MLB Announces Social Media Policy

Major League Baseball released its first policy to players, managers, and teams explicitly regarding social media.

MLB spokesman Matt Bourne told Mashable, “we wanted to make sure we were encouraging them to engage in social media because we think it’s a good way to bring fans closer to the game and engage with them in a meaningful way.” Though social media use is still prohibited 30 min before game time and during game time, MLB is encouraging conversations about charitable work, non-confidential information, and interacting with fans.

Encouraging positive social media use and providing guidelines is a good practice for professional sports. Not only will it provide better engagement and allow fans to be more connected to the game, it will allow for players to be even more involved with the communities they play in. The fact that guidelines were included also helps prevent possible social media mishaps.

As we know, media is quick to jump on those mishaps before many realize what has happened. The encouragement of social media is admirable, but the history of individuals in the public eye and mishaps on social media makes the entire venture a risky one. The risk factor is not because of the overwhelming majority of players, managers and owners that will exemplify the way that social media should be used, but rather it is the one or two tweets that will cause controversy.

Kony 2012: Taking Social Media by Storm

As of today, 13.7 million people have viewed the Invisible Children organization’s video “Kony 2012.” The video’s purpose is to educate about who Joseph Kony is and what he has done in Uganda and around Africa. The video also explains how young people can get involved with the campaign to make Kony famous and rally political and social leaders to finally capture Kony and help bring down is army of children soldiers.

The story of the Invisible Children started in 2003 when three young filmmakers traveled to Africa. The three young guys were expecting to film some safaris and cool adventures in Africa, but rather came across the longest-running war, in which children were both the soldiers and the victims. The filmmakers met a young boy named Jacob who was fearing for his life. The three men vowed to help Jacob and in 2005 Invisible Children, the rough cut film was born. The non-profit organization works both in the U.S. and Central Africa to rebuild and help protect LRA affected communities. Their programs “focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their futures and the futures of their countries. Our programs are carefully developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, and financial stability. In areas where the LRA is still active, we focus on civilian protection and rehabilitation.”

“Kony 2012” took social media by storm. Within hours the video was the most popular topic on Facebook and was trending worldwide on Twitter. Over the past 4 days the video has been viewed over 13 million times, garnered over 18 thousand likes, and has 1,001 comments. But did this campaign that aimed to involve use already wear out their excitement factor?

On Monday, March 6, according to Vimeo, The video was played 58,000 times, liked 128 times, and had 11 comments. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday activity skyrocketed. Just on Tuesday alone, the video was watch 2.7 million times, earned 4,793 likes, and received 258 comments. On Wednesday, it was watched 8.2 million times, earned 10.2 thousand likes and got 576 comments. However, it already seems that the excitement of the video and it’s campaign has already began to die down. Thursday, the video only had 2.8 million view, 2,904 likes, and 154 comments.

The question that remains with Kony 2012 is if the campaign has already lost its fire, then how will it keep people involved throughout the year as it’s plan is? It will be intriguing to see what happens with Kony 2012 and if it has the effect it is hyped to.

Brand Bowl: 4 Hour, Live Coca Cola Commercial

The Super Bowl brings together two of my favorite things – football and advertising. The months of planning that goes into the most expensive television spots never fail to impress viewers. Whether the advertisements tug at an emotional string or highlight a pop culture phenomenon, there is an advertisement for everyone.  In 2012, the average cost a 30-second commercial was $3.5 million, up 17 percent from 2011. Not only did the cost go up, so did the expectations. It was estimated that 60 percent of Super Bowl viewers were going to be watching the game with second screens. Meaning, people will be Facebooking, Tweeting, and browsing the web.

Coca Cola realized this and created a second screen Super Bowl Experience that allowed viewers to watch the game with their favorite polar bears. Coca Cola created three advertisements featuring the bears to air on TV, two during the game and one post game. The second in-game commercial aired during the second half and depending on the games action, determined which version of the spot ran.

The commercials were good and were the first time the bears have ever been used outside of the holiday season. But they provided the website to which viewers could go and watch the game with the polar bears. None of the actions the bears made on the site were pre-animated; it was being created as the game progressed.

The site could be viewed on phones and tablets as well, making the campaign truly extend to all platforms of digital media. Viewers could also send in their photos to the bears and could end up being shown with the bears on the site.

The Super Bowl experience has been transforming for decades. Rather it being the championship NFL game, it has turned into the brand bowl for advertisers. New packaging for products is released to highlight the big day for all the viewers at their Super/Brand Bowl watch parties. This year, Coke took it to a new level.

Pinterest: Strategies for Launching a Brand Presence

Pinterest has taken the Internet by storm. In May 2011 there were 418,00 users. As of January, there are 11,716,00 users pinning crafts, recipes, photos, design inspiration, cute puppies and kittens, wedding ideas, and dream vacation locations. The rapid growth over the past seven months has intrigued brands, public relations practitioners, marketing departments, and advertisers alike.

Charles Nicholls, an expert in ecommerce, web analytics, social media marketing, and online buyer behavior gave strategies for brands to build a presence on Pinterest.

Here are his 7 strategies:

1. Reserve Your Space

He advises brands to secure a user name on Pinterest. “Some Pinterest members are already using brand names and logos for which they have no affiliation,” Nicholls says.

2. Leverage Your Brand Values

Pinterest allows you to post large, high-quality images, so Nicholls advises brands to use this to your advantage. Nicholls suggests not to “limit pins to straight product shots, but leverage your entire catalog of photography.”

3. Themes, Not Product Promotion

Pinterest is already centered on interests, hence the name (Pin your Interests), like weddings, recipes, etc.  Create mood boards with themes “relevant to your brand and its latest styles. These mood boards should convey a consistent image, not be a simple look book of your products.”

4. Include Prices

They can easily be put in a pin’s description.

5. Use Hashtags

Just like Twitter, Pinterest supports hashtags. Because of the collective nature of Pinterest, tagging each photo will increase the probability that a brand’s pin can be found in a search.

6. Add the “Pin It” Button

Placing a “Pin It” button on an ecommerce site next to the Facebook Like button makes it easy for viewers to pin your products for you, and link directly back to your website.

7. Engage with the Community

As with any other social network, listening and engagement, are just as important as the message you are sending.

Pinterest is taking the female social networking community by storm. Not all brands will benefit from being on pinterest. But any organization reaching out to young women, then Pinterest is an opportunity for brand growth.

Is PR Approaching its Golden Age?

Ken Makovsky, CEO of Makovsky + Company, believes it is. The executive spoke to a full house at the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Speaker Series about why he thinks PR is on the brink of successes that haven’t been seen before.

Makovsky said “We are standing at the threshold of a world of new opportunities that could enable the public relations industry to reach a Golden Age.”

He gave seven reasons why the “Golden Age” of public relations is attainable.

The Need for Message Warriors:

In order to have a good reputation, other people have to think it and say it, you can’t effectively tell people that you are great, others need to. “Third-party endorsements” is what PR has been excelling at.

Truthiness & the Decline of Trust:

“Truthiness” – believing something to be true, without any reference to analysis, logic or evidence – is a growing phenomenon. If something is reported frequently on the internet may be seen as more trustworthy than a true fact that is not on in the first few lines of a Google search. This creates a lack of trust. Rebuilding trust takes a lot of work, but is a skill set for public relations practitioners.

The Second Coming of TV:

The advance in technology has revamped the TV world. Rather than TV just being in our living rooms, it is now going everywhere with us on our phones. The increase is availability will cause the demand for content to skyrocket, PR people can help create and shape that content.

Breathtaking Tech Breakthroughs:

“Geeks” are going to become one of the most essential aspects to your business. As more waves of technology is coming that will allow for business growth, particularly in the areas of B2B technology, consumer electronics and everything mobile.

One World, Multiple Opportunities:

Until recently, unless you were in a major city, an agency’s clients were mostly limited to where the firm operated. However, with the “global village” makes it possible for anyone, anywhere in the world to seek out your organization.

The Cost of Getting PR Wrong is Greater Than Ever Before:

The rise of social media has caused everything a company, its competitors,customers, partners, employees, shareholders and neighbors say, is wide open. This is hard to manage, and if not done well, the costs are steep.

Growth in Stature:

PR has always been the annoying little brother to advertising. But public relations is starting to close the budget gap.

The factors that Makovsky highlights are all predictions, but if even just s few of these come true, the public relations world will be reshaped and become an invaluable asset to any organization.

“Going Global”

A survey done by Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) found that 70 percent of corporate communicators expect to have a global marketing function at their organization within the next five years. More than 206 public relations professionals across six continents participated in the survey. PRGN found that 43 percent of professionals say their organization has a formal global marketing function. Francine Robbens, PRGN president stated that “even organizations that are not operating globally today said that they expect to have a global marketing communications function in the future”

With the increase in use of social media and the consumers dependence on social media use, communicating internationally is the key to effective communication. Cultures are so specific and intricate in the way they communicate inter-personally and business to business.  Success is dependent on an organization’s ability to adapt to the demands set by any given culture.

The study also uncovered that the manufacturing industry was one of the most likely to connect globally. This is not surprising because so many manufacturing facilities are in other countries. Successfully communicating internationally is essential to completely reap the benefits of manufacturing internationally.

PRGN is one of the world’s largest public relations networks that connects clients to others around the world. Agencies like these aide businesses and organizations in communicating to others around the world.

Creating a global network creates a business community that is fair, innovative, and accountable. These are all things that require effort from all organizations involved. Effective communication is necessary to unite the global market.

Trust is Key to Employee Innovation

Effective leaders manage, delegate and motivate their employees to do their work efficiently and well, and encourage employees to grow and push the envelope. The new book “Unusually Excellent” by John Hamm claims that trust is the most important feeling that an employer must nurture in his or her employees. Hamm maintains that building your employee’s “trust fund” is pivotal to ensuring your employees feel safe enough to take risks – leading to innovation.  An article written by the Bulldog Reporter’s “Daily Dog” gives a look into Hamm’s tips on how to invest in your employees find:

1. Realize that being trustworthy doesn’t mean you have to be a Boy Scout.

Crazy as it may seem, Hamm doesn’t believe that a trustworthy leader needs to be the nice guy in the room but rather someone who is fair. You must remain consistent and fair in your decisions to earn and maintain trust.

2. Look for chances to reveal some vulnerability.

We trust people who are like us. Authentic emotion or fear allows an employee to see his or her employer as someone that is like him or herself. This allows an employee to relate to his or her employer at a human level.

3. No matter how tempted you are, don’t B.S. your employees.

Telling the truth when it is inconvenient or unpopular is hard but it is “essential to your reputation.”

4. Never, ever make the “adulterer’s guarantee.”

Any act of dishonesty, even if it is to be polite, will make any person uneasy of an authoritative figure. Any inkling to being twofaced will cause an employee to think of all conversations and wonder what was real or fake.

5. Don’t punish “good failures.”

“Good failures” occur when you play well but still lose. When they are punished, a fear of risk-taking is inculcated into employees. This stifles creativity and innovation. Hamm urges employers to strive to create a “digital camera” culture. There is no expense associated with a digital photograph. No film, slides or prints are wasted.  Just the push of a button and the imperfect photograph is gone. We continue to snap photographs because there is no risk involved because any imperfect picture can be simply deleted with the push of a button. This is the attitude that needs to be instilled in employees a chance taking work environment.

6. Don’t squelch the flow of “bad” news.

How often is the messenger who bears the bad news the one who has to pay the price? Too often. Expect the raw, true facts. Make it clear to your employees that you “expect the truth and nothing but the truth from them.” Don’t ever shoot the messenger.

7. Constantly tap into your “fairness conscience.”

Just ask yourself: Would most people see this as fair or unfair? It’s your job to know the answer.

8. Don’t take shortcuts.

Cutting corners “just that once” sets the precedent that it is acceptable to sacrifice morals in urgent times. Breaking the moral code of your organization causes employees to lose trust in you.

9. Separate the bad apples from the apples who just need a little direction.

You are not going to be able to fix thieves, liars or cheaters – they must all go, now.

‘Gay Guru’ Howard Bragman: Publicist, Ingenious Activist or Both?

NPR is airing a month-long special series dedicated to all things public relations. The series, titled “The Message Makers: Inside PR,”  has aired three special features about the blunders, struggles and dilemmas the public relations industry is facing.

One story highlights the career of Howard Bragman, also known as the “Gay Guru.” Bragman, an openly gay publicist, has earned the title as he has helped athlete, actors and musicians transition into an out-of-the closet lifestyle. Bragman says helping people come out of the closet is a priority because “these people are heroes, because coming out is the single most important act any gay person can do. Because every bit of research that’s ever been done says if you know more gay and lesbian people, you are going to support our rights.”

Bragman is the founder of the Los Angeles public relations agency Fifteen Minutes and author of the book “Where’s my Fifteen Minutes?”

Bragman was also a guest on NPR in early March to talk about his career as one of the “go-to public relations people for stars who want to come out of the closet.” He talked about his work with former NBA and NFL athletes, iconic actresses and popular actors. He helped these public figures come out of the closet and transitioned them into a public, out life.

Bragman has also come under fire for representing clients such as Isaiah Washington, who made disparaging remarks about a gay co-star, and a San Diego hotel owner who was one of the largest contributors to the California Proposition 8 campaign. But it is in controversial clients like these that Bragman is most proud of. In my opinion, he should be proud of himself for the work he did with these clients. Not only did he help the public perception of his clients, but he also “neutralized” his clients’ perspective on sensitive issues.

Taking on a controversial client can make or break a publicist’s career, and both sides of the coin must be carefully considered. In the case of Bragman, he has a strong following and a positive reputation with the LGBT community. He is known in the entertainment industry for helping celebrities transition into living an openly homosexual lifestyle. Taking on the San Diego hotel owner or Isaiah Washington individually could have ruined his image with his strong supporters. However, he was able to appeal to his faithful following by garnering support from vocal LGBT opponents.

In sensitive areas of debate where emotion is highly involved, the slightest concession toward one’s argument is considered a win. Taking on a controversial client that could retract one insensitive comment or give a positive comment can garner you more support from your strong support group. However, if a controversial client’s responses to criticism of their actions or statements continue to upset your supporters, you could lose your support base for the rest of your career.

So what, he convinced these men to stand up and concede that they made mistakes and that they will make amends to fix these mistakes? As an advocate for LGBT community, Bragman has taken hidden opportunities and used them to bring positive light to gay and lesbian relationships. He has successfully persuaded opinion leaders to publicly apologize for statements or actions against the LGBT community. Now, that is an impressive feat.

Let the Games Begin

Well here it goes.

My first real attempt at a blog.

Honestly, I am only starting this blog because it is an assignment for Tiffany Gallicano‘s Strategic Public Relations and Communication class because the sheer thought of it terrifies me. I don’t consider myself an expert in anything, let alone public relations.

So let’s get started with the basics.

• I am a student at the University of Oregon majoring in public relations, advertising and business.
• After finishing college, I hope to work in corporate PR.
• I spent my teenage years in the Bay Area, but only after my parents decided that it wasn’t best for their children to live in third world countries for their formative years.
• I love watching college football, playing lacrosse and going to summer baseball games.
• I’m an officer in my chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority, which has taught me how to lead, manage and communicate effectively.

Now that the technicalities of “get-to-know-yous” are out of the way, on to the real purpose of this blog. PRactical PRofessionals is another step in my growth into a true public relations professional. Public relations is an ever changing field and there is always something to learn. The emergence and prominence of social media is transforming the way the world communicates. Publics want to engage in an honest and transparent dialogue with their favorite and not-so-favorite companies and organizations.

My goal of this blog:

Gain a thorough knowledge about public relations and its real world applications and to share my opinions about and experiences in public relations.