I could go on and on with other headlines but to me, the most important news of the day is that it is Earth Day. PULLLEEEZZZ don’t roll your eyes! It’s here to stay (thank goodness!) and in this economy, it’s important to our customers.

My past life was in horticulture and several years ago, at our publishing company, we saw the need to be a leader when it came to educating and informing our readers about sustainability.  It was amazing how many in our industry confused sustainability with organic and got all up in arms thinking we were trying to tell them they had to “go all the way” to getting organic certification in order to run their businesses in a more sustainable manner.  It’s much more simple than that and I make that point just to hold the interest of those naysayers who are tired of all the “green” talk and think to be sustainable you have to be a full-time tree-hugging/composting/seldom-showering hippie.

Anyone and everyone can participate in Earth Day in their own small way but I digress…My main point of discussion for this post is a term called greenwashing. I thought. by now, it was common knowledge but just recently I used the term with someone and they asked me to explain. In very brief terms, this is when a company deceptively makes a claim of being green or environmentally friendly to benefit financially. In the beginning of the “green” movement, too many marketers jumped on the bandwagon touting their “greenness” without being able to back it up with real, quantifiable facts.  The key in your marketing message, if you are touting anything about being environmentally friendly or responsible, is to do your research.  Make sure you understand every step of the process when it comes to your sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, employee practices, certification and so on.  Use third party verification sources whenever possible. Be as transparent as possible. Know the terminology; know the hot buttons of your customer.

Lastly, and let’s hope not, but if your research wasn’t enough and something out of your control occurs,  make sure you have a good communications plan in place to handle any crisis that might arise.   

What’s astroturfing, you ask?

It’s a political, public relations, or advertising campaign designed to create the impression of being spontaneous, or grassroots, behavior (hence the reference to artificial grass).  According to Wikipedia, the goal is to “disguise the efforts of a political or commercial entity as an independent public reaction” to an event, product, or service.

In other words, in the case of Dewey Square Group, someone within their organization wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper, urging their readers to contact their Congressman about the Medicare Advantage program.

When the newspaper investigated and called the person whose name signed the letter, the man had no idea what they were talking about. A few days later, the newspaper received a call from a person claiming to be the man who signed the letter and, when pushed about it, the person hung up.

The reporter then used this cool new technology called CALLER ID and discovered the call came from Dewey Square Group. Read the full story here.

I’m disgusted.

The article starts out with this…

Sleazy. Disingenuous. These are words used in U.K. newspaper coverage of the public relations industry. PR, oddly enough, doesn’t have great PR. People tend to think that PR involves being manipulative and saying whatever is in the employer’s best interests.

Gee. Allow me to keep reading.

(The authors) call PR an amoral industry, a tool for good or evil purposes. There was, alas, Hitler, Goebbels, and the Nazi propaganda machine.

More? Why make my face more red that it is right now? Stop reading!  I can’t…it’s like a traffic accident. Must…keep…reading.

I’ve not read this book, but the reviewer goes on to say that in the book the authors debate whether or not it is the role of a PR professional to tell the truth.

I am here to tell you that every journalist (both traditional and new) I’ve ever worked with would tell me where to stick it if I ever lied to them.  If a client asked us to lie (and it has happened), we immediately resign the business.

I’m also here to tell you that PR professionals live by a Code of Ethics and I’ve seen people kicked out of industry organizations for displaying anything but professionalism. So there are good and bad in every profession. Until you walk a day (or five) in our shoes, let’s leave the negativeness and bashing alone.

On Sept. 11, 2008, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that Lannon Communications was “closing its office and laying off staff while it restructures from the economy’s thumping of the retail industry.”  This made me very sad…and a little nervous when I read it last fall.

Yesterday the Chicago Sun-Times reported Lannon “shuttered her firm to become vice president of strategic partnerships for Merchandise Mart Properties.”

Let’s say she did have the job in the works with Merchandise Mart (who was a Lannon client) and that yesterday’s news is true.  That makes the news in September from Crain’s seem like someone, somewhere, wasn’t being very strategic in releasing that information.  But perception is reality and this is perceived by me as spin.

What do you think?

He recently wrote a blog post called, “Get ‘spin’ out of your lexicon.” He goes on to say it’s bad for your business health because “reporters know when you’re spinning and they use it as motivation to really dig in their heels and come after you.”  Check out the post – it has a great case study via video about Jet Blue.

But this isn’t just for clients.  Yes, it’s our job to teach our clients how to work with the media, but it is not our job to teach them how to spin, lie, or evade the media.  Our job is not to spin.  Our job is to help our clients communicate with their customers via the media by being honest, open, and transparent.

Let’s do our jobs.

 
How sneaky can you be? Should a public relations firm ever be sneaky? Anonymously a public relations firm gave Gawker a tip about how companies are demanding more black people to attend their client’s holiday parties in reference of the new direction our country is going. I think we took a major step back.

I’m not shooting the messenger here, but as a public relations firm, why would you want to associate yourself with this kind of change? Or better yet, when your firm is promoting an idea, product, or company, don’t you know that you are working directly with the media to target your audience?
 
Here is a thought, step one for your firm to never go by: “Well, we can do this and hope it never gets leaked out.” Great message mystery firm, and thanks for representing the public relations industry and our country so well.

What’s even better, the mystery firm created a list of who would be acceptable. Are you kidding me? I cannot wait to read the cover up or should I say spin on retracting these statements.

However, there is one major characteristic no other candidate can touch on Obama. Obama might be the most down to earth and regular guy a presidential race has encountered, and Obama can thank his right hand man for that. Former Duke basketball and football star, Reggie Love is Obama’s body man, he knows what “the boss,” as he calls Obama, likes to eat, drink, and even his sleep schedule. But most importantly, Love assists Obama in the social world, whether it’s playing basketball with locals in the state they are in, or up loading his iPod with pop music younger crowds are listening to these days.

“So I’ve gotten pretty fond of Jay-Z,” says Obama. “He’s broadened my horizons in the hip-hop world.”

When it come to politics, I know very little and I find it very hard to stayed entertained, but now that media outlets are printing headlines like “Will Paris Hilton’s Energy Plan Work,” how can I not be entertained or keep from laughing? McCain’s attempt to spin the media into thinking Obama is just another celebrity and unready to lead our nation totally backfired on him and in many cases due to the aid of mystery cue cards, Hilton sounds smarter than both presidential candidates by coming up with her own plan, which she calls a hybrid of both their plans to end our oil-energy crisis.

“We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way, the offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will then create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved,” says Hilton.

Are there three presidential candidates now? Guys, put your tongues back in your mouth, I’m willing to say it’s impossible the first women president to be Paris Hilton. The only character missing from this breaking news video was Hilton’s dog hanging out of her purse, but her outfit was priceless.

Take, for instance, the example they use about a shower curtain. The headline of the news release was “Toxic Ties to ‘New Shower Curtain Smell’ Evident, According to Latest Laboratory Testing.” Most of the major media ran this story before the Consumer Product Safety Commission could determine the truth behind the stories. Turns out, the story isn’t true, but the PR people (and, quite possibly, the client) probably feel like they did their jobs because the story ran. Who cares that it just isn’t true?

While I agree certain headlines attract attention while others do not, it just isn’t ethical to use sensationalism or spin, or to stretch the truth to secure a story on behalf of our clients.

I’m certain there are some PR people who are very successful in using striking words to gain the attention of a reporter, but they are not representative of most communicators. We live to the highest ethical standards of our industry and use our skills to help a company communicate effectively, internally and externally, and with all stakeholders, honestly and ethically.

Let’s elevate our thinking, people!

Will Smith’s new movie, Hancock, was a box office hit this past Fourth of July weekend. As a badass superhero with an even bad-er attitude, Hancock works with a public relations practitioner, played by Jason Bateman, to help with an image-makeover.

 Based off the information I’ve gathered from the movie trailers and reviews, while Hancock is a little rough around the edges, he has good attributes and, when pointed in the right direction, can really help society. That’s where his public relations practitioner comes in. Bateman takes an arrogant, alcoholic, street rat, changes his clothes, shaves his face, and BAM! you have a community hero.

However, beauty makeovers are not all public relations has to offer and this movie illustrates the common stereotype public relations practitioners deal with every day. The underlying service Bateman provides throughout the movie is not a makeover, it’s communication. Hancock’s inability to communicate with the public prevents them from seeing his potential and the benefits he can bring to the community. With Bateman’s help, Hancock was given a voice—a luxury that public relations practitioners work to provide for their clients every day. Perhaps with the help of more public relations practitioners, we can all learn to see people for their true potential and benefit to society.

Christine has not seen Hancock yet, but hopes to watch it at the drive-in theatre on Friday.