The 'Aughties

As the decade comes to a close, everyone is weighing in on how we will remember the 2000s. My personal favourite is Vanity Fair’s ‘Aughties’ column.

The 70s had shag carpets, lowriders, and lava lamps. The 80s had stonewash, Ray Bans, and Flock of Seagulls hair. The 90s had flannel shirts, Clintonisms, and heroin chic. But what will the decade that began with Y2K panic and ended with recessionistas yield in terms of funny and embarrassing nostalgia?

Check out the full article here.

How would you characterize the decade?

Tiger Woods: your sins require a press release

According to Tiger Woods, your sins should not require a press release. In an ideal world I would agree with this statement but this is not our reality when you are a public figure. With fame and fortune comes a life under the microscope and managing that image is just as important to building and protecting your career as is your golf game. As we’ve seen time and time again from Britney Spears to Michael Jackson, celebrities are not permitted to reap the benefits of fame and then shun the very thing that gives them their status when things don’t go their way. Unfortunately this is the price of fame.


And while this is nothing new, celebrity after celebrity learn this lesson the hard way. With all the resources and expertise that surround them, it never ceases to surprise me how poorly they handle their communications around their indiscretions. It would be nice if the embarrassing incident could be swept under the rug, but the more attempts to hide it, the juicier it becomes, and the more aggressive the media become to get to the bottom of the story.


Celebrities can’t give the tabloids this power – they have to diffuse the situation immediately. That’s the only way to shorten the lifespan of the story. Coming clean will actually earn them points – we see the human behind the personality and that puts them on an even higher pedestal. So, Tiger, take a lesson from David Letterman, swallow your pride, apologize to your fans and your wife and move on. Yes, a press release is required.

Two Sides to the Story

The tragic bike accident that’s dominating the news in Toronto these days happened just a few blocks from our offices. A very unfortunate event where tempers flared resulting in the death of the biker. Humanity at its worst. But in a city where bike incidents happen often, why is this story still front page news days after? For two reasons: the animosity between Toronto drivers and bikers has reached a boiling-over point resulting in protests taking over Avenue and Bloor Streets – but even more shocking is that the driver was former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant.

What are we to take away from this? When the news first broke and both driver and biker were anonymous there was an assumption in the media coverage and by the public that the driver was to blame. And this may still be the case. But new details are emerging daily since that fateful night, shedding light on the behaviour of both driver and biker and demonstrating what we all intuitively know but often fail to remember: there are two sides to every story.

As public relations professionals who work hard to build positive images for companies or often end up defending the reputation of clients when they get into trouble, prejudices are a reality of the world in which we work. Regardless of how innovative a company is or its dedication to corporate social responsibility programs, people often make snap judgements and these opinions, which, admittedly, sometimes prove to be accurate, are often difficult to change.

So how can we ensure our side of the story is told? We can’t always see how a story will evolve or what facts will emerge that will change the public’s perception, but what we can do is stop the rumour mill by listening to what is being said and communicating the facts. And if the facts aren’t yet known, then say so, but don’t stay silent. Sometimes we can’t win them all and some situations are simply out of your hands no matter what you say. When this occurs, rest assured that another front page media story will come along soon and you can get back to proactively building the corporate reputation that will help fend off, or at least help you bounce back more quickly, from negativity.

As for the deceased biker who can no longer defend himself, let’s reflect on the tragedy of the situation and how we can avoid such an unfortunate event in the future; and as for Michael Bryant, let’s not pass judgement too soon.

The Role of Social Media Expertise in PR Firms

As we grow our social media practice we are debating what skill-sets to develop in-house and what to outsource. It’s a difficult decision to make because without knowing how this whole sector will evolve, where to make the investment can be a bit of gamble.

While many PR firms are hiring social media specialists, others are opting to partner with companies specializing in the space. I’m not convinced either avenue is the right choice because it conflicts with two beliefs I have: PR professionals who don’t embrace and integrate social media into their practice won’t survive; and those who specialize in social media risk failing to amalgamate the online strategy with the PR and marketing program as a whole.

Social media is another vehicle of communications. Like TV, print or radio, it is another means of communication – albeit with a far more interactive, instantaneous component that comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. But it’s because of its nature, communicators are rethinking their approach: after all this is about everything from direct, authentic discussions with individual customers to reaching large groups of engaged audiences with brand-building campaigns. It’s both empowering, and for some, intimidating.

In other words, admit it or not – even the social media specialists themselves are still figuring it out. There are no tried and true rules and probably never will be. And it’s because of that I believe the best approach for us is a little bit of both: our team is dedicated to enhancing our social media expertise while other aspects we would consider outsourcing, such as the monitoring and analysis of social media content. That way, our team continues to evolve as specialists - but as PR strategists delivering superb client service.

Silver Screens Arts Festival

With the official kick-off of the 2nd Annual Silver Screens Arts Festival, presented by Ryerson’s The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, in partnership with the LIFE Institute complete and the Festival well-underway, I thought it an appropriate time to talk about media relations around events. Having a background in event planning, it was an interesting switch to be responsible for the media relations side instead of the event logistics and development. Here is what I found:

Challenges:
· There are so many events going on all the time, how do you make your event stand out?
· Timeliness-getting all the information you require far enough in advance that you can run an effective media relations campaign

What worked:
· Having a high profile and interesting speaker, in this case, Dr. Gene Cohen, MD, PhD, Director of Center on Aging, Health and Humanities at George Washington University
· A very targeted market with relevant media outlets, individuals aged 50+

Through a mix of event listings, and targeted media outreach far enough in advance, we were able to secure coverage in outlets such as Forever Young, YoungRetired.ca, CIUT 89.5FM and secure interviews with The Globe and Mail, as well as, Zoomer Magazine. Not only does that bring satisfaction to the client, is also helped in quadrupling pre-purchased ticket sales from last year’s totals.

Connected Parenting - Jennifer Kolari launches first book

BlueSky’s long-term client, Jennifer Kolari, founder of Connected Parenting has officially launched her first book in Canada and the US. The book, Connected Parenting, transform your challenging child and build loving bonds for life (Penguin) will be available at all major booksellers this month. If the launch event last week at Parentbooks in Toronto is any indication, the book will be hugely successful and a must read for all parents.

Jennifer’s ground-breaking approach shares techniques that therapists use to help you soothe your child as well as enhance the parent-child bond. By showing you how to model compassion, empathy, responsibility, and understanding, Connected Parenting allows you to parent from a place of compassion rather than anger and frustration will bring out the best in both you and your child.

Congratulations Jennifer! We've had a lof of fun working with you and we look forward to helping you make this book a huge success!

Twitter for Small Business

I thought I would share an article by Rick Spence published in the National Post today encouraging businesses to look beyond the challenges of Twitter and explore the opportunities. I like this article because it gives concrete examples of how small businesses can get in the game. Rick says:

...What can you say in such a tight space? Surely not anything of significance?

Actually you can. You can thank someone. Announce a new product or special sale. Praise a staffer. Promote a cause. Congratulate a supplier.

Restaurants can relate daily specials. Realtors can promote new listings. Service firms can dole out free advice that makes them look smart.

With Web-based social media, you don't judge a medium by how others abuse it. The question is, can you use it to reach your target market?

We all recognize that Twitter has flaws and limitations, but it’s also a proven, effective tool to get a message out there. Thanks to Rick for showing how effective of a tool twitter can be for Small Business.

Let’s get digital.

On Tuesday, my colleague Sarah and I attended the second Digital Media Workshop at Ryerson’s G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education. The first workshop I attended back in January was on user experience design with presentations from Tedde van Gelderen (Akendi), Steve Mast (Delvinia) and Ilona Posner. The workshop on Tuesday focused on usability with presentations from Adam Oliveira (Quizative Inc.) and Tara O’Doherty (w.illi.am).

With absolutely no background in user experience design, or any tech for that matter (one of the few people in the room without a BlackBerry), I found the workshop to be both interesting and exciting. The first presentation titled ‘UX-ability’, encouraged participants to question the whole concept of usability by asking-‘does easier necessarily mean better’? With the advancement of technology and the internet, come users with an advanced need for a richer experience. The presentation was very visual, with a few concepts that gained my interest in particular. Microsoft Photosynth, the Pomegranate Phone, and the Nokia Morph concept that demonstrates some of the possibilities nanotechnologies might enable in future communications devices, all had me returning to watch the clips numerous times throughout the week.

The second presentation titled ‘UX Evolution: The Good, The Bad and The Embarrassing’, went through numerous examples of great website designs and website faux pas’. One useful resource Tara mentioned was http://www.usability.gov/, a website that includes tips for developing usable and useful websites. Tara emphasized that when considering website design, it is crucial to think of it as a holistic user experience from beginning to end.

On the public relations side, I think it is important to continually learn about user experience design and digital media for our clients’ benefit. As this field moves ahead in full force, it is part of our job to demonstrate the gain of investing in this area and make the case for going digital.

How businesses can become THE destination

Posted by Cathy-Anne O'Brien

Here's a great post offering practical advice on how to get customers into your store and visiting your website, and how to be seen as a expert.

Leadership - common sense?

Posted by Cathy-Anne O'Brien

Tips on how to be a good leader always appeal to me. These tips are often simple, common sense advice, yet I've observed so few people actually embracing all these qualities. Why? Many of these qualities require one to be very humble, yet many still believe that a strong leader never shows weakness. Perhaps this is why the letter from the editor about Leadership in Hard Times in the current Harvard Business Review (particularly paragraph 3) caught my attention:

1) Surround yourself with the best (better?) people.
2) Surround yourself with people who will challenge you.
3) Share the credit.
4) Communicate, communicate and communicate again.
5) Relax.

During these tumultuous times, maybe it’s the perfect time to give these a whirl.

The end of the press release?

By: Julie O'Brien

Is the press release dead? More and more journalists feel that way.

Whereas so many people think that public relations (PR) is all about the press release. Many businesses issue a press release, hope it gets attention and then are disappointed when it doesn’t get picked-up. We’ve all heard the adage ‘I tried PR and it didn’t work’. PR is so much more than a press release. In fact, we deliver great results for clients without issuing press releases. Sure releases may have their role, but it’s always important to question the purpose of developing and issuing a release and explore how other tactics, such as tailored story pitches, may be more far more effective.

Script kiddie, Tikiwiki, Twitter…say what?

By Sarah Hall and Leah Gaucher

At a recent Third Tuesday Toronto meetup, Matt Ingram from the Globe made the joke that talking about social networking sometimes makes you sounds like a 5 year old. Words like script kiddie, Tikiwiki and twitter sound like they were created by kids who still can’t pronounce all their letters. So why is it that adults are the ones who are embracing this social media culture far faster than teens or 20 something’s.

Steve Rubel, SVP, at Edelman Digital had a great post recently about social media demographics. According to the latest Consumer Electronics Usage Survey from Accenture, its baby boomers who are adopting social media platforms (such as facebook, twitter and linked in) the fastest – far outpacing their Gen Y counterparts. Click here for a great chart outlining Accenture’s findings.

It makes sense then, that Matt Ingram and his team at the Globe and Mail have taken a whole hearted approach to social media. They know that their audience is interested, even if they don’t understand exactly how it works. Through their recent policy wikis, Cover It Live events and even a live twitter chat on the idea that ‘people like twitter because they are afraid of death’ the Globe is pushing the envelope in how they deliver the news.

Email versus Phone Pitching

Posted by: Leah Gaucher

As a public relations practitioner educated in an email age, I find it easy to get carried away in the dependence on email communication rather than picking up a phone. This could be because I opted to use texting and instant messaging throughout my university career as a cheaper alternative to the traditional phone or it could be that email is a much less intimidating process. Either way, I’ve recently noticed this dependence translating into my work life (especially when pitching media) and have forced myself to recognize that there is a time and place to email versus phone. Here are my thoughts:

Email Pros
-Time saver: you can save time by sending out mass messages, duplicating and reusing information
-Accessible: as long as you have signal, you can communicate without disrupting others
-Complete: in an email, you can include everything you want to say all at once
-The norm: with others so dependent on technology, many prefer to be contacted via email

Phone Pros
-Persuasion: on the phone you have a better opportunity to back up your points
-Immediate: if you reach someone, you get the satisfaction of having an immediate response
-Personal: contact is more personal over the phone and can help to build relationships with clients/media
-Stands out: with such a dominant volume of emails today, a phone call or voicemail is less likely to get lost in the clutter

I do think that both methods of communication are valuable in different circumstances. When pitching media, I tend to email out the original pitch and follow-up via phone in order to spark conversation about the story angle. It is about doing what you are the most comfortable with and trying to meet the preference of your contact/client.

Trusting the brand

Posted by Sarah Hall

Edelman’s recently released their results from the 10th annual Trust Barometer Survey. In the US, public trust in business has dropped by twenty percent and in Canada by four percent.

While we may think that Canada is optimistic compared to the US, a four percent drop is still significant. It demonstrates that companies need to be mindful that in this digital age, you can no longer be entirely in control of your brand by simply putting out messages (even if they are truthful) and expect them to be consumed as they are. If you want to be believed and taken seriously, you have to live and breathe the messages you want to convey, and you have to be willing to leave them up to public scrutiny. This isn’t new thinking, but it is becoming more understood as we start to see the effect social media and online dialogue is having on corporate brands.

Another interesting point to note; when asked about trustworthy news sources, Canadians ranked the following as most trustworthy: industry analyst reports (52%), articles in business magazines (50%), conversations with friends and peers (42%) and conversations with company employees (41%). Corporate communications initiatives fared much worse with press releases, company websites, product advertising and social networking sites ranking the lowest on the list.

I find the last point about social networks surprising, because when I am conversing on Facebook, Twitter or Linked in, these conversations are with trusted friends – how does that differ from the 42% of people who trust conversations with friends and peers?

Obama: I Screwed Up

Posted by Cathy-Anne O’Brien

Wasn’t it refreshing to hear Obama say, “I screwed up” earlier this week? “I’ve got to own up to my mistake...,” he continued, addressing the breakdown in the vetting process for administration nominees.

While having grasped the attention of the listener with this admission, he then skilfully stayed on message: “...ultimately my job is to get this thing back on track because what we need to focus on is a deteriorating economy and getting people back to work.”

Obama is certainly leading, what he himself has coined, “this new era of responsibility.” Can you picture Prime Minister Harper saying he made a mistake? Or Pope Benedict, who recently revoked the excommunications of a bishop who denied the existence of the Nazi gas chambers? Obama is defining the qualities of the new leader – defined by honesty and integrity while showing a human face. This is, after all, what we want from our leaders.

As a PR professional, how do we embrace this new era of honesty? How do we guide our clients and company leaders to speak with this level of candour? It takes a leader with lots of self-confidence and a sincere belief that truthfulness and openness will be rewarded. It requires a faith in the public. This mindset is what we are currently observing on the Internet – forced upon by the rise of social media - whether we like it or not. (It is no coincidence, then, that Twitter and Facebook have been incorporated into Obama’s world, or that he gets to keep his Blackberry while in office, albeit with limited use.)

For resisting business leaders who refuse to have these frank conversations with the media, their employees and their customers -- preferring instead to stay on the corporate message track -- they will miss out. A new bar has been raised by Obama, and the public will be less and less likely to respond to a leader who lacks that authenticity. And it will be up to us, PR professionals, to give this level of counsel to our clients, spokespeople and company leaders.

Social media: should I participate?

Posted by: Julie O'Brien

Last week I went to an event about social media hosted by our PR association International Association of Business Communicators. The room was full of communication professionals, which is an indication of how much we’re craving information on how to incorporate more social media into our PR programs.

Blogs and Twitter were the hot topics, and consensus from the panellists (all of who have been blogging for years - Michael O’Connor Clarke, Mathew Ingram, Boyd Neil and Jennifer Evans) was that you have to participate. Conversations are happening online and we can’t control what’s being said. This leads to the question for many “how do I participate?” Having a presence is important, but in what form? For instance, should my CEO set-up a blog? Or as a PR professional should I be on tweeting on behalf of my client? The answer: it depends.

Companies have to put communications tools in place in order to work with and respond to the flurry of social media that’s changing the way we all communicate. For instance, honing skills to write key messages in minutes versus hours is critical in responding quickly to online conversations.

Because social media is evolving quickly many may be hesitant to jump in – however, like the panellists said participating is the first step. So start off slowly. For instance, blogging is new to us at BlueSky and we kicked off 2009 jumping in with both feet. Or join a conversation on a social networking site like Facebook on a personal level to learn how it works then see how you can apply it to your professional life.