Diary of a PR Flack

No encore for Song

Delta Air Lines introduced Song as its discount carrier three years ago. Now, Delta has announced it will absorb the low-cost carrier into its main operation in an effort to make Delta more competitive.

Song suffered a familiar fate experienced by many larger airlines to create low-cost units in an attempt to steal back passengers from the likes of Southwest and JetBlue. But now their fleet of lime green planes will join the ranks of their parent company, Delta.

According to Delta's chief operating officer, Delta claims they've learned from their 3-year tenure operating Song and have already incorporated many of its positives into the carrier.

On the surface, it'll appear that Delta’s Song experience was a failure and, for now, it probably is. But if Delta truly learned any lessons from its three-year swan Song, they'll need to show it ASAP. Remember, Delta filed for bankruptcy protection last month and announced they will cut up to 9,000 jobs due to their corporate restructuring. They also announced pay cuts across the board for all employees making over $25,000 per year.

This is where the internal PR machine needs to shift into overdrive.

There are few things that upset coworkers more than performing the same duties and working the same amount of hours and, all of a sudden, being compensated less for their efforts. There's no way to sugarcoat it.

However, by informing employees of the company's overall mission and how their immediate sacrifice can turn into big rewards down the road, an internal PR campaign can rally disgruntled employees. Of course, not everyone will buy into it, but those that do will become more productive and have a winning attitude that truly helps the greater good of their employer.

"You want nutritional information with that?"

After several years being the prime suspect regarding America's obesity epidemic, McDonald's is putting the truth where your mouth is: on their food.

McDonald's has become the first fast food chain to put nutritional information on food wrappers at the same time that it is launching an online behind-the-scenes kitchen tour. The burger giant is in the midst of a heavy media relations push to promote the changes.

Nutritional pundits claim the move will strengthen the chain's positioning, but solving the obesity crisis will require more than communicating more openly with customers.

I agree. Dieting across America is viewed as a temporary period of wellness, but our problem with obesity will only be solved when citizens become better educated and, more importantly, make smart decisions about the foods they eat.

But my one, um..."beef" with McDonald's new nutritional disclosure is that you need to purchase the food before you can view the nutritional information. People shopping in a grocery store can pick up anything and read the nutritional info without committing to buy the item. Not at McDonald’s.

Perhaps McDonald's could truly educate their customers by putting nutritional facts on the marquee above every register. That would give customers the best chance to make an informed decision.

A pioneer in more ways than one

Rosa Parks died early this week at the age of 92. She’s best known for sparking the civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery, Alabama bus fifty years ago. Depicted by the media as a bashful woman, she was a most unlikely hero.

Not according to a recent article in the Macon Telegraph:

"Parks was the mother of the movement. She was also the mother of the New South. However, demure she was not. Parks was active in the local NAACP as was her husband, and she was not the first black person to refuse to give up his or her seat on a Montgomery bus. In fact, Park's act of defiance was, in part, a planned event by the Women's Political Council. Others who had refused to give up their seats were circumspect. The person who would launch a movement had to be of high moral character. That person was Parks."

Parks was a part of a calculated effort who spearheaded the movement and the rest, as they say...is history. She was successful because of her high moral character and for consistently sticking to her message amid unthinkable obstacles. Moreover, Parks’ conviction was unwavering and her sincerity was indisputable.

Sounds like the characteristics of a good PR professional, huh?

Her preparedness, high moral character, sincerity and ability to stay on-message served as the foundation for the civil rights movement in America. She exhibited ideal traits for how we should represent our clients and communicate with media contacts.

We could all learn a thing or two from Parks.

AOL is A-OK with PR

AOL has launched an integrated marketing campaign to announce that its once subscriber-only portal is now free to the public. In fact, AOL has embraced the power of PR to get the word out.

The skinny from PRWeek:

"PR is an extremely important element of our overall marketing and communications efforts," said Kevin Conroy, EVPAOL Media Networks in a statement. "Our PR efforts will help to change consumer perception and redefine what AOL stands for in minds of today's high-speed web users by focusing their attention on the new AOL.com through every means possible."

The company that coined "you've got mail" has been carrying out an aggressive PR campaign ever since its sponsorshop of the Live 8 concert in July to highlight their new and improved features. The campaign capitalized on the praise it received for its broadcast of the global concert while MTV was roundly panned for its inept handling of the television broadcast.

With the right PR strategy, perhaps AOL can coin a new phrase: "I want my AOL."

A scratch in Apple's armor

Breathtaking designs. A glowing magazine cover on Time. Yup, Steve Jobs' company is the undisputed darling of creating "the next big thing."

But Apple is fighting a PR battle and a new lawsuit from disgruntled buyers of the iPod Nano.

The suit alleges that Apple pushed ahead with the Nano's release on September 6 despite evidence that it was defective. The lawsuit, filed in San Jose, is seeking class-action status based on claims that one of the Nano's problems is the thin film of plastic resin that covers the screen. The suit contends that previous iPod versions were coated with a stronger, thicker resin that was more scratch resistant.

And if that isn't enough of a PR nightmare, the Wall Street Journal’s technology guru, Walt Mossberg, joined the fray by revealing that his Nano was badly scratched in just one month's time.

Apple initially blamed the defect on a particular batch from a specific vendor that, according to the company, affected less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the Nanos that had been sold at that point. Currently, Apple has sold more than one million Nanos and the complaints are rising by the hour.

The best way for Apple to handle this is to accept blame and provide refunds for unhappy customers—and waive the $25 processing fee to do so. Apple has an army of loyalists who would rather see their favorite brand admit to an uncommon mistake than bicker and destroy hard-earned goodwill with its customers.

In many people's minds, Apple is flawless. And, to a fault, Apple seems to think that way of itself, too. The truth is that nobody is perfect.

Apologize. Refund. Move forward...with the next big thing.

Ping me!

Edelman and Technorati released a blogger survey that disclosed a disconnect between the amount of contact bloggers were willing to have with PR professionals and the amount they receive.

The findings are very informative:

Half of the bloggers surveyed wrote about a company or product at least once per week and 98% of those bloggers said they didn’t mind companies contacting them via e-mail.

But only 16% of bloggers reported that companies or their PR firms interact with them in a personalized manner.

This is an important—and alarming—discovery for PR pros. Bloggers are the pioneers of consumer-generated media (CGM) and they’re willing to speak with PR people. However, it's imperative that you respect bloggers like any other media contact and correspond by their preferred method of communication. And that method is a personalized e-mail message.

So what can you do to raise your game?

Set up Google alerts so you're notified every time your company or client’s name appears on someone's blog. Create a media list of those blogs mentioning your company or client and respond to them, as needed, by e-mail. You can even set up a blog for your company or client in an effort to relate to other bloggers on the same playing field. And don't send mass-mail press releases. It doesn't work in the blogosphere and will do more harm than good.

They’re going to like the way they look

You can say the NBA's new dress code is "racist."

You can say it's "a travesty."

Like all NBA players, you can say anything you want about the new dress code.

Just say it with a collared shirt.

David Stern, the czar of the National Basketball Association, released a memo on Monday instituting a dress code that starts on opening night (November 1). Players must wear "business casual" attire for team activities. If they're not in uniform but are seated on the bench, they are required to wear a sports jacket. No T-shirts, headgear or chains are permitted while on team business.

Many players such as Allen Iverson and Stephen Jackson have voiced their displeasure with Stern's stern policy. But it's players like Jackson—who threw haymakers at spectators in the stands during last year's near-riot in Detroit—that have damaged the league's reputation.

Whether they like it or not, NBA players are in the media spotlight off the court more than they are on the court. There are cameras and fans waiting for them at the team's hotel...when they get off the airplane...and when they get onto the bus at the arena. In most cases, the players don't say anything, so the only thing portrayed is their collective appearance.

Media Training 101 is all about "looking the part" and presenting yourself (and employer) in a positive light. Stern knows the image his league projects could be the difference between landing a multi-million dollar sponsor and losing three of 'em. He summed it up best by stating, "We have a minimum standard that we've set that reflects on the professionals in our sport and you're going to do it."

With deep pockets and over 500 Men's Wearhouse stores nationwide, NBA players will have no excuses adopting the Stern's "business as casual" edict.

"I've got a rep to protect"

Danny Zuko said it in Grease and that adage still rings true in today's business world.

The Massachusetts Corporate Reputation Survey released the results from their third annual survey and non-profit companies dominated the list. For the third year in a row, Harvard University came in at #1 followed by Boston University, Children's Hospital, Tufts University, and Brigham & Women's Hospitals.

These non-profit organizations have projected a positive image among potential employees, customers and partners. They also avoided negative press over the past year.

The same cannot be said for Fidelity Investments. They placed 3rd on last year's list, but tumbled to 21st this year due to trading and management scandals and a lavish bachelor party for some of its top stock traders.

If you ever doubt the power of a strong brand, just think about Harvard. The 369-year-old institution is a renowned worldwide brand known for strong ethics, products, degree of social responsibility and financial stability. Not even a trio of lame Harvard-based movies like Soul Man, With Honors and Legally Blonde could derail this legendary brand.

So remember, keepers of the brand: "Grease, I mean, 'brand' is the word."

From hip hop to mainstream flop

It's vague. It’s passé. And it's the acronym for Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

(Sniff, sniff, sniff)

I smell a flawed branding campaign!

Brand Atlanta announced that it will spend $2 million on re-branding the city of Atlanta by referring to the southern metropolis as "ATL." The term "ATL" became part of hip-hop vernacular when Outkast wrote the song "Cruisin’ in the ATL" years ago. Plenty of other hip-hop stars and athletes refer to Atlanta by it’s three-letter acronym.

But does that make "ATL" suitable for a widespread branding campaign?

Ken Bernhardt, a member of Brand Atlanta’s communication committee, tries to explain: "It's not the airport and it's not hip-hop. What ATL is supposed to elicit is the meaning of the brand, Atlanta, meaning 'opportunity, optimism and openness.' When you see the Coke bottle, you think Coke. It's an identifier of the brand. ATL should elicit everything that you think about when you think about Atlanta, which hopefully in the future will mean the three O's."

The part that bothers me most about Brand Atlanta's campaign is that trendy vernacular changes so fast in hip hop circles and "ATL" is already worn out like a vinyl record. And if you're going to lift something from a certain demographic and push it mainstream, it's imperative to have the support of the originating demographic to champion the brand message.

Somewhere right now, Andre 3000 is chuckling.

Stop or my mom will shoot her mouth off

Alex Rodriguez is widely regarded as the best baseball player in the world. He was beloved during his tenure with the Seattle Mariners. Then he hit the free agent market and signed an ungodly $250 million contract over ten years to play shortstop for the Texas Rangers. A-Rod quickly went from the Major League Baseball's poster boy to the poster boy for greedy athletes who only care about winning.

In Texas, A-Rod put up amazing offensive numbers, but the Rangers continually finished in last place. So A-Rod wanted a chance to win and was traded to the team that personifies the delicate fusion of winning with endless greed: the New York Yankees.

A-Rod just concluded his second season in pinstripes and he’s the leading candidate to win the American League MVP award. His numbers, once again, were stellar: .321 batting average, 48 home runs and 130 RBI.

But he stunk it up (.133 average, 0 home runs, 0 RBI) in last week's series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim & Anywhere Else in Southern California That Has Baseball Fans Looking To Cheer On The Home Team.

After New York lost the series, A-Rod told Yankee manager Joe Torre that it was his fault the team lost and that he apologized for his poor effort. Commendable stuff. Except that A-Rod comes across as trying too hard to be the perfect baseball player. He wants to be thought of as the ultimate team player. He wants to be "all about winning." He wants to be the unequivocal leader of the New York Yankees.

To sum it up, A-Rod wants to be Derek Jeter.

A-Rod’s mother, Lourdes Navarro, recently told the media her son's poor performance against the Angles was due to his uncle's passing and the distraction it caused. A-Rod's uncle, Augusto Bolivar Navarro, was A-Rod's father figure and helped to raise the All-Star. A-Rod kept the news of his uncle’s death to himself because he didn't want to distract his teammates.

"I think he should speak with the team and tell them that his uncle, who was like his father because he raised him since he was 8, died in a hospital in Miami," Navarro told Listin daily newspaper.

I understand that athletes as talented as A-Rod are human beings and can be overcome with emotion. I would never criticize anyone for grieving the loss of a loved one. A-Rod does, however, have a long history of putting up huge numbers on the field and trying too hard to win over the public off the field. It comes across as contrived and insincere.

Fans are very forgiving with professional athletes (example: Jason Giambi). Furthermore, fans want to see their athletic heroes' actions speak for themselves. They certainly don't want to listen to their moms playing the role of public relations representative.