Blog written by Sarah Evans

Is David Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) dizzy? With 160,000 troops in Iraq, the three remaining presidential front runners recently questioned Petraeus’ thoughts on U.S. troops Iraq. Petraeus was caught in a political crossfire. While McCain and Petraeus agree that troops should stay in Iraq, Obama and Clinton seem to agree that troops should come home.

I understand Petraeus’ and the candidates’ positions. However, amidst so many story angles all alluding to different motivators and tactics – I’m getting lost.

Playing on the immortal words of the Clash, “Should we stay or should we go?”

Blog on…

Blog written by Morgan Smith

Want to enjoy the company of man’s best friend without all that pesky responsibility? Just go to New York and stop by your local Flexpetz.

Now, just like Hertz, Enterprise, or one of 100 other car rental businesses, you can rent a dog for the day out of this new Manhattan business.

Rent a dog? You ask. How does that work? And what happens to the dog when your day is up? It’s very simple, really. You fill out a form and answer what the owner describes as “a lot of questions.” Then you get to take a dog out for the day. When your day is up, you bring the animal back. Done and done.

While I’m sure the business owner means well in this case, is this really as good an idea as the author makes it out to be? Not just for the animals involved, but their “renters” or owners for a day? I think the spin used by the author to gloss over important issues such as responsibility, accountability, and loyalty needs to be removed and a closer look taken at this issue.

The part I find ridiculous is while a “rent a dog for a day” idea sounds interesting, the article glosses over the fact that people in society today are always looking for the instant gratification and shirking anything that has to do with responsibility. Many people have a great and meaningful relationship with their pets, caring for them as if they were a member of the family. This just cheapens that experience and makes it that much less meaningful to those with pets.

Renting a dog for the day not only reinforces a “me me me” attitude, but also allows for people, especially renters, to get a huge misconception of what the responsibilities are for owning a pet. The owner says the business is to try and find homes for the dogs that are rented out, but how much can one really understand and learn about caring for a dog if they are due back by 6:00 p.m.

I fear this is the tip of the iceberg for a generation that is increasingly removed from any sense of accountability or responsibility. While some might not see this issue as a big deal, I ask, what is the next step in the progression? Rent a child for a day?

Blog written by Ayanna Green

I enjoy reading articles, books, etc. that focus on the individual experience of an object, organization, or environment.  I believe our individual main purpose on this earth is to grow, prosper and be happy.  I read an interesting article dated March 28, 2008 on www.money.cnn.com entitled “10 Resumes a Day, No Takers.”  The article walked me through Mr. Josh Hager’s dismal employment search in the mortgage/financial industry.  By the end of the article, I was depressed.  Okay I get it, Hager is a victim of big company mergers.  I had all of the plebian questions and concerns: Why is this happening?  How can we prevent this?  How can we protect ourselves from a similar experience?  What upset me most about the article is that it did not propose any solutions (or so I thought).  But at the very end of the article was a call for more stories about how the economy is affecting the individual.  This magazine’s image quickly brightened.  Although it may be painful to journey with these individuals, it is important that their story is included in the vernacular of our changing world.  Still, I wanted possible solutions or ways of working through the tough journey of the changing economy.  I searched for more articles on this topic and found another article from the same site entitled “When Your Employer Goes Bust.”  This was a good article – it talks about what to do if you are in Hager’s position.  And it doesn’t sugar-coat the situation; it acknowledges that it’s a hard reality and that it won’t be easy.  I have to applaud this website’s commitment to a multidimensional perspective of our economy from a business, societal and especially for believing that the individual’s story is newsworthy.   In the world of cause and effect – let’s not hide the effects.  

Blog written by Liz Pope

As certain retailers would like us to believe, the way you dress dictates status. As a result, consumers spend thousands on wardrobe and accessories to reach this lofty, in vogue, standing. Nevertheless, why buy a $400 purse when you could spend $20? Through the sale of knockoffs, have-nots dress in what passes as Citizen, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co.

To combat knockoffs, the Coach Corporation “educated” Hunter College students in Manhattan about the dangers of knock-off imitations, according to PRWatch.com. Using considerable monetary contributions, Coach prompted the university to host a course in “stealth marketing” and recruited an untenured faculty member to teach the class under the direct supervision of a Coach lawyer.  As part of the curriculum, students created and distributed campus flyers about a fictional student named “Heidi Cee,” who claimed to have been conned into buying a counterfeit Coach handbag. The teacher, in addition, was given explicit instructions to not mention Coach’s involvement in the scheme.

While Coach’s Web site preaches “Integrity is Our Way of Life,” apparently their marketing strategies are not in tune with their corporate messaging.

To resolve Coach’s knockoff competitor problem and avoid spin, perhaps Coach could consider trying to improve their product to provide consumers with something that cannot be duplicated. For example, you don’t see iPhone knockoffs. Why?  It’s too difficult to duplicate. The iPhone’s technology is too advanced, too unique and too precise to be easily duplicated. Coach, on the other hand, takes a normal purse, adds a dozen or so Cs, a label, and a price tag.

Blog written by Brigitte Lyons

Crain’s Chicago Business has a reputation for sniffing out all the gory details of a story, but they got Trumped last week.

What happened? They accepted a news release without verifying its authenticity, because they received it from a fellow media outlet.

This may sound like a harsh assessment of a really funny situation, but if the shoe fits…

Although Crain’s couldn’t reach the media contact on the release, a simple flip to page 12 of the issue they were handed would instantly let the magazine know the release is a joke.

It’s possible I’m coming down hard on Crain’s, because of all the charges leveraged against PR people recently, but it’s worth repeating: News sources need to take responsibility for verifying their stories. It’s easy for them to blame PR people for spamming them, but I’d like to turn the lens around. Poor reporting happens. We love it when reporters use our news releases as the sole source for their story, because it puts our clients in the best light possible. But that’s bad journalism. And it’s not my fault – or my colleagues’ – when it happens. I have a job to do, and so do the reporters and editors that receive my materials and pitches. I hope I can make their jobs easier by doing mine well, but I can’t do the reporting for them.

Even so, this really is hilarious. And I love the fact that Crain’s wrote a follow-up story that manages to be tongue-in-cheek while maintaining their serious news style. Well played.

Blog written by Cory Sealey

One of the main focuses of the FADS blog is to highlight when a PR firm or someone in the industry does a great job or has a positive effect on the way PR is perceived.  Unfortunately, as you read my last few postings, I haven’t really been the bearer of good news.  But today brings change.  As it is officially spring (despite the four inches of snow on the ground) I am going to give a well deserved PR Gold Star to Nathan Ellis of Syndicate Public Relations in NYC.  I recently stumbled upon an interview he gave to the indiebreakfastclub blog back in 2007 and was blown away.  He is asked basic interview questions but it is his intelligent and honest answers which caught my attention and made me an instant fan.

His firm deals with the seemingly high stress and big ego world of celebrity clients and luxury products, yet he remains humble and articulate in his answers.  He forgoes the stereotypical, “I am important” mind set and offers up his philosophy about the role of PR and its misconceptions, “Subtlety is key with this group as well – they have disdain for the obvious and do not like being pandered to. People think of PRs as pushy loudmouths, but we are quite the opposite.”  He also adds that the quality of a campaign as well as quality of its execution is all dependent upon the passion one has for their clients.  With Chopard and Zac Posen to count among their clients, it’s not hard to imagine the firm’s dedication.

I think the PR industry needs more people like Nathan Ellis.  Sometimes we get so caught up in promising impressions and media relations for our clients, we neglect ourselves.  Kudos Mr. Ellis, keep up the great work!!

Blog written by Sydney Ayers, APR

I’ve been thinking about blogging lately.  (I suppose it’s funny that I am doing that on a blog but there you have it.)  We have been recommending that clients become actively engaged in the blogosphere for some time now but we insist they follow the rules.  “Rules?”, you ask.  Yes, rules. 

While the blogosphere may seem to some like the Wild West, there has been debate as to whether bloggers should follow any code of ethics.  We maintain they should.  After all, they are taking part in the public discourse and shaping opinion.

Specifics differ but most codes of ethics for bloggers encourage the following:

Report honestly, fairly, and accurately – It is important that bloggers identify sources, correct inaccuracies, and distinguish between fact and opinion.

Be transparent – Bloggers should identify conflicts of interest, affiliations, or personal agendas.

Minimize harm – Just because a blogger can take anonymous swings at a person or organization doesn’t mean that is the best course of action. 

Be accountable – The most respected bloggers expose the unethical practices of other bloggers and abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

This in my mind is just common sense.  Maybe I am mistaken but I see the blogosphere is another place where people can debate issues, share information, discuss popular topics, and most of all, connect with one another on a global scope.  Of course, in the end, it is up to the individual blogger to decide what, if any of these guidelines he or she follows.

If you are interested in following ethical blogging practices, two good guides are available at cyberjournalist.net and mediabloggers.org.  Best of luck and keep on blogging!

Blog written Molli Megasko

Despite the fact that Duke bombed the first round of March Madness and really messed up my brackets, at least their education system keeps on trucking.

Duke and the University of Waterloo conducted a study that actually suggests that subliminal advertising is more effective than regular advertising.  I find this so fascinating, yet violating at the same time.

Students were told they were testing for visual acuity but in actuality they were being tested on their actions after seeing a popular brand logo for 30 milliseconds.  The brands used in the study were Apple, IBM, Disney, and the E! Channel.  Here are the findings:

After completing the test, the students were given a second task to think of all the possible ways they could use a brick. The people who had seen the Apple logo came up with more ways of using the brick, and were judged to have come up with the more creative uses, according to the researchers.

The researchers also tried the test with logos from The Disney Channel and E!, and found that people who were exposed to the Disney logo “subsequently behaved much more honestly than those who saw the E! Channel logos.”

So what does this mean?  “Instead of spending the majority of their money on traditional print and television advertising, companies with established brand associations such as Apple may want to give serious consideration to shifting more marketing resources to product placement opportunities and other forms of outreach that emphasize brief brand exposures,” said Gavan Fitzsimons, a professor at Duke.

Briefly gaze above.  Feeling creative yet?

At least with regular commercials and print ads it’s honest and I know what they want.  It’s weird to think that we could be targeted without even realizing it; it could already be happening.  That subconsciously I am making decisions that somebody else wants me to.  I guess they finally figured out the power women have over men.  What are they going to take away from us next?

Blog written by Shawn M. Kahle, APR

In Detroit, there are many urban legends.  One began to circulate in 2002.

Then, as the story goes, newly elected Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick enjoyed a lap-dance in Manoogian Mansion ­ the city-owned home he now occupies with his wife and young sons.

A stripper ended up dead in the months that followed and several police officers were terminated when they tried to investigate.  Ultimately, the city of Detroit settled with the former officers for more than $9 million when attorney fees were added to the invoice for justice.

During depositions last year, Mayor Kilpatrick was asked many questions — about the storied party and also if he had an affair with his former chief of staff Christine Beatty.  He said no, denying the party and the affair.

She rolled her eyes during sworn testimony saying “no” as well.

Let the spin begin!

In Detroit, some stories never end.  In January 2008, the Detroit Free Press released copies of text messages substantiating the affair. This week, both Mayor Kilpatrick and Ms. Beatty were charged by the Wayne County prosecutor with a total of 15 counts of perjury and other bad things.

The Detroit City Council called for the Mayor to step down, echoed by editorials in both of the local papers.

What does the hip-hop Mayor say about all of this?

He looks forward to his “full exoneration.”  He refuses to step down because he “loves the city of Detroit” too much.  As for the nearly $9 million, he’s “repaid it with hard work.”  And, of course, the media’s “lynch-mob mentality” is the real problem.

Yes, even mayors enjoy the privilege of presumed innocence until guilt is proven.

But spin, it usually catches up with you.  It took Eliot Spitzer only two days to figure out his personal distractions stood in the way of good governance.  I give him credit for putting the greater good ahead of his own turmoil and extra credit for fast action and for sparing us the spin.

In Motown, well, it started six years ago and it looks like this spin could go on, and on, and on.  Proving once again — there’s no win with this much spin!

Blog written by Maggie Hassler

According to a recent study by Northwestern University, “teens find online news stressful and a reminder of danger.” More than 65 teenagers in the Chicago-land area participated in the study about online news experiences for teenagers, admitting to only reading news articles if it catches their eye.

The report suggests that news organizations should promote teen audiences by 1) learning what appeals to them and 2) creating ways teens can talk about the news on frequented Web sites.

Although these suggestions seem basic, they are beneficial suggestions for the PR industry to consider. As professionals it is our responsibility to provide media outlets with stories that readers find interesting.

When catering PR efforts toward teens, it might be in the best interest of the news and PR industries to consider traditional sources as conversation starters for the more popular social media.  As innovators it is our responsibility to coordinate the uses of traditional and social media.  Links from frequented sights to online news is the first step; starting conversations on blogs and social networking sites is the next.  There are many more steps that need to be taken to dispel the teens’ negative association with news, but let’s all start here!