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Yahoo’s Hack Day generates publicity. Bad publicity

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

As you may or may not have heard, Yahoo’s “Hack Day” in Taiwan made headlines, but not for any innovative code. The event was supposed to be about developers designing Web apps in 24 hours, but it was the sideshow that caught the Web’s attention.

As an apparent “gift” to the developers, Yahoo hired lap dancers as entertainment. Certainly a large part of these events is to garner publicity, but the caveat that Yahoo seems to have overlooked is that said publicity should be positive!

Performing a Yahoo news search for “Yahoo Hack Day” almost exclusively returns articles penned by irate authors. The only exceptions were written before the actual event, or mentioned Hack Day as a side note. Chris Yeh, head of the Yahoo Developer Network, has issued an apology through the YDN blog, simply titled, “Sorry,” which acknowledges wrong-doing but offers little to better the situation. The first comment counters, “this is tradition as opposed to an aberration,” noting that Yahoo hired similar girls for last year’s Hack Day as well.

In Kara Swisher’s scathing analysis, she writes, “it is not clear why all the thumpa-thumpa music and dancing gals did not engender complaints last year.” This leads me to question how large a role did the groundswell play in making this a newsworthy story?

My takeaway? In today’s world, regardless of your immediate audience, you must always be aware that your actions are likely (definitely in Yahoo’s case) to be seen by global audiences. As a global company, Yahoo needed to recognize this, and act more appropriately. Let’s see what entertainment developers are welcomed with next year.

Tags: Crisis communication, Issues management, PR, Public Relations
Posted in Issues Management, Marketing, Public Relations | Comments

Journalism is Changing

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

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I went to Journalism school many years ago. But I didn’t pursue a career in journalism. I chose public relations instead. PR allows me to combine my interests in business and communications. And I’ve always enjoyed working with the media.

But journalism is changing. Daily papers are failing. Audiences are shrinking. As the industry struggles to accommodate changes in technology and readership, the norms for reporting seem to be changing too. Bias is creeping into reporting. And in too many instances, it’s jumped right in, taking a front row seat in the news department instead of being relegated to the opinion pages.

Inflammatory adjectives now appear in reporting on a regular basis. And information that would completely change the tone and nature of an article are too often omitted. A sin of omission is still a sin, isn’t it?

Drama and controversy sells newspapers and viewership. The media is a business and it’s struggling. I can’t say with any certainty that this shift in journalistic standards and practices is a direct effort to retain earnings, but it gives one pause.

I love working with the media. It’s why I chose to work in PR. But I long for the days when journalistic standards were as stringent as they were in my days at Howell Hall in Chapel Hill.

Tags: Journalism, PR, trends
Posted in Public Relations | Comments

Slow Economy is Best Time to Market Your Company

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

“Studies of the last six recessions have demonstrated that companies which do not cut back their advertising budgets achieve greater increases in profit than companies which do cut back,” Ogilvy on Advertising, 1983

In today’s economy, few of us have the opportunity to be complacent about our marketing and public relations. The competition is fierce and we’re all clamoring for the same piece of the pie. So how do we differentiate ourselves from the competitors? Take a good, hard look at your company’s reputation and image. Could it use some burnishing?

Waiting until the economy picks up to focus on your marketing is a rookie mistake. History shows us that the companies that spend the time and resources to market their company during the down times come out on top when the economy turns. Dell stepped up its marketing by 346% over two years during the economic slump of the early 1990s. Its competitors cut back their expenditures by 25 to 40% The effect? By 1993, Dell had become one of the top five computer system makers in the world.

The best time to market is when everyone else is holding back. Your marketing dollars bring even greater ROI during a downturn because there are fewer voices clamoring to be heard by your customers. Whether it’s media relations, Internet marketing or advertising, now is the time to promote your company.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to market wisely. You just have to be a wise marketer.

Tags: Advertising, Marketing, PR, Social media
Posted in Marketing | Comments

Talk Seeks New Communications Director

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

images If you’re a PR pro with 10 or more years experience, give us a call. Or better yet, email me a cover letter that will knock my socks off (debbie@talkinc.com). Talk is seeking a seasoned pro as our new Communications Director. Someone who can adeptly handle a PR crisis, write an award-winning press release and consistently generate great ideas.

The ideal candidate should have a sense of humor, tireless work ethic and a thick skin. PR isn’t for pansies. Yes, editors will screech at you if you waste their time and clients may demand more than you can deliver. And your boss will expect you to handle everything the job throws at you with grace, professionalism and a smile.

We need a seasoned pro with agency experience. If you haven’t worked at an agency, convince me that you’re OK with constant deadlines, a blazing pace, daily timesheets, and serving as many bosses as you have clients.

Talk is a fun, creative agency with a great team of communications, design and Internet marketing professionals. If you’re a team player and a great leader, please apply. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tags: communications, employment, PR
Posted in Marketing | Comments

Definition of PR, as told by Ogilvy PR

Monday, January 12th, 2009

Here’s an intriguing video about the public relations industry. It raises some great questions and illustrates how PR professionals need to always keep adapting and changing our capabilities to better serve our clients.