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From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
Recently, it’s become apparent that people will do just about anything, no matter how dangerous, to become internet-famous. Who could have guessed that eating highly concentrated packets of laundry detergent – an activity that can possibly kill you – would become an internet sensation?
For those who are not yet aware, the Tide Pod Challenge is a social-media trend that has inspired countless memes and tweets about eating single-load laundry packets that seem to look somewhat like candies with their shape and bright colors. Apparently the similarity is so striking that teenagers are videoing themselves eating the Tide Pods and uploading the video to social media platforms for bragging rights.
These bragging rights are not worth the potential harm it can cause the human body. Laundry detergent, especially in the highly concentrated form that Tide Pods are, is incredibly toxic. According to Consumer Reports, these pods typically consist of ethanol, hydrogen peroxide and soap. Those three elements combined have the power to “literally eat away at the tissue that makes up your gums and inner cheeks.” After turning your mouth into a caustic chemical wasteland, the same will happen to your esophagus, stomach, and other parts of your gastrointestinal tract. Inevitable intense vomiting and diarrhea will follow, and if you don’t seek medical attention, it is a quick route to seizures, coma and eventually death.
A few years ago, Tide Pods drew negative attention for their harmful effects on toddlers who had accidentally gotten into the packaging. Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Tide’s parent company responded by adjusting the dissolvable plastic to be thicker and harder to bite through, as well as adding a bitter taste to prompt spitting the pod out. Little did P&G know that it would soon be dealing with a different crisis: people intentionally hurting themselves with its product that is clearly marked as toxic.
Since Jan. 1, 2018, the The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) reports that there have been 157 cases of “intentional exposure among teens to single-load laundry packets.” Because the total number of cases in 2017 was just 53, the rate that this internet sensation is gaining popularity is extremely alarming.
In accordance with P&G’s swift response to its crisis with toddlers ingesting the detergent, it has arguably been just as proactive and comprehensive with this latest problem. In an effort to hinder the virality of the phenomenon, P&G moved quickly to work with social media sites like YouTube and Instagram to get the harmful videos removed. On Jan 17., YouTube announced it would be deleting all videos associated with the Tide Pod Challenge, saying that the videos violated a rule that prohibits content that is, “…intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm.”
Also using social media platforms in their favor, crisis teams with P&G used two-way communication with consumers to ensure its key messages were being disseminated to the right audiences. An example of this communication is P&G releasing a public service announcement featuring the New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski.
https://twitter.com/tide/status/951940660499755008
This PSA appears to be constructive because P&G contracted someone with whom teenagers are familiar and who can reach these social media users on a peer level.
After asserting that, “even the most stringent standards and protocols, labels and warnings can’t prevent intentional abuse fueled by poor judgment and the desire for popularity,” P&G’s CEO David Taylor implored the public for help in a Jan. 22 blog post. “Let’s all take a moment to talk with the young people in our lives and let them know that their life and health matter more than clicks, views and likes. Please help them understand that this is no laughing matter.”
P&G’s key messages were very clearly thought out. Because P&G clearly marked its labels with “Keep out of Reach of Children” and “Do Not Ingest”, it was smart for P&G not to apologize for the mistakes of consumers. This way, “They validated public concerns, yet made it clear they don’t consider themselves responsible” said marketing professor Americus Reed.
On Feb. 6, 2018, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas and Sen. Brad Hoylman of New York wrote a letter to P&G asking for a design change that would make Tide Pods look less appetizing and less like “Gummy Bears.” If P&G were to make this change, it poses the question if an uglier detergent pod will deter teenagers from seeking internet popularity? Or is the potential fame too enticing? Time will tell.
If someone you know ingests a laundry packet or has a question about the risk of exposure to one, immediately contact the national Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222. The AAPCC poison control experts are available 24/7 and free of charge.
At the beginning of each year, I review and sign the PR Council’s “Code of Ethics and Principles” as part of Communiqué PR’s membership renewal. The PR Council is an industry association committed to advancing its member firms’ business and there are more than 100 firms who belong to the organization. Firms of all sizes have joined the PR Council for its proprietary data and research, roundtable and networking events, and for its education programs, which are designed to empower the next generation of communication professionals.
Every year when I read the Code of Ethics, I am reminded of the importance of acting with the highest level of ethical conduct as we provide public relations and communication services to our clients. As such, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit the topic of ethics and explore what it means for our industry.
First, a refresher on the meaning of ethics. According to Wikipedia, ethics, also referred to as moral philosophy, “is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, 
and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct.” In the practice of public relations, the PR Council and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) have well-established and helpful guidelines for ethical behavior and/or conduct that adheres to professional industry standards.
In today’s media and political climate, it is more important than ever to review these principles and to ensure we act in a manner that is honest, transparent and morally sound. We need to conduct our business so we systematically adhere to these guidelines – even when it is difficult or challenging to do so.
Consider the following: In adherence with the PR Council’s Code of Ethics around protecting the integrity of client information, member firms reserve “the option to represent more than one client in an industry sector, but any apparent conflicts must be vetted with relevant clients.”
This means that if a PR firm represents Alaska Airlines, it has the right to provide services to Delta Airlines, but that the partnership must be transparent with both parties. Clearly, this is the right thing to do, because of potential conflicts of interest and representing companies with competing interests could make it difficult or impossible to fulfill one’s duties in an impartial manner.
When representing more than one client in an industry sector, there is also the potential of damaging one’s credibility with journalists. Imagine a PR professional contacting a journalist on a Monday to espouse the benefits of Alaska Airlines over other airline competitors. How could this same PR person possibly call the same reporter on a Tuesday to promote Delta Airlines? This would be damaging to the PR person’s credibility with the journalist. This example is extreme, but it illustrates the point.
Another principle that stands out as deserving special attention is the need to “honor our role in society.” As the PR Council outlines, the services we provide day-in and day-out are vital to facilitating public discourse. The conversations about key issues and initiatives regarding technology, medicine, science and new products are essential to our democracy and society. Oftentimes, when one is working a pitch or campaign, it is easy to forget the importance of our work and how it supports the larger society. However, by supporting the sharing of accurate and timely information with journalists and others, we enable vital education, debate and examination. Just take a look at some of the press releases that communicators have developed and distributed recently:
● Society Under Strain: Americans Struggle with Technology’s Impact, Look to Policymakers and Internet Companies for Solutions
● Robust Job Market for Grads Continues in 2018
● The War on Cancer has Failed
While scanning these press release headlines, one can only imagine the sorts of questions and debates that might arise as journalists write and publish articles, and readers comment and react to them.
In any event, I would encourage anyone in the business of public relations or communications to review the PR Council’s Code of Ethics and the PRSA’s Code of Ethics. There are some powerful reminders about the best ways to conduct oneself as a PR professional.
I recently started an online course through Coursera called “Learning How to Learn,” after a colleague recommended it. While there are no shortcuts that completely revolutionize the way that we learn new information, there are several tips and tricks that people can employ to enhance their pursuits.
For me, my biggest breakthrough came in the second week of the course. In week one, we learned about the different modes of thinking: focused and diffuse modes, which Jennifer Gehrt wrote about in a blog post titled, “Master Your Mental Toolbox in 2018.” While I found focused and diffuse modes of thinking interesting, my biggest “ah-ha!” moment was in week two when I learned about “chunking.”
When you learn something new, your brain creates chunks of knowledge to help to understand a concept. The easiest way to understand “chunking” is to think of chunks of information as a puzzle. Each chunk is a set of separate pieces that, once connected, allows you to see the full picture of the puzzle.
Building these chunks is not always easy. To build a solid chunk of information or understanding, it takes intent, focus and repetition to make the. In fact, there are even some popular study habits that stunt chunk development. Some of these habits include:
- Highlighting too many notes in a text book or notebook. By highlighting too much information, you can overwhelm your brain with facts and limit your brain from un
derstanding the context of how or when to use the chunk. - Studying material you already know. Often it is tempting and affirming to review material you already have mastered, but this is problematic because this creates a false sense of mastery. Instead of feeling like there is more to be learned, our brain relays messages of completion. Think of math. Just because we know the pythagorean theorem specifically, does not mean we know algebra as a whole.
There is also a concept called the “Illusion of Competence,” which is when the mind completes a task related to learning and you think the learning is done, when in reality, learning has not taken place. Think of a student in lecture who is flipping between note-taking, texting, and tweeting for example. The student may feel that the lecture was easy, but in reality, the mind was not fully engaged with the material. This gives a false sense of understanding, which tends to cause a relaxation, because the student feels he or she knows the material and will not need to review or think deeper.
Barbara Oakley, one of the course instructors recommends these strategies to help improve comprehension and information retention so you can successfully build chunks of knowledge and avoid the Illusion of Competence:
- Recall: After reading material or a lecture, try and comprehend as much as you can without referring to notes. This will show how much information you retained initially.
- Self-testing: You should try and quiz yourself to see how much you know — another variation of recall. This is one of the most effective ways to retain information.
Studies have shown that those who were able to recall the information after reviewing it knew the material better than those who simply reread the material multiple times. And by self-testing, you challenge yourself to focus more on the material, rather than quickly skimming over it and tricking your brain into a false sense of competency.
If you’re interested in learning how to learn, I would encourage you to check out Coursera’s free online course. It has been of tremendous value to help me understand how the mind works and how I can take further control of my own learning, whether it is in the classroom or when you’re attempting to build new professional or personal skills.
This past week I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong and attend the Public Relations Network’s first Digital Forum. PRN is a network of approximately 25 PR agencies from around the world. Communiqué PR is a U.S. agency with partner firms in India, South Africa, Asia and Europe to name a few. As members of this network, these agencies have the opportunity to share case studies, solve problems and discuss PR best practices.
PRN Digital Forum 2018 brought together executives from different regions and industries. As noted in the title, the conference had an overarching focus on digital transformation, and the panels and keynote presentations discussed the role “digital” has played in PR and media, retail, Fintech, ecommerce and shipping and logistics.
Not only was this a great opportunity to learn about another culture and its businesses, it was my first business trip and first trip to Asia wrapped into one. During the week I had the opportunity to meet the other agencies in the network and chat with attendees at the conference. It was fascinating to hear perspectives on the past, current and predicted business situation in Asia, as well as other regions in the network.
The panel, “The Digital Impact on Media and the PR Industry,” moderated by Communiqué’s own Colleen Moffitt, discussed some of the benefits and challenges digital has provided for PR professionals and their clients. For example, digital can improve a company’s ability to track metrics and foster direct engagement, but it has also made it difficult to connect with journalists and customize content, and has single handedly driven the decline of print media. It was especially interesting to learn how digital has shaped media in different countries, both positively and negatively. A controversial topic of discussion during the event was whether or not paid content would eventually trump quality news; although a terrifying thought, with some in belief it would, the majority of attendees had faith that hard facts and quality journalism will always be preferred.
In nearly every presentation, Amazon was mentioned. If it wasn’t for its quick delivery, it was for its innovative stores and booming success in a number of industries. It was exciting be able to closely grasp and visualize the bar that companies are trying to meet and exceed in their own industry. Living only blocks away from an AmazonFresh Pick Up, I was able to share my firsthand experience with the brand and truly understand how about how it is massively impacting local and global industries and their planning.
Along the way I also picked up a few best practices for business travel, particularity international travel. For one, make sure you know the time difference of your destination. Although seemingly obvious, understanding and communicating this with your colleagues and clients will help you plan for the time you are out. If there is a particularly drastic time difference (i.e., Hong Kong was 16 hours ahead of Seattle), it can also be beneficial to arrive a few days earlier than the conference start date to adapt to the time change. I recognize that this is not always feasible due to finances and schedules, but it is definitely worth considering.
Another business travel best practice is to embrace the networking opportunity and meet new people. For me this tip is easier said than done. I can get shy and channel my inner introvert at business events, however, during the trip and conference I focused on breaking this habit and getting to know the people around me. After fully rejecting the nerves, I embraced the occasion and introduced myself to the people in the network and at the conference.
While waiting in the coffee line at the event, I met with a woman who had no connection to the PR network, but who was making an industry change (from fashion to tech) and was eager to network and learn more about some of the marketing best practices. Another woman I met works at a wine distribution company. Given the limited budget for PR expenses, she wanted to chat with professionals about strategies implementing PR practices on a smaller scale. By breaking out of my shell, talking and listening to these individuals and many others, I was exposed to perspectives and learned about companies I would likely have never experienced if not for attending the event and speaking up.
One last tip I will share not only applies to business, but international travel in general. A great way to experience and embrace yourself in another culture, is to try out the public transportation and local cuisine. We did just this and mastered Hong Kong’s MTR underground train and made an effort to eat a few dishes that scared us. Mastering the train became a running joke, but provided us with the opportunity to see the city’s population outside of the business district and in the rush of their everyday routines. We also ate pidan, known as the thousand-year-old egg, which is a preserved duck egg. Here is a link to the Wikipedia page for full understanding (and condolences).
Duck egg and all, I am so grateful for this experience and look forward to business trips in the future.
In an unexpected move for its readers and its more than 100,000 contributors, HuffPost announced recently it would be ending its popular unpaid contributor network.
According to The New York Times, “The decision was rooted as much in a move to declutter the site as in Ms. Polgreen’s (editor in chief Lydia Polgreen) desire to focus on quality reporting and minimize unvetted stories at a time when there is so much misinformation online.”
As Polgree herself put it in her Jan. 18 article: “Open platforms that once seemed radically democratizing now threaten, with the tsunami of false information we all face daily, to undermine democracy.”
In other words, this decision was based largely to halt the continued proliferation of fake news.
After all, if unpaid “citizen journalists” and bloggers can break stories, interview sources and report on current events just as “real” reporters do, it becomes increasingly difficult to tell the two apart. The credibility and trustworthiness that used to accompany journalism (remember those days?) has become diluted to the point that it’s barely recognizable. Gaining clicks and views has become a higher priority than whether the author (and their content) is credible.
HuffPost’s unpaid contributor network in particular was not without its controversy. As Emily Price of Fortune writes, “It’s a model that has put the publication under fire from writers that feel they should be paid for the work, as well as the public when the often amateur contributors wrote news stories that were perhaps not as factually accurate as they might have been had they been written by a professional journalist.”
Professional journalists know not just how to tell a good, compelling story; they’re also trained in how to investigate and report on complex, multi-faceted issues accurately, fairly and without bias. As a journalism major myself, I can say that more than one professor offered this sage advice when it came to finding credible (and multiple!) sources for my stories: “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”
Not every writer will do that due diligence (especially on their own mothers), and of course, not all unpaid contributors or bloggers are purposely trying to spread false information. Indeed, the vast majority of unpaid writers and contributors are simply trying their best to share the stories that interest them and offer perspective to their readers. The ability to self-publish content online quickly, easily and to millions of people is the very embodiment of our country’s First Amendment. It also comes with a risk.
As Polgreen stated, “When everyone has a megaphone, no one can be heard.” Without hundreds of thousands of voices out on the internet today, who can you trust? Who should you listen to? And what does this mean for public relations and content marketing professionals – whose livelihoods are built on providing our clients and companies with said megaphones?
One answer to consider is that we need to rethink both the megaphone and the messages that it is communicating. I don’t believe it’s a matter of simply eliminating unpaid contributors or blogging programs. Search Engine Journal offers some good suggestions for how to transform contributed content in light of the HuffPost changes.
- Consider other mediums – Think beyond the written word. Don’t limit content to print and online publications, consider repurposing it as a podcast or video series.
- Collaborate on content – Expand your own network of collaborators. Does your company have a list of partners, customers, industry influencers and other “friendlies” it can leverage? Consider a guest blog trade where your company provides a post for their blog in return for one on yours.
When counselling clients or colleagues about contributed content and bylines, bear in mind that the articles being submitted should uphold the same journalistic standards of the publication. Keep the content vendor neutral, back up your claims with reputable and recent sources/data, and offer a fair and accurate assessment of your topic.
Citizen journalism won’t end anytime soon – and it shouldn’t, not by a long shot. But as blogger platforms and guest content continues to evolve, it’s critical to hold those amateur writers to a higher standard when it comes to publishing their content, as HuffPost recently decided.
As a PR professional, it’s commonplace to have regular conference calls with clients and colleagues. They can be a productive and efficient way to hold a meeting, especially for those who would otherwise have to travel to attend. However, if the call is not conducted in a professional and organized manner, it can be a waste of time for both you and your participants.
Anyone that’s ever had an office job knows conference calls can often be the worst. The constant beeps, the awkward pauses, that guy who forgets to use the mute button — the reasons people hate those dreaded meetings – just goes on and on. Thanks to this sketch from Tripp and Tyler, which hilariously demonstrates how a conference call would play out in real life, we have a witty reminder about the importance of leading a successful conference call.
To ensure your participants aren’t disengaged and multi-tasking on other things during your next conference call, consider the following tips.
Organize and Prepare
One of the most important things to remember before any meeting is to be prepared and organized. This is crucial if you are
leading the conference call and you want to accomplish the items on your agenda and keep your participants engaged. Prepare ahead of time for the topics you want to discuss and be sure you have the right people on the call to accomplish your objectives.
Be Punctual
Just like any other professional meeting, it is important that you arrive on time. If you are the host you should dial into the call a few minutes early. Equally important, stay within your scheduled timeframe and end the meeting on time. Limit calls to a reasonable length so participants know what to expect. As the host, it’s your job to keep the call concise, on point and moving along.
Stick to the Agenda
People are busy. It is important to create an agenda and stick to it. Send the agenda in advance so everyone knows the purpose of the call, approximately how long it will last, and what they are expected to prepare. This reduces anxiety for all. When people dial into a conference call, they don’t have the visual cues that are present with a face-to-face meeting – the added clarity of the agenda makes the call go smoother.
Encourage Participation
Let your participants know you value their opinions. You don’t need to bring your pom-poms to the call, you simply need to ask questions – particularly of those who haven’t been as active. People who aren’t involved easily tune out and will not provide the valuable feedback you may be seeking. Many conference call services provide features to involve your attendees, particularly for large groups. These features may include polling, surveying and Q&A capabilities.
Be Aware of Your Location
Your location is critical during a conference call. This is an obvious one, but something that everyone continues to experience. Be aware of your locale and your surroundings. If you are in a loud area such as a coffee shop or at home with a barking dog, you may have a difficult time hearing the conversation and keep in mind everyone on the call will experience this with you.
Familiarize Yourself with the Technology
Your meeting shouldn’t be the first time using the conference call system. Set up a practice run and learn how to use all the features, including how to mute and unmute
all callers. There’s almost nothing worse than being on a conference call with a host that doesn’t know how to use the technology.
Record the Conference Call
Many conference call services allow hosts to record the calls. This can be a valuable tool for several reasons. First, it can allow participants to go back and review the discussion. Second, if an individual cannot attend the meeting, they can listen to the recording after the fact. Additionally, a recording is a way to keep track of the meetings and verify what was discussed and presented.
Send a Recap
Keeping notes on the discussion will provide a quick summary of the items discussed and the decisions agreed upon. It’s helpful to streamline these notes and keep them focused on action items and major developments, as you don’t need every detail if you’re recording the call. This is also an efficient way to keep the momentum moving after the call and remind participants about actionable next steps.