Been Great, But It’s Time To Move On …

Posted by: Vox Voices

With a little over a year under the belt with feeding and caring for a company blog, it became clear that we needed to start consolidating.

One of the distractions of blogging is that during all the fun stuff, you can lose sight of all the work involved.  So while the writers get to have their fun  opining on varying concepts of PR, media relations, crisis communication or event planning theory, in the background managing the blog and all the other online activities started to become harder to handle.

So a couple of months back, we started to make the move to a new website and with it a new incorporated blog site.  We still continue to find new and interesting things to opine about, but now the website and blog share a home and serve to help support each other.  Now that the new blog site is up and running, we will be taking this version down in the near future.

Join us now at Vox Voices’s new home  where the same group of folks crazy for public relations gather to seek — as well as offer up — some wisdom in communications.  Thanks for everything, WordPress.  We certainly enjoyed the hospitality, and your systems really rock.

A Tale of Two Press Releases: Lede With Your Protein, Then Follow Its Path

Posted by: John Doucette, Senior Communications Analyst

Sometimes something comes along to remind you that a clear, simple course of storytelling can communicate the importance of almost anything.

Even bugs.

A bookseller (and semi-retired research professor) recently turned me on to the writing of J.H. Fabre, a French entomologist who in the 19th and early 20th centuries communicated scientific research to a relatively general audience. Fabre understood our need for stories to unfold, inform, and inspire curiosity in ways that haphazardly compiled facts simply cannot.

In beginning his The Life of the Grasshopper, he recited – and gently corrected – the fable of the ant and the grasshopper (or cicada). He wrote:

Fame is built up mainly of legend; in the animal world, as in the world of men, the story takes precedence of history.

Story is key. In public affairs writing, we see this necessity when our writing delivers. Also, when it falls apart.

I recently reviewed two press releases that show the importance of telling a clear story.

One is from Kraft, which this summer announced a product launch (along with an entertaining Facebook disseminated animated spot) under its Planters brand. Even viewed through a rose-colored monocle, the following press release doesn’t tell the story of a beloved brand returning after 30 years or so to a product that fits it like a glove.

Ultimately, it reads like a release about a marketing strategy, not a product that tastes pretty darn good. (And it does; I conducted both crunchy and creamy research.)

Graf by graf through the top. Lede first:

NORTHFIELD, IL – June 23, 2011 – Is there anything better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Planters, America’s leading snack nut brand, thinks so and encourages adults to think outside the lunchbox with the launch of Planters Peanut Butter in Creamy and Crunchy varieties.

Implication: Planters’ new peanut butter is the key to helping you unlock a foodstuff better than PB&J. We would expect this to be supported or expanded upon.

Americans haven’t outgrown their peanut butter. In fact, peanut butter consumption is on the rise growing at a rate of five to six percent per year. And while most peanut butters are marketed to families with kids, surprisingly, adults comprise two-thirds of peanut butter consumption in the United States.

Implication: Adults already are consuming more and more peanut butter (meaning, other brands seem to be reaching adults). It says little about how the product improves upon what is out there or is special in its own right.

‘As the reigning nut experts for more than 100 years, peanut butter is a natural extension for Planters,’ said Triona Schmelter, Senior Director of Enhancers, Kraft Foods. ‘It’s no secret that our fans have been asking for peanut butter from their favorite peanut brand. Those peanut butter lovers now have a delicious snack from Planters that can help fuel their active lifestyles.’

Implication: Still avoiding the promise to supplant the PB&J with some wonderPBfood. But here we’re at least mentioning that Planters is a great brand synonymous with peanuts. But is peanut butter a “delicious snack” or a food? And what does the director of “enhancers” do to merit the prime quote in a product launch press release? I suspected the true cause of Mr. Peanut’s muscle tone until The New York Times Media Decoder’s Stuart Elliott explained how in “Kraft-speak, ‘enhancers’ include products like mayonnaise, mustard and salad dressings.”

Whether as a snack or part of a meal, Planters Peanut Butter is a nutrient-dense energy source and plant-based protein, providing 10% or more of the daily value for 7 essential nutrients, including magnesium and antioxidant Vitamin E, when consumed in the recommended two tablespoon serving size.

Implication: Planters peanut butter is both a snack food and a meal food. And, according to mathematics, a mere 10 daily of servings of this here peanut butter will get you squared away on your daily dose of certain essential nutrients.

Finally, we return to a fact that provides some meat suggested in the lede:

Marcus Samuelsson Serves Up Planters Peanut Butter Adult Style

The classic PB&J sandwich will remain an icon, yet Planters is urging adults to explore the versatility of peanut butter. To do so, Planters Peanut Butter teamed up with famed Chef/Owner of Red Rooster Harlem, Marcus Samuelsson, to create exclusive recipes with a contemporary twist for snacking and entertaining. Recipes include Planters Peanut Butter-Chocolate French Toast, Planters Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce with Grilled Chicken Skewers and Planters Peanut Butter Steak Sauce.

Implication: Launch aside, this is the first interesting bite — and a concrete hook.

Phrases such as “think outside the lunchbox” may seem clever in the pitch room, but this press release basically implies that this Planters “story” will somehow help consumers (and, one with Kraft stock hopes, journalists that might have covered the launch) do that. It takes five paragraphs to return to this idea, with Planters “urging adults to explore the versatility of peanut butter.” Please insert your own joke.

Samuelsson’s work might have made a great release on its own: stressing that fact up top and then adding perspective in a graf about the significance and promise of the brand’s new product. The best written, clearest, most compelling language I’ve seen about the launch of this peanut butter line was onSamuelsson’s own blog, where he discusses what peanut butter means to people who (a) love peanut butter and (b) love food. Indeed, The Food Network focused on this angle in their report.

And another post at the same blog, also by the chef, made the very point Kraft’s press release implied:

Peanut butter is a great way to get your protein, especially if you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or just taking part in Meatless Mondays. Plus it’s just plain tasty. But you don’t have to limit yourself to peanut butter sandwiches or PB on celery. Peanut butter is so flavorful and makes for some really interesting combinations with other ingredients – don’t be afraid to branch out!

This report by Marketplace‘s Bob Moon hits the point that Planters is re-entering a market by marketing the product to adults as more than a sandwich filler. Other “news” sites ran the press release verbatim, which might have helped Kraft more if the press release made a better case for the product and anticipated both primary (the press) and secondary (the public) audiences.

I suppose I’ve picked on Kraft enough. Almost. Not to get all Mad Men here, but there was once a 1960s Planters peanut butter campaign that mentioned quality:

It takes better peanuts to make better Peanut Butter and Planters makes both better!

Save us, NASA. You’re our only hope.

NASA (itself an acronym, but one we know and love) breaks my no-acronym-in-the-lede-rule in the following press release, but the lede delivers interesting news. The top shows a pattern of logic by which this press release tells a story in an understandable way. This is not a product launch but an announcement of research results, but I’m looking at how facts and perspective unfold.

The lede:

WASHINGTON — Observations from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have revealed possible flowing water during the warmest months on Mars.

Implication: There may be water on Mars. Cool, but I’d like to now understand why this is a big deal without a lot of scientific lingo.

‘NASA’s Mars Exploration Program keeps bringing us closer to determining whether the Red Planet could harbor life in some form,’ NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said, “and it reaffirms Mars as an important future destination for human exploration.’

Implication: This speaks to the importance of the agency’s work examining Mars very concisely with a simple, strong quote that explains why this matters. And the quote is from an important official whose title you understand. Answered my question, too.

The press release continues with greater detail, and a bit more complexity, but it lays groundwork for the general reader to follow and remain interested in the story. Quotes are used to expand upon facts, and also to avoid overly speculative assertions. However, I might have pulled this graf, or an approximation, a bit higher for additional context:

These results are the closest scientists have come to finding evidence of liquid water on the planet’s surface today. Frozen water, however has been detected near the surface in many middle to high-latitude regions. Fresh-looking gullies suggest slope movements in geologically recent times, perhaps aided by water. Purported droplets of brine also appeared on struts of the Phoenix Mars Lander. If further study of the recurring dark flows supports evidence of brines, these could be the first known Martian locations with liquid water.

But this is still a good press release, overall. There is context that communicates to the reader why something is significant. These are fundamentals of news writing that can apply to writing we use to communicate products and information to various audiences.

A former U.S. Navy, Virginian-Pilot and Times Herald-Record journalist, John is a member of our Vox Optima Norfolk team.  He is a prolific social media writer, so you can always find him on Twitter at @johnhdoucette, on Facebook, his personal blog, or at john.doucette@voxoptima.com.

Happy Fourth of July

Posted by: Vox|Voices

As millions of Americans celebrate the 235th anniversary of American Independence,  Vox|Optima wants to take a moment to wish our families, friends, and clients a very safe and truly great celebration.

But due to our extensive personal and business connections with the U.S. Navy and the military in general, we also want to offer a reminder of why we get to have these celebrations each year.  There are a lot of men and women all over the world today making sure we Americans can enjoy this anniversary.  So during the fireworks, parades, concerts and hot dog-eating contests, please take a moment to remember those who now serve the interests of freedom and liberty and watch over us all.

Members from Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Afghanistan hold the flag while the national anthem is played, July 4, 2010. Playing of the anthem officially kicked off the many events hosted by the Defense Contracting Management Agency Company. Those events included basketball tournament, football throw, spades, dominoes, humvee pull, a magician, karaoke and live performances. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. J.T. May III)

And just as a reminder of the history involved of this day, check out the links below:

Declaration of Independence

Independence Day

Founding Fathers of the United States

Happy Independence Day to everyone!

Lying Is Not Public Relations

Posted by:  Rachel O’Sullivan, Director of West Coast Operations

Since when did lying become a generally accepted form of communication?

As a seasoned veteran of the public relations and event planning games, I can tell you flat-out it’s never been an accepted practice in my profession.  My profession is about honesty, clarity and building trust.  Anything else is just spin doctoring.

Now we are wrapping up yet another political scandal (yep, Weinergate) where a formerly respected elected official lied to us  – I know, I know, what a shocker — about inappropriate affiliation with a myriad of women.

And of course, what’s the answer? More PR.  That seems to be Congressman Weiner’s thought process when he offered his PR team to assist porn star Ginger Lee with creating a statement to explain their correspondence.  Not that it mattered much since he still wound up resigning.

So I ask the question again, when did lying become acceptable?  It seems to be assumed in public relations.  Are we mentally taking everything said publicly with a grain of salt?  Are we lying more or just being more open about it?

As a PR professional, I am horrified.  My chosen profession, one that is practiced honorably and ethically by myself thousands of other PR professionals, is taking yet another undeserved hit.

I work for a PR firm where ethics and a strict code of conduct aren’t just adhered to, they are a condition of employment.  If you are a client who just wants someone to clean up your dirty laundry through deception and lying, you will want to go somewhere else. All we can do for you is help manage the self-inflicted damage, start a process of transparency, and rebuild your reputation through honesty and credibility.  I won’t lie for a client, nor would my colleagues.

This “it’s no big deal” pattern of lying and bad behavior is a trend I find disgusting.  Are you asking me to be a party to your lies because I am in PR? Do all PR professionals lie?  No, but as you can see, all it takes is one really bad event to undermine years of honest work.

The bottom line of PR honesty is spelled out clearly in any professional society’s code of ethics.  We follow PRSA’s code and disclosure is pretty simple:

•  Be honest and accurate in all communications.
• Act promptly to correct erroneous communications for which the member is responsible.
• Investigate the truthfulness and accuracy of information released on behalf of those represented.
• Reveal the sponsors for causes and interests represented.
• Disclose financial interest (such as stock ownership) in a client’s organization.
• Avoid deceptive practices.

How hard is this?

And despite having ethical codes and hundreds of ethical practitioners, the public relations profession is still seen as a bunch of lying villains, or at least covering up for them.  Take Jack Schafer’s comment about the industry:

… But reporters are not innocent, naïve, delicate flowers. Every reporter approached by PR firms knows that the primary focus of PR firms is to push lies. If PR people were being paid to push the truth, they’d be called reporters.  Not to get reductionist on you, but most PR campaigns are “smear campaigns” if the definition of a smear campaign is to spread untruths or half-truths or other deceits in an organized fashion. It’s up to reporters to scrutinize the details tossed to them by flacks at the behest of a client. If reporters don’t scrutinize the details, they’re villains. If flacks push half-truths, they’re just earning their paycheck.

– Jack Schafer, Slate

Maybe this latest escapade is a good time for us in the PR biz to take a stand against being a party to deceit.  How do you handle clients expecting laundry service instead of communication and reputation management?  Do you have a case study or anecdote you can share where a client or potential client expected you to lie or doctor the truth in pursuit of some goal or agenda?  I’d love to hear how you handled the situation, so please leave us a comment here or reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook.

Humanization 101: Your Organization’s Story is People

Posted by: John Doucette, Senior Communications Analyst

I’ve encountered a number of internal and external communications publications marred by acronyms, jargon, design that over-reaches, and poor writing that delivers information about programs, events, and policies in terms best left to vacuum cleaner assembly booklets.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have, too.

By the same token, I’ve often been pleasantly surprised by editors, writers, photographers and designers making smart choices that serve their military or corporate community audiences, as well as other audiences that also may encounter the content.

I’ll give a couple of examples of a smart decision: incorporating employee spotlights into internal and, as appropriate, external products. And, so I don’t continue to type the soul-crushing word “products” until my fingers tear up and your eyeballs bleed, we’ll call internal communications products what they are, at heart: stories.

In the cases I’ll outline, part of telling the organization’s story is a demonstrative act. You show what you are by showing the work of your people. This is done, among other ways, via an employee spotlight.

Some examples are simple Q&A spotlights of an individual employee: name, job, hobbies, what do you do in the company, what do you do in the community, etc. And a picture. Always have a picture of the employee.

One example below serves both internal and external audiences with a multimedia spotlight of employees discussing themselves, their work, and how this ties into the organizational mission.

To further preface this, let me note that I used to edit a shipboard newspaper, and I’m as proud of that work as I am of anything I’ve done in civilian journalism or for Vox Optima clients.

So I’m sad to say I was too dumb to ever institutionalize my first example: the down-and-dirty individual spotlight. So elegant in its simplicity. Hard to beat.

I’ve noticed “Employee of the Month” or “Sailor of the Day” features in several publications, including USS Enterprise’s award-winning paper, The Shuttle. Here’s a recent example, also available at the carrier’s website:

This form works in print and online. It could work in video, too, in the form of a quick Q&A or B-roll matched with words of the worker. If released externally, such stories humanize your organization. Internally, they highlight divisions within the greater organization by focusing on an individual, teaching others about an aspect of the company they might not otherwise learn.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Scottsdale, Ariz., auto auction house accounts payable staff accountant with only four months on the job explaining your dream classic car is a 1965 candy apple red Mustang convertible with white top and interior.

Or a city planning technician in Virginia Beach, Va., who works with developers on names for new streets and addresses.

Or a Fort Collins, Colo., sales and marketing director for a technology solutions firm in the handheld and wireless communications industry that happens to have an awesome name.

Or if you’re a worker for a non-profit or not-for-profit organization, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., being featured in a neat multimedia presentation that uses your voice and photos as a testimonial.

Okay. I’m belaboring the point with mad linking. I will try to stop doing that so I don’t anger this fine blog’s editor, John Barnett, a.k.a. The Voxecutioner.

I’ll wrap up with a list of points that may be obvious to some and less obvious to others. Spotlights should be regular features in newsletters, custom publications or online outlets for these reasons:

• They demonstrate the value of an organization’s people.
• They demonstrate an organization’s values.
• They humanize the organization.
• They build esprit de corps within the organization.
• The content is relatively simple to produce.
• The content is not dependent upon an event or programmatic announcement.
• They have an internal communications value, showing roles and areas of an organization that not all within it may understand.
• They have an external communications value, as appropriate, because they show the worker’s pride in the organization’s mission and efforts to support it.

I recommend you take a look at St. Jude’s site. Their employee spotlight is very simply and effectively done. It’s a professional product that transcends internal communications and becomes an external public and community relations tool that speaks to the ethos of the research center.

On the page itself is the feature, with multimedia presentations that are played by clicking on an image of a face beneath the main player. Classy, simple, and effective, with great images and audio.

Sure, there may be a place for stock art and repetition of corporate messages.

However, the best images of your work is found in the faces of workers, and just a few of their words about what you do can speak with power and passion about your mission.

Both in and outside your house.