Lessons from the America’s Cup

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My memories of sailboat racing as a young man came flooding back over the past two weeks as I watched the America’s Cup races being broadcast from San Francisco.  The event concludes today in one final, winner-take-all race in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Oracle Team USA completed a miraculous comeback after being down eight races to one against Emirates Team New Zealand.  The final race begins at 4 pm EST.Read More

Football’s Summer Crime Spree

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One day last week, I jumped on the ESPN website, clicked on the college football news ticker and half of the stories were about players getting arrested over the summer.   One recent report said that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer spent an entire news conference at Big Ten Media Days explaining off-the-field problems.  Players across the country have been arrested for assault, possession, DUI and other offenses.  At my alma mater the University of Florida, linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested for, get this, barking at a police dog.  I guess he was harassing the dog.  Not sure what to make of it but the quote was amusing: “I walked by and said ‘woof woof’ and they arrested me,” said Morrison.  The charges were later dropped.  The cop admitted he was having a bad day.

And pro football’s police blotter is jam packed this summer.  Leading the chain gang is former New England Patriot tight end (and also former Gator) Aaron Hernandez who now resides in a Massachusetts jail on first-degree murder charges – and is being investigated in another double homicide.

NFL arrests are up 75 percent this off season.  How do they know an exact percentage you ask?  I will answer that question with a question:   Would you believe me if I told you there was an NFL Arrest Database?  It exists and like any good database, it’s searchable so you can find out that the Miami Dolphins, for example, haven’t had an arrest since last November when defensive back Jonathon Amaya was charged with battery after allegedly choking a cab driver – classy.  The Tampa Bay Bucs, however, have had five players arrested this offseason with the most interesting being defensive end Da’Quan Bowers who was arrested after a .40-caliber handgun was found in his luggage at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.  The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t had anyone arrested in more than a year, rounding out the teams in my home state.

Labor economist Stephen Bronars analyzed the arrest database and found that 0.78 players per team are arrested each off-season.  He also broke down arrests by position: Wide Receivers accounted for more than 1 out of 6 arrests.  Cornerbacks accounted for about 1 out of 7 arrests .  Linebackers 1 out of 8.  Punters and Kickers 1 out of 67.  Offensive Guards (a more benign bunch) accounted for only 1 out of 107 arrests .  The Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans were among the teams with the highest arrest rates, doubling the NFL average.

So what’s going on with football these days?  Why so many players in the pokey?  And do we have a public relations problem here?

The standard answers still hold true.  Football is an extremely aggressive, testosterone-pumping and violent game – yet that doesn’t really explain the punters and kickers.  And during the off-season, these guys have a lot of time on their hands – and the pros have plenty of flash money. 

Apologist-sounding answers aside, I think the NFL and big-time college football need to address this image issue sooner than later.  Reputations and ticket sales are at stake.

A few suggestions:
Go kiss some babies.  Football needs to redouble its efforts to have its players out in the community – either doing good works or teaching kids how to throw spirals.  Is Punt, Pass and Kick still around?  I have an 11-year-old son who has never heard of it.  By the way, it still exists but a quick check online shows that there are only two competitions within 50 miles of where I live.  The players, at both levels, need to bond with their communities and spend more time with their fans and less time “in the club” at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday.

Pump up the volume on charitable efforts.  Philanthropic arm NFL Charities gives away $10 million per year, but aside from a few commercials you see during the season, you wouldn’t know it.   The good deeds done by college and pro teams need to max out the publicity budget.  The fans need to see that the players, coaches and ownership do more than count money and get in trouble. 

It’s a privilege not a right.  This is a longer haul tactic but through some combination of bigger penalties for misbehavior (outside of the judicial system) and building a greater sense of pride in themselves and the game, the NFL and college football have to instill in their players that it is a privilege, not a right, to play the game.  It won’t be easy.  They have to start with tough penalties such as “No strike” policies when players commit domestic violence or for gun charges, for example.  Bans for repeat offenders may need to be the norm.  Penalties must say, loud and clear, that bad behavior won’t be tolerated.  And they must beat the drum that they have a responsibility, just like the rest of us on the big blue marble, to be good citizens.

Training camp is starting and much of the focus will now turn to the field, but the NFL and college football need to keep an eye on off-field behavior and plan for the next, hopefully uneventful, off-season.

What do you think?  Have off-the-field issues changed your perception of big time football?

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

Don’t Forget the Opinion Page (the Dolphins Won’t)

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Publishing your own news, part of the “democratization” of journalism and communications, has opened many doors for companies to spread their message in a multitude of ways.  Almost anyone can write a news release and distribute it online using private wire services that range in price from free to a few hundred dollars.  In a matter of moments, your message can be published in hundreds of Internet outlets.  Exactly who and how many see it is up for interpretation, but without question, today nearly everyone has many powerful communications tools at their disposal.

One effective tool that’s still available but often overlooked is the opinion page at daily newspapers.

If you open up the front or “A” section of big city daily and thumb to the last two pages, you will typically find the opinion pages.  On the left-hand page, you will see editorials written by the newspaper and its editorial board.  The newspaper’s position on wide ranging and hopefully “high-minded” issues like zoning, the environment, immigration, local elections and foreign affairs among other topics will be published here.  This page also typically houses political cartoons and letters to the editor.  Many people are avid writers and readers of letters to the editor.  While such letters are effective communications (particularly if you are complaining about potholes and city hall), they are typically edited down and rarely exceed a few hundred words. 

The right hand page, opposite to the editorial page, is known as the OpEd page, perhaps called “Viewpoints” or “Other Views” or another descriptive name.  In most major newspapers, this page is filled with articles written by syndicated columnists such as Ann Coulter, Cal Thomas or George Will, but many papers have space for commentary from local people.

A few years ago, we helped attorney Hector Lombana place an opinion piece about the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  Another client, George Joseph of Dade County Federal Credit Union, wrote a prescient piece in 2006 warning of the dangers of predatory lending – two years before the financial crisis.

The most important rule for writing for the opinion page is that you need to write about an issue that is relevant to the audience and not just about yourself or your company.  If you have an intelligent and high-minded (there’s that phrase again) take on an important or fledgling issue, then you have a chance to get published. 

Last month, we assisted the Florida International Bankers Association in its efforts to defeat an aspect of the Dolphins stadium tax bill.  Part of the money to fund the stadium was to come from eliminating a tax benefit for international banks.  The issue was complicated and nuanced and while reporters were covering it, we believed an OpEd piece, which runs close to 700 words, gave us a better opportunity to explain our side of the issue.

While a number of high-profile people in Miami were against the stadium bill, the international bankers had a business reason to oppose it, and we believe this was an important distinction between our client’s message and those who were banging their chest about raising taxes and whether or not public money should go to sports stadiums.  FIBA was against the bill for a specific reason and had data to back it up.

In the end, our client turned out to be the perfect counterpoint for the stadium argument, and the Miami Herald took advantage of it, publishing the stadium backers’ “Pro” article next to our client’s “Con” perspective.

The OpEd (which also ran in the Sun-Sentinel) delivered a new level of authority to the international bankers’ argument – and much more credibility than had we published it ourselves using a wire service.  On the afternoon that the OpEd ran, the sponsor of the stadium bill removed the language that negatively impacted international banking.  We can’t take complete credit for it because a number of talented people assisted FIBA’s lobbying team, but I believe our efforts on the OpEd page made a difference.

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

Sorry Beyoncé, You’re No Bob Geldof

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Can someone please tell me why Beyoncé and Jay-Z went to Cuba?  The first couple of hip-hop traveled there on their anniversary earlier this month and started a classic “political firestorm.”  In my opinion, they gave the Cuban government a huge public relations victory.  As soon as photos of the couple walking the streets of Havana hit the Internet, the U.S. embargo took center stage and put many politicians on their heels.  Reporters, columnists and TV “talking heads” relentlessly questioned why we have the embargo, which is exactly what the Cuban government wants. 

But why did Beyoncé and Jay-Z go?  Why flex their considerable celebrity muscles to support a communist island.  It makes little sense.

If they were trying to use their fame and fortune to help a political cause, why not support a deserving domestic one?  The whole event seems like a misguided stunt, particularly when you compare it to political efforts made in the past by other musicians and celebs. 

Rock stars have a long history of political involvement, going back to support of groups like Amnesty International decades ago.  The first one that I remember was called Band-Aid.  In 1984, some of the biggest names in music gathered in London to record a song to benefit starving children in Ethiopia.  “Do They Know It’s Christmas” was the number one song in the U.K. for five weeks and raised millions of dollars for famine relief.  The project was the brainchild of Bob Geldof, lead singer of a band relatively unknown in the U.S. called the Boomtown Rats.  Geldof parlayed the success of Band-Aid into a huge benefit concert called Live-Aid.  His efforts were recognized with a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, and he was later knighted.  Now Sir Bob Geldof serves as the de facto model for rock star activism.

Not to be outdone, musicians in America started USA for Africa in 1985 and recorded “We Are the World,” also to fight hunger and homelessness in Africa.  The effort, whether you like the song or not, raised tens of millions of dollars and helped continue to shine a light on an important world issue.

Band-Aid and Live-Aid also spawned Farm-Aid.  Willie Nelson and John Cougar Mellencamp (I get to return the “Cougar” to his name because it’s my blog) spearheaded a concert which raised funds for struggling domestic family farms.  Nelson and Mellencamp then brought family farmers before Congress to testify about the state of family farming in America. Congress subsequently passed the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to help save family farms from foreclosure.  Effective stuff.

More recently, U2 lead singer Bono has been called the world’s best-known philanthropic performer and the most politically effective celebrity of all time.  His campaigns for third-world debt relief led to the cancellation of debt for 23 countries, and he regularly meets with world leaders to discuss critical issues like the AIDS pandemic.  Time magazine named him Person of the Year in 2005, and he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times.  Also knighted.  Also impressive activism.

Whether you agree or disagree with Bono’s or John Cougar’s political leanings doesn’t really matter, because at least they used their celebrity capital to accomplish something worthwhile.  Over the years, big stars from the world of music have proven that they can make a difference for important causes.

So again, can someone please tell me why Beyoncé and Jay-Z went to Cuba? 

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

Lessons From a Tough Week

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My first public relations job was in the Capitol Hill communications office of a U.S. Senator, and I reported to his press secretary, a seasoned former journalist from New York.   As an intern, I mainly answered phones, but I also would regularly proofread news releases.   Right before we distributed a release, the press secretary would always say that we had a good chance for coverage “as long as there isn’t a fire in the garment district.”  Simple translation: A big news event will always scuttle even the best, well-crafted PR message.

On Monday, we had our own version of a fire in the garment district when the bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon.  On Monday morning one of our clients did an interview with a television station in Atlanta.  We had orchestrated the story, hired a guy to be on the ground for us, prepped the client and coordinated the on-camera interview.

Our client did well discussing his lawsuit against a medical center, and we were expecting the story to run that night.  Shortly after our interview rapped, the bombs exploded in Boston, and our story got rightfully bumped – indefinitely.

We did everything right for our client, but there’s nothing you can do when major news breaks.  Years ago, I was working on a project where we were trying to get media coverage for a morning event in Miami, but as we were making follow up calls to TV stations, we learned that fashion designer Gianni Versace had been shot outside his Miami Beach mansion.  This huge news event, the murder and ensuing manhunt, took-over newsrooms in Miami and beyond.  Needless to say, our client’s event wasn’t covered.

While you can’t overcome a story as big as the Boston Marathon bombing, I do have some big picture media relations tips which can be helpful during more typical situations.

Strike While the Iron’s Hot
While we all have busy schedules and we want to be well-prepared for an interview, I recommend doing an interview as soon as possible.  First, another source may be interviewed before you and help shape the story in a way that makes your opinion less relevant.  Second, the reporter might get enough info for the story from other sources before you even get a chance to talk.  Third, deadlines change and the story might get published before your interview even occurs.  Lastly, a big news event comes along and scotches the opportunity completely.

Get your “Why Now?” Ready
My friend and fellow PR pro Greg Euston and I spent an evening in New York a few years ago talking media relations, and he opined about the challenge of “why now?”  Reporters get pitched interesting stories all day long, so if there isn’t a compelling reason to cover it “now,” then your challenge is magnified.   Why now vs. later?  Why now vs. ever?  You always have to figure out why your story is relevant right now.  A year or so ago, a friend of mine was telling me about a PR issue regarding the cruise industry – the specifics aren’t that important.  When Carnival Cruise Lines had its problems recently, I suggested that now is a good time to bring the issue up again.  Carnival is down and I figured he would have a better chance of getting a sympathetic ear because of it.  Sometimes the “why now” presents itself, well,  later.  The lesson is that you have to be ready to explain to journalists why they should cover your issue now vs. later.

While You See a Chance, Take it
I believe there are very few instances where one should turn down an interview opportunity.  I might get some blowback from other PR people on this one, and I have certainly had crisis situations where you try to deflect more than engage.  However, in most circumstances, if you have a chance to talk to the press, you ought to do it.  Even if you don’t believe you can give any deep insight into an issue, an interview offers a chance to showcase your expertise.  In some instances, you may actually change the story because of your insight.  A reporter might be misinformed and you can educate them.  And even if they don’t use your information, you are branding yourself as a source for a story in the future.

Don’t Sweat What is Out of Your Control
Stories get bumped all the time, and one can’t get upset when a national tragedy takes precedence.  I guess I would feel differently if our Atlanta story was pushed back due to Kim Kardashian’s baby or Lindsay Lohan’s admittance to rehab; but it wasn’t, so I’m not.

Luckily, our Atlanta story did eventually run on Wednesday, so we were pleased.  But quite frankly, the events of this week put a lot of things in perspective.

—John

Author: John P. David

Miami’s No Stranger to Scams

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Two weeks ago, I published a blog post (When “Nigeria” Comes Calling) about my experience with a scam artist who appeared to be a new business prospect but was actually trying to drain my bank account.   I was originally a bit embarrassed about the story because I felt that, while I hadn’t been officially duped, I did get strung-along for a while.  Despite my apprehension, I published the post because it was an interesting tale, and I figured there was a chance I might prevent another person from falling for a similar scam. 

The response to the post was fascinating.  Many people who read my blog knew someone who has been scammed, and I was not the only PR person in Miami to hear from this guy.  I want to share some of my interesting feedback.

One of my readers, a local banker, said that wire fraud cases have been on the rise lately.

Another told me of a physician who got taken for $60,000:  “Somehow an alleged ‘Nigerian Entrepreneur’ contacted him by cell phone and made all sorts of promises about easy money, if he would just send some ‘seed money’ to him.  Well, desperation prevailed over high I.Q.  This doctor ultimately sent six tranches of $10,000 a piece before he spoke to his attorney, who told him to STOP.”

Branding agency owner Michael Gold of Goldforest warned there’s another successful scam out there involving video production in China: “They’ve actually GONE to China to get punked!”

A local insurance industry executive told me that he had “a family friend who fell for the scam about 15 years ago.  He actually flew to Nigeria for a meeting in connection with the representation of an oil company and they held him for a $25,000 ransom.”  He also pointed out that if these scammers used their mental abilities for legitimate business, they would probably be successful.

Honestly, I never imagined the possibility of being “locked-up abroad,” but my aunt did.  She was glad I didn’t get scammed and reminded me that “of course, you know that we would all band together to get you out of a Venezuelan jail.”

Peter Kelley, editor of Life & Health Advisor magazine and a self-described ‘scam-o-phile’ said he was disappointed that I ended my story where I did as he “wanted to know how they would make their next move.”  Peter explained that in the past he has attempted “to engage a number of fallen princes, interior-wonks, disgruntled aides and otherwise plugged-in facilitators to ‘hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars.’”

Kelley would probably enjoy speaking with a Miami attorney I know who has strung one of these guys along. 

He wrote: “I was to collect a large sum of money from a company just blocks away from me.  However, I insisted on first receiving a cashier’s check as a ‘non-refundable review fee’ which the scammer had offered.  I deposited the check, warning my bank that I had concerns.  As suspected, the cashier’s check supposedly from a Canadian bank was a well done fake.  I took some mild pleasure in causing them to spin their wheels, although I had also spun mine.  You should take equal pleasure.  The more they spin their wheels without reward, the better for us.”

I wasn’t the only public relations agency to hear from the Venezuelan oil man.  The principal of a local firm told me they got the call a few months ago: “We thought it sounded legitimate (big budget, alternative energy, tied-in with the governor’s office) but when we were told we had to fly to Venezuela, that put us off, as it did you.”

Much to my surprise, the post caught the attention of more than one journalist.  Peter Kelley, who I mentioned earlier, asked and received my permission to run my story on his outlet’s website.  In addition, Kevin Gale of the South Florida Business Journal liked the new Venezuelan spin on the old “Nigerian” scam and wrote about it in his blog.

Of course, I enjoy the feedback and it’s a fun ego boost, but the best news came last week when a fellow PR person in Miami sent me this message: “I received a call at the office from a man with an accent saying they were calling regarding PR for a project in Venezuela. It came from a blocked number and I remembered your post and hung up immediately.”

Mission accomplished.

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

The Trouble with Naming Rights

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We can prevent thousands of future public relations problems by implementing one simple rule: Never name something after a living person.

I have been musing about this topic for years but decided to offer up my rule after private prison company Geo Group this week withdrew its $6 million donation to become the name sponsor for Florida Atlantic University’s football stadium in Boca Raton.  Geo Group’s CEO, an FAU alum, made a truly generous offer to have his company’s name grace the stadium.  Problems arose though when some pesky students realized that Geo Group has been tagged with a number of human rights violations at its prisons.  Next came protests, boycotts and petitions, and after a few weeks of fireworks, Geo Group withdrew its donation.  I think the end came shortly after some clever protestors started referring to the stadium, the home of the FAU Owls football team, as “Owlcatraz.” 

Now, we can’t stop private companies from putting their names on facilities; there’s just too much money involved.  American Airlines Arena, Coors Field and Lucas Oil Stadium et al. are here to stay.  But we can stop naming such things after living people.  The risk of negative publicity is too high and the examples of PR disasters are too numerous.  Here are a few, just off the top of my head:

•    In Miami, for a brief period of time in the late 1980s and early 1990s, we had a road called Jose Canseco Street.  At the time, the former big league slugger and current outspoken steroid user was an adored alum of the school located on that street.  Today, not so much.  Once local officials learned Jose was juicing, they unceremoniously took his name off the street sign.

•    Last year, administrators from Penn State University were forced to remove the statue of legendary Coach Joe Paterno due to the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal and cover-up. 

•    In Coral Gables, Florida, officials from the University of Miami removed the name of convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro from a campus athlete lounge.  Shapiro, currently doing time, had pledged big bucks to the school.  (UM gave the money back.)

I can go on and on.

Earlier this week, Miami-Dade commissioners decided that the board’s auditor must complete a background check on any “person, organization, place or thing” under consideration for a naming.  It’s a good move.  The Miami Herald reported that the decision comes “on the heels of bad publicity surrounding Banah Sugar… City and county leaders christened a stretch of Southeast 10th Avenue ‘Banah Sweet Way’ in its honor.  Commissioners later found out that the firm’s owner had served prison time for cocaine trafficking. Banah filed for bankruptcy in February.”  Classic.

My rule makes sense.  Certainly if you can’t safely erect a statue in honor of former living legends like Paterno, then everyone else should be persona non-grata.

I know this will be unpopular.  For example, a quarter mile from my house sits Evelyn Greer Park, named after the first mayor of my little village called Pinecrest.  Greer, who is still very much alive, was a fantastic mayor, did a great job getting our village off the ground and helped increase my property value by a goodly sum.  Sadly, under my new PR naming rule, she would lose her park.

Say goodbye to the Bill Clinton Library. 

Also on the chopping block: Peyton Manning Pass, the street in Tennessee named for the famous quarterback. 

I would also suggest removal of Bobby Bowden’s name from the field in Tallahassee bearing his name and [audible gasp] even the statue of Tim Tebow outside the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (that name stays because Griffin has passed.)

In the future, we can build statues, name streets and christen ships after great men and women all we want.  We just have to wait until they rest in peace.

This rule will save so many institutions from public relations embarrassment that PR people will recognize it for years to come.  But if they want to name the rule after me, please wait until I’m pushing up the daisies.

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

When ”Nigeria” Comes Calling

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Last week, my firm was offered an opportunity to pitch a terrific piece of new business.  An international oil company will soon announce a major public private partnership to build a huge energy facility in Florida – creating thousands of new jobs, lowering gas prices statewide and offering my company an A-List client for years to come.

Too bad it was all fake.

I was hit with a variation of an old scam – ancient actually – but with modern, current updates that sounded legitimate enough to make me stop and take notice.

It started with a phone call from a man who said he worked for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, based in Venezuela.  Following the recent death of Hugo Chavez, he said the Venezuelan government wanted to show things were “business as usual” and was trying to fast-track a project in Florida to build an energy facility.  He said it would be a public-private partnership among his company, Venezuela and Florida and that they wanted to announce the project in Miami at the end of June.  Time was short, and making matters worse for him, his wife was in the hospital, preparing to have his first child.  He asked if my firm had the capabilities to handle this project and more importantly, if I had any problems representing a project affiliated with Venezuela.

I fell for it – almost.  Seeing dollar signs, I focused on the controversial aspect of the proposal first.  Would I, a PR guy with a firm in Miami, be willing to represent an endeavor associated with socialist Venezuelans?  How would this play with my clients and friends with ties to Latin America and the Caribbean? 

I called my politically savvy brother and ran the Venezuela issue by him.  He said I needed to be careful but that it shouldn’t stop me from taking the next step.  After repeating the proposal to him, I also realized the whole thing could be a complete scam.

Later that day, I called a couple contacts of mine to see if they would be interested in helping me if I landed the business.  I made sure to tell them that it was very preliminary, and “you never know, I may be getting punked.”

The next day, I called the guy back, and he gave me more details regarding the deal: Quasi-governmental project with approval of the governor’s office, subcontracting with a major international oil company, big event with heads of state in Miami and a requirement of confidentiality and top-flight security.  I asked him if he was talking to other PR firms and he mentioned Edelman, which is indeed a very large international firm. 

Then things got weird.  In order to start the engagement, I would need to fly to Venezuela and sign a non-disclosure agreement within the next few days.  The agreement had to be signed by me and in-person. [Sounded odd.]  After we both signed the agreement, I would have to get it notarized at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.  I would then bring the agreement back to the U.S. and meet with the governor’s office. 

Where would we meet and how would I get there, I asked?  He suggested either the Marriott or Ritz Carlton in Caracas.  I could fly there first class.  He would wire me the money.  [Sound of squealing brakes!]

There’s more to the story, but you can see where it’s going.

I shared the details with a close friend who, coincidentally, collects copies of Nigerian letter e-mail scams.  We pondered stringing-along our scam artist, but I chose to just run away quickly.

As l recounted the story, I felt a bit embarrassed.  I almost fell for a scam as old as the hills; but this wasn’t a wealthy Nigerian prince sending me an anonymous e-mail.  It was similar but also a bit different. 

Here’s what I should have noticed immediately and what others should look for.

Delivery method can be anything, but message is the same
We are all familiar with the e-mail scam, but this one came as a phone call.  The key is the message is always the same – seemingly easy money.  In my case, if I was willing to act fast, I would have a lucrative contract without a complicated and exhaustive bid process.
   
Obfuscation
The whole point of the elaborate story was to get me to forget about the risks of offering up my bank information.  The scam artist got me to worry about the Venezuela issue, which diverted my attention from other warning signs. 

Sounds just real enough
Doesn’t it make sense that the Venezuelan government would want to show things are business as usual after Chavez’s death?  The fraudster said he was affiliated with a large, international company and knew just enough about organizing a large media event to keep me hooked.

Time is short
The scammer works to develop a sense of urgency.  If the victim is focused on acting quickly, then he will cut corners and make a mistake.  The Nigerian prince’s life is in danger.  Save him fast and you will be richly rewarded.  In my case, act quickly and get the prized contract.

Reviewing what happened to me, I’m still somewhat embarrassed, but I figure sharing what happened to me might help the next guy who gets a new business call that’s actually a Nigerian letter.

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

Carnival’s Social Nightmare

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“Instead of taking my family on a Carnival cruise for spring break, we’re just going to half fill the bathtub, climb in, and poop.”— recent Twitter post.

Problems at Carnival Cruise Lines have been widely reported by traditional media, but social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter have had an interesting impact on the cruise line and its brand.

First, the funny stuff.  A quick check of Twitter the other day found some really amusing observations.

Someone who answers to Bweezy (@bweezy1974) posted this: In order to rehabilitate its image, Carnival Cruise Lines has hired a man named Gilligan to act as first mate on its next three hour cruise.

Writer and television actress (I have never seen her) Sarah Thyre (@SarahThyre) suggested: Naming your cruise line Carnival is like naming your motel chain Toothless Hoarder Garage Sale.

Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” alum Kevin Nealon (‏@kevin_nealon) said: Glad Carnival Cruise Is not an airline. (Nothing subliminal about that one.)

And it was actor Joshua Malina (@JoshMalina) who played Will Bailey on “The West Wing” and also pioneered poker on television (I’m not kidding)  chimed in with the quote listed above: Instead of taking my family on a Carnival cruise for spring break, we’re just going to half fill the bathtub, climb in, and poop.

And my favorite by someone called Andry H’tims (‏@Thing_Finder) who said: Carnival Announces Plans to Scrap “Survivor-Themed” Cruises: CEO Says People “Just Don’t Seem to Get It”

Aside from offering an outlet for professional and amateur comedy writers to try new material, social media plays an increasing role in how we learn about crises and disasters – and also how communications and PR pros must respond to the same mishaps.

Just a few years ago (before texting, Facebooking and Tweeting were ubiquitous), we might have not heard a word about the Carnival Triumph’s poop cruise until it was all over.  On the first week-long cruise I took about 10 years ago, I paid about $150 for the privilege of logging-on to the Internet to check my e-mail while we were at sea.  I remember a half dozen computers available in a lounge area; it was not a crowded place.

Today, most cruise ships have some form of wifi onboard and for a fee, you can post like a fiend to your social media accounts.

Tweets and posts gave media outlets access to real-time information about what was happening on the Triumph, at least until everyone’s phones died. 

The main lesson here is that every company should monitor social media as a matter of course, but especially during a crisis. 

Last week, when Carnival’s Dream got stuck in St. Maarten, Twitter was blowing up with reports of the happenings on the ship.  Carnival’s PR team (@CarnivalPR) actively reached out to media outlets that were reporting on the broken down ship.

For example, when Fox News reporter Joshua Rhett Miller tweeted that toilets were overflowing on the Dream, Carnival’s PR team responded with information clarifying that only one toilet had overflowed – hardly news.

Here’s the original tweet:
 ‏@joshuarhett #Carnival Dream turns nightmare: Power outages, overflowing toilets reported @CarnivalCruise http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/14/power-outages-overflowing-toilets-reportedly-plague-another-carnival-cruise/#ixzz2NWNzJGrT

And here was Carnival’s response:

@CarnivalPR @joshuarhett Saw your story on Carnival Dream, wanted to make sure you had latest info & details regarding plumbing: http://bit.ly/ZQ0WqS

The link pointed to this statement:

Information on Carnival Dream and Alleged Toilet System Issues
Mar 14th, 2013 @ 12:33 pm › Joyce Oliva
We have had multiple conversations with the ship’s management team related to this subject.  Based on the ship’s service logs and extensive physical monitoring of all public areas, including restrooms, throughout the night, we can confirm that only one public restroom was taken offline for cleaning based on toilet overflow and there was a total of one request for cleaning of a guest cabin bathroom.  Aside from that there have been no reports of issues on board with overflowing toilets or sewage.  The toilet system had periodic interruptions yesterday evening and was fully restored at approximately 12.30am this morning.

Despite all the criticism Carnival has received for its handling of recent incidents, the company’s PR team clearly has plans in place to respond to negative postings online.  Perhaps the Triumph incident was just such a huge operational mess that the PR team was beyond overwhelmed.

Prior to the social media revolution, public relations and communications pros spent most of their time worrying about what reporter’s said and wrote.  Today, we have to watch multiple fronts.  Social media’s use as a news gathering and reporting tool by media outlets must always be part of the overall crisis communications plan.

Do you think Carnival can rehabilitate it’s image?  Do you have a plan in place to monitor social media for mentions involving your company?

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com

Author: John P. David

Turn Your Oreos Into News

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While the lights were out at the Super Bowl, Nabisco sent out a tweet with an image of an Oreo cookie and the caption: “You can still dunk in the dark.”  The free tweet garnered as much post game attention as many of the million dollar commercials and also showed how quick and clever social media marketing can outpace the most expensive mainstream campaigns.

While I can’t say I have ever made national news from a clever, well-timed tweet, I can say that one can regularly get news coverage by jumping on a trend or taking advantage of breaking news.  It’s actually a cornerstone of media relations, and one PR professional recently coined a term for it: “Newsjacking.”

Marketing guy David Meerman Scott wrote a book on the topic and also talked about it at South by Southwest (SXSW), the film, interactive and music festival/conference that takes place every spring in Austin, Texas.  He defines it as “the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business.”  You can buy his book at here.  Most interesting to me was this graphic which shows the best time to capitalize on a breaking news story.

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Most media relations pros have been newsjacking for decades.  A couple years ago, we were discussing the latest happenings in the automobile dealer world with our client, attorney Alex Kurkin of Kurkin Brandes, and he mentioned that he was swamped with calls from his dealer clients who were confused about the “Cash for Clunkers” stimulus/rebate program.  We jumped on the case and pitched his perspective to reporters around the country.  We ended up securing several interviews for him, and he was widely quoted in the New York Times.

Last year, as Facebook was slowly rolling out its Timeline feature, we learned from our client The Lifeline Program that its senior citizen Facebook fans were up in arms about the change.  Lifeline had switched its Facebook page to Timeline early to try to prevent confusion but instead got hit with blistering complaints from angry octogenarians (some of them can swear with the best of us).  We quickly pitched this story to tech reporters who had been monitoring the big switch to Timeline, and a journalist from the San Jose Mercury News interviewed Steve Terrell of Lifeline.  The story was picked up by dozens of newspapers around the country including the L.A. Times, Kansas City Star and Chicago Tribune.

And I did some newsjacking of my own recently.  After writing a blog post early on about how Lance Armstrong could mount a comeback, we pitched our PR expertise and landed an interview with Metro in London.  The reporter’s story was picked up by a number of outlets online including Spiegel in Germany.  Call it an international newsjack.

My Keys to Newsjacking
In the interest of complete disclosure, I haven’t read Scott’s book.  (It would probably just upset me that he thought of it first.)  But I’m confident that I can offer some tips that can help anyone newsjack a national story.

Be quick.  As Scott’s diagram shows, you have to identify a trend that you think will be national news before it reaches the top of the arc.  For example, Lance Armstrong announced his intention to come clean on a Friday afternoon.  I saw the story over the weekend and got inspired to blog about it.  Our news release on the topic was distributed shortly after the news broke that he would appear on Oprah.  We had some credibility because we had already posted about the topic, and we were ahead of other PR people with the same idea.

Use real examples.  It’s not good enough that you are an expert on a topic.  Wiggling your way into a big story requires you to have an opinion and hopefully some real world examples.  For our client Alex Kurkin, he had firsthand experience with the chaos being created by Cash for Clunkers.  Steve Terrell of Lifeline had been deleting expletive-laden comments written by angry seniors from his Facebook page.  The examples give a story color, and an expert needs to talk specifics, not just generalities.

Take a position, now’s your chance to give your opinion.  When major news is forming, people are starting to take sides.  If you are on the “less popular” side, you have a better chance of getting coverage.  I’m not suggesting you always look for the contrarian position, but it helps if you can make arguments for either position.  Whenever I ask my commercial litigator brother Chris for his opinion about a legal case in the news, his answer is always the same: “What side am on?”  Having a counter-balancing opinion can pay off.

Keep pushing.  The PR game is a marathon, not a sprint.  If you feel as though you can be an expert on short notice for national media, keep pushing for it.  New stories come along every day, and the media’s attention shifts like the wind. 

Have you ever newsjacked a national story?  And more importantly, do you dunk your Oreos?  Let me know.

—John

www.miamipublicrelations.com 

Author: John P. David