Nike Drops Charity, Yet Their PR Image Lives Strong

May 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nike Drops Charity, Yet Their PR Image Lives Strong

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) for Nike, which very quietly severed a costly tie with Livestrong.

Yesterday, Nike announced they would cease production of products associated with the Livestrong brand. Livestrong, the charitable organization founded by cyclist Lance Armstrong, had a nine-year relationship with the world-famous sportswear brand that raised over $100 million through the sales of products. “We expected changes like this,” said a Livestrong spokesperson. As did the PR world.

After Armstrong admitted to doping his way through all seven of his Tour de France wins, his sponsors jumped ship faster than any of Armstrong’s cycling records, Nike included. But how would it look if they abandoned a charitable foundation? Livestrong was blameless, their only crime guilt by association.

Nike’s PR team knew that withdrawing money from a charity, even in the wake of a disgraceful scandal could backfire on them. The more sensible and low risk option? Pull the plug on the products and continue to fund the charity directly.

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) for Nike for beginning to sever ties with a high-profile charity with minimum fuss.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: When ties must be cut, don’t hack; slice gently. The harsh fact is that Nike had to distance itself from Armstrong and all to do with him. However, this is a charity; how to distance without looking like villains? Stop production of products –  a practical measure anyone could agree with – while confirming to the media that the company will keep making donations to the charity. Without patting themselves on the back, Nike still comes out looking like a decent company, despite dealing what may well be a fatal blow to Livestrong. (Actually, their founder did that.) What happens to Livestrong remains to be seen, but Nike has already come out ahead.

Filed Under: Advertising and PR, Branding, Highest Graded, Marketing and PR, Media, Not for Profit /Charitable Giving Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pelosi Makes Old News, New News

May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2013 05 20 at 7.14.18 AM 139x150 Pelosi Makes Old News, New NewsNot everyone likes Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives. That much is clear. She is described by the Financial Times as “a kind of liberal piñata for Republicans,” and “a ready-made hate-figure for conservatives.” She recently gave an interview to the paper in its informal weekend format, Lunch with the FT.  Was this interview an attempt to set the record straight? An informal make over?

There are many reasons to give interviews to the media. Sometimes it’s to make an announcement, to launch and idea, or to set the record straight. Sometimes it is to simply make your case again. Nancy Pelosi, at the age of 73, gave her lunch interview to the Financial Times with one key message: business as usual.

What’s noteworthy about the interview is that there is no new PR messaging and no real news. Given her age and her congressional seniority the key takeaways were that she remains a defiant and unapologetic liberal (“proudly so”) and that she continues in her role as the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, a task of endless complication. Described as “brutally effective” in her role, the FT claims Obama’s “signature legislative achievements such as healthcare reform would have never become law” without her. At this point in her tenure, the need to establish a base and to outreach with new messaging now seems to be behind her.

The PR Verdict: “B” (Good Show) for Nancy Pelosi and an interview that was more of the same.

The PR Takeaway: Simply staying on track can be the message. What’s noteworthy about this article is how little new ground it breaks. Pelosi’s messaging is exactly as one might have expected but packaged in an interview format that revolves around an informal lunch, makes the messaging sounds less political and self promotional. In PR, if you want to make your point but don’t have anything new to say, change the venue and the format and keep the messaging on track. What is old news can pass as new news.

Filed Under: Highest Graded, Media, Politics, Politics/Government Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Is Chris Christie Shaping Up for President?

May 9, 2013 by 1 Comment
Is Chris Christie Shaping Up for President?

The PR Verdict: “B” (Good Show) for Chris Christie.

New Jersey governor Chris Christie has been the subject of much political speculation in recent months, with both Democrats and Republicans wondering whether he’ll make a bid for the presidency. The one major obstacle? Christie’s weight. The media constantly debates whether possible health problems might keep him out of the big chair in the Oval Office. Christie has apparently taken on this issue; this past Tuesday, he revealed that he’d secretly had lap band surgery to lose weight.

Christie has been one of the more interesting possibilities as a Republican candidate, both despite and because of his seeming lack of rigid allegiance to his party.Republicans have to like Christie because, well, he’s a Republican. But Democrats like the way he occasionally dances on their side of the floor. No one, however, likes the idea of a President who might develop health problems while in office.

While Christie does not have any of the diseases typically associated with obesity, such as diabetes or hypertension, and has referred to himself as “the healthiest fat guy around,” everyone is aware that at his current weight, Christie is not a presidential contender. Hence, the lap band surgery. It’s less invasive and drastic than conventional weight-loss surgery, and Christie apparently recovered from the procedure over a long weekend – President’s Day weekend, to be exact. Hint, hint.

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) for Chris Christie. He’s more willing than a Texan beauty pageant contestant to do what it takes to win.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: When issues are presented repeatedly and chip away at one’s PR, take action. Christie has tried joking his way out of charges that he’s too heavy to be a presidential contender. He tried saying he’s healthy. But when the issue blocking him from serious consideration for candidacy persisted, he took action. When charges won’t go away, they must be dealt with. The loss of an issue is a gain for positive PR. 

 

Filed Under: Highest Graded, Media, Politics/Government Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

JC Penney’s “Secret” Apology

May 7, 2013 by 2 Comments
JC Penneys Secret Apology

The PR Verdict: “B” (Good Show) for JC Penney’s embarrassingly sentimental but effective ad.

How to make up after a row? That’s the question the management of JC Penney had to ask itself following its repositioning of the venerable retail chain. The storied brand was put through some radical changes under new management, and the changes, designed to attract a younger clientele, proved disastrous. Holiday sales in 2012 dropped over 30 percent, and the retail brand lost a third of its customers and over $4 billion in revenue.

JC Penney’s first step to recovery is to apologize. The retailer is kicking off with a commercial called “It’s no secret,” backed with an extensive social media and broadcast program that lets customers past and present know that they got things wrong. “What matters with mistakes is what we learn,” says the commercial’s voice over. “We learned a very simple thing: to listen to you. To hear what you need to make your life more beautiful.” The spot ends asking consumers to “come back.”

The commercial has provoked varied reactions, including some who said they were reduced to tears (really), while naysayers counter that the ad promises nothing and sounds like empty air. But just like part of a couple making up after a row, JC Penney understands that for an apology to count, it needs to be devoid of justifications and imprudent promises. First base is to let the mea culpa stand and be heard so that a new page can be turned. Then, and only then, proceed.

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) for JC Penney and its embarrassingly sentimental but effective ad campaign.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: Apologies don’t count when padded with reasons and justifications. This ad hits the right chord and targets the family consumer who was most alienated by highhanded, wanna-be hipster management overhauls. This is a clever first step, modest and deferential while simply asking for a second chance. Hollywood couldn’t have written it better. Now let’s see if this relationship can move on.

To see the JC Penney ad, click here.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Advertising and PR, Branding, Highest Graded, Marketing and PR, Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Jason Collins Makes a PR Slam Dunk

May 1, 2013 by 2 Comments
Jason Collins Makes a PR Slam Dunk

THE PR VERDICT: “A” (PR Perfect) to NBA star Jason Collins.

In the world of PR, it’s not just what you say, but what media outlet you say it to. A perfect example? Basketball star Jason Collins coming out in a cover story in Sports Illustrated. By all accounts, this was a major announcement: Collins is the first male major league athlete to reveal he’s gay. By PR accounts, the way he made the announcement was even more interesting.

That there are gay athletes is a given. Women’s sports seem to be more tolerant; women’s basketball pro Brittany Griner came out recently, and the hullaballoo rating was low.  But in men’s basketball, baseball, football, and hockey, the policy is don’t ask, don’t tell. While opponents, and even teammates, may be openly homophobic, there is also the question of fan reaction. Will the people who spend billions on sporting event tickets and merchandise tolerate openly gay players, and the teams who draft them?

This past Monday, Collins revealed that he was gay directly to a media outlet that speaks to the sports fan: Sports Illustrated. The magazine is known for its sports reporting but is most famous for its annual Swimsuit Issue, the cover of which – a barely clad female beauty – tells much about its audience. If fan reaction was in question, Collins addressed it directly.

THE PR VERDICT: “A” (PR Perfect) to Jason Collins. It’s not just what he said and how he said it, but to whom he said it.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: When making an unexpected announcement, consider making it via an unexpected source. How typical – and not terribly brave – it might have been for Collins to weep on Oprah’s shoulder, or Ellen’s, or Anderson Cooper’s as the latter two compared coming out stories. The hosts would have been all too sympathetic, and Collins would have lost face with sports fans. However revealing his truth via Sports Illustrated almost said, “This isn’t a big deal.” It is, of course, and it may go into PR history books as a slam dunk.

Filed Under: Celebrity, Highest Graded, Marketing and PR, Media, Thought Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Barbara Bush’s PR Gift to Hilary?

April 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Barbara Bushs PR Gift to Hilary?

THE PR VERDICT: “B” for Barbara Bush and her off script comment.

Three generations of Bush women were interviewed last week on the Today Show to coincide with the launch of the Bush Presidential Library. When host Matt Lauer asked if Jeb Bush, son of George H.W., younger brother of George W., should run for president in 2016, one might almost think it was a rhetorical question. One might also nearly fall off one’s couch at the answer from Bush matriarch Barbara, Jeb’s mother: “There are other people out there that are very qualified, and we’ve had enough Bushes,” she said. Laura Bush, Dubya’s wife, and her daughters could only look a little startled.

The sound bite reverberated around newsrooms, and the headlines read NO MORE BUSHES, making Barbara Bush sound more like a protester than a former First Lady. Her reason for the nay say? While she described son Jeb as one of the best qualified men to do the job, she was concerned he would  “get half of our friends and all of our enemies” working against him.

Was this a PR gift to the Democrats? Not necessarily. Whatever damages the Bush camp sustained, the Hillary Clinton camp might have been equally vexed. Babs Bush went on to opine that the presidential field had to be opened up to other contenders. “I think it’s a great country, there are a lot of great families, and it’s not just four families or whatever.” What was looking like great fodder for those opposing Jeb Bush (even his mother says no!) now had a sting in the tail. Clinton’s PR gift had just as quickly been taken away.

THE PR VERDICT: ”B” for Barbara Bush and her off script comment. Going off message was mitigated by also robbing her opponents, the Clintons, of the same.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: PR gifts are rarely free. With the rest of the family being supportive of Jeb’s possible run, Barbara Bush’s comments were presumably a spanner in the works. But Hillary Clinton and political strategists hoping to make capital will have been disappointed. Babs Bush’s comments could equally become the rallying cry for opponents to another Clinton presidency. This political gift might be one the Democrats may ultimately have to pass on.

 

Filed Under: Featured News Stories, Highest Graded, Media, Politics/Government Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Weiner Reveals More for a PR Comeback

April 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Weiner Reveals More for a PR ComebackWhat ever happened to Anthony Weiner? The New York congressman shot to fame when he mistakenly tweeted a photo of his namesake (no, not his kid) to thousands of followers, thinking it was going to one flirtatious admirer. He denied all at first, then resigned shortly thereafter. It was a sudden ending to a promising congressional career, made all the more complicated as his wife, Huma Abedin, was one of Hilary Clinton’s closest lieutenants and pregnant with their first child at the time.

Little has been heard from Weiner since his embarrassing resignation. Earlier this year, he and Abedin announced the birth of their son in a soft-focus feature in People magazine. Several months of silence followed. Now, the New York Times Magazine has given the former congressman and his wife a long and detailed cover story outlining his journey to redemption – and his possible mayoral ambitions for New York.

The article’s narrative? Anthony Weiner has been doing some reflecting. He and Huma have worked through their issues. Yes, he still feels paralyzed with guilt about the humiliation he brought onto their family. He lives with the embarrassment and pain. His wife has emerged as a tower of strength and understanding. Being out of the  spotlight has helped him revaluate his life. He now understands the true meaning of humility and the danger of hubris. Is that enough to pave his way to the New York mayoral race?

THE PR VERDICT: “A” (PR Perfect) for Anthony Weiner and his PR reinvention. Let the show begin.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: Break for an interval before the second act. The Times article asked all the right questions: Why did Anthony Weiner do it? What did he learn? How has it changed him? With his wife ever-present in the article, and joining him on the magazine cover, critics now have little PR mileage to make out of the infamous tweet. While Weiner will undoubtedly face more questions, the definitive answers have been given. The Weiner camp can plan its political march forward toward the campaign office.

To read the full article, click here.

Filed Under: Featured News Stories, Highest Graded, Media, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Letterman’s Sneak Attack on Lohan

April 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Lettermans Sneak Attack on Lohan

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) to Lindsay Lohan for keeping her cool.

LiLo, aka Lindsay Lohan, was on the stand again this week – only this time her interlocutor wasn’t a sour-faced judge but a late night TV host. In her first television interview in six months, the actress was ostensibly appearing on Late Night with David Letterman to promote her work in Scary Movie 5. From the moment she sat down, though, she was on the receiving end of a fusillade of questions about shoplifting, her addiction problems, and an impending stint in rehab.

A visibly uncomfortable Lohan tried gamely to avoid answering but was clearly at a loss when Letterman refused to abandon his line of questioning. At one point, she lightly chastised him, “We didn’t discuss this in the pre-interview,” and, at another, pleadingly asked that the conversation move on to discuss the movie (request not granted). In the end, Letterman appeared to get what he was after: Lohan was moved to tears and acknowledged she has career- and even life-threatening issues she needs to work on. She said accepts responsibility for her actions and sees the 90-day court remand as a “blessing.”

The attack-dog approach was out of character for Letterman, and it rubbed many observers the wrong way. That said, others felt the 65-year-old comedian came off as more of a stern and concerned parent than a heartless journo, which may be more of the truth: Lohan has appeared on Late Night since 1992, when she was seven years old.

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) to Lindsay Lohan for keeping her cool. Breaking down completely or walking off the set would have generated even more headlines.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: Expect the unexpected. Every meeting with a media representative should be treated as one that might cover the gamut, whether the interview takes place in the executive dining room or on the set of a talk show. Journalism has changed so dramatically over the past decade that what came to be known as  ”ground rules” can no longer be relied upon, even for sought-after subjects like LiLo. Nothing is off limits, so be prepared for anything, and everything.

Filed Under: Celebrity, Highest Graded, Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Winklevoss Twins Rewrite Bad PR of Facebook

March 26, 2013 by 1 Comment
Winklevoss Twins Rewrite Bad PR of Facebook

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) for the Winklevoss twins.

Whatever happened to Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the alleged co-founders – or inventors, depending on whom you ask – of Facebook? The twins gained unwanted fame during their very public fight against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Claiming Zuckerberg stole their idea for a social network while they were all at Harvard, their protracted battle over who came up with, and thereby owned, Facebook was highlighted in the movie The Social Network. Their legal persistence won them $65 million compensation, but their reputations were seemingly irredeemable.

In the film they were portrayed as handsome, privileged jocks with a fancy pedigree, good connections, and a tendency to whine. They cemented their image as sore losers when they tried to sue Zuckerberg a second time (and failed). They became vaguely comical, and there was more than a hint of Schadenfreude when the media spoke about the Winklevii, as they came to be named.

But now their PR rehabilitation seems to be underway. The twins were featured in The New York Times Sunday Style Section. Key points? They are working hard and out to win, per usual – they competed in Olympic rowing – incubating major investments, including the shopping website Hukkster and a financial data company called Sum Zero through their firm, Winklevoss Capital. Photographed in suits in their Manhattan offices, not in spandex rowing outfits (as with previous PR mishaps), they are presenting a new face to the world.

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) for the Winklevoss twins. They may have lost the Facebook war, but they could still win the PR Battle.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: For effective PR rehab, close out the past and look to the future.  The NYT Style Section may seem an unlikely forum to turn around a PR image, but given that there is no hard news to announce, this was a clear and sensible choice. Sunday’s feature gave the Winklevii space to clarify lingering issues while pointing forward with plans that have nothing to do with Facebook. What comes next may prove to be of interest as the twins rewrite their PR code.

Filed Under: Branding, Celebrity, Companies & Markets, Highest Graded, Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Republicans Face Harsh Realities, Rebranding

March 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Republicans Face Harsh Realities, Rebranding

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) to Priebus and the RNC.

“Scary,” “narrow-minded,” and “the party of stuffy old men.” Those are just some of the ways the Republican party  describes itself in an unvarnished 100-page report released by the Republican National Committee (RNC) this week. Commissioned by RNC Chairman Reince Priebus following the 2012 presidential election, the so-called “autopsy report” identifies the party’s major flaws in attracting voters and recommends big cultural change to help Republicans win the next time around.

The candid nature of the report makes it interesting reading. One of the major issues identified is the party’s failure to appeal to younger voters and minorities, two of the largest growing voting demographics. “Public perception of the party is at record lows,” the report notes. “Young voters are increasingly rolling their eyes at what the party represents, and many minorities wrongly think that Republicans do not like them or want them in the country. When someone rolls their eyes at us, they are not likely to open their ears to us.”

This public soul-searching is unprecedented for a national political party. While some Republicans are bristling at the release of the report, others laud the RNC for taking such a dramatic step. One thing everyone should be able to agree on it is that change is needed: Republicans have lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, a seismic shift from the prior two decades. Perhaps this report is the blueprint for the Republican party’s future?

THE PR VERDICT: “B” (Good Show) to Priebus and the RNC. Acknowledging failures is never easy, but every turnaround needs a first step.

THE PR TAKEAWAY: True rebranding is an inside-out job. The invasive nature of a well-done rebranding process sometimes comes as a surprise to corporate leaders, who falsely assume they are simply signing up  a new logo, not a massive corporate  rethink.  A rebrand is a major undertaking that involves the acceptance of harsh truths and a commitment to making fundamental changes. A new name or logo change may be an important part of the equation, but they’re not the end result. Fortunately for companies (unlike political parties), the dirty linen can usually be examined more privately.

Filed Under: Branding, Highest Graded, Politics, Thought Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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