Green Marketing

Sarah Burgess

Within the past 10 years, we have seen an obvious and dramatic trend reemerge from the 60s. Being environmentally responsible has become the cool thing to do and be seen doing. Instead of referring to people who care about the environment as “tree huggers” or “hippies,” many people are now looked down upon if they don’t take interest in helping Mother Nature. Our neighbors refusing to recycle is one thing, but what if a major company harms the environment and doesn’t take measures to fix or reverse the problem?

One of the main ways that companies in today’s society show the public that they are well-rounded and proactive is to be involved in bettering our environment. This is completely understandable considering that recent studies have shown that more than half of consumers are more likely to use products from organizations that support sustainability in some way. Even organizations and companies that are not directly affiliated with environmental awareness are still expected to participate in the green movement.

Many corporations participate in bettering our environment because of the legal and tax benefits. In fact, California recently passed a law stating that any company that yields carbon dioxide emissions greater than 25,000 metric tons will have to face penalties.

Photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/cellphonesusie/4406301243

 

Although many laws and regulations have been placed on car manufacturers and fuel distributors, would you be more likely to buy gas from a company many have deemed environmentally irresponsible? Think about the Exxon spill of the late 80s and how long it took them to recover because they took little to no action to be transparent with their publics and do anything to prove that they wanted to be environmentally conscious. However, today we regularly see Exxon commercials about how clean their fuel is and their efforts to help the planet. 

Companies may go green to get tax breaks and legal benefits, avoid breaking laws and to please shareholders. But in the long run, is it more than that? Is it corporate suicide to not take initiative to be environmentally responsible and show that to your target audience regularly? You be the judge.

How to Fascinate

Kim Haller

A soon-to-be college senior, I mechanically perform the motions of student life. Attend class, do homework, eat, sleep, repeat. Like a robot, I struggle to break the mold of conventional routine. When faced with the task to search for the perfect summer internship, I feared I would be overlooked. What made me unique? My life consisted of textbooks, Pop-Tarts and exams. How was I supposed to stand out amidst a sea of students? 

Sally Hogshead’s speech “How to Fascinate” presented by the TEDx campaign teaches us to capture the attention of others by harnessing our personal strengths. This 20-minute video shaped my perception of professional engagement. If you have a chance to watch Hogshead’s lecture, I promise it’s entertaining! Her charismatic traits aside, Hogshead delves into seven key triggers that, when controlled, leave a lasting impression. The seven traits Hogshead describes are power, lust, mystique, vice, passion, prestige and trust. Though we embody all seven, we relate better to certain characteristics rather than others.

In public relations, image is everything. Harnessing your personal strengths asserts positive confidence in the workplace. I take my triggers – trust and passion – everywhere I go. Yet, how I work best is not the only facet. It’s important to recognize that co-workers and clients identify with various triggers, as well. Learning to adapt your personal strengths to serve a client is vital for success. Not everyone is like you. Like a chameleon, a practitioner must be flexible in different situations. Hogshead’s words inspired my jolt of positive energy during last spring’s interview with Obsidian’s Dallas Division. 

As a student, I assumed the challenges were over after accepting my internship offer. However, I missed the memo about the night-before-your-first-day-at-real-life jitters! After a few deep breaths, I remembered the fascinating messages from the video. I needed to understand myself in order to shine. My favorite message offered by Hogshead was “Make people fall in love with your ideas.” PR practitioners are not just representing a client’s brand; they are simultaneously representing their own. Positive personality and individual brands are crucial to ensure success in the field.

I am beyond excited to begin my summer internship with Obsidian PR in Dallas. I look forward to jumpstarting my training in the public relations field. And, I’m quickly learning that working with a variety of clients requires time management and organization skills! With Obsidian breaking into the Dallas market, I anticipate (and already am experiencing) a fast-paced environment, which I am eager to take part in. Knowing my personality and understanding my co-workers’ and clients’ triggers is of the utmost importance to ensure harmony and success this summer. 

A Brand-New Game: Why Companies Need to Set Some Boundaries with Digital Media Activities

Thomas Whitehead

Now, as in decades past, companies have hosted contests or encouraged feedback/testimonials from customers and fans using the communication tools of the day - first messages sent by mail and wire, followed by phone voting and now, voting through digital media platforms.

And there have been some fantastic digital media campaigns by brands in the last decade. It is obvious that many brands have taken the challenge over the last decade to fine-tune and present stellar ways in which to interact and engage with their targeted audiences.

However, there is still one area where brands are leaving themselves susceptible to having good campaigns become abused by the misgivings of, and I hate using the word but, trolls. And that is through open voting and suggested campaign discussions.

Just yesterday, a Boston radio station, KISS FM, had to cancel its online Taylor Swift’s Biggest Fan contest after a 39-year-old man won the contest by actively soliciting votes to “crush the dreams of these girls.” The radio station had to release a statement acknowledging the contest was compromised and apologized to their loyal listeners. But, was the contest really compromised or did the station and its marketing team not thoroughly prepare for the possibility that literally any person could receive the votes regardless of the motive? If the station had planned in advance, they could have established various ways to have some control on who could win the contest. They could have selected finalists themselves and then had those finalists voted on by their listeners even. Instead, they relinquished control by saying whoever has the most votes will win this contest without thinking someone would try to pull a stunt like this.

Three other quick examples just from the last year:

• Taco Bell had a campaign allowing people to nominate, vote and decide where they would like to see the company drop off a taco truck filled with their Doritos Locos Tacos. The Facebook campaign became hijacked when many people basically launched their own campaign to have Taco Bell (along with Pitbull) drop down in the remotest part of Alaska. The end result is probably not what the company had in mind when they started the campaign. Perhaps they were hoping for a bigger metropolis than Bethel, Alaska.
• Durex had a similar Facebook campaign allowing fans to vote where to test their new SOS contraception app for those unprepared amorous situations.  The winner of this campaign was none other than the exotic European destination of Batman, Turkey, another remote outpost destination, besting London and Paris. The company had to cease the promotion of the campaign after it was evident that Batman was the winner.
• Even McDonald’s is guilty of a well-intended social media campaign that didn’t have the expected result with their infamous #McDStories hash tag campaign. The idea was to promote the Twitter campaign and have people share their positive experiences with McDonalds. Well, the exact opposite happened as trolls took it as an opportunity to badmouth the company and create negative connotations with the company. Within TWO HOURS of launching it, McDonald’s social media management had to pull the campaign because of the joke it had become.  

What can be learned from all of this? Well, several things.  

First, when brands are envisioning a campaign, digital or otherwise, there has to be a discussion about what the worst possible situations could be, leaving nothing on the table. And this must be creative, even if it enters into the realm of vulgarity, simply because attackers will go there if need be and your company has to be prepared for that. SIDE NOTE – it is now recommended when creating a new name, division, product, etc. to check Urban Dictionary to make sure your new name is not connected with vulgar slang. Trust me on this.

Secondly, especially in contests or polls where you are allowing for customer feedback to determine a result, accept that it is OK to have final say on the options that they are given. It is your brand; you do have that permission and responsibility. Perhaps in the Taco Bell and Durex examples, they could have selected 10 to15 destinations that were big markets already for them or targeted geographical locations where they wanted to boost business.

And finally, in the midst of a viral promotion, diligent monitoring is needed to ensure that a campaign is not sabotaged or hijacked. The fact that McDonald’s pulled their promoted hashtag campaign in less than two hours after launching it is very impressive. In that time, they recognized the situation, assessed the damage and fallout, determined various next steps and concluded that this was the time to pull it.

My question to you is this – would your brand have been ready to stop a campaign that quickly if it had gone awry?

Again, with the challenge of people wanting to be more and more creative on the Web and in this day of anything is a fair target to be the next meme, it is imperative that companies keep this in mind when they are developing their next digital campaign.

Stem Academy: An Experience of a Lifetime

William Young

Earlier this summer, I worked as a counselor at a summer camp called Stem Academy at The University of Memphis. The memories that I made while at the camp are some that I will carry with me forever. I met so many amazing people with awesome personalities. If given the chance, I would do it again with no hesitation. 

Stem Academy is a two-week summer camp where high school students who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math come to the U of M and experience college life. The students are provided with mentors and participate in many activities along with going to class. The students stayed in the dorms and were lectured by college professors.

My role as a counselor was to guide the students through the college experience. I also was a resource for the students whenever they needed someone to confide in. I was on duty 24 hours a day for two weeks. I was in charge of 50 students, and it really taught me how to have tolerance. Through this experience, I gained a new respect for people who work in the education field!

Upon arrival, I was very excited to be a counselor to a group of bright high school students. My passion is mentoring kids, and I wanted to use my positive attitude and energy to uplift them. I’m not that many years removed from high school, so I can remember how it was to be young, wild and free. 

At times, the kids got a little rowdy but never to the point to where I couldn’t handle them. They respected us counselors because we showed the kids respect. It was our goal to show them that school is not only about excelling academically but also having fun, as well.

I had tons of fun with the students.  One of the funniest moments of camp happened while I was resting my eyes one night. The kids caught me slipping! I was minding my business and sleeping with the door unlocked. Then all of a sudden, I was greeted with ice and lotion. I jumped out of bed and chased the kids down the hallway! I couldn’t believe that I had been pranked. 

The two weeks of camp went by quickly. I created some lasting bonds with people, and I look forward to keeping in touch with them. I was honored to be a part of the camp, and it has been one of the highlights of my career!

Things to know about PR professionals

Sarah Burgess

If you have a friend, family member, partner or spouse in the public relations profession, there are a few things that you should know about us before you judge our lifestyle. Some of this you may already know, but it hopefully will help you better understand who we are, and may help strengthen your relationship.

• We need things planned – With all of the crazy things that can happen in our day-to-day lives, we definitely need our social plans easy and laid out well in advance. You’ll probably never hear a PR professional say this again, but we like it when we don’t have to do anymore planning! When you have already established what we’re doing, where we’re going and made reservations, it gives us once less thing to worry about and will make our lives just a little bit easier so we can enjoy more time with you! 
• We are hard workers, so be flexible – Despite the fact that we need everything planned out, we may be late every once and a while. Unexpected things come up all the time. Client emergency, Internet down, unforeseen deadlines—oh my! As in any career, sometimes it seems like Murphy’s Law can dictate our lives. We never know what to expect. So if you get a call saying “I’m so sorry; I’m running late!” or “There’s no way I’ll be able to make it tonight,” just know how much we hate it. What kind of person that plans events regularly likes to break plans and what kind of adult wants to work extra at the end of a long day?
• We overanalyze everything – But really though, it’s our job. We go into an organization, take tough circumstances, reevaluate everything about the client and help make things bigger and better than they ever were. Don’t be surprised when we look into every detail of your body language, what you say and how you say it. 
• We talk…a lot - After all, we did go to school to study the field of communication. Seriously, talking things out puts us at ease. We like to get a feel for every angle of the situation and evaluate it from the inside out. Sorry if you get sick of it, but that’s just who we are. 
• We check our phones and computers…a lot – What can I say, we have to! It’s not that we think our email and social media are more important than you, I promise. Public relations is the best literal definition of a “full-time job.” Like I touched on before, we can’t predict what last-minute emergency will pop up, so we always have to be on our toes, expecting the unexpected. 
• We will win every argument – Come on. If you know anything about us, you should know by now that we are incredibly stubborn, strong-willed and much of the time, we have Type A personalities. Along with the territory of having to talk through everything, we have studied communication enough and dealt with enough people to know how to get our way. 
• We’re always put together, except when we’re not – In public relations, it is important to remain calm, cool and collected in times of stress. And generally, we do. But after hearing some of the chaos that we deal with daily, it’s understandable that we may have a meltdown every once-in-a-while. During these times, we definitely need you most. Having someone there to be proud of us and support us, even in our weak moments, means the world to us. 

Overall, the best thing you can take away from this is to be patient with us. We’re tough leaders, but at the end of the day, sometimes the pressures of our job get to us. Ultimately, we will rely on you for our strength, support and sanity. So be kind, loving and understanding, and we will do the best that we can to be the best friend, partner or spouse possible. 

A Deep-Fried PR Disaster

Kristen Orsborn

Poor Paula Deen. Within weeks, she went from high priestess of deep-fried food to pop culture pariah. She’s courted controversy before. (Remember that diabetes diagnosis/endorsement deal? Or her throw-down with Anthony Bourdain?). But she’s never seen anything quite like this. Earlier this summer, Deen testified under oath during a discrimination lawsuit that she had used racial slurs in the past. Soon after, more allegations—of the racist variety and beyond—surfaced. Within days, her business empire began to crumble. So what did she do wrong? And how could she have handled it better? Here are some thoughts:

1. Don’t put yourself in that position in the first place. 
   Everyone’s entitled to an opinion – no matter how ugly or wrong it is. But keep it to yourself. This applies to politics, too. Don’t assume everyone agrees with what you have to say or that they share your worldview. Chances are, they don’t. And that’s OK. 
2. Always assume you are being watched or that someone’s listening.
   Follow the Thumper rule: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all! That’s especially true at work in front of your employees or co-workers. If you wouldn’t feel comfortable having it broadcast, don’t do it or say it at work.
3. Face the music.
   Deen’s PR campaign took an early nosedive when she canceled an appearance on the TODAY show. Matt Lauer called her out for it and rightly so. Deen should have embraced that opportunity to regain ownership of the story and explain herself. Instead, by canceling, she let the media and the public fill in the blanks for her.
4. Apologize… and get it right the first time.
   Deen’s PR team hastily uploaded an “apology” video to YouTube. It quickly garnered criticism for its shoddy production value – bad edits, poor lighting and a very “scripted” feel. When the world is watching, speak from the heart. Spend some time on it and get it RIGHT. Don’t apologize to the world on an iPhone video shot in a cluttered office with fluorescent lighting.
5. Start planning your comeback.
   It’s been said that the only thing America loves more than a meltdown… is a comeback. Deen may be on the right track. She recently fired the PR team that mishandled this scandal. Here’s hoping she found professionals who can work with her behind the scenes to help her return to the spotlight.

A PR Problem

Kelli Eason Brignac

Paula Deen has a PR problem. At some point Tiger Woods and Martha Stewart have had PR problems. You could even argue that the New England Patriots have a PR problem, what with all their players being arrested for various things. But what is a PR problem, really?

Most people don’t really understand public relations, although they often talk about this seemingly prevalent “PR problem.” I recently attended a luncheon put on by the Public Relations Society of America’s Memphis chapter, and our speaker was Dr. Kevin Trowbridge, who teaches public relations at Belmont University in Nashville. His presentation brought me back to the days of sitting in my college classes. He started with the definition of public relations.

According to PRSA, public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. Anyone who studied the subject in college probably once heard it defined as a management function, but PRSA opted to call it a process instead – noting the importance of having all levels of a business involved for a well-rounded, successful communication strategy.

Back to the PR problem. This term often comes up in a crisis, not unlike the one Paula Deen is dealing with now. As Dr. Trowbridge discussed, Paula’s problem stemmed from two little words in a deposition – “of course” – which she uttered after admitting to using racial slurs at some point in her life. Had she simply said yes or admitted to it but expressed regret immediately, she might still have a show on the Food Network and her name associated with any number of the sponsors who have now dropped her.

But the problem isn’t really PR, is it? In fact, PR is the solution. The problem often arises when someone does or says something that the public finds unacceptable. You could argue that the Florida courts have had lots of these problems with the public pressure put on them during the Casey Anthony and George Zimmerman trials. Celebrities often atone for their problems by checking into rehab. The problem wouldn’t exist, or its effects may be less pronounced, if an organization employs good public relations to start with.

Someone at the PRSA meeting brought up a good question – would Paula Deen’s deposition have resulted in such a backlash if she had already been considered trustworthy? Maybe not. But consider that it wasn’t that long ago that the public discovered she’d been hiding a diabetes diagnosis for several years.

Crises happen. People make mistakes. But it doesn’t have to ruin you. Make sure you have a plan. Make public relations part of your ongoing communications strategy. And don’t make the crisis the first time people hear from you. PR is not a problem. PR is a solution and an ongoing strategy that is always good for business.