Damage control is just beginning for the studio
There’s no telling how this pic- ture will end. By cancelling the planned release of The Interview following a cyber-attack on the company, Sony Pictures has started to stop the hemorrhaging resulting from the crisis. But the film studio remains on the defensive. It still has to repair relations with several Hollywood stars who were pilloried by Sony Pictures Chairman Amy Pascal in email exchanges that the
hackers made public. In addi- tion, Sony now must deal with the fallout from its 11th-hour decision to pull The Interview from its Dec. 25 release. Some members of the Hollywood com- munity have accused Sony of capitulating to North Korea, which the FBI says is behind the hacking. It is a fast-moving story, with multiple parts.
We asked PR executives who specialize in crisis management about repercussions, how Sony can control the damage and where it goes next. In general, our panel gave Sony good grades so far, praising its directive to media to
refrain from publishing the hacked emails. Yet Lexicon’s Steven Fink feels Sony should have vetted the threat to theaters. “The crisis hasn’t been negated,” he said.
Juda Engelmayer, Senior VP &
Group Director, 5WPR
The concerns surrounding the movie The Interview and the Sony hack raise intriguing PR questions. The most ardent sceptics wonder if this is a giant ruse perpetrated by the marketers
of The Interview. Doubtful, as the level of vitriol in the hacked emails between Sony executives about celebrities and other people serve to do more damage than good. Indeed, the hacking epi- sode reveals a huge weakness in our use of technology. Nothing we say is private anymore; that is a problem. Sony is handling it right by standing by its people and demanding that others—
including the media—destroy any data received. While the media will help spread gossip, a company should stand by its employees as long as the comments do not
Page 6
▶
PR Reacts as Sony Pictures Reels from Fast-Moving Crisis
Tap Into a Different Creative Mindset
Learning what makes them tick is key
Millennials sometimes get a bad rap for being lazy, entitled, and immature. In many cases this is a matter of perception, and in some, it’s spot on. On the flip side, we are diverse, independent and dream big.
millennials are about one- quarter of the population and represent $200 billion in annual buying power, making the group a major audience for many brands. What’s more, in 2015, millennials will be the largest generation in the workforce, thus a valuable B2B target. While millennials are a generation with diverse per-
sonalities and ambitions, they have a few things in common, especially their interaction with brands.
Namely, they identify with brands more personally and emotionally than older gener- ations, according to a survey by the Boston Consulting Group. They like content to find them and also value a consistent brand experi- ence across channels. In fact, the 2014 SDL Customer Experience Research Report shows that 64% of millen- nials are more likely to share information with a company if they get a similar feeling in the brand’s store, website or social media platforms.
Brand personality and cause- related campaigns also drive
millennial affinity.
They view brands
as extensions of their own values and status, and so are drawn to those emphasizing customiza- tion and community. Millennials are less susceptible to traditional marketing, relying primarily
Page 7
▶
©2014 Access Intelligence LLC. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines of up to $100,000 for violations.
December 22, 2014 prnewsonline.com Issue 48 Vol. 70
DID YOU KNOW
1. The Sony Pictures crisis has been tabled, but not necessarily negated. (p. 1) 2. When millennials’ ideas get heard it creates a more open culture. (p. 1) 3. Not all social platforms are equal when it comes to the travel industry. (p. 2) 4. Your voice is better understood via telephone than words on a page. (p. 3) 5. A phased approach for PR can help maximize con- sumer touch points. (p. 4) 6. If you won’t make a state- ment publicy, don’t put it in an email exchange. (p. 6) 7. Media companies are boosting their investments in face-to-face events. (p. 8)
▶ The Millennials
By Nicole HallPR Advice from the Pros
Read more great advice in PR News’ Best PR Advice Compendium
prnewsonline.com/prpress
“Empathy is the key to
success—with both
clients and consumers.”
2
prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14For subscribers only: full access to PR News article archives at www.prnewsonline.com
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203.899.8424, [email protected] SVP/Group Publisher, Diane Schwartz 212.621.4964, [email protected] President & CEO, Don Pazour Chief Operating Officer, Heather Farley PR News ADVISORY BOARD Paul A. Argenti - Tuck School of Business Mary Buhay - Gibbs & Soell
Ned Barnett - Barnett Marketing Communications Steve Cody - Peppercomm
Neal Cohen - APCO Carol Cone - Edelman Peter Debreceny - Gagen MacDonald Christopher L. Hammond - Wells Fargo Mike Herman - Communication Sciences Laura Kane - Aflac
Ken Makovsky - Makovsky
Michael McDougall - McDougall Communications Larry Parnell - George Washington University Mike Paul - Reputation Doctor LLC Deborah Radman - Senior PR Consultant Brenda C. Siler - Communications Director AARP D.C.
Stephanie Smirnov - Edelman Helene Solomon - Solomon McCown & Co.
Mark Weiner - PRIME Research
PR News BOARD OF CONTRIBUTORS
Dave Armon - Brand.com Andy Gilman - CommCore Consulting Bruce Jeffries-Fox - Jeffries-Fox Associates Angela Jeffrey - Salience Insight Richard Laermer - RLM Public Relations Richard Levick - Levick Strategic Comms Ian Lipner - Lewis PR/YoungPRpros Maureen O’Connell – Cone Communications Katie Paine - Paine Publishing LLC John Roderick – J. Roderick Inc.
Rodger Roeser - The Eisen Agency Lou Thompson - Kalorama Partners
Reid Walker - Dir. of Communications, United States Senate Tom Martin - College of Charleston
▶ Data Points
Social Media or Bust
New study finds link between the level of social media actions and the number of social media followers. But there are exceptions.
As the winter travel season kicks into high gear, a growing number of con- sumers will scour the most popular travel destinations to find the best deals. Brand managers and PR pros can learn from the types of con- tent certain verticals run—
and which brands in a par- ticular sector are winning the battle for eyeballs.
In an exclusive study for PR News, conducted by Shareablee, Disneyland gar- nered the most social media fans, followed by Walt Disney
World and Six Flags. The level of consumer engage- ment most likely is a func- tion of the volume of actions that brands take via their social channels, and, on that account, the Disney brand runs a steady stream of con- tent that apparently resonates with stakeholders.
“Overall engagement in the travel industry has grown 35 percent in 2014 compared to 2013, but not all platforms are equal when it comes to the travel consumer:
Facebook has declined by 16
percent, Twitter has grown by 190 percent, and Instagram has spiked by 505 percent,”
said Tania Yuki, founder and CEO of Shareablee.
She added: “Although tourism brands have experi- enced declining engagement on Facebook, the platform still owns more than 50 percent of all consumer engagement and is, therefore, a significant player when considering your social marketing mix.” PRN
Source: Shareablee
Metrics that are helping to define the communications field
Editor’s Note: PR News will not publish December 29 to celebrate the New Year. We will return January 5, 2015. Happy holidays to one and all.
Travel Industry Rankings
January 1 – December 15, 2014
All Social Platform By Followers
Brand Total
Followers
Total Actionsi
Actions% ii %
Actions %
Actions
Unique Engaged Audienceiii
Actions per Postiv
1 Disneyland 20,423,572 31,364,377 41.70% 1.38% 56.92% 11,106,143 22,018 2 Walt Disney World 17,168,927 27,498,536 60.37% 1.95% 37.68% 14,831,849 20,987
3 Six Flags 5,624,029 1,039,397 90.15% 1.26% 8.60% 928,079 13,385
4 Expedia 5,042,918 301,109 76.41% 13.35% 10.24% 151,061 374
5 Discover America 4,925,208 116,875 35.74% 5.25% 59.01% 22,791 81
All Social Platform By Engagement
Brand Total
Actionsi
% Actionsii %
Actions %
Actions
Unique Engaged Audienceiii
Actions per
Postiv Total Followers
1 Disneyland 31,364,377 41.70% 1.38% 56.92% 11,106,143 22018 20,423,572 2 Walt Disney World 27,498,536 60.37% 1.95% 37.68% 14,831,849 20987 17,168,927
3 Hawaii –
gohawaii.com 8,393,054 90.81% 0.19% 8.99% 6,892,510 15123 1,938,246 4 Carnival Cruise Line 5,712,048 66.73% 0.50% 32.76% 3,298,528 9953 3,217,616
5 Pure Michigan 4,921,887 47.97% 1.29% 50.74% 1,764,527 3572 996,821
i The total actions metric includes post-level likes, shares, favorites, retweets and comments.
ii % actions metric notes the portion of actions (likes, shares, favorites, retweets and comments) attributable to a platform.
iii Unique engaged audience metric references the number of people who engaged with the brand on Facebook.
iv Actions per post metric notes the average number of actions garnered by a property’s page.
All Social Platform By Followers
Brand Total
Followers
Total Actionsi
Actions% ii %
Actions %
Actions
Unique Engaged Audienceiii
Actions per Postiv
1 Disneyland 20,423,572 31,364,377 41.70% 1.38% 56.92% 11,106,143 22,018 2 Walt Disney World 17,168,927 27,498,536 60.37% 1.95% 37.68% 14,831,849 20,987
3 Six Flags 5,624,029 1,039,397 90.15% 1.26% 8.60% 928,079 13,385
4 Expedia 5,042,918 301,109 76.41% 13.35% 10.24% 151,061 374
5 Discover America 4,925,208 116,875 35.74% 5.25% 59.01% 22,791 81
All Social Platform By Engagement
Brand Total
Actionsi
% Actionsii %
Actions %
Actions
Unique Engaged Audienceiii
Actions per
Postiv Total Followers
1 Disneyland 31,364,377 41.70% 1.38% 56.92% 11,106,143 22018 20,423,572 2 Walt Disney World 27,498,536 60.37% 1.95% 37.68% 14,831,849 20987 17,168,927
3 Hawaii –
gohawaii.com 8,393,054 90.81% 0.19% 8.99% 6,892,510 15123 1,938,246 4 Carnival Cruise Line 5,712,048 66.73% 0.50% 32.76% 3,298,528 9953 3,217,616 5 Pure Michigan 4,921,887 47.97% 1.29% 50.74% 1,764,527 3572 996,821
i The total actions metric includes post-level likes, shares, favorites, retweets and comments.
ii % actions metric notes the portion of actions (likes, shares, favorites, retweets and comments) attributable to a platform.
iii Unique engaged audience metric references the number of people who engaged with the brand on Facebook.
iv Actions per post metric notes the average number of actions garnered by a property’s page.
All social platforms by followers
All social platforms by engagement
All Social Platform By Followers
Brand Total
Followers
Total Actionsi
Actions% ii %
Actions % Actions
Unique Engaged Audienceiii
Actions per Postiv
1 Disneyland 20,423,572 31,364,377 41.70% 1.38% 56.92% 11,106,143 22,018 2 Walt Disney World 17,168,927 27,498,536 60.37% 1.95% 37.68% 14,831,849 20,987
3 Six Flags 5,624,029 1,039,397 90.15% 1.26% 8.60% 928,079 13,385
4 Expedia 5,042,918 301,109 76.41% 13.35% 10.24% 151,061 374
5 Discover America 4,925,208 116,875 35.74% 5.25% 59.01% 22,791 81
All Social Platform By Engagement
Brand Total
Actionsi
% Actionsii %
Actions % Actions
Unique Engaged Audienceiii
Actions per
Postiv Total Followers
1 Disneyland 31,364,377 41.70% 1.38% 56.92% 11,106,143 22018 20,423,572
2 Walt Disney World 27,498,536 60.37% 1.95% 37.68% 14,831,849 20987 17,168,927
3 Hawaii –
gohawaii.com 8,393,054 90.81% 0.19% 8.99% 6,892,510 15123 1,938,246
4 Carnival Cruise Line 5,712,048 66.73% 0.50% 32.76% 3,298,528 9953 3,217,616
5 Pure Michigan 4,921,887 47.97% 1.29% 50.74% 1,764,527 3572 996,821
i The total actions metric includes post-level likes, shares, favorites, retweets and comments.
ii % actions metric notes the portion of actions (likes, shares, favorites, retweets and comments) attributable to a platform.
iii Unique engaged audience metric references the number of people who engaged with the brand on Facebook.
iv Actions per post metric notes the average number of actions garnered by a property’s page.
PR News Workshop:
Leadership Strategies for Communicators
January 28 | 8:30 - 11:45 a.m. | Grand Hyatt NYC
Join PR News on Jan. 28 for a half-day workshop that will explore the qualities of leadership in PR, the unique challenges that PR leaders face and how to attain and exercise a leadership outlook.
Workshop Trainers:
Barri Rafferty, Senior Partner and CEO, North America, Ketchum Ellen East, EVP & CCO, Time Warner Cable
Questions? Contact Rachel Scharmann at [email protected]
25265
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prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14
3
▶ The Checklist
Employee Relations
How companies communicate internally is an increasingly crucial aspect of public relations. With more staff working outside the office, companies are using multiple ways to stay connected.
Be available.
ü As an owner or senior exectuive, you’re busy and people understand that. But your team needs contact with you.
They need to see your face, hear your voice and get a strong sense that you are engaged.
Use asynchronous chat.
ü Don’t just rely on chat clients. Add video chat to the mix. With video chats, you can see facial expressions, reactions and body language as a message is deliv- ered. This will help especially when discussing a sensitive issue.
Be inclusive.
ü Don’t just chat with your team one-on-one. Include your whole sales group or your whole customer service team in a chat to help keep everyone on the same page. Do not, however, open a chat with someone who is responsible for troubleshooting a sensitive issue and bring a group of employees in on it prematurely. Gather the infor- mation from those having the problem, contact the person who would deal with it and then disseminate the information to only that person.
Then discuss what the course of action might be to resolve it.
Schedule regular times for check-ins and meetings.
ü Make
sure everyone knows that it matters that they communicate on a regular basis. Schedule your sales meetings and customer service meetings, and then stick to the schedule. Also, if you schedule meetings, don’t cancel every week—and especially not 20 minutes before—and leave your team feeling that their time has no value to you. After all, they have a schedule too.
Make use of technology and have a maintenance plan.
ü Make
sure the necessary technology is available to all, and be sure to make it work to your advantage. If you can’t explain something without visual help, utilize JoinMe.com or WebEx.com. Have an IT person on staff as well to make sure the technology is working well. It may seem like an unnecessary addition to the team, but the
headache you will save if you commission someone to be “on call”
to fix your system will far outweigh the money you’ll pay.
Use a task manager.
ü Basecamp is a tool used to upload files, assign and check-off tasks for different projects or even to create a simple daily task list. Users can start discussions on any project or file, and the information is saved and visible to all involved.
It’s a great little business piazza.
Schedule in-person visits.
ü Don’t forget the value of face-face com- munication. When possible, schedule visits with staff. Of course, part of the reason the team is working remotely is because in-person visits may not be easily scheduled. Still, a short visit can go a long way toward making your team feel included and building the synergy many strong companies have.
Be proactive.
ü Don’t assume that your team will always check in.
Although most people are very good about checking in because they feel the need for communication—(especially over long dis- tances), some may just check in when there is an issue. Letting your team know that you want to communicate is valuable, not just for troubleshooting but for building healthy working relationships.
Strongly consider your email aptitude.
ü Take great care in being
professional, concise and to the point about an issue in a neutral tone. You might also consider saving the informal banter for other means of communication since it may not be well received on the other end. Things can get lost in translation.
Pick up the phone.
ü Most of the time, your voice will be better under- stood than words on a page. Many people struggle with putting words on paper. Pick up the phone and let your voice and tone be heard while putting a little more human touch on your communication.
10 Tips for Strengthening Internal Communications
Here are ten ways to help ensure that your physically disconnected environment can also be an inclusive work environment.
Source: Shannon Hoffmann, publisher of Forefront Focus Media
PR effort mixes awareness, celebrity
Federal public housing was established in the 1930s as an answer to insufficient housing and unemployment during the Great Depression. Today, 2.2 million people in the U.S. rely on public housing as a viable living solution; however, negative ste- reotypes associated with public housing present challenges for residents and communities. This prompted HAI Group, a family of companies that serves public housing communities with niche insurance programs, to lead a campaign to improve the percep- tion of public housing. Its non- profit entity, HAI, Inc., partnered with Cone Communications to develop and launch ReThink:
Why Housing Matters. It chal- lenged Americans’ mispercep- tions about public housing by reinforcing its benefits through compelling story telling initiatives.
THE GOALS
Planning for ReThink began with extensive research to
measure Americans’ views toward public housing and establish a benchmark for the campaign.
Media audits and social media analysis revealed most conversations about public housing criticized public
housing policy, funding, crime, or the overall effect on com- munity, furthering negative misperceptions.
▶ Case Study
4
prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14A Toast to Third Parties
The plan to shift negative public perceptions and drive consumer engagement and sup- port for a decades-old issue such as public housing involved tactics that can be used for a variety of PR campaigns. Below are some of the key lessons from the ReThink: Why Housing Matters campaign.
▶ Create strong measurement. Benchmark studies are identified by the Public Relations Society of America as a best practice for mea- suring a campaign’s effectiveness, including reputation or brand equity. HAI, Inc., proactively undertook a two-phased, Pre-Launch and End- of-Year 1 Survey, and established a national benchmark for understanding and perceptions
in 2013 and changes in 2014. While pressure always is on PR to deliver return on investment for its campaigns, applying benchmarking is a tested approach to correlating shifts in con- sumer perception with awareness of PR execu- tions. We believe the benchmark studies will help set the stage for decisions about long-term planning and prove the campaign has had a demonstrable impact on local perceptions and attitudes in a short period of time.
▶ Pulse content across multiple platforms.
Today’s ever-shifting media landscape requires an investment beyond earned media to achieve objectives. We decided to pulse out content and assets over a period of time to maximize media engagement. For this year’s campaign, we pitched stories around celebrations such
as National Housing Month.
We complemented this effort with paid media, particularly on Facebook and Twitter.
▶ Work the third-party angle. Always maximize the
reach of partners, third-party advocates and supporters. Emphasize how your client is offering viable solutions by arming them with robust campaign assets. In our case, Public Housing Authorities leveraged ReThink campaign assets with their con- stituents and media to help reshape local perceptions and generate positive coverage.
A bonus: The effort also can help forge new relationships and increase engagement from current supporters. —M.O.
Research showed that people had misperceptions about public housing. In less than one year after campaign launch, ReThink: Public Housing Matters shifted public perception. This graphic was part of the PR effort.
Campaign Debunks Misperceptions about Public Housing
Courtesy: HAI Group and Cone Communications
Maureen O’Connell
prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14
5
A survey of 1,000 American adults showed 83% believe U.S.
citizens deserve a decent and safe place to live; however, 63%
do not support public housing in their neighborhoods and 52% would not want to live near a public housing unit.
The survey also found a lack of knowledge about public housing’s benefits; almost half of Americans (40%) believe that public housing has a negative impact. Based on the research and media audits it was decided to infiltrate local media with ReThink messages, as well as create an opportunity to reach national media.
Cone’s plan for ReThink included a regional and national earned media strategy, story- telling hub, program logo, branding, and a national PSA with a celebrity.
Singer-songwriter Jewel served as celebrity spokesperson, offering her personal experience with homelessness. A documen- tary-style video captured Jewel’s passion for the issue and relayed stories of people who lived in public housing. Videos were housed on the story-telling hub, ReThinkHousing.org, and on dedicated Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
The campaign garnered 16,000+ website visits; gained 1,300 new Facebook fans and 250 Twitter followers. There were more than 28,000 video views with a 4% click-through rate to the ReThink website from the YouTube-hosted PSA advertise- ment (4-8x better than industry average of .5 – 1%). ReThink generated 519 million impressions from 6,433 placements nation- wide across print, broadcast, online, and social media channels.
The campaign also received praise from high-ranking officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
THE EXECUTION
Entering the second year of the initiative, HAI, Inc. challenged Cone to find new ways to edu- cate consumers. While ReThink’s
original aim was to encourage Americans to rethink their views of public housing, 2014’s main objective was to move beyond raising awareness, and authenti- cally engage consumers.
That led to the launch of the “ReThink: Why Housing Matters Song Contest with Jewel,” engaging Americans and raising awareness for public housing around the common fact that everyone deserves a place to call home.
Through a customized microsite and Facebook appli- cation, hundreds shared stories and photos about the meaning of home. Entries served as inspiration for Jewel to write a home-related song.
The grand prize winner met Jewel at a performance of the song, “Home to Me.” This effort used a phased approach to maximize media opportuni- ties and consumer touch points:
• Phase I: Jewel brought authentic and credible atten- tion to launch the song contest with top-tier media interviews across all mediums during a media day in New York City.
• Finalist/recording phase: To create buzz for the song, Jewel participated in an interview with USA Today. In addition, media kits were provided to the 10 finalists to help them spread the word about ReThink and drive votes for their entry. Local cov- erage was secured in many of the finalist media markets.
• Phase II: As part of the April song launch, which included an intimate performance in Los Angeles, Jewel participated in a second media day with top-tier print, broadcast and online media.
THE RESULTS
Music service SoundCloud hosted Home to Me with a customized ReThink- branded page, and embedded a SoundCloud player into ReThinkHousing.org and within social posts across ReThink’s and Jewel’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
A paid social strategy supplemented earned media to drive contest entries, voting and song downloads. Media results included:
• 70+ million impressions from 300+ placements that were 100% positive in sentiment
• Key placements included People, the Associated Press, and Access Hollywood, among other media outlets.
•Online coverage included ABCNews.com, Billboard.
com, CBSNews.com and Parade.
• Radio stations nationwide shared “Home to Me” online
• 18,000+ website visits since launch, with top traffic drivers being major media placements
• Facebook fan base rose by 138%, Twitter by 119%
ReThink succeeded in starting to shift perceptions about public housing. Research conducted in 2014 showed that, compared to the 2013 results, Americans are 16% more likely to believe public housing resi- dents are hard-working members of society, and 13% less likely to believe they are unemployed or underemployed. Americans are 56% more likely to say public housing has a positive impact on residents versus. 2013.
“When people think of public housing, they think of stark high rises, the way public housing used to be decades ago after the Great Depression. But public housing has evolved,”
said Courtney Rice, corporate communications and Branding Manager for HAI Group. “Our efforts showcase the vibrant people who live in public housing today and demonstrate how it benefits society as a whole.” PRN (This article was written by Maureen O’Connell, director at Cone Communications.) CONTACT:
Maureen O’Connell, [email protected]
Heather Riley has been promoted to VP of Communications for ABC News. Riley joined ABC in 2011 following stints at the White House, MSNBC and Nat Geo...
Burson-Marsteller has named PR veteran Stephen Naru Head of U.S. Media Relations and Managing Director, U.S. Corporate and Financial Practice. He joins Burson-Marsteller from FleishmanHillard, where he served as Global Media Relations Practice Leader...
FleishmanHillard has appointed Stefan Gerard as the PR agency’s global strategic integration lead.
In addition, Gerard will lead the New York office’s brand marketing group. Gerard, a senior VP and senior partner, has helped lead the agency’s strategic integration practice in the Americas since joining the company in 2010...
Porter Novelli announced that Debbie Spitz has joined its UK office as director of the UK technology practice.
Before joining Porter Novelli, Spitz was director of external communications for Coca- Cola Enterprises. Prior to that, she spent 15 years at agencies including Blue Rubicon and LEWIS PR...
Steinreich Communications Group Inc. has tapped Ariella Steinreich as media relations director.
Steinreich most recently was a senior associate at Burson-Marsteller, where she handled global media relations for several of the agency’s clients.
PR Movers
6
prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14Sony Debacle
▶ Page 1
cross ethical boundaries. No one wants to be the next one caught saying something shocking about a colleague or business partner, but until we reach that utopian ideal, Sony and other hacked companies are stronger for defending and protecting the right to privacy, even as they know it will not stop the gossip. The moment companies and organiza- tions back down and turn on their own, only the true saints in this world will ever be safe.
Steven Fink, President, Lexicon
Communications Corp. and author of “Crisis Communications:
The Definitive Guide to Managing the Message and Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable”
Discussing this issue last week the question would have been framed: Should Sony go ahead with its planned release of the movie, The Interview, the devil be damned, full speed ahead? Or, should the company give in to the blackmailers’ demands?
It’s awful to capitulate to a blackmailer’s demands under any circumstances, but before entertaining any decision we would have to know whether: a) the threat is real and b) acqui- escing will negate the threat.
Sony made its decision without either of these two critical con- ditions being satisfied, and that’s a problem for the film studio.
The crisis, then, has not been negated; it only has been tabled, with more than a 50-50 chance it will reappear down the road now that the hackers/blackmailers see how easy it is to bring a company to its knees without firing a shot.
Kicking the can down the road, as Sony did, is not sound crisis management strategy.
We would have tried first to reach out to the “Guardians of
Peace” to negotiate a cease fire.
If—and it’s a big if—a dialogue could be established, anything is possible. Assuming North Korea is behind the threats and the leaks, I would reach out to Dennis Rodman, Kim Jong-un’s new BFF, and use him behind the scenes as an intermediary. Incidentally, it’s not too late. There may be certain compromises (e.g., edits to the film, money changing hands, etc.) that could be made that would satisfy the hackers.
Notice that Sony’s decision was made after the country’s largest movie theater chains, including AMC and Regal, announced they were not going to show the film because of the so-called “Christmas Surprise”
card, interpreted to be a threat of violence in or at theaters showing the film. So Sony can try to save face by saying it didn’t capitulate to blackmail demands; it was the theater chains that folded.
But that’s not really a crisis solution either. Sony may have to write this one off and suffer igno- minious defeat, understanding that no matter what it does, more embarrassing emails most likely will be released. So the studio will wind up with even more egg on its face, instead of the poten- tial of having blood on its hands.
In every crisis, there usually is an opportunity. In this case, every other studio has been put on notice: You could be next.
Beef up your corporate firewalls and start deleting embarrassing emails. In today’s unpredictable world, you never know what some lunatic might object to, or who might be targeted next.
David Johnson, CEO, Strategic Vision
Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Amy Pascal and Sony have been reeling since the company’s records were hacked.
Most damaging for Pascal, an ardent supporter of President Obama, was a racially charged email. It said the President must enjoy Django Unchained, 12 Years a Slave and Kevin Hart films. Sony’s stock has taken a hit from the crisis. Pascal has apologized. But can she survive?
Yes; however, in addition to what has been done, she should:
Address Sony employees 1. regarding the crisis
Hold a press conference;
2. apologize and redirect focus to the real issues: the hacking and terrorist threats.
Frame this as Sony against 3. North Korea. Sony is under
attack for defying a repres- sive regime
Announce how Sony will 4. change its corporate culture
Stop using lawyers to shut 5. down news reports on the
emails
Harlan Loeb, Global Chair of Crisis & Risk, Edelman
Treat your email like copy for a story on the front page of The New York Times. While crisis communicators have extended this proviso to clients more gen- erally on strategy documents for decades, the near certainty that a company will experience a data breach now extends to what was once thought to be the ‘private’
domain of email. Sony certainly has learned this painful lesson the hard way.
The rule of thumb: If you would not make the statement publicly, then don’t make it on email, text, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and any other cyber tool. Emails can never be contextualized for audiences that don’t know the players, so wait to push ‘Send’ until you’re certain it’s G-rated or you’re comfortable with what could
quickly become unwanted celebrity status and a pink slip.
Bill Nowling, Senior Partner (Detroit) Finn Partners.
(Nowling recently managed communications for Detroit’s restructuring and bankruptcy.)
I don’t think anyone is sur- prised a motion picture execu- tive would have strong opinions about dominant personalities working in the film industry.
Still, it is a blow to the brand when those sentiments make their way to the public arena.
That’s why I give [Amy] Pascal and other senior Sony executives props for making a round of mea culpa calls last week to colleagues and key stakeholders on the receiving end of some of the more poorly chosen comments in those internal emails. A sincere apology goes a long way, especially with the people who are most impor- tant to your business.
In addition, Sony’s decision to push hard by reminding reporters that it intends to preserve its legal rights against anyone who publishes its stolen property was smart. Some see this as heavy-handed, but it helps focus some of the cov- erage on the theft of the emails, which was the original event.
Communicating swiftly, and honestly, with key stake- holders is a crucial part of any crisis response plan. So, too, is returning to proactive mes- saging about your company. PRN CONTACT:
Juda Engelmayer,
[email protected]; Steven Fink, [email protected];
David Johnson, djohnson@
strategicvision.biz; Harlan Loeb, harlan.loeb@edelman.
com Bill Nowling, bill.
on personal networks and the Internet for insights and updates on a brand or its products.
Who better to help create concepts that will influence this hard-to-reach target than the millennials on your team? They offer first-hand knowledge about how and where they want to be reached, which messages speak to them, and provide feedback on existing ideas and campaigns.
Their expertise with online and social platforms and how they interact with brands on those programs is another valuable insight they can provide.
Agencies that recognize this and embrace the strengths of their millennial team members are seeing a positive effect on the creative process.
There are plenty of traditional ways to harness this creativity, including focus groups (with mil- lennial staff members, external parties, or a mixture), online sur- veys and one-on-one interviews.
Millennials also like to get creative about getting creative, however.
Below are out-of-the-box ideas to help harness millennial creativity to spark ideas and inspire new PR campaigns.
• In the beginning. Consult everyone at the beginning of the RFP process. Many new business teams are senior-heavy and only tap into their mil- lennial team members when seeking a specific tactic, “social idea” or feedback on an existing concept. Bringing millenials into the conversation at the start not only will instill a sense of ownership in the project, but will provide valuable insight and help infuse fresh thinking into a group that likely churns out multiple proposals and plans each month. Buy-in can be as simple as inviting millennial staff members to brainstorm or soliciting their thoughts via email.
• Kick off brainstorming with an ice breaker. This cre- ates a clean slate and switches millennials’ minds from their current workload to the topic of discussion.
While this is a chance to get creative and clear every- one’s mind, oftentimes things said during the ice breaker are catalysts for developing some of the best ideas that emerge from the brainstorm.
It also helps if the ice breaker is relevant to the industry or brand to be discussed. Some examples include: playing word asso- ciation exercises, developing fictional brands and taglines, predicting future gadgets, planning creative scenarios, and storytelling.
• Consider a job swap.
This Freaky Friday-esque exercise bolsters creativity from both the PR manager and his/her millennial coun- terparts. Giving both sides a fresh perspective can inspire new thinking.
The millennial junior staff member is given the opportu- nity to see the account from a high level, while the manager experiences the more tactical side of daily work, giving both sides a new way of looking at the same brand. Sometimes all it takes is a change of scenery to help spark ideas.
• Tap into their social media obsession. Some cre- ative epiphanies occur outside business hours. This works in favor of millennials, who always are connected, checking Facebook and Twitter mul- tiple times daily. Many even rely on social media to interact with brands.
• Foster an entrepre- neurial culture. This is more of a long-term process, but creating an entrepreneurial culture at your agency can
have huge repercussions for harnessing creative mindsets from millennials and all staff members. When millennials know that their ideas are encouraged and well received (and can become reality), it creates a more open culture that fosters overall creative and collaborative thinking.
For example,
Peppercomm’s Innovation Mill was born out of one team member’s interest and belief in the need for innovation.
The idea was shared with key members of the manage- ment team and the necessary resources were allocated to make it a reality. It’s now one of the agency’s most widely read content hubs.
Despite many of their junior- to mid-level statuses within PR agencies, millennials
are a valuable resource when tapped effectively, especially when it comes to creative thinking and idea generation.
By understanding the drivers behind millennials’
decisions and loyalty to brands, not only can PR managers develop impactful campaigns to target this market, they can also harness their fresh thinking.
The combination of mil- lennial creativity, preferences, social media experience and new ideas with PR managers’
creativity, experience and expertise can be a recipe for success (and, let’s hope, more than a few new client wins). PRN
CONTACT:
Nicole Hall, nhall@
peppercomm.com
prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14
7
Millennials
▶ Page 1
A recent Peppercomm win can be attributed to the collaborative and creative mindsets of management and millennials. In vying for the business of an international automobile manufacturer, we incorporated different rounds of creative consulting and brand experiences from all levels within the agency before drafting a single word of the proposal.
As part of thde process, we intentionally grouped people together who do not typically work together daily so as to spark creative thinking, idea chemistry and an expansion of our horizons.
We covered the walls of our meeting rooms with a variety of visuals designed to provide context but also to elicit additional inspiration during the brainstorms. The visuals ranged from the brand’s existing marketing collateral to photos of celebrities and competing brands.
This gave us an idea of how the company saw itself and provided material for initial reactions during the sessions. The visuals served as ice breakers, but other warm-ups included word association exercises and discussions of the brand’s quirky anecdotes. We also referenced social media platforms to explore how consumers were interacting with the brand and to understand millennials’ thoughts on its effectiveness.
A key takeaway was that we realized the two organizations had similar cultures. Like Peppercomm, the automobile manufacturer embraces an entrepreneurial and open culture. Recognizing the cultural similarities led us to showcase ours in everything we did for the automaker, from the written proposal to our final presentation.
The cultures combined with our collaborative ideas ultimately have led to a successful business relationship. —N.H.
Inclusive Culture Yields Success
8
prnewsonline.com | 12.22.14Consider new events and native advertising
In the current climate nearly every media property is looking at new ways to gen- erate revenue beyond tradi- tional ad dollars. Two key areas we’re seeing media prop- erties invest in are face-to-face events and native advertising (or branded content). As the PR field continues to undergo dramatic change, communica- tors should consider how they can broaden their approach beyond traditional reporting and take advantage of these two new ways to engage with the media.
SET THE STAGE
Many publishers are launching events this year. In the tech world, for example, we’ve seen new face-to face events from The Wall Street Journal, IDG, Bloomberg and many other major media outlets.
Reporters obviously are covering news and infor- mation that breaks at these events; the Journal produces special summaries of events it hosts that are folded into its daily newspaper.
But, more important, reporters and editors create content for the events and often are headliners. Your informa-
tion may not show up on the pages of the publication, but it could very well make its way into event content.
Aiming to have a pres- ence at events sometimes is an afterthought, yet considering the highly targeted audience, it should be part of an overall strategy.
That means it’s not only a good idea to media train your spokespeople, but to develop interesting speakers who can deliver compelling thought leadership while on stage during an event.
THE FOLLOW-THROUGH Another opportunity provided via industry events is the spreading of information via social media.
Often, events are hotbeds of
“live journalism.” Socially active audiences tend to “report” at events, amplifying what is said on stage.
Again, reporters who work for these publishers may not write an article about your company from what they hear at an event. However, if content is compelling enough, journalists and others will most likely share excerpts with their followers.
Add to that the hundreds—
or potentially thousands—of attendees with access to social channels, and you could have a significant opportunity to influ-
ence your customers directly.
Publishers, such as IDG, who are increasing their investment in face-to-face events are hiring people with titles like VP of Marketing and Content and Chief Content Officer. This means there probably are several inroads into speaker placement.
Media Survey CEO Sam Whitmore’s advice to agencies is to develop specific expertise in not only spotting key events, but also understanding whom to pitch to put your client in the spotlight.
The other area publishers are investing in as a way to recoup diminishing revenue from traditional ad spending is native advertising. While there is a lot of experimentation occurring, it appears that native advertising is here to stay.
According to IPG Media Lab, native ads are viewed for the same amount of time as editorial content and are much more likely to be shared than a banner ad (32 percent versus 19 percent of respondents said they would do so).
NEW OPPORTUNITIES Native Advertising”—which used to be referred to as
“advertorials”—is another way to describe sponsored content that actually appears in the flow of regular editorial content.
One of the little-known downsides to native adver-
tising is that it doesn’t show up
in search results. I’m told this is because many sites specifi- cally choose not to include any advertising in search results. I have a feeling this practice may start to change soon.
Many—if not most—
consumer-based publications have begun to adopt native advertising opportunities.
Communications strategists of all stripes would be smart to understand how these oppor- tunities fit into overall content marketing landscape. A few tips to heed:
▶ Do your homework and make sure you’re paying to be in front of the right audience.
▶ Be creative about the byline of your piece. It doesn’t necessarily need to be from someone in your company.
▶ Above all, content, even branded content, needs to have value. Again, use research tools to uncover topics that readers care about most.
Instead of thinking there are fewer ways to engage with the media, look for nontraditional ways. Face-to-face events and native advertising pose two options to explore. PRN CONTACT:
Barbara Bates is CEO and founder of Eastwick. She can be reached at [email protected]
▶ Tip Sheet
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By Barbara Bates
The PR News team recognizes the loyal support of its sponsors and partners:
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Here’s to a Successful 2015!
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