Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, recently found himself in hot water when he published an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, candidly expressing his personal opinions about healthcare reform. In the article, Mackey argued we should move, “toward less government control and more individual empowerment” and outlined eight reforms that would improve healthcare for everyone.
The op-ed piece spurred a PR nightmare for Whole Foods, with many consumers boycotting the store and accusing Mackey of only caring for those who are “most fortunate and don’t want their piece of the pie to be smaller.”
The company responded to the consumer outcry by releasing a statement via a spokeswoman. In addition, Mackey addressed concerns by posting a blog on the company’s site about his op-ed, clarifying that Whole Foods Market as a company “has no official position on the issue.”
While both the company and Mackey have made efforts to repair the damage, it’s uncertain whether the company’s image will be able to fully recover from this incident. This situation highlights the importance of not only responding to consumer concerns in a timely manner, but also evaluating the possible impact an executive’s actions can have on the company image.
What do you think? Has this incident changed the way you feel about Whole Foods as a company? Do you think Mackey’s response to the situation was appropriate?
We would love to hear your thoughts. Leave us a comment or send an e-mail to [email protected].
On September 11, Colleen Moffitt, co-founder of Communiqué PR, will be presenting at an event entitled, “The Rise of the Social Internet and Social Media Law” sponsored by Perkins Coie and Law Seminar International.
The event will feature speakers from companies including: Avvo, Inc., Children’s Advertising Review Board (CARU), Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Perkins Coie LLP and more.
Clearly, as more organizations look to leverage social mediums, this event will provide useful insight on the legal implications and regulatory issues surrounding the corporate use of social media.
Colleen’s presentation will focus on how companies can maximize the benefits and minimize risks surrounding social media marketing.
To learn more about the event or to attend the workshops, register online at www.lawseminars.com.
Recently, one of our long-time clients Big Fish Games, the world’s leading online destination for games and interactive entertainment launched Faunasphere, a browser-based casual multiplayer online game (CMO). Players adopt and care for cute and quirky creatures, known as Fauna, and collaborate to build and explore beautiful virtual worlds. Faunasphere provides rich social networking elements and an immersive storyline, and it’s free to play.
To promote Faunasphere, Communiqué PR reached out to key influential gaming and mommy bloggers to secure game reviews and drive traffic to the Web site. To date, we’ve secured 22 reviews and press mentions in the following publications and blogs:
Casual Gaming Biz News
Cinemablend
o Reposted on USA Today
Cutie Booty Cake
Exploring War Like Worlds
Fractured Toy
FreeBrowserGamer.com
Gamers Daily News
Gamers Hell
o Reposted on Play.tm
GamesAreEvil
UGO Gamesblog
Gaming Angels
NPR
Playbbg.com
Reviews!
Seattle Examiner
The Family Gamer Online
The Gadgeteer
o Reposted on Topix
Your Fun Family
Unequalled Magazine
Visit our past blog entitled, “The Rise of Mommy Bloggers” for tips on how to approach mommy bloggers to ensure a great review of your product.
On August 10, our client SAM Medical Products, a privately held developer and manufacturer of innovative medical products used for emergency, military and hospital care, announced the launch of CELOX Trauma Gauze. CELOX Trauma Gauze is a new dual-product hemostatic gauze used to control traumatic bleeding, and cool and protect first- and second-degree burns. The gauze provides two-in-one functionality and stops bleeding in approximately 30 seconds.
We had the opportunity to test the gauze and were extremely impressed by its technology. With the look and feel similar to that of standard cotton gauze, it transforms into a gel-like material when saturated with water or a saline solution.
Instantly cooling the skin, the gauze is a great tool for treating burns – and it’s safe for the patient since the gauze is comprised of chitosan, a natural compound derived from shrimp shells.
To date, we have secured the following coverage of this announcement:
EMS Responder online
JEMS.com
Medical Hemostat
UPI.com
Portland Business Journal
With anticipated coverage appearing in:
EMS Responder -October 2009 print issue.
Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) – Fall time frame for the print issue
Responder Safety -September 2009 issue.
To learn more about CELOX Trauma Gauze feel free to send us an e-mail at [email protected].
Muck Rack, a Web site that aggregates journalists’ tweets, recently announced the launch of a short-message press release service, which enables companies to publish releases, with links, up to 130 characters long at a cost of $1 per character.
The announcements are published on Muck Rack’s release page as well as its Twitter feed. As many journalists are avid “tweeters” this is a great opportunity to reach this audience through a different medium. In addition, journalists receive thousands of e-mail pitches per day from PR professionals. This allows them to focus on the news that is most relevant and interesting to them and their readers.
To learn more about Muck Rack’s service and similar services, read the PRWeek article entitled, “Journalist Tweet Aggregator Launches Short Press Release Service.”
On August 12, one of our clients, Big Fish Games, announced the launch of Faunasphere, a browser-based casual multiplayer online game.
To drive coverage of the new game, we reached out to gaming bloggers and journalists, as well as mommy bloggers.
In order to find out how this influential audience, mommy bloggers, operate and like to be approached for product reviews, we posted a HARO inquiry and want to share some of the feedback we received.
“I absolutely believe the very best way to approach a mommy blogger (or any blogger for that matter) about product reviews includes a genuine interest in that person. I receive about 15-20 e-mails a day and nearly 40 percent of them are blatantly generic and have absolutely no interest for my readership.” – ExtraordindaryMommy.com
“I know it takes more work, but try to read the blog (at least the home page) before sending a pitch. My Web site for example, gives directions for how to submit a successful product review request, but putting “Product Review Request” in the subject line. You’d be surprised to learn that less than two percent of pitches come in this way.” – Lille Punkin’ Reviews
“A company can stand out by sending great photos and detailed information about the product. They can also stand out if offering to give readers a sample as a giveaway, but the latter is not necessary, just a bonus.” – Milkshakes and Margaritas
“Be specific in what you are offering (i.e. what are you sending?); what you expect in return (i.e. Review? Advertising?); when you want the review posted; and if you would like to sponsor a giveaway.” – Mom2Ways