Just be honest. Is that so hard to do?

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4470

March 26, 2012

Blog Three—Ethics in Public Relations

Just be honest. Is that so hard to do?

Practicing public relations should be so easy; it’s implementing common sense for the greater good. Dumb people make PR hard. If you cheat, lie, steal or do anything negative you make the job of a PR professional a nightmare. Lucky for the dummies out there, we are trained to know what we’re doing. Unfortunately, sometimes the dummies land a spot in PR and make an even bigger mess.

Let’s look at a somewhat recent issue in the news: Costa Concordia crashes and sinks.  Carnival, the parent company, did a horrible job of handling this situation.  They did not want to take responsibility for this crisis. I don’t think they even had a plan for this situation.  The decisions they needed to make should have been made in the favor of the greater good. Instead of pointing fingers, Carnival should have apologized for what happened and vowed to do whatever they could to ensure the safety and well-being of the passengers.

            When you have ethical decisions to make in PR or even in life in general, the Potter Box is a great tool to use. The Potter Box consists of four simple steps: define the situation, identify values, select principles and choose loyalties. The Potter Box forces the practitioner to prioritize the values and publics that are most important to the organization in a given situation.  Let’s try one for Carnival’s situation with Costa Concordia.

Define the situation: ·         The boat has crashed. ·         Passengers evacuated but some are still missing. ·         Captain evacuated before everyone was off the ship. ·         Oil is leaking into the ocean.	Identify Values: ·         Passenger safety. ·         Crew safety. ·         Stop the water pollution ASAP and clean up what’s already spilled.
Set Principles: ·         Apologize. Say that you will do everything you can for those affected by the crash. ·         Offer refunds and free cruise. ·         Our company values our passenger’s safety and cruising experience. ·         Offer counseling for those who are traumatized by the situation. (Crew and Passengers)	Choose Loyalties: ·         Passengers: current and future ·         Stakeholders ·         The ship’s crew. ·         Mother Nature (oil leak)

           

            Carnival not only lost the trust of their passengers when the boat sunk but they also lost respect when they were only offered a discount on a future cruise in addition to a refund. When something like this happens you offer a free cruise in hopes to keep them as a customer.  On a more positive note in relation to the oil leak from the ship, “Costa announced most of the fuel from the ship had been successfully removed. It noted in a statement "minimal amounts" of fuel that pose no significant environmental risk remain in the ship's tanks.” At least they are doing one thing ethical by trying to keep the water clean.

            In an article from The Los Angeles Time, it states, “Five more bodies were recovered Monday from the Costa Concordia, more than two months after the cruise ship struck a reef and became submerged off the Tuscan coast, the Italian Civil Protection agency reported. That brings the official death toll of the Jan. 13 disaster to 30, with two people still missing and presumed dead. Costa Cruises and parent company Carnival Corp. refused to comment about the casualties or the recovery operations.”  Never, ever refuse to comment. It makes people question you and your ethics.

The Potter Box is useful tool when making ethical decisions in PR. If you want to put more thought into decision-making process you can extend from the Potter Box to the Navran Model.

The Navran Model is similar to the Potter Box but gives you more latitude for decision-making. It consists of the following steps: define the problem, identify available alternatives, evaluate the alternatives, make the decision, implement the decision, and evaluate the decision. After you follow those steps you can apply a “PLUS” filter to steps. PLUS stands for the following:

·         P—Policies: is it consistent with organization guidelines?

·         L—Legal: is it within the scope of the law?

·         U—Universal: does it conform to values of my organization?

·         S—Self: does it satisfy my personal definition of what is right and fair?

            The Potter Box and Navran Model may seem intimidating, but they really aren’t that bad. The model above was put together in a matter of minutes. It’s not hard to do. Carnival sure could have used it in their time of need I’m sure. Hey, Carnival, maybe it’s not too late. You can still try to use this and save your company.

Sources:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/25071649?seq=2

http://seekingalpha.com/article/333972-carnival-stock-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet

http://seekingalpha.com/article/411261-carnival-faces-public-relations-nightmare

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/26/news/la-trb-concordia-five-bodies-20120326

Are you looking for drama?

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

March 27, 2012

Blog Ten

Are you looking for drama?

It seems like you can’t do anything these days without upsetting someone. You would think everyone would be tiptoeing around to stay in the positive light. Not the Miss Universe pageant.

For those of you who are out of the loop, an article was published Monday, March 26, about Miss Universe Canada Jenna Talackove being disqualified from the pageant for not being born a natural woman. The 23 year-old has been a woman for the last four years but says she had known she was a female from the age of four. She started treatment when she was 14 and had surgery when she was 19.

In this day and age it is more acceptable to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual. As generations continue to grow older, I feel that members of the GLBT community will soon be fully accepted for what they are: people. With all the gay-rights movements and protests that have taken place in the last few years, it is shocking to me that Miss Universe Canada would dare disqualify someone because of their gender status. I understand that the rules say you must be a “natural born female” but times are changing people. Is the pageant looking for a new group to protest them? Because that’s what they are going to get.

Miss Universe needs to apologize to Jenna and the public. They need to sit down and reevaluate the rules for the pageant. Times are changing and if you don’t change with them you will be left behind and possibly disliked.

According to the National Post, Jenna Talackova is accusing the pageant of discrimination for her being disqualified.  There is an online petition that has been signed by more than 300,000 supporters for Jenna to be reinstated to the pageant.

“’This is discriminatory, unjust, and quite frankly disgusting,’ said Oscar Dimant of Brooklyn, New York, listed as the author of the online petition at change.org. ‘She is a woman and deserves to be treated as any other woman would be.’”

The pageant looks for women who have overcome a challenge in their life. What better challenge can get than having to change who you are on the outside because of who you are on the inside? Not only does it seem like Jenna would be the perfect candidate, but her participation would bring great attention to the pageant. PR for Miss Universe could totally play this in their favor. Any negative protest from anti-GLBT groups could be hushed by saying Miss Universe accepts all women for who they are and they do not discriminate. Heck, they could even start a side pageant for men, gay or straight, if they wanted to. Whatever. Jenna’s participation would be a historical marking for Miss Universe and the pageant could forever hold the honor that they accepted her and supported equality for all.

Sources:

http://shine.yahoo.com/beauty/miss-universe-canada-disqualifies-transsexual-contestant-she-born-192000420.html

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/03/29/jenna-talackovas-disqualification-from-miss-universe-canada-sparks-fresh-outrage/

Can you put a price on customer service?

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

March 14, 2012

Blog Nine—Can you put a price on customer service?

“Everything that can be counted doesn’t necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted,” Albert Einstein said. This should be greatly considered when developing a relationship with your client, customer or target audience. I definitely know how important ROI can be but if you cannot build a lasting relationship with the person who is going to boost your ROI is going to go nowhere.

“We live in a society that puts the dollar above the customer. That is, corners are cut and customer service is subservient to getting “paid.” Don’t get me wrong, I like getting paid as much as the next person but too many times we question the return before we implement any kind of customer service process that influences both repeat business and word-of-mouth,” says David Johnson, blogger for Social Media for Businesses.

Companies need to remember to focus on the ROE, Return on Experience. You can’t really track the ROE as well as the ROI but the ROE is what is going to increase your ROI. It is important to build lasting customer relationships.

According to Johnson’s blog he states, “While there are ways to track a repeat customer and word-of-mouth, it’s not always straight forward. I don’t think anybody would argue that customer service goes a long way to determining if a particular customer is going to become a loyal customer or not. We’ve all been subject to poor customer service and thought to ourselves, “I’m never coming back here again!” The opposite is also true.”

I worked at a bar for the last two years. The owner invested lots of money in advertisements and maintenance for keeping up the look of the bar so customers would continue to return. No matter how nice the place looked though, the wait staff had complete control of which way the customers experience would turn out. Wait staff gets paid $2.13 an hour so any money they hope to make will come from the customer service they offer. I am a strong believer in delivering good customer service because I know how much bad customer service makes me want to explode. Moving on, I had customers who would purposely come order from my bar top because they knew they would get better service from me over another bartender (I am friendlier than most people.) The point is people will remember the good service they received from someone. It plays a big role on whether or not the customer will return. How many times have you found a restaurant with delicious food but received horrible service? What are the chances of you going back there when you don’t feel valued at all?

You can’t track ROE like you could ROI but you can focus your efforts in making sure you and your employees deliver the best customer service possible because without them, where will your company be? Down the toilet.

Source:

Johnson, David. "Why Relationships Matter And ROI Doesn’t." Why Relationships Matter And ROI Doesn’t. Persuasive Social, 14 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. <http://persuasivesocial.com/social-media-for-business/why-relationships-matter-and-roi-doesnt/>.

Video Gone Viral

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

March 8, 2012

Blog Eight

Video gone Viral

If you haven’t watched the “Kony 2012” video yet, you must not be on social media.

A call-to-action video, posted Monday, resulted in over 40 million views by Thursday morning. The man who posted the video is Jason Russell, a co-founder of Invisible Children, a non-profit based out of San Diego.  This video is an example of the power of social media and reminds us if we use it correctly it can be a useful tool in getting your name out there.

What is interesting about this topic? Traditional media didn’t cover it until after it went viral via social media. Every individual has the power to share and spread news thanks to social media instead of just waiting for it to be covered in a traditional news story.

In an article in the Los Angeles Times it states "There are activist documentary filmmakers all over the world, and all of a sudden they've got new tools," Taplin said. "It used to take you months, if not years, to get a documentary distributed. When he made documentaries in the 1990s, he said, there were two outlets: PBS and the Discovery Channel. And "it was really hard to get a documentary into a theater, almost impossible." These days, YouTube allows an instant audience. "You finish it, you put it up."

As it was mentioned above, we now have the tools to spread whatever message we want, it is just a matter of how well we utilize those tools. YouTube makes it easy to post videos; it is just up to you how well the content of the video is put together.

The video going viral is an example of how social media has transformed political activism. People are responding and donating to this cause because of what they saw in a 27 minute video. It is a reminder of the power Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have with today’s generation by allowing us to “share” content.

According to USA Today, “An additional 445,000 people have "liked" it on Facebook. And on Twitter, celebrities such as Justin Beiber, Will Smith and J.K. Rowling have pushed the trend by sending out tweets. One tweet by P. Diddy was retweeted more than 57,000 times.”

The “Kony 2012” team seems to know what they are doing seeing as how much attention they have received over the last few days. They are coordinating, through social media of course, “Cover the Night”: another “call-to-action” event April 20. But can they continue to keep up the response between now and then? What about after April 20? New donors and supporters are going to crave and demand updates from the organization. We will have to watch and see how this story develops. It definitely makes you realize social media can be your best friend when you utilize it correctly.

Source:

Dorell, Oren. "'Kony 2012' Viral Video by Invisible Children Stirs Debate." USA Today. Gannett, 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-03-08/invisible-children-kony-2012/53422862/1>.

Goffard, Christopher. "Video on Ugandan Militia Leader Joseph Kony Sparks an Uproar."Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. <http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-uganda-kony-video-20120309,0,2324909.story>.

Helpful Blogging Tips for PR Professionals

Catherine Paneral

Jour 4460

March 2, 2012

Blog Seven

Helpful Blogging Tips for PR Professionals

Social media allows us to better connect with our audience. Through the use of Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more we open a street of two-way, less intimidating conversation.  PR professionals have realized this and have urged their companies and clients to take advantage of it. While most people know how to Tweet or “like” something on Facebook, many of them think a blog is just for “venting your feelings and ranting.” Not anymore my friends. Blogs can keep your audience up-to-date and informed as well as allow them to comment and voice their opinions about what you post.

According to Wikipedia there are over 156 million blogs. That’s a lot of competition for you. How are you supposed to compete with other, more experienced, bloggers out there in attempts to increase your web traffic? Have no fear, helpful tips are here. When writing your blog, keep these helpful tips in mind:

• Who is your audience? Target you writing style towards their interests. Don’t write about flowers and sunshine if you’re blogging for Harley Davidson.
• Have a catchy headline. This will grab the reader’s interest. You may not think you’re creative enough for this but there are websites that offer suggestions if you’re stumped. Check out 7 Ways to Write Super Catchy Headlines for helpful, simple tips.
• Keep your tone conversations. Ask questions in your blog that will allow for interaction with the reader.
• Audio, video, photos, oh my. People love hearing and seeing things. I cannot say it enough.  The audience has a short attention span so if you can add something that will keep their attention just a little bit longer then you’re on the right track.
• Posting time. Not everyone thinks about this little guy. I use to always post my blogs when I was done writing them…at 2 a.m. It never clicked to me that my target audience was asleep at that time. No wonder my website wasn’t seeing more traffic. You should experiment with posting times until you find one that works for you.
• Keep it short and to the point. I know you have a lot to say. So do I. But unless you are composing the most interesting blog in the world, people are going to lose interest if you wrote the length of a novel. Frogloop suggests keeping your blogs to about 500 words. If you have something to say that is more than 500 words, make it a two-part post. That way if a reader is interested in your blog, they will come back to your site to continue reading.
• This last tip goes without saying, but just in case…always check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Nothing makes you look more unprofessional and uneducated than a punctuation slip-up or misspelled word. Also, never, ever use profanity. It can turn off your reader. Besides that, you are a representing a client as a professional. Always keep that in mind.

Hopefully these tips can help you become a better blogger and direct more traffic to your website. Your blogs may not take off right away but don’t let that get you down just keep at it because one day you will know you’re doing and you’ll share these helpful tip with new, inexperienced bloggers.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogs

http://www.frogloop.com/care2blog/2012/2/29/blog-tips-to-boost-your-web-traffic.html