get it – even KFC.
ReplyDeleteCase in point. This year we can all buy a special breast cancer awareness edition of the Tiger Woods 11 golf video game.
If ever there was an appropriate spokesperson for breast cancer awareness wouldn’t it have to be Tiger? I’m amazed that the Komen foundation would in effect partner with Tiger. Many women despise this guy.
What’s next, a breast cancer awareness commercial featuring Ben Roethlisberger? This is a pathetic attempt by Tiger and EA Sports to rehab his poor image among female fans by capitalizing on a worthwhile cause.
Or take the NFL and its campaign. Why not launch a cause marketing initiative for something more appropriate like say concussions or traumatic head injuries?
Because while that would be a worthwhile cause for the NFL it wouldn’t increase their revenue much.
But breast Cancer awareness month can help the NFL draw in female fans. It doesn’t matter that its players are text happy and can’t stay faithful to their wives or that female reporters are routinely harassed by its players.
And it’s a win for the Susan G Komen foundation because the NFL games draw enormous ratings. Thus they get awareness but at what cost to the respect of the organization.
I must say your blog posts often are better than your assigments. Hmm. What does that tell me? I will factor blog research, thoughtfulness and writing into your grade. There's really no mystery; the key is you're writing about a topic that interests you.
ReplyDeleteThe Susan G. Komen Foundation-KFC partnership came up last summer and now Tiger Woods. Mike makes a good point: when does awareness jeopardize respect for an organization?
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about Obama's appearance on The Daily Show. His appearance says a lot about the evolution of media and has major siginificance to both politics and PR.
ReplyDeleteSince taking office, President Obama has appeared on shows including The View and The Daily Show. “He” (more likely his pr ghost writers) is an active participant on social media sites including Facebook and Twitter, and he recently joined the “it gets better campaign” by releasing a video on YouTube.
Obama’s participation in new media is something Washington has not seen before and it has created a lot of discussion. Some people argue that going on talk shows and meeting with hosts like John Stewart is bad for politics because it shows Obama not focusing on the real problems but rather focusing on his own publicity. They say he is lowering the prestige of his office. I however would argue that this great public relations, not just for Obama but also for politics and policy in general.
By using these new platforms Obama is reaching an entirely different audience including the young voters. Many young people do not regularly read the paper and a significant portion of the youth population say their only source of news comes from either The Daily show or the Colbert Report. By embracing the power these outlets have, Obama is spreading information about his policies and the current state of affairs to an audience that most politicians’ and former presidents have not been able to reach.
This participation speaks volumes about the shift to digital and new media. While Obama may be the first president to fully embrace these news methods of communication, I do not think he will be the last.
Today I attended Howard Rubenstein and team’s seminar on public relations for non-profit organizations. It was a great presentation full of great ideas, stories, and advice. Rubenstein’s first client was a non-profit organization and non-profits are still a part of his firm’s 450+ clients.
ReplyDeleteOne of the speakers today was Susie Arons an executive senior vice president at Rubenstein Public Relations. She works closely with Autism Speaks and the St. Jude Children’s hospital. One thing she said really stood out to me. “People give because they trust the brand.” At first this sounds simple, but it actually encompasses the entire strategic goal of a non-profit organization (or any organization for that matter). Once a brand or corporation loses trust, they lose donations and respect.
Mike, I agree with you that the Susan G. Komen foundation is untimely partnering with Tiger Woods, and a bucket of fried chicken does not present the healthy “let’s prevent and cure cancer” image they should strive for.
Susie told a great story today about being careful who endorses your brand. This story was about a celebrity affiliated with the St. Jude Children’s Hospital who went through a personal scandal and no longer is pictured in ads for the hospital. This celebrity actually called the organization and said he realized his actions were wrong and he did not want them to reflect on the organization. This was a good move for the celebrity and the hospital. Now, the children’s hospital is excited to have Dwayne Wade as one of their new celebrity endorsers.
Professor Noltenmeier, to answer your question, awareness takes away from an organization or cause when the awareness does not line up with the organizations message and image. It is not about the amount of awareness an organization gains; it’s about the quality of awareness they receive. Non-profits and corporations must be careful in how they promote their brand. The less confusion with their brand image, the more understanding from the public, and ultimately the more respect and trust they will earn.
Classmates, if you did not know about the Rubenstein presentation today at the Kimmel center then you are probably not on the PR League’s e-mail list. Look into joining so you will be informed of public relations events, benefits, and social activities.
Quick takeaways from today’s Rubenstein non-profit seminar:
-You have to do in your own career what you really like and have a passion for.
-Don’t play the game, be ethical.
-Take assets that are constant and reinvent them.
-“Let’s spin this,” is a recipe for disaster.
-People give because they trust the brand.
-Break out of the box of narrow thinking.
-What media says about you touches your very efforts to operate.
-Writing skills have become the core baseline as to whether you will be successful.
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ReplyDeleteIn addressing the evolution of the news release, I think the biggest issue is laziness and sloppiness. People forget the point of a news release is to “release news”! They simply throw together a generic release and email it to a list of journalists. This is a very ineffective method.
ReplyDeleteA news release can be an effective communication tool if it is written correctly which means providing relevant and interesting news with a local angle. If it does not provide this along with the answers to the five W’s it will likely be tossed aside by the journalist.
Many of the guest speakers we have had in other classes say they get annoyed with public relations professionals because they are lazy and don’t do the work to make a pitch or release effective. They don’t research the publication/journalist to determine the proper angle to use or see if the story is even relevant to the publication. If a public relations practitioner does their homework and provides a well written and tailored release, many of the speakers said they are not so quick to throw it away and can use a lot of the information. Based on this, I do not think the new release will ever die, so long as people learn how to correctly write one and make the effort to do so.
When I first saw this topic posted I immediately thought back to the debate about the death of traditional media outlets such as newspapers. Our society seems quick to follow the old saying, “out with the old, in with the new.” I don’t believe the newspaper industry will become extinct, and I don’t believe the traditional press release is irrelevant.
ReplyDeleteThe increase in social media outlets has created a new breed of journalists. Bloggers, both professional and amateur, have the ability to influence large audiences of readers. The name change to “news release” seems appropriate. The term press release suggests that they are meant only for members of the press. I think it’s a good thing we provide bloggers with all the details so they can report correctly, rather than speculate and twist news events.
The advent of the new multimedia news release has provided a wider audience reach. But does this mean the traditional press release is unnecessary? Absolutely not. There are still people in the industry that prefer the original. Similar to the people who prefer to read a real-to-the-touch newspaper verses viewing articles online. There is an audience for both forms.
This is a lesson for how to be a top notch communications professional.
ReplyDeleteAllison Gollust, NBC’s chief communications officer, announced she will be leaving once the Comcast takeover is completed. It was an expected departure since NBC CEO, Jeff Zucker, will also be leaving the network.
Gollust spent the majority of her professional career at NBC, a total of 14 years. She started as the chief publicist for The Today Show where Zucker was an executive producer and became a close confidant of his. Besides rising through the ranks over the years in media relations, she became well known for her input in overall strategy because Zucker trusted her so much.
Of her departure, Gollust said, “It’s hard. While there were definitely some tough days, I love my job. And I love the people I work with.” She also issued a statement, citing the work of her staff and saying, “I was honored to play a role in telling the story of NBC Universal and I leave knowing that it is poised for an exciting new beginning.”
Here is a person being forced out of a position at a company she’s worked out her entire career, but is still, for lack of a better term, a class act. Besides bowing out gracefully, for Gollust as a media relations professional to have gained such influence with the CEO speaks tremendously for how good she was at her job. I haven’t heard of Gollust before, but she is a role model to aspire to. Even under unwelcoming circumstances, she offers only praise for her soon-to-be former employer. Gollust is an example of how we can get a seat at the table.
I just came across this article from CNN: "First transgendered athlete to play in NCAA basketball." Kye Allums, a junior at George Washington University will be the first openly transgendered player in NCAA Division 1 basketball.
ReplyDeleteHe will be a member of the women's basketball team. He will not be allowed to engage in testosterone therapy as long as he is on the women's team
"I decided to transition, that is change my name and pronouns because it bothered me to hide who I am, and I am trying to help myself and others to be who they are," Allums said in his statement.
The National Center on Lesbian Rights, the Women's Sports Foundation, and Robert Chernak, senior vice provost at George Washington were noted in the article.
I think it is great that not only is Allums embracing who he is, but that he has the school on his side. We live in a time where many people don't regard homosexuality as taboo, but there is still that handful that do.
It takes courage to "come out of the closet" and I can't even imagine how tough it would be to change one's gender.
I think this is being handled very well by the school and NCAA. Not only are they setting a high standard of acceptance, but also paving the way for other students and athletes to be comfortable with themselves.
Is there anything such as bad press? That’s what a New York Times article questioned last week in light of the recent Gap logo debacle.
ReplyDeleteJonah Berger, a marketing professor at Wharton Business School, was curious to find an answer. Berger and two colleagues published a study to find out if negative publicity can have a positive effect and if so, when.
A major factor was if the brand in question is already familiar prior to negative publicity. In the case of book reviews, established authors who received poor reviews in The New York Times Book Review had lower sales, but new authors who received negative publicity actually saw sales increase 45 percent. Even with a poor review, the public is more inclined to purchase a book by a new author because it’s a new author…even if they stink.
In Gap’s instance, it is a very familiar brand and did the right thing by pulling the new logo shortly after its debut was harshly criticized. Also, it was the Gap’s logo, not its products that bore the brunt of the negative press. No one complained about an ill fitting sweated or poorly made jeans.
There are more examples and factors to be considered, but it’s an interesting concept that negative publicity for lesser known entities can prove positive.