Sir, your reputation precedes you

First, if you're an up-and-coming communications pro (or even a weathered old geezer), you'd do well to subscribe to Rafe Needleman's "Pro PR Tips." The C|NET vet has posted more than 100 rules from inside the head of one of the tech industry's most-read journalists.

Take, for example, this one from the other day:

Tip #103: Agency, Shmagency: "I don’t care that much what agency you work for. What I care about is the company you represent."

Now, you can argue that the calling cards of a small number of agencies will open otherwise hard-to-crack editorial doors (a reflection on consistently great hiring and training than on size and perceived power). However, even though the card might be able to open the door, it's the story and personal relationship that gets your foot inside.

I've heard a lot lately about the power of personal brands. It's a discussion good PR pros should heed. It doesn't matter whether you work for IBM or Joe's PR Shop, it's your personal brand that makes you stand out.

Yeah, you. You talking about my brand?

Image via WikipediaFor those who still think what happens on blogs, Twitter and other social media networks is nothing more than a marketing echo chamber, think again.

I posted an entry to this blog yesterday that included links to the great online video work Ford and GM are doing. I also included a line about "the ever-present knock of death" at the auto industry's door. While I'm no fan of the bailout -- and recognize that Ford didn't stick its hand out for public funds -- the work Scott Monty and Christopher Barger (and their respective teams) are doing is worth noting.

Now, I don't pretend that this blog gets a ton of traffic. Scoble I am not. However, no sooner did I hit post when a comment from Scott appeared to clarify Ford's position on my death-knell comment. Again, in the wide realm of blogs out there, I'm quite sure Maney|Digital is somewhat low on the totem pole of authority and impact for the automakers.

Which is why I wanted to highlight Scott's actions. Somewhere in his toolbox, Scott has a trigger to alert him to any time Ford is mentioned on the web. It doesn't matter whether it's a Scoble-sized mention or a lowly Maney|Digital-sized one. What matters is that Scott didn't let a potentially (and unintentional) negative comment about his company sit idle for others to see.

Companies which aren't monitoring what's being said about them online do so at their own peril. While the overall impact of a single negative post on a site the size of Maney|Digital probably won't make much of a difference, the cumulative effect of others seeing it, posting on it, linking to it, will.

Do you know what they are saying about your brand?

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Repurpose with a Purpose

Image by b_d_solis via FlickrOne of the things I advocate to my clients is the concept of content repurposing. To put it more simply: What else can we do with the content we have beyond its single initial purpose?

For example, in the process of drafting a press announcement, most PR pros ask subject matter experts roughly the same set of 10 questions to get to the heart of the news. They then turn that interview into a press release (I'm being parochial on purpose here). Given the tools we now have at our disposal, why couldn't we simultaneously do the following:

• Capture the interview as an mp3 or on camera and post it as a pod/vidcast?
• Repackage the interview into a Q&A?
• Tweet good quotes as teasers?

The idea is to do more, to get more, out of the content we have and the content we generate. For more, check out this post from SHIFT PR's Todd Defren.

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Lyons is right. Lying is wrong.

Rule #1 in PR is don't lie. Spin? Sure, we all do it to some extent (I'd claim spin is no longer the sole domain of PR even). But never, ever lie. The truth always comes out.

The current Bush Administration is a prime example of this. Another is the current dustup around Apple's PR team trying to game the press and shareholders about their CEO's health.

I encourage you to read the posts by former Fake Steve and current Real Dan Lyons for an inside look at how both sides are playing this game. The Fourth Estate smells blood and rather than getting out of the water (or getting a bigger boat), Apple's PR team continues to chum the waters.

FTI acquires Kinesis Marketing

Congratulations to Andreas Panayi and his colleagues at Kinesis Marketing on their new relationship with FTI (from PR Week):

FTI Consulting has acquired digital communications firm Kinesis Marketing. The acquisition expands FD’s digital capabilities; the firm will be rebranded as FD Kinesis and will complement FD’s established design, annual report, and alternative media services unit. Kinesis has 22 employees located in Morristown, NJ and Philadelphia, as well as consultants abroad, and a national client roster.

Andreas was one of the original driving forces in digital media way back in the pre-bubble days when he led Poppe Tyson's interactive division.

Measuring the Value of Influence

I was quoted in an article by the Mistress of Measurement, K.D. Paine, yesterday. Katie explored measuring the impact of media coverage based on the influence of the publication. I argued -- via Twitter -- that influence is not measured in clicks or circulation, but decided by the value the audience places on the influencer (whether BusinessWeek, a blog, a comment in Twitter, etc.).

And The Response Is...

Ron Torossian responds somewhat quickly to yesterday's gaff-pearance in Gawker. Rather than take the opportunity to explain the rationale behind his crass marching orders to his staff, Torossian instead responds with his own personal celebrity missive.

Spin Gets Spun

Paul Holmes over at The Holmes Report nails it in a post today on the difference between unadulterated spin and relationship-building. You'll have a hard time finding a better example/definition than the one Paul offers up.

Putting The "Ack!" In Flack

I've worked with some of the top PR people in the business. People who lead communications functions for multibillion dollar global corporations. The reason they are at the top of the profession is because they have class.

Which brings me to Ronn Torossian, leader of the high-flying pitch palace, 5W. By all accounts, his agency's recent string of success should push him higher up the PR influence scales. However, an e-mail he sent out to his troops yesterday timed to the death of Coretta Scott King should push Torossian deep into the depths of pariah-ville:

From: Ronn Torossian
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 1:52 PM
To: Email-Everyone
Subject: CORETTA SCOTT KING

Died today - we shld have plenty of clients we can pitch on the King legacy, etc.

Ronn D. Torossian
President & CEO
5W Public Relations

The fine folks at Gawker got the scoop on the story. It will be interesting to watch how -- and if -- Torossian handles this personal and professional crisis in his recently launched blog.

PR Industry Takes Another One In The Tushy Because of Scrushy

There have been so many corporate scandals over the past couple of years that it's hard to keep up with all of them. One that continues to make headlines is the case against former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy, who was acquitted last year of his involvement in a $2.7 billion accounting fraud. Today, word is coming out that he paid a local journalist $11,000 to write flattering stories about him. Apparently, Scrushy funneled the $11k through a local PR firm, The Lewis Group. This is another black eye for both the PR and journalism professions. Andy Lark is also calling this out on his blog (which gets a ton more traffic than mine, so it might make sense to follow any comment threads there) and expresses the frustration that many of us in the PR industry have with unethical, amateur professionals and agencies.

A Windy Day At Whole Foods

Renuka Rayasam at the Austin-American Statesman is reporting today that Whole Foods Market is switching to all wind power in the U.S..

I don't know enough about the economics of the wind-powered energy industry to determine the economic benefits of Whole Foods' decision, but my 14 years of PR experience tell me that this is a great PR decision (and I wouldn't be shocked to learn that the company's PR team was at the table when the debate about the merits of moving to a wind-powered infrastructure were discussed).

I don't follow the supermarket wars as a matter of my day-to-day news reading (apparently there is a huge battle going on). But I do have a few cooking/luxury blogs loaded in my RSS reader. Whole Foods seems to get consistent buzz as the good guy (read: good customer and community citizen) in a lot of the posts. Whether that's for the natural products they carry, their purchasing ethics, or something else, I don't know. I just know that from a PR perspective, Whole Foods seems to be doing a lot right lately.

Their competition should start paying closer attention if they aren't already -- before they get the wind knocked out of their sales.