PR Pondering

After having hit on all the major areas of communication in class now, I have to admit that the one I find most intimidating is public relations. From what I can tell, working in a public relations department--for pretty much any company--seems like it could be a very overwhelming and stressful experience.

Which, if my past is any indication of my future, most likely means that I’ll be doing exactly that one day.

It would be hard to imagine, though. In class we discussed several examples of a public relations crisis that some companies have had to face, such as the peanut butter recall in the last year or the rumors of medical syringes in Pepsi cans. That kind of thing. Every time we turned to a new issue, and my professor asked how we would handle the situation if we were in the PR department for that particular company, my first thought was “Oh my god, I have no idea! What could we possibly do in that situation?! The company is ruined!"

Of course, none of the companies we discussed were ruined. In fact, the PR departments at most of them handled the situation impressively well. I guess that’s the point, after all.

Luckily, as with all areas of communications, there are plenty of examples of how to do PR effectively, as well as how to really screw it up. And with all the opinions out there today and the rate at which those opinions can be shared, I’m sure the PR guys are kept on their toes.

For example, I caught a piece on the radio today about the medical marijuana issue and the companies that provide the marijuana in states that allow the practice. One issue that the report brought up was regarding the lack of regulation for these companies or the patients that use their product. The piece ended with a quote from a 19-year-old patient who was asked about his use of the drug. The guy stated that he used medical marijuana to help with the problem of “stress” because basically, “I’ve been using medical marijuana all my life, and when I don’t use it…I get stressed.”

I wonder how the medical marijuana PR guys would handle that kind of portrayal. If nothing else, it sounds like that might be one group that has a way of dealing with the stress!

To Buy or Not to Buy

Our writing lab for last week was actually a take-home assignment that involved developing an ad for the Kindle DX. The issue that we had to tackle was how to get college/university students to see the benefit of purchasing the nearly $500.00 Kindle DX as opposed to continuing to buy all of their textbooks and novels separately.

It was up to us to decide on a theme as well as the type of advertisement that we wanted to do, such as for television, print, radio or Internet. Although I ended up deciding on a television ad, I did consider developing one for the Internet and spent some time looking at ads that I ran across online.

It’s no secret that the Internet has changed things pretty dramatically in our society. People expect to be able to get information quickly and see what they want without much delay or interruption. This attitude has been a dilemma for advertising and I was interested to see how companies have adjusted to deal with this.

Something I noticed right away is that advertising companies have become more adept at making sure that you are still seeing their ads. For example, you can get access to all kinds of movies and television shows at hulu.com, but you will have to sit through a couple ads throughout the program as well. Some things are obviously different, such as the fact that you are only asked to sit through one ad at a time. There is also a little bar at the bottom of the ad that lets you know how quickly it will be over. These are effective tools online because you are unlikely to get up and walk away from the computer during the ad.

A couple more things that I found interesting about online advertising actually had to do with an ad that I noticed  for the Kindle on the msn.com homepage, as well as some details about ads on the homepage itself. Overall, the homepage does not have many product ads pasted all over it. They have one large box in the upper right hand corner that you notice right away when you click onto the homepage. However, in order to get to the other ads, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to the “ads” box and actually click on the link for a particular product.

The thing that caught my eye about the Kindle ad was a little link at the bottom of the ad that said “ad feedback”. I clicked on this and was immediately taken to a short OpinionLab survey for msn.com regarding the ad. It gave you the opportunity to comment on a particular area such as the ad’s content, credibility, design and relevance to you. It then asked you rate the ad on certain things ranging from its clarity of message and format to how it impacted your opinion about the product’s advertiser as well as the msn.com homepage. When I completed my survey for that particular ad, I was taken back to the msn homepage where a second ad for the Kindle was now showing in the same spot where I’d just seen the first one.

Apparently, even the websites that run the ads have adjusted to the fast pace of information that the Internet allows. Gone are the days of just talking about ads that you see with the other people in your living room. Now you can comment on them just as quickly to the advertiser and marketing mediums! In other words, Geico--with your disturbing money critter and annoying talking potholes--better watch out!

StoryCorps

We've covered the process of interviewing in class and have recently touched on radio and television broadcasting as well. A favorite method of mine that combines both broadcasts and interviews are those programs that feature stories from everyday people about life events. Those of us living in Jacksonville have a unique opportunity coming up in a couple weeks to experience this first hand when the StoryCorps project comes to town.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit project that began in 2003 with the opening of a StoryBooth in New York City's Grand Central Terminal. In 2005 they launched the MobileBooths, which are traveling recording studios housed in airstream trailers. By the end of 2008, the MobileBooths had recorded stories in over 100 cities in 48 states.

As stated on the StoryCorps website, the mission of the project "is to honor and celebrate one another's lives through listening." Their belief is that "StoryCorps reminds us of the importance of listening to and learning from those around us. It celebrates our shared humanity. It tells people that their lives matter and they won't be forgotten."

Since beginning in 2003, StoryCorps has launched several initiatives to get stories from people that have experienced specific shared events or backgrounds, including those effected by the events of September 11, individuals dealing with memory loss and Alzheimer's, African-Americans, Alaskan natives, and Hispanics in the US. However, the experience is open to everyone and they encourage everything from "a son asking his mother about her childhood" to "an immigrant telling his friend about coming to America, or a couple reminiscing on their 50th wedding anniversary."

As I mentioned before, the StoryCorps experience will be arriving in Jacksonville for anyone interested in participating or getting more experience with the interview process on a slightly more professional level. The MobileBooths will be in the area from November 19-December 19, 2009 in partnership with WJCT public radio. Reservations can be made at www.storycorps.org/record-your-story/locations/jacksonville-fl. Slots fill up fast, however, so keep an eye out for more slots opening on the 19th, as well as possible cancellations. Once a StoryCorps interview is recorded, a copy is given to the individuals that participated and another copy is archived at the Library of Congress.

The StoryCorps website (http://www.storycorps.org/) provides more background information on the project as well as helpful hints to prepare for the interview/conversation. You can also listen to examples of StoryCorps interviews such as this one by retired New York City firefigher John Vigiano and his wife Jan as they remember their two sons, a firefighter and policeman, who died at the World Trade Center. Or subscribe to the StoryCorps podcast:

Some interviews are sad, some are funny, some are eye opening. All are worth listening to.

As Dave Isay, founder of StoryCorps, explains on the website, "By listening closely to one another, we can help illuminate the true character of this nation, reminding us all just how precious each day can be and how truly great it is to be alive."

Perspectives

When it comes to getting information for a news story, sources can come from many different places. However, the sources generally fall into two basic categories: the bird’s eye view (macro) or the worm’s eye view (micro).

The bird’s eye view sources can include things like databases, advocate groups, associations, etc. They give a wider range of information and general knowledge about a specific issue. On the other hand, a worm’s eye view source would help to narrow the focus of the larger issue and personalize the story. This would include a “real person” account of a particular experience or issue.

The differences in these two things remind me of some picture puzzles I used to like when I was a kid. The ones where you see a very, very close-up photo of something and are supposed to guess what the whole picture actually is:

The close-up picture gives you an idea of the texture of something. If you were actually that close to the object, you would be able to feel the rough or smooth texture, the softness or hardness of whatever it is. You would be able to smell it and feel the coldness, hotness, dampness-whatever feeling it may be giving off. You would have an idea of what it was like to actually experience the object, much like the worm’s eye view of an issue can give you an idea of what it would be like to actually experience it first-hand.

However, as intimate as that experience of the object may be, it won’t necessarily give you an idea of what the entire story is:

From the bird’s eye view, you can see the entire picture for what it is. You may not have the personal touch or feeling that the worm’s eye view would give, but you can get a good idea about the object as a whole. Much like the bird’s eye view of an issue can provide information that the worm’s eye view may not, allowing you to get a more objective and well-rounded take on the story.

Both perspectives are important and helpful in developing a good news story. They can often work together to give the best perspective of an issue, providing broad, over-all information while adding a more personal, up-close touch.