Newsworthiness

After examining several days of top news on both NYTimes.com and LATimes.com, I learned firsthand about the qualifications of newsworthiness in today’s media climate.

The New York Times, known for its widespread and somewhat elite, well-educated readership, focuses headlines on government affairs much of the time. From the nation’s budget to current Supreme Court cases, domestic affairs are a popular pick for front-page news. The New York Times has an international presence, so world affairs are also popular. This often encompasses global conflict with news of war-related deaths and nuclear power negotiations in the Middle East, but other issues, like the arrest of the Mexican Teachers’ Union and the election of the next pope, span top news.  The overall feel of the publication’s website is a serious, intellectual one, with hard-hitting, far-reaching news stories. There is less of a local or feature focus here than on smaller news outlets, but the website promotes interactivity with links to videos and other multimedia.

The LA Times is still a national-caliber publication, but its news coverage has more of a local feel. Headlines, rather than being about politics in D.C. or conflict overseas, focus on west coast events. News of violent Mexican drug cartels, drilling in the Alaskan Arctic, flu deaths in San Diego County and details of the Santa Cruz cop killer case all have a more regional feel than the New York Times headlines. Still, there is definitely overlap between the two publications, with headlines on the conflict in Syria and a prevalent Supreme Court case. The LA Times has a more approachable undertone on its website, with more feature-orientated content permeating the news front.

The number one requisite for newsworthiness that sticks out to me is the current nature of events. In the midst of today’s 24/7 news cycle, websites are constantly being updated and articles being added. Yesterday’s news is just that. Major crises or tragedies may stick around the front page for several days or even weeks depending on magnitude, but in general, for anything to be considered news, it must be timely. Another consideration is the publication’s audience. For politically-interested intellects reading the New York Times, covering top stories in Congress makes sense. For the casual daily reader in Los Angeles, news of flu deaths in the state of California is more pressing. Thus, as PR practitioners who pitch stories, we must cater to the needs and interests of the publication’s audience. 

While government and politics have always been a hot-button topic for news, today’s trends point toward international coverage. With increased U.S. involvement in a number of countries, ongoing conflict in the Middle East and occasional spurts of major news – like the Pope’s resignation – all occurring overseas, and with the power of the Internet to spread information like wildfire, domestic affairs have taken somewhat of a backseat in terms of top news on a daily basis. Again, depending on the readership of a publication, it might be more appropriate to take an international, national or regional approach to a story. Human-interest stories, or taking news stories and delivering them from an angle to which the average person can relate, are another popular trend in news today. Sports and celebrity news will always be popular, but in the state of today’s world, the timeliness and global impact of events are what make news, news. 

CEO Blog Review: Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks

Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, maintains a personal online presence on his blog at www.blogmaverick.com. I was surprised to note that in terms of content, Cuban doesn’t often cover the Mavericks organization as a topic on the blog. He is a prominent businessman and entrepreneur, and his posts cover a wide variety of topics that all tie into the business world at large, from the Facebook brand to the state of the stock market. Cuban writes in a candid, concise manner. Though his posts are sometimes lengthy, his sentences are short and the overall flow of information makes for a quick read. His tone is relatable and friendly, yet still professional. However, there is no shortage of grammar mistakes scattered throughout the posts. Though this almost proves (unintentionally) that he is actually doing the writing himself, it does not help improve his personal brand or that of his organization, of which he is a major representative.

In comparison to the general PR effort within the Mavericks organization, Cuban’s blog lacks continuity with his organization and feels sporadic content-wise. The team’s tweets and website content are, as expected, very sports-centric. They also interact with fans directly by responding to them and using hashtags. The color and content across the website and social media channels are consistent. Cuban’s blog covers a seemingly random range of topics -- they all relate to business, but are very unrelated to each other. The design is fairly straightforward and bland, with very few graphics or user-friendly features. He does occasionally use bold type to indicate key points in his posts, but they could benefit from some editing, graphics and subheads or bullets to make the content more appealing to the casual Internet user.

Despite the improvements that could definitely be made, Cuban has a solid following on the blog. Avid fans leave lengthy comments and frequently share posts on Facebook and Twitter. He keeps a fairly frequent presence on the blog for a major management figure, posting once every couple of weeks. Though for some, this might seem too infrequent to maintain a solid following online, his popularity and celebrity status allow him to go for weeks or even months without posting while still keeping a wide readership.

The pros of keeping a CEO blog are tangible, as fans of a brand can put a familiar face to a major corporation. It is somewhat refreshing to read simple, candid remarks from a major leader of the business world. However, the cons are far-reaching as well. Cuban’s blog does not align very well with the Mavericks organization as a whole. While this particular case is not necessarily a detrimental situation, it could easily become a problem in the future. There are risks to putting the face of a company out for the public to scrutinize in such a direct way online. Small grammatical errors are one thing, but sharing one offensive remark or off-color opinion can result in a major PR crisis. Overall, I think Mark Cuban does a decent job in keeping a CEO blog, but improvements could certainly be made. Perhaps having a PR professional edit or at least proofread posts before publishing would be a good start in order to ensure continuity across platforms from the CEO and the organization.

Eric Mower Speaker Series: Adrian Barrow of JWT (Extra Credit)

Last night, I attended another event as part of the Eric Mower Advertising Forum. Adrian Barrow, head of strategic planning at JWT, a major global advertising agency, spoke about the significance of art in advertising and strategic communication. I enjoyed hearing his thoughts and seeing real world examples of how powerful an impact art can make on consumers. Although I am not looking to go into advertising, I hope to pursue a career that involves strategic communications, so the idea of art as a medium to unite and persuade an audience was both interesting and relevant to me.

Barrow spoke of advertising’s dissemination of “information as persuasion” that ultimately leads to a positive change in consumer behavior. He stressed the need for not only cognitive or conscious persuasion, but also emotional persuasion – the subconscious kind that resonates with our personal thoughts, memories and feelings. By using art, advertisers can successfully “puncture the membrane of rationality and reason,” communicating a message in a way that touches the hearts and souls of those receiving it. Barrow explained the need to listen to one’s own intuition as a creator, because if you are not moved by something, chances are nobody else will be either. Just because a campaign “makes sense” doesn’t mean it will resonate with a target audience – there needs to be that “click” of inspiration that goes beyond rationality.

We saw examples of profound artwork that made a political or social impact, from Picasso’s “Guernica” painting to the popularized photo of Che Guevara. What struck me, though, was the power of even the simplest ideas. For example, this video on the origin of Britain’s infamous “Keep Calm, Carry On” poster shows how one concise message, laid out in a particular way as art, can be more profound than the most complex painting or photograph. This is important to remember in the practice of public relations, too. Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones.

What I really took away from Barrow’s discussion was the power of creativity in communications. He explained that art sneaks under our defenses, affecting us before we even realize it. Our brains process artwork as stories, so using art to get past the consumer barrier is an effective way to not only influence behavior, but also mindset (especially when it comes to branding!). I learned the importance of graphic design last semester in my graphics class, but now I see that art itself is truly an impactful way of getting a message across in the real world.

Applebee's Social Media Disaster: An Analysis

After examining the unfolding chapters of the Applebee’s PR disaster saga, I realized there were several specific points of action taken by the Applebee’s public relations team that caused this situation to go from bad to worse.  Due to the fact the entire crisis came to be because of Applebee’s firing of its employee as a result of her violation of customer privacy, Applebee’s should have been extra cautious in its customer-related postings on social media platforms in the days following the incident. If the organization had announced and explained the employee termination and then reiterated its message of caring about customer privacy, the social media outcry probably would have run its course and quieted down soon. The people posting were, for the most part, customers or potential customers, and thus would appreciate the corporate concern for their privacy in the long-run.

However, by posting a kind note written by a customer (with that customer’s clear name in view) on its Facebook page just days afterward, Applebee’s essentially kicked itself in the mouth. Posting that picture was the first key point in this crisis. The breach of customer privacy elicited another major outcry, this time with accusations of hypocrisy. This just goes to show how important consistency and continuity across corporations, and on social media specifically, truly is. Customers lose trust and faith in a brand when it contradicts itself.

Another crucial point was the first Applebee’s comment in the middle of the night on its original status update. Clearly, posting this at an inopportune time and in an essentially hidden location was bad PR from the get-go. What really sticks out to me, though, is the tone that Applebee’s used. It gave a generic (and therefore shallow) message about caring about customers and appreciating feedback before going on to highlight, with bullet points, the details of what happened at the St. Louis franchise from the time of the incident to the time of the employee termination. This stuck out as somewhat rude and insensitive to me, as a customer. Applebee’s immediately took a defensive stance. However logical its actions may seem to itself (or even the average, unbiased onlooker), a company cannot just ignore the task at hand – responding to the plethora of people online who were clearly heated about this issue. By laying out the situation in bullet point form, it felt like Applebee’s was demeaning the intelligence of its Facebook fans and simply saying something to say something, without putting any real effort or meaning behind it. We already saw the general perception by negative commenters of Applebee’s as an organization run by “corporate pigs” – and the tone and content of the initial response did nothing to change that perception, as it essentially enforced it.

The final breaking point during this crisis came after Applebee’s deleted its status update, which it had previously been incessantly posting as a comment in response to concerned customers. Deleting the update, which had thousands of comments attached, obviously did nothing to help Applebee’s case – but worse than deleting it was denying that the deletion ever occurred. If Applebee’s had deleted the update and then actually listened to the uproar about the deletion and seen the screenshots people posted in disbelief, further deciding to craft a response apologizing for its actions to delete the posting or at least explaining its reasons for deleting the post, it could have eased the concerns of many that it was a dishonest, deceptive corporation. Instead, by literally posting the words, “no posts have been deleted,” Applebee’s denied an obvious fact and refused to take responsibility for its already questionable actions. Any customers who were on the fence about Applebee’s probably fell right over to the other side at that point.

This mess has simply reiterated the importance all of the basic, crucial points that make up effective corporate public relations. It is also a lesson in ethics, transparency and trust. In the end, I feel the escalation of this crisis was the result of a combination of questionable decisions by perhaps an understaffed or under-qualified social media team and the sheer stubbornness of Applebee’s executives. The ways Applebee’s went about posting and communicating on social media was a lesson in “what not to do, ever” online, but the content and overall message was just as questionable in response to the public outcry. In this age of 24/7 communication online and the general public’s increasing distrust in corporations, it is so important to remember the fundamentals of good social media PR: be honest, think before you type, and address concerns effectively rather than spit out a generic apology or run away from them. 

Hurricane Sandy and Social Media: An Analysis

The influence of social media during natural disasters and national crises was clearly shown in the case of this past fall’s Hurricane Sandy that hit the Northeast. The sheer amount of national social media attention to the storm and its destruction shows how powerful platforms like Twitter really can be. 

Meteorologists around the country were able to keep people updated on the local status of the storm, allowing them time to prepare in case of emergency. There were certainly some insensitive tweets, from hopeful high school and college students wanting school to be cancelled to “prank tweets” showing doctored photos of Armageddon-like images of the New York City skyline and stores offering special celebratory discounts in honor of the storm. 

These received scorn and backlash from many, including victims whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed by the dangerous storm.  This just goes to show how important it is for not only individuals, but especially companies and corporations to pay attention to current events and think with sensitivity before acting online.

Still, amid the misplaced “excitement” as people awaited the arrival of the storm, not realizing just how destructive it would be for many, there are also stories of hope and community that stem from social media usage during a time of need. I enjoyed seeing tweets in the days after the storm of people traveling to rebuild the affected areas, and Facebook pages to raise money for those in need were abounding in the wake of the destruction. In a time when phone lines and communication in general were hard to come by, social media was sometimes the primary method of communication between friends, family and neighbors affected by the storm. Through Facebook pages, people were able to keep tabs on the status of their damaged property as locals kept updating with photos and video, as noted in this article from the New Jersey Star-Ledger. There was also much talk and debate about the New York City Marathon cancellation in the wake of the storm, as many runners showed up to help with relief efforts in lieu of running. 

Without channels like Facebook and Twitter, we as a nation may not have understood the impact of this weather tragedy. I sometimes wonder how we would have reacted to major tragedies in the past, like Columbine and 9/11, had social media been around. The far-reaching, instantaneous properties of social media show how worthy these platforms can be as communication tools in times of emergency. Despite the occasional hoaxes and insensitive comments, the benefits of social media in times of crisis are clear.  

Eric Mower Speaker Series: Deb Henretta of P&G

I attended the first speaker event of the Spring 2013 Eric Mower Advertising Forum tonight. The featured guest was Deb Henretta, group president of Procter and Gamble's Beauty Care division. She gave an engaging talk about the twists and turns of her career path, touching on the specifics of her experiences with different notable brands at Procter and Gamble and giving students advice on how to embrace change, find your passion and become a leader in the workforce. 

I enjoyed Deb’s honest approach; she talked earnestly about her life as a mom and a wife first, then a business leader. She emphasized the idea of "juggling as part of the journey," learning to balance all aspects of life day by day. Her story matched up well with various videos and advertisements she showed to give the audience a sense of just what Procter and Gamble is all about. Their business really goes beyond the products and packaging, as they work to achieve their overarching goal of helping people and making them feel better (as their tagline, “touching lives, improving life” communicates). 

Hearing Henretta’s stories of the multitude of career changes she underwent – many “good news, bad news” situations that encompassed impressive promotions that also meant uprooting her life and family  to live on other continents across the globe – was inspiring. She stressed that change is constant, and that while it can be good, it can also be challenging; it takes courage to be a leader of change in the communications industry. 

It was surreal to hear and see some of the examples of Deb’s work, some of which have become so commonplace on our TV screens over the years. For example, she was in charge of revitalizing the Pampers brand of diapers, and she worked with a team to develop the product line of different diapers for varying “stages” of development (from newborn to toddler), which seems so natural to us as consumers now. At the time, though, her proposal was revolutionary, and she stressed the importance of perseverance and thinking outside the box in the workplace to sell your ideas to management who may be reluctant at first. 

Henretta’s visit gave me a new perspective at the power of packaged goods; she is currently working with the Secret deodorant brand to develop a digital “Mean Stinks” campaign to stop teenage girls from bullying. The campaign has already received mainstream media attention, as the brand encourages young girls to “be nice behind someone’s back” and make video confessions to apologize to people they have hurt in the past. She has also worked in Asia on a social responsibility campaign that involved food, water and energy security and sustainability issues; through the “live, learn and thrive” program, she has helped P&G provide life-saving water purification tablets to third-world countries around the globe. While our society is often chastised for putting too much emphasis on beauty ideals and packaged material goods, I learned from Deb that by keeping brands relevant and paying attention to current issues, this field can truly make a change for the better by improving – and even saving – lives. 

She advised to turn your passion into power, follow your heart, and look for ways to make a difference in the world by embracing and leading change. Henretta concluded the talk with one of her favorite quotations from Winston Churchill: “The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Guest Speaker Reaction: Christy Perry, Newhouse Web Content Manager

I really enjoyed Christy’s guest lecture on Tuesday. While I am pretty well versed in social media, I use it more for personal and social reasons, therefore often overlooking the professional aspects of it. I never realized just how many benefits and risks there are for brands who take part in social media and do or do not engage their audience.

Platforms like Twitter are so useful for relationship building in the digital world, and I know from personal experience that one’s perception of a company can be affected (positively or negatively) based on their social media response. I am a major Wegmans lover, so when I received actual responses in the past after tweeting about their products or about my shopping experience, it simply cemented my trust in their brand and strengthened my loyalty.

One point Christie made that I feel is crucial is to avoid duplicating exact information across various platforms. I follow the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts of my friends and favorite brands (from sports teams to TV shows to clothing stores), so seeing the same picture with an identical message three times gets a bit annoying after awhile. I like the idea of sharing the same gist of the message, but in a different way – perhaps by using a video link in one post and a photo or short message in another.

Christy’s 10 rules for social media use reminded me to be careful about my own social media presence and any work I do for companies in the future online. The one that truly stuck out to me involves relevance. Seeing the top social media “fails” of the year reinforced the importance of being sensitive to current events and issues, and not just saying something without thinking twice. This applies to personal accounts – it is just another reminder not to tell my followers what I’m doing, where and why at every moment – and also to corporate social media usage, as companies make sure to limit irrelevant or poorly timed messages in times of national tragedy. While it is important to be transparent content-wise and consistent time-wise, one must always consider quality over quantity and think twice before hitting the “share” button!