While a number of PR people – a band of leaders, headed by Katie Paine – decry the value of the ad equivalency report as a measure for public relations activities, there’s a reason it still exists. Most of the reasons for its continued use are bogus, but there is one that speaks volumes: Advertising is an “understood” medium in the boardroom … while PR is still misunderstood. Consequently, this leads to the devaluing of PR in far too many organizations.

Case in point: The uproar over General Motor’s decision to give a free corvette to Armado Galarraga, the Detroit Tiger’s pitcher who lost his perfect game because of an umpire’s mistake. From the New York Times:

A free sports car for a Detroit Tigers baseball player was not among the reasons the government saved General Motors from financial collapse.

Rep. Issa, a Congressman from California, has questioned whether this was an effective use of GM’s resources.. According to his spokesperson:

“Until G.M. has repaid the taxpayers in full for the money they have borrowed, every action that G.M. takes should advance them in that direction.”

Of course GM should do what it can to fully repay their government loans, but as GM pointed, that includes investing in public relations, marketing, sponsorships and advertising. If you watch the NBA playoffs, you’ve surely seen GM’s ads. Are watchdogs questioning this high-priced communication tactic (which, by the way, is costing the company far more than one donated car)? Of course not. Generally speaking, people believe that advertising will drive sales, which will enable the company to repay its loans.

Which takes us back to my original point: Management doesn’t “get” PR. How many people read articles that highlighted GM’s gift to Gallaaga? It’s hard to say for sure, but it’s safe to assume it was a PR “homerun” — reaching far more people than a $50,000 (the approximate value of the donated corvette) national ad buy. And, that does matter – even if it’s hard to quantify.

Don’t misunderstand: I’m not calling for a return to ad equivalency reports. To the contrary, I’m saying us PR pros need to step up our game. Do a better job explaining why media placements matter. Reiterate over and over again that PR is more than just media relations (and, for that matter, more than just social media!).

Two communication thought-leaders, Chuck Hemann and Amber Naslund – recently had an interesting back-and-forth on Twitter about PR. They weren’t discussing this topic specifically, but one of Amber’s comments resonated: “No issue is indicative of an entire industry. But, you don’t ignore its potential to impact it.” She very easily could have been helping me make my point. We can’t ignore the fact that advertising “speaks” more clearly to decision makers. They understand (or think they understand) it. hey don’t appreciate the value of awareness, friends/fans or even scores of media placements because we’re not explaining why they matter in business terms. Know what that means? We need to change. They’re the decision maker. They’re in charge. We need to develop a vocabulary that they understand. Otherwise, PR will continue to be devalued … and locked out of the boardroom. But, we know we do our jobs that much better when we have a seat at table.

What do you think?

Just over a year ago, the Phoenix Suns signed up for Twitter account. Now, it’s a valuable tool for the organization to have some fun with fans, giveaway tickets and memorabilia, provide team news, and share community relations updates among other things. They’ve amassed more than 20,000 followers and are widely regarded as one of the sports teams that really “gets it.”

So, what’s the secret to their success? Watch this video interview with Jeramie McPeek, the Suns’ VP of interactive services.

If you’re a sports fan, this has to be one of your favorite times of year — March Madness, the start of a new baseball season, the Master’s, upcoming NFL draft and impending NBA playoffs. For sports fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. Which means it’s also prime time for ESPN.

When it comes to sports media, ESPN is unquestionably the leader. And, while other large media conglomerates have struggled of late, ESPN continues to push the envelope. Last week, ESPN unveiled their latest project — a site dedicated to covering sports in New York. This goes along with ESPN’s other local sites for Chicago, Boston, Dallas and LA sports. While much has been said and written about hyperlocal journalism as the future of media, implementation and adaptation isn’t quite there … at least not yet. But, ESPN has found a formula that works. As one writer observed:

Within a month of the time it was launched, ESPN Chicago drew more unique visitors than the sports sections of the Chicago Tribune or the Chicago Sun-Times. This means that it took ESPN all of one month to overcome the Tribune and Sun-Times’ decades-long head start in building trust and authority and insinuating themselves into readers’ habits, and their 14-year head start in specifically covering Chicago sports online. One month, and all that was out the window.

So, what’s the secret?

• Subject-matter expertise. ESPN employs a cadre of traditional reporters and professional bloggers — people with connections to inside sources. They “go local” with a team designed to provide higher-quality information than what their audience can get elsewhere. Citizen journalism has its place; however, ESPN is showing that professional reporters still have a place, even in a hyperlocal approach.
• Brand consistency. ESPN is already recognized as the worldwide leader in sports. Now, they’re leveraging that brand equity to become the “neighborhood” leader in sports. The incorporation of local reporting doesn’t cause any brand confusion. In fact, the move strengthens the company’s position as the leader. Can the same be said for traditional media attempting to go local, or do these media organizations risk muddling their own brand?
• Minimal competition. When it comes to sports journalism, the competition is pretty slim. FOX Sports failed in their attempt to go head-to-head with ESPN. The magazine Sports Illustrated hasn’t been able to master other mediums. While the competition between traditional media outlets is fierce — and perhaps forcing outlets to be more conservative — ESPN can take more risks because without fearing a loss of dominance.

That’s just  a quick look at some of the factors that help ESPN effectively go local. Can you identify lessons that traditional media should learn from ESPN’s experience? Do you see more traditional media outlets successfully incorporating hyperlocal news into the mix?

Update: It turns out that most of us gave advertisers too much credit. Only a few commercials incorporated social media — and those that did took a very subtle approach. If you’re interested in learning more about which advertisers went social, the KBuzz blog recaps some of the “social” ads.

We all know it’s Super Bowl Sunday — which means some of the year’s best commercials will be debuted. While there’s some debate about the value of spending millions of dollars for 30-seconds of air time, no doubt tomorrow’s  water cooler talk will include lots of people discussing which ads were funny or memorable — and which ones were a hit … or miss.

Pepsi made news when it decided to skip the Super Bowl to focus more resources online. Clearly, marketers are getting hip to the benefits of social media. That begs the question: How many Super Bowl commercials will integrate with online/social media campaigns?

We already know Doritos connected its ad buy to an online user-generated campaign, Crash the Super Bowl. 30+ brands have paid for 50+ commercials. How many will incorporate a “new media” component (user-generated content, online contest, link to Facebook or Twitter in the ad, etc.)?

Take the poll and check back tomorrow for the results.

During Monday’s #journchat, moderator Sarah Evans challenged everyone to reach out to the person who currently holds their “dream job.” Welcoming any excuse to talk to someone in the New York Yankees’ PR department, I gladly accepted the challenge. Thanks to an assist from Tim Massie, I spent a few minutes on the phone with Lauren Moran, the media relations coordinator for my beloved baseball team. (Seriously. I’ve been a fan my whole life. I’m still a Jersey girl at heart!) The following is a summary of our conversation.

A little surprising, Lauren wasn’t a Yankees fan … nor a baseball fan. Until college, that is, when she watched the postseason with a friend. In 2006, Lauren toured the old Yankee stadium, when she saw a media relations department employee selling media guides. On a whim, she asked him if the Yankees hired interns — and he gave her the phone number to call for internships. Lauren didn’t get an internship that semester, but she was asked to assist during the postseason. Then, she was asked to come back for opening day. One day led to another … then an internship … and then a full-time job in November 2007. Today, Lauren is part of a seven-person department, where her primary responsibilities include compiling and coordinating the statistics. Occasionally, she helps coordinate media interviews.

Working for baseball’s most storied team isn’t always glamorous. The hours are grueling and the season is long. During the season, she arrives at work around 8:30 or 9 a.m. and stays until home games are over (frequently after 11 p.m.), or until around 7 p.m. when the team is traveling. The off-season isn’t much slower, when Lauren works about 11 hours a day. Most of that time is spent working on the upcoming season’s 500-page media guide, which includes team history, bios, records and statistics. Despite her lack of free time, Lauren loves her job — which is evident in her enthusiastic voice.

Yankees’ Media Relations

When it comes to handling interview requests, the media relations department is constantly busy, receiving at least a couple dozen requests a day. An impossibly high number, they can’t grant all the interviews. But, the clubhouse and field sidelines are open to credentialed media before and after games, so reporters can try to talk to players then as well.

Because of so much ongoing media interest, the department doesn’t spend a lot of time proactively pitching additional stories. As Lauren explained, the Yankees create their own publicity. Stories take care of themselves. The media relations department does their best to keep the media informed and provide accurate facts. That said, when new programs are introduced, such as last year’s HOPE Week program, the director does proactively reach out to media.

Exploring Social Media

It’s the age-old question: Are bloggers media? Due to the high demand of media requests the Yankees receive, they can’t logistically provide credentials to bloggers and traditional media. It’s a gray line, because many of the beat reporters and “traditional” media are also bloggers. Bloggers whose primary mode of content distribution is online don’t receive access. That said, Lauren acknowledged that the Yankees revisit this challenge multiple times a year. They understand that  some bloggers receive more traffic than “traditional” media, but for now the line needs to be drawn somewhere. (It’s worth noting that this policy probably differs from other teams that may not be inundated with as many media requests.)

Social media is run out of a different department, but Lauren was able to share some bits of information. For example, the team doesn’t have an organization-wide social media policy. The manager and coaches provide guidelines about when players shouldn’t be using social media — for example, probably not during practice. Generally speaking, they just want everyone to be smart about it. The team uses Twitter to provide updates about player appearances, rain delays, signings and trades, etc.

The Woman (Non)Issue

While public relations tends to be a female-dominated field, I’d heard that sports PR skews male. But, four of Lauren’s co-workers are men, compared to three women in the office … not much of a gender difference.

I did ask Lauren about her comfort level regarding the locker room. She explained that female staffers on some teams choose not to enter locker rooms at all; however, Lauren says she goes in sometimes, mostly when it’s open to the media (meaning the players know that women will be coming through). Lauren will venture into the locker room by herself if she’s on deadline or has no other choice, but she tries to avoid it so not to catch the players off-guard or make them feel uncomfortable. All in all, Lauren sees her gender as a non-issue.

Advice: Talk to Everyone

Lauren offered some advice for people considering sports PR:

• This isn’t a 9-5. Be prepared to not have a lot of time on your hands. You give up your freetime.
• Talk to as many people in the industry as you can. You could make a good connection anywhere. (Remember, Lauren got her internship after approaching someone selling media guides!)
• Don’t hesitate to ask questions.

So, what do you think? Ready to go work for your favorite sports team? What do you think about the blogger credentialing issue?

Thank you so much to Lauren for spending a few minutes chatting with me.

Practice makes perfect … at least that’s what we’re told. But, when it comes to crisis communication, PR people don’t often have the luxury of practice. There’s nothing quite like being in the midst of a real crisis situation. For starters, you need to keep a level head, be strategic, think quick and act even quicker — not exactly skills someone teaches you in a classroom.

Over the weekend, Tiger Woods found himself in the midst of a crisis situation. (I’m talking about this from a pure communication perspective. It’s none of my business if he and his wife are or aren’t having marital issues.) Thus far, Team Tiger has communicated virtually nothing to the general public. Meanwhile, Florida Highway Patrol revealed that Woods was in “serious condition,” leaving people to wonder what exactly happened at 2:30 in the morning to the one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.

A crisis situation like this won’t just go away. And, in the absence of information, the rumor mill starts churning and misinformation takes center stage. Already, reporters and PR people have started explaining what they think Tiger should do next. It’s impossible to say with any kind of authority what Tiger’s strategy ought to be, because we don’t have the facts. That said, this does present PR people with an opportunity to say to themselves, “If this were my client, what counsel would I offer?”

So, whether you’re an crisis communication veteran — or a new pro wanting to try to be prepared for your first crisis — recognize this as a learning opportunity. Based on the information that we know, if you were part of Tiger’s inner circle of advisers, how would you suggest he proceed?

UPDATE: Tiger Woods just issued a statement. Check it out. See if that’s what you would have advised him to say. Keeping with the “workshop” theme, what’s the next move?

Photo credit: pshutterbug

Are you ready for some football? Thankfully, preseason is in full swing. In fact, the Patriots played the Eagles last night. Heading into the game, the big news was Tom Brady’s return to the field for the first time since missing almost the whole season last year due to a knee injury.

As it turned out, the on-field play was almost an afterthought.

During the game, news broke that the Eagles signed Micheal Vick, a highly controversial move — one that could have positive implications from a pure “X’s and O’s” perspective, but one sure to draw the ire of many fans, animal lovers and activists.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Eagles organization reached a deal with Vick on Tuesday. The official announcement wasn’t scheduled to happen until today (a press conference is scheduled for 11 a.m.). Doesn’t that seem like an awfully long time to keep a story like this under wraps?

A Lesson in Crisis Communication

On ESPN Radio this morning, Philadelphia beat reporter Sal Paolantonio noted that news broke during the game via email, text and Twitter. Fans were abuzz. Could it be true? The news spread like like wildfire — without any information from the Vick camp or Eagles representatives.

Let’s look at this from a crisis communication perspective:

When companies know they are facing a potential crisis situation, they take steps ahead of time to soften the blow. Not the Eagles. During the past few weeks, reporters speculated about which team would end up signing Vick. Eagles management emphatically denied interest. They did nothing to lay any groundwork or to prepare their fans for this decision. So, when news broke, the town of Philadelphia — who lives and breaths Eagles football — went into shock.

In a crisis, the goal is to get the facts out quickly to shape the story and the debate. Instead of staying ahead of the story, the Eagles were behind it. PR people like to say “If you’re not fast, you’re not relevant,” because rumors circulate in the absence of communication. People believe what they want to believe, even make things up. (In this case, there’s a report that Eagles QB Donovan McNabb is upset about this move, when he actually lobbied for the team to sign Vick.)

Last night, when fans received texts about the signing, they couldn’t know the full story because it hadn’t been explained. The Eagles did their due diligence — consulting with the highly respected Tony Dungy, the commissioner’s office and even the Humane Society, all of whom said Vick underwent a transformation … that he’s a new person. Would the masses have reacted differently, knowing that the Humane Society had given their blessing to this signing? In this morning’s paper, CEO of the Humane Society had this to say:

Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said he doesn’t expect widespread protests and sees it as a good thing that Vick wound up in Philadelphia.

“It’s a city we’ve been looking at very closely because it has a major dogfighting problem,” Pacelle said in a phone interview. “So Vick’s landing there has the potential to turn around the issue. This gives us a big boost.”

If that had been part of the initial society, would a Philadelphia newspaper headline read “Hide Your Dogs?” Maybe not.

On Twitter last night and today, NFL players expressed support for Vick. If the announcement had been more carefully executed, would this outpouring of support have influenced fans’ reactions?

By signing Vick on Tuesday and waiting until Friday to make the announcement, the Eagles took a huge PR risk. Initial reactions are mixed — certainly, there’s a lot of negativity, but a fair amount of people believe Vick paid his dues and should be allowed to play in the NFL. Some Philly fans are excited about the potential for Vick to bolster the team’s offense. All that aside, how would you rate the Eagles’ communication execution? Could they have done anything differently? Better? Or, is this such a controversial signing that no amount of PR outreach could have made a difference?

ESPN Radio’s dynamic duo, Mike and Mike (aka Greeny and Golic), were baffled by the whole concept of Twitter on today’s morning show. The conversation was sparked by the realization that Kevin Love tweeted that the Timberwolves fired their coach, breaking the news before the team officially announced it.

From there, the two Mikes tried to understand what people tweet, why they do it and the obsession with celebrities. As I was driving to work this morning, I couldn’t help but laugh as they wondered what Ashton Kutcher tweets … and why anyone cares.
Here’s the thing: I don’t care what Oprah or Ashton tweet. (Guilty pleasure alert: I might care a little about what US Weekly tweets!)  But, I do care about hearing about what’s really going on in Iran, how a sister used the power of Twitter to help save her brother’s life, monitoring what thought-leaders in my industry are up to and developing cool relationships with people across the country — most of whom I never would have met (in real life or online) if it hadn’t been for Twitter. There’s value in Twitter — as long as you use it to track people, issues and conversations that interest .