4460 Blog 5: M is for Mother, and also for Money.

When it comes to making purchases, it’s no surprise that mothers make up a large portion of the buying public. They buy for their newborns, their toddlers, their kids and then eventually they buy for their teenagers. They buy a lot of stuff, and their opinions and influence should be carefully measured and considered by advertisers, right?

Wrong. Marketing to mothers is a woefully untapped resource. Much of the smart marketing is done towards men. Advertisers just aren’t speaking to mothers on their emotional level. The moms on TV commercials look perfect, and their households run with immaculate ease. It’s never outright stated, but certainly implied that these moms are home all the time, and that they have nothing better to do with their time than get stains out of clothes and carpets. This, obviously, doesn’t reflect the way things really are. Where a stay-at-home mom used to be the norm, she is now the minority. Today’s mother works and has ambitions outside (as well as inside) the home. She wants to see herself and her life reflected in the items that she buys, and marketers and advertisers have been a little slow on the uptake.

Well, that is about to change. According to this article, women (and men) in advertising are beginning to understand the marketing potential in advertising for mothers. The article points out that mothers spend an incredible amount in the United States every year, around $2.3 trillion. It also stresses that moms are often the gatekeepers for products that enter the household and items that are used within it. Since the women pushing for accurate advertising are advertisers and marketers themselves, the likelihood of getting it right goes up exponentially.

The marketers have begun doing panels and group gatherings of mothers to more accurately gather opinions and feelings. The gatherings are interesting in that it is stressed that they are not focus groups. Katherine Wintsch, the guiding force behind Mom Complex, which runs the gatherings, points out that on a focus group, mothers are more likely to want to look competent to other mothers, so they’ll trot out the standard answers: “moms are busy,” or “moms want their kids to be healthy.” They are and they do, of course, but there are much better insights to be gleaned from today’s working mother. This sea change in advertising can produce more tailored products and ads, and the possibilities that arise from this are endless. It is interesting to read an article like this and then keep an eye out for commercials targeted specifically to mothers. A more accurate representation of the trials and tribulations of motherhood can only be a good thing for the women who are raising children. After all, if you’re going to spend trillions of dollars, don’t you want it to work for you?

4470: Ethical theories in today's world

After learning about the classical ethical theories, it seems to me that the public perception of the ethics practiced by public relations professionals differs greatly from the ethics actually practiced by us. The public’s ethical perception of us matters just as much as our own ethical perception of ourselves. In some cases, the public perception may matter more. A public relations practitioner relies heavily on the reactions of the public and the support of the public when it comes to a client. To be perceived as shifty, dishonest, or untrustworthy is inherently damaging to a practitioner’s reputation.

To the public, PR practitioners are shady people. The public perception of PR pros can be seen as consequentialist: we don’t care about the method as long as the result helps our client. Any publicity is good publicity, right? They believe that we will do anything to achieve our goals, and this public impression is hard to shake. Some PR firms do leave this impression, though. One example would be in entertainment PR, where a publicist will do almost anything to get press for his client. I’m sure that consequentialist ethics do exist in public relations, and since ethics depend so much on the individual and the situation, I’m sure that many PR practitioners are guilty of using consequentialist ethics.

To me, however, this ethical theory is lacking in quite a few ways. The main focus of PR is the client, yes, but it’s also the public. What we convey to the public is proportional to the attitude and feelings that are sent back to us, and so as PR practitioners, we can’t just only do what is best for the client. There are many levels to consider when making a decision, and it stands to reason that consequentialism is not a viable ethical theory in public relations or advertising. Consequentialism requires a degree of ruthlessness, and a ruthless quality is not beneficial to those who practice public relations.

Virtue ethics have more of a home in public relations. There are going to be quite a few opportunities to make ethical decisions, and it seems that a strong moral fiber is a requirement for working in the public relations field. The world, unfortunately, is not black or white, and ethical decisions have many factors that can come into play. Though all PR pros live by the PRSA Code of Ethics, and therefore use deontological ethics, there are times when a more personal moral choice needs to be made. A good PR practitioner should listen to his or her heart, brain and gut before making a choice, and strong morals allow for more thoughtful decision making.

Though these ethical theories were developed years ago, they are still used today. Some, like consequentialism, are falling out of vogue in today’s ethical world, but as long as people keep making decisions these factors will come into play. One can only hope that any decision made is thoughtful and well reasoned.

4460 Blog 4: Throwing Out the Standard Press Release

We’ve been writing press releases in class these past few weeks, and it’s led me to wonder. I know that social media and the evolution of technology has forced PR professionals to adapt to new formats. It stands to reason, then, that the press release would also undergo a change, right? There has to be a more modern way to get a message out there. We’ve seen new and more creative ways of advertising, so why not PR? There are a few unconventional formats for sending out client information now, and the PR pro will soon have to be proficient at all of these formats.

According to this article, PR pros should be utilizing their creativity when it comes to press releases. They should stretch the rules occasionally, and try things to see what works and what doesn’t. The article challenges us to never write a standard press release again, unless the client specifically asks for one. The article recommends certain methods, such as the email pitch, which we’ve learned a little of in class. There are also suggestions for using Twitter or Facebook to get out information normally found on a standard press release. The phone pitch is also suggested, to build a rapport with the reporter.

The thing that is stressed in the email release is background knowledge of the reporter. This is important for obvious reasons. If you’re going to pitch someone or send them important information, it’s best to know your audience, always. Twitter doesn’t seem like it would be very effective to me. The article says to take the key idea and tweet it, but sometimes the key idea needs more than 140 characters to get its point across. Blog posts are a great idea, both for the client and for the PR pro. They allow you to be as brief or as verbose as you want, cater to a specific audience, and maintain a familiar, easygoing tone. The only problem I can see with blog posting as a PR method is getting the audience in the first place. It seems to be more of an “if you write it, they will come” school of thought, but it also seems that networking is vital in this area.

Another important point in the article is that PR professionals get a chance to create content instead of just regurgitating it for others. With the new nontraditional formats, we can create videos, blog posts, almost anything we want to. We can support our clients in new and exciting ways, and the possibilities are constantly being revised.

4460 Blog 3: Social Media Crises

For today’s blog, I’d like to continue the theme begun by posting on ConAgra’s mistake last week. ConAgra didn’t understand its audience or the people it was trying to reach, and since all of those people were bloggers, ConAgra’s blunder soon gained viral status. In this digital age, companies are practically required to have a social media presence, the more prolific the better. It’s important for companies to be able to respond quickly and efficiently when faced with a crisis through social media. But a new study from Altimeter group has discovered that most companies are woefully underprepared for social media crises.

Many companies are still learning to adapt to social media, where reputations can be made or unmade at the click of a mouse. Companies who are good at responding to social media crises are encouraging their employees to continue to blog or tweet about their employer. They are also educating their employees on social media standards and which outlet serves best to get the message across. The report’s lead writer has constructed a pyramid similar to Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs that helps companies prioritize social media usage and crises.

Every company needs to learn to adapt in today’s world, and a quick response is a large part of that. If ConAgra had had a social media crisis team (or had educated their employees in social media crisis response), the problem could have been lessened significantly. As it is, it looks like they don’t care enough to make any mention of the problem, while anger against them flies back and forth at the speed of light. A company cannot possibly expect to keep up if it doesn’t utilize the same tools as the Internet age.

The study surveyed over 144 companies to collect its information. It is both surprising and unsurprising that these companies are so underprepared. Many of them are still learning in this new social media world, but bigger companies should have social media crisis teams ready to go at a moment’s notice. The report also stresses the importance of analytics. A company needs to be able to understand its customers instead of just responding when a crisis occurs. Analytics tools help companies be able to prevent a crisis before it even happens.

ConAgra could have had a much smaller disaster on their hands if they had only known how to handle a social media crisis. Understanding how to respond to a social media crisis can often be the best weapon in a company’s arsenal, and it is sad that it doesn’t get used more. Companies like Zappos and Apple are popular in part because they understand their customers and how their customers think, and they manage to provide excellent customer service both on and offscreen. Many companies should make social media a priority and attempt to adapt to the ever increasing Internet world. Those companies that won’t change will be left behind, and they won’t be remembered fondly.

4460 Blog 2: ConAgra's big mistake

For this blog, I wanted to write about the recent ConAgra mistake. The story is here for those who don’t know about it. In this blog, I wanted to cover the PR aspects of this bait-and-switch crisis and, if I can, offer some solutions to rectify these mistakes. ConAgra is a processed food monopoly. They own, among other things, Banquet frozen meals, Hunt’s tomato products, and Marie Callendar’s frozen entrees and desserts.

The first PR mistake that ConAgra makes is a lack of foresight. Even first semester PR students are taught the value of knowing your audience. This can be done through focus groups or using demographics to select their unwitting eaters. Selecting bloggers is a great way to encourage word-of-mouth, but again, knowing the audience is crucial. A light sprinkling of foodies would have worked, but not a room full of organic eaters with dietary restrictions. ConAgra could have done their homework, but since the damage is done, the next step is a sincere and direct apology. They messed up, period, and they need to take responsibility for it.

The next mistake that was made involves the nature of the bait-and-switch. These people thought that they were attending a speech on food trends and then eating a delicious meal. They were questioned on their dietary restrictions, if any, but it doesn’t seem like a lot of them were listened to. These bloggers are foodies. They come in expecting quality and, instead of being pleasantly surprised at the reveal, they feel duped. It makes them understandably angry, and it fails the whole experiment. ConAgra could have gone with a different angle. They could have placed their frozen dinners inside a fancy restaurant as a replacement for lasagnas that were already ordered. It’s been done before, sure, but it works.

There is some to be said in ConAgra’s favor, however. They cancelled the final evening after the outcry began, and they have since apologized. It was a pretty large error on their part, and it’s even more egregious because it could have been fixed with a little foresight and thought. ConAgra forgot the number one rule of all PR pros: know your audience, and represent them to the best of your ability. In trying to push its products onto the wrong audience, ConAgra made themselves look like a company who doesn’t care enough about its publics to give them the appropriate food. In today’s world of blogging, word gets around fast and the internet’s memory is a long one. Any misstep can result in a tarnished public image and such a reputation can be almost impossible to shake.

4470: Why PR Needs Ethics

The field of public relations is, sadly, seen by the public as being shifty and untruthful. They believe that we lie for our own gain and our client’s benefit. They think of us as "spin doctors" who are only out for profit. The general public tends to be wary of PR practitioners and public relations as a whole. These public impressions work against the goal that public relations pros seek to accomplish. Some PR firms probably do breach ethics boundaries, but the majority stick to the ideals set out in the PRSA Code of Ethics. In an industry like public relations, ethics are necessary. They ensure that we do not cheat our client or our public and they allow PR practitioners to hold their heads up, secure in the knowledge that they have done the right thing. Practical and sensible use of ethics are a PR pro's best weapon in the professional field.

In the PR industry, there is really no choice that can be made that does not have some sort of ethical decision within it, and often the choice that is made can be the wrong one. Many times, an unethical choice is made simply because it is the easiest. Many PR practitioners have also taken the code of ethics and twisted it to suit their own needs. Companies like PR firm Hill and Knowlton ignore ethics in favor of profit. When companies like this fall, the resulting press coverage causes the public to believe that all PR companies are like this; the rest just haven’t been caught yet. This is, obviously, not the image that PR companies want to project. Therefore, many companies require their employees to take an ethics course and get certified every few years. This helps to ensure that ethics are at the forefront of a PR pro’s mind when he or she faces a tough decision. It also helps to ensure that PR professionals don’t get rusty when making ethical choices.

Codes of ethics are not put in place to patronize or belittle PR professionals and their decision-making skills. No one is perfect and each ethical decision is never black and white. Even in class, the importance of “going with your gut” was stressed when facing an ethical dilemma. The important thing to remember is that if there is ever a problem that may be unethical, there are guidelines to follow. The codes of ethics are in place to ensure that PR professionals will act the same way across the board when faced with a difficult decision. Doing the right thing can seem obvious to some, but there are many cases in the public relations field where the right thing is not so apparent. Ethics definitely get easier with practice, and any PR pro worth their salt should be able to use ethical decision-making without having to think twice. Ethics are essential to public relations; not only that, but they should be inherent in public relations as well.

4460 first post

I read this article at PR Daily today. The article states that 92 percent of journalists are using LinkedIn; more than any other social network. This is interesting to me because we were required to have a whole slew of accounts set up in prep for 4460. LinkedIn was one of those accounts, and at the time I couldn't understand why I needed such a visible online presence. I'm of an earlier generation, and while my peers have embraced social networking, I just haven't quite gotten on that bandwagon yet. This article helped me to realize just how necessary these social media sites are. I may not trust them, but I have to utilize them in the professional world, and I ought to start learning now.

It is reassuring to know that my professor actually understands the changing media landscape, however. I like the thought that we are getting as updated an education as possible. The article provides a lot of food for thought, stating that 24 percent of journalists were on Twitter in 2009, compared to 84 percent today. These statistics are not entirely surprising, but they are intriguing to see. I wonder what the percentage will be next year, or the year after, and what will be the next step in connecting to each other. Sites like LinkedIn have a good practical value; they allow people to make those personal and professional connections that are so valuable these days. For the PR professional, networking is a valuable currency, which is one of the reasons that social media sites have become so popular in the PR community. It makes networking so much more current and successful, and really enables people to connect worldwide.

The article doesn’t really describe anything that is earth shattering information, but this news is important to know. It is necessary to gauge how much we as professionals rely on social networking websites and how much we use them, especially for students about to go into the workforce. It’s one thing to have your teacher tell you how much you’ll need these tools; it’s another thing entirely to see proof of those words. It makes the lessons tangible and practical in the real world.

The article also says that the sites are used for more than connecting to other people. Social media sites help journalists gain story ideas from industry sources, and the scope of sources is much greater with the help of social media. Use of websites like LinkedIn and Twitter enable industry professionals to expand their reach and experience in an industry where being a jack-of-all-trades is a requirement and not an option. These websites are changing the shape of communications and journalism and journalists are changing with the times, whether they like it or not. I’m still not quite used to it, but I imagine that there were journalists grumbling when computers began to replace typewriters. Times change, and the requirements of the job are that we change with them.