Last night 700,000 people were plunged into darkness. Okay, that’s a little bit melodramatic. Our illustrious electric company (HECO) went offline last night at about 6:45, putting the entire island in the dark.
Having been through power outages before (thanks HECO!), we had our flashlights ready. As the storm started, I had a sneaky feeling we would be losing power, so I had a flashlight in the den with me, ready to go. We also had our little transistor radio to keep us company in the darkness.
We sat for four hours listening to the radio. Agreeing with some callers, disagreeing with others. We listened for news about traffic, water, hospital and emergency services. We waited to hear an estimate to when we would no longer be in the dark. We heard which stores were open, which gas stations were pumping gas, and who was trying to make the experience a little nicer for all.
And the PR person inside me couldn't help but craft a plan for what I would do if I was in charge of public relations for any of the entities involved.
Which leads me to some PR winners and losers from the dark night:
Winners:
KSSK. When we had the earthquake in 2006, KSSK was a PR loser, but they learned from their mistakes. In 2006, they continued regular broadcasting for nearly 3 hours after the power outage. Last night, they were up and going after only about 20 minutes of static. Then they called in their top deejays and their news teams. They had representatives from HECO and Civil Defense and periodic announcements in different languages. Perry and Price did an effective job in keeping people calm and cutting off callers’ attempts to rile people up about HECO’s competence.
Mayor Hanneman. He was a little over-concerned with Barack Obama’s well being, but the Mayor managed to 1) relay confidence that everything would be okay 2) affirm that everything was being done to get power back up efficiently and effectively and 3) let people know that the City was safe and ready to handle any problems that may arise from the power being off.
Hawaiian Electric (HECO). Begrudgingly, I have to tip my hat to HECO. Being upset that we had no power for our precious gadgets (computer!), I wanted to find fault with HECO. I wanted them to screw up even more so that I could feed my upset. It was not to be so. Their representative at KSSK, Peter Rosegg, was really effective. He stayed on message “We are doing everything we can to bring power back in a way that won’t overburden the system and cause more damage.” Even when there was bad news (that the last functioning power plant had gone offline), he managed to keep hammering the message that HECO was on top of the problem and had the best engineers working to fix it. He didn’t let himself get goaded off message -- even when someone asked him a direct question, “what’s the worst case scenario here?”, he managed to evade it and stay positive.
Brian Cheplic (Emergency Services). Despite being overwhelmed -- I can only imagine how many phone calls 911 was getting from people wanting to know when their electricity was coming back on -- he was able to get the word out that people should call just for emergencies. Granted, the people calling 911 were probably not listening to the radio, but given the limited communications vehicles, he did what he could.
Loser
Linda Lingle. The most powerful person in Hawaii, and usually one of the most pr-savvy politicians, too. Lingle was giving out the departure times for United Airlines! Not just once, but twice! Once on tape and once live. Where the heck were her PR people? If I had to guess, I'd say her message was: “I work for United Airlines!”
She totally dropped the ball last night. I read in today’s newspaper that she held a press conference shortly before 10pm where she said most of the things people needed to hear. That’s all well and good, but no one got those messages until they woke up this morning and read the newspaper. Some won’t get it until tonight when they watch the evening news. Too late!
Instead, everyone who listened to the radio (after all, isn’t that what we’re conditioned to do...turn to the radio in times of emergency) heard the leader of our state give updates about when the canceled United Airlines flights would depart. Smooth.
Lessons Learned
This situation lends good lessons for public relations practitioners.
Lesson One: It is not just the message that matters. You must also choose your communications vehicles carefully. One without the other is just not effective.
Lesson Two: Advance preparation is a must. KSSK learned from their 2006 debacle that they needed a plan. They executed their plan flawlessly. HECO's Peter Rosegg didn't just happen to be near the KSSK studios, it was part of the plan for him to be there to provide a conduit to the public.
Lesson Three: Pounce on opportunities. Foodland stores received much positive PR when their reps called the station to announce that their stores were open and helping people. Board of Water Supply got good press when their rep called to ask people to conserve water and why.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas
Ah, the rush of Christmas is done. I have to admit that I was one of the crazy people at the mall yesterday picking up last minute gifts. Seems while I had in mind what I was going to get for people, I never actually made it to the store to buy it. Thankfully I realized this fact as I awoke yesterday morning or today could have been a very different kind of day.
Anyway, I was thinking about creating a list of public relations winners and losers this Christmas season:
Biggest Winner: Hawaii Charities. You didn’t need to be psychic to know that charities like Toys for Tots, FoodBank, etc, would be hurting this year. The economy hurts the ones at the bottom the most. But they were crafty little pr folks. When donations were falling short, they headed to the media. The newspapers ran stories about how Toys for Tots, the Hawaii Food Bank and Lanakila were having trouble making their budgets stretch far enough to help their clients and, like magic, people stepped to the plate.
Two days after the stories ran, new stories took their place. These stories chronicled grand donations and news that the charities now were able to continue their good work because they received enough donations to carry on.
They showed excellent public relations acuity. Get the word out, use the emotions of the holidays, and know that no matter how much personal difficulty the public is facing, they will always step to the plate for someone less fortunate.
It reminds me of the story about the two girls whose church did a fundraising drive to provide daily living needs for a “needy family.” While they did not have much to donate, they did their best, went door to door and got many donations from others for the drive. Then the church turned around and gave the collections to the girls’ family. They had no idea that they were the “needy family.” They only knew that they were going to help someone less fortunate.
So let’s get onto the biggest losers of the Christmas season.
The merchants. No matter how they tried to get into the media with good stories, it always came off sounding whiny and a little desperate.
Lokahi Tree, The Spirit of the Advertiser, etc. I probably missed some, but you know these. They’re the ones you see in the media or in the mall every year. Some needy family/person talks about their circumstances and asks for a specific donation. There are some heartwarming stories to be sure, but there are some that make you feel not so sympathetic. Doesn’t anyone screen these prior to publication? These efforts, while noble, need to be revamped to be effective. We’ve seen the same thing for 10 years. We’re desensitized so it doesn’t have the same impact anymore.
And a little rant on this subject. I was at the mall and figured I would purchase a gift for a charity person. There was a big Christmas tree with tags hanging down. You read the tag, learned about the circumstances and what the person wanted. I was floored to see that they were asking for things like Wii and XBox consoles, DVD players, computers, etc. What happened to asking for a doll, some clothes, etc.? I don’t even buy those things for my nieces and nephews!
Alright. Rant done. Here’s wishing all of us a special and memorable holiday season.
Anyway, I was thinking about creating a list of public relations winners and losers this Christmas season:
Biggest Winner: Hawaii Charities. You didn’t need to be psychic to know that charities like Toys for Tots, FoodBank, etc, would be hurting this year. The economy hurts the ones at the bottom the most. But they were crafty little pr folks. When donations were falling short, they headed to the media. The newspapers ran stories about how Toys for Tots, the Hawaii Food Bank and Lanakila were having trouble making their budgets stretch far enough to help their clients and, like magic, people stepped to the plate.
Two days after the stories ran, new stories took their place. These stories chronicled grand donations and news that the charities now were able to continue their good work because they received enough donations to carry on.
They showed excellent public relations acuity. Get the word out, use the emotions of the holidays, and know that no matter how much personal difficulty the public is facing, they will always step to the plate for someone less fortunate.
It reminds me of the story about the two girls whose church did a fundraising drive to provide daily living needs for a “needy family.” While they did not have much to donate, they did their best, went door to door and got many donations from others for the drive. Then the church turned around and gave the collections to the girls’ family. They had no idea that they were the “needy family.” They only knew that they were going to help someone less fortunate.
So let’s get onto the biggest losers of the Christmas season.
The merchants. No matter how they tried to get into the media with good stories, it always came off sounding whiny and a little desperate.
Lokahi Tree, The Spirit of the Advertiser, etc. I probably missed some, but you know these. They’re the ones you see in the media or in the mall every year. Some needy family/person talks about their circumstances and asks for a specific donation. There are some heartwarming stories to be sure, but there are some that make you feel not so sympathetic. Doesn’t anyone screen these prior to publication? These efforts, while noble, need to be revamped to be effective. We’ve seen the same thing for 10 years. We’re desensitized so it doesn’t have the same impact anymore.
And a little rant on this subject. I was at the mall and figured I would purchase a gift for a charity person. There was a big Christmas tree with tags hanging down. You read the tag, learned about the circumstances and what the person wanted. I was floored to see that they were asking for things like Wii and XBox consoles, DVD players, computers, etc. What happened to asking for a doll, some clothes, etc.? I don’t even buy those things for my nieces and nephews!
Alright. Rant done. Here’s wishing all of us a special and memorable holiday season.
Paper Anyone?
(Originally posted December 20, 2008)
Before I start, I need to say something about yesterday’s post. Looks like Chrysler got its handout with a couple of caveats. The one I was most interested in is where the CSuite executives need to take a pay cut. Hmmm. I wonder if $10 is going to hurt their budgets. I want to see exactly how much they’re going to cut their own salaries. Make it good, Jim Press. Your company’s good name depends on it!
My mom is in the hospital. Every day the newspaper gets delivered to her room. Yesterday the woman who delivered it stopped her cart outside the room, grabbed the paper, handed it to me and introduced herself.
She was Jen Chahanovich, Chief Operating Officer of Kapiolani Hospital at Pali Momi. She said she was delivering newspapers and talking to patients and their families. She wanted to know how Mom’s stay was going, whether she/we were being informed about her care plan, if there was anything she could help us with.
We told her about the bathroom door of the first room Mom was in. Then asked about a form we faxed to the hospital and hadn’t heard back about. She said she would get right on it.
Being a PR person, I had to compliment Jen on the idea to deliver the newspapers. It was a nice touch for the COO to hand you your paper and ask if there was anything the hospital staff could be doing better ... and what they were doing well.
She said she enjoyed getting out and talking with the patients and their families. Requiring the executive staff to deliver the newspapers made it nearly mandatory that they get out and mingle.
Not 20 minutes after she left we got a phone call from the person responsible for receiving the form we faxed. Later in the day, the person came to Mom’s room to update us on her progress in locating the form and talking with Mom’s employer. At 7:30 last night she stopped in again to give us a final status report.
Having executives deliver the newspaper is a brilliant public relations action. Making sure people follow up on any uncovered problems makes sure that it is more than just a PR move. After all, if you uncover a problem then do nothing to fix it, you have just done more damage than good.
On a final note, I need to throw some kudos to the youth group at St. Elizabeth’s church in Aiea. About 20 high school aged kids came to the hospital Thursday night and did some caroling. They were certainly enjoying themselves and it was so nice to hear them than the loud speakers blaring codes and announcements.
With all the negative news you hear about teenagers, it’s nice to see that there are many who are actively making their community a better place to be.
Before I start, I need to say something about yesterday’s post. Looks like Chrysler got its handout with a couple of caveats. The one I was most interested in is where the CSuite executives need to take a pay cut. Hmmm. I wonder if $10 is going to hurt their budgets. I want to see exactly how much they’re going to cut their own salaries. Make it good, Jim Press. Your company’s good name depends on it!
My mom is in the hospital. Every day the newspaper gets delivered to her room. Yesterday the woman who delivered it stopped her cart outside the room, grabbed the paper, handed it to me and introduced herself.
She was Jen Chahanovich, Chief Operating Officer of Kapiolani Hospital at Pali Momi. She said she was delivering newspapers and talking to patients and their families. She wanted to know how Mom’s stay was going, whether she/we were being informed about her care plan, if there was anything she could help us with.
We told her about the bathroom door of the first room Mom was in. Then asked about a form we faxed to the hospital and hadn’t heard back about. She said she would get right on it.
Being a PR person, I had to compliment Jen on the idea to deliver the newspapers. It was a nice touch for the COO to hand you your paper and ask if there was anything the hospital staff could be doing better ... and what they were doing well.
She said she enjoyed getting out and talking with the patients and their families. Requiring the executive staff to deliver the newspapers made it nearly mandatory that they get out and mingle.
Not 20 minutes after she left we got a phone call from the person responsible for receiving the form we faxed. Later in the day, the person came to Mom’s room to update us on her progress in locating the form and talking with Mom’s employer. At 7:30 last night she stopped in again to give us a final status report.
Having executives deliver the newspaper is a brilliant public relations action. Making sure people follow up on any uncovered problems makes sure that it is more than just a PR move. After all, if you uncover a problem then do nothing to fix it, you have just done more damage than good.
On a final note, I need to throw some kudos to the youth group at St. Elizabeth’s church in Aiea. About 20 high school aged kids came to the hospital Thursday night and did some caroling. They were certainly enjoying themselves and it was so nice to hear them than the loud speakers blaring codes and announcements.
With all the negative news you hear about teenagers, it’s nice to see that there are many who are actively making their community a better place to be.
Chrysler: Good Public Relations?
(Originally posted December 19, 2008)
It’s a hazard of the profession. Whenever I read about a company in the news, I think about whether they are using sound public relations principles and whether their message(s) is/are being effectively received. I also think about what I would do differently if I were the public relations director for that company. I think every public relations professional does the same thing.
For the last few weeks I’ve been watching Chrysler and the other auto manufacturers. They’re in a pinch now, aren’t they?
They started off with the now infamous PR faux pas of going begging while riding in their private jets. They tried to fix it next time they went, hat in hand, to Washington DC by driving in hybrid cars.
So, based on what I see in the media, their message is:
We need money to pay our bills or we will shut down our plants and a lot of people will be out of work.
Based on what I hear from people in the street, their message is:
The banks got theirs. We want ours too. And we’re willing to hurt the little people (employees) to get what we want.
In my estimation, the car companies are not sympathetic characters. The public sees them as overpaid executives used to living the good life while their employees get little or nothing. The executives got themselves into this with pure and simple greed and now they’re looking to the average American to pull them out of the hole.
Is their position salvageable?
The last maneuver was to shut down their plants for a month (Chrysler) and a week (Ford). In poker, it’s the ultimate “all in” bet. They’re waiting for us/Congress to call their bluff.
Congress will ultimately cave and give them the money they want. Because they can’t take the chance of having thousands (more) people out of work.
It’s not over for the car companies. Just because they will get their bailout, they won’t be out of the woods if no one buys their cars.
The American people are watching. They have long memories. Chrysler has a long road to hoe in gaining public confidence and public trust.
They need to do some serious work in regaining the public trust. They can do this by:
Demonstrating (and publicizing) how they will do business differently. What kinds of changes will they make in their automobile lineup, how they will streamline operations to make good use of the money the American taxpayers just loaned them. This is a biggie. They will need to work very hard at this or the public is just not going to forgive and forget.
Being an active player in the community. Show off what being a good corporate citizen is all about Marketing their cars more efficiently and effectively. A price reduction would be nice.
Getting rid of the top heavy bureaucracy. Yeah, this is a pipe dream. They’re not going to cut salaries of the C-Suite folks ... but we can dream, right?
Can you imagine what a great PR move it would be for Jim Press (Chrysler President) to announce during his whistlestop tour that he will not take a salary NOR stock options until the company turns around? Whooowee. But it won’t happen
It’s a hazard of the profession. Whenever I read about a company in the news, I think about whether they are using sound public relations principles and whether their message(s) is/are being effectively received. I also think about what I would do differently if I were the public relations director for that company. I think every public relations professional does the same thing.
For the last few weeks I’ve been watching Chrysler and the other auto manufacturers. They’re in a pinch now, aren’t they?
They started off with the now infamous PR faux pas of going begging while riding in their private jets. They tried to fix it next time they went, hat in hand, to Washington DC by driving in hybrid cars.
So, based on what I see in the media, their message is:
We need money to pay our bills or we will shut down our plants and a lot of people will be out of work.
Based on what I hear from people in the street, their message is:
The banks got theirs. We want ours too. And we’re willing to hurt the little people (employees) to get what we want.
In my estimation, the car companies are not sympathetic characters. The public sees them as overpaid executives used to living the good life while their employees get little or nothing. The executives got themselves into this with pure and simple greed and now they’re looking to the average American to pull them out of the hole.
Is their position salvageable?
The last maneuver was to shut down their plants for a month (Chrysler) and a week (Ford). In poker, it’s the ultimate “all in” bet. They’re waiting for us/Congress to call their bluff.
Congress will ultimately cave and give them the money they want. Because they can’t take the chance of having thousands (more) people out of work.
It’s not over for the car companies. Just because they will get their bailout, they won’t be out of the woods if no one buys their cars.
The American people are watching. They have long memories. Chrysler has a long road to hoe in gaining public confidence and public trust.
They need to do some serious work in regaining the public trust. They can do this by:
Demonstrating (and publicizing) how they will do business differently. What kinds of changes will they make in their automobile lineup, how they will streamline operations to make good use of the money the American taxpayers just loaned them. This is a biggie. They will need to work very hard at this or the public is just not going to forgive and forget.
Being an active player in the community. Show off what being a good corporate citizen is all about Marketing their cars more efficiently and effectively. A price reduction would be nice.
Getting rid of the top heavy bureaucracy. Yeah, this is a pipe dream. They’re not going to cut salaries of the C-Suite folks ... but we can dream, right?
Can you imagine what a great PR move it would be for Jim Press (Chrysler President) to announce during his whistlestop tour that he will not take a salary NOR stock options until the company turns around? Whooowee. But it won’t happen
Know Your Audience
(Originally posted December 18, 2008)
I met a business owner who says he is spending more than $10,000 on radio advertising per month. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t getting much return on his investment. He was disappointed and a bit angry that he was spending so much to lure customers to his doorstep and nothing was happening in return.
This is a good lesson in target audiences.
You have to know your audience intimately. You need to know what they’re reading, what their family life is like, what they do in their leisure time, the type of music they are listening to, their financial situation, etc. etc. etc. In short, you need to know 1) what makes your audience tick and 2) what would motivate them to get off their butts and into your store.
Because if you don’t know this, you’ll end up guessing. You’ll guess that they’re listening to the same radio station that you do. You’ll guess that they are motivated by what is best for their families. You’ll guess that they will automatically want what you are selling.
And then you pay $10,000 for radio ads that just won’t work.
Every public relations campaign...every advertising campaign...every marketing campaign...should begin with the audience. What do you want them to do, think, or know? Then build programs around this basic concept.
I met a business owner who says he is spending more than $10,000 on radio advertising per month. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t getting much return on his investment. He was disappointed and a bit angry that he was spending so much to lure customers to his doorstep and nothing was happening in return.
This is a good lesson in target audiences.
You have to know your audience intimately. You need to know what they’re reading, what their family life is like, what they do in their leisure time, the type of music they are listening to, their financial situation, etc. etc. etc. In short, you need to know 1) what makes your audience tick and 2) what would motivate them to get off their butts and into your store.
Because if you don’t know this, you’ll end up guessing. You’ll guess that they’re listening to the same radio station that you do. You’ll guess that they are motivated by what is best for their families. You’ll guess that they will automatically want what you are selling.
And then you pay $10,000 for radio ads that just won’t work.
Every public relations campaign...every advertising campaign...every marketing campaign...should begin with the audience. What do you want them to do, think, or know? Then build programs around this basic concept.
What I Learned Yesterday
(originally posted September 20, 2008)
What is Internal Relations? It’s a process of forming relationships between management and employees. Basically, employee relations makes employees feel like they are an integral part of the company and are committed to its goals, missions and objectives.
So in class yesterday, we talked about organizational culture and how it can be changed. At first the kids didn’t understand why pr people needed to know about organizational culture or why it fell to pr people to change (or uphold) the culture. Then they got it. I think. (Ok if you’re reading this and don’t know why, it’s because PR people are part of the decision making process, then it’s our task to promote understanding of the concepts to employees).
But the real learning here is that kids don’t like team building. They find it corny and not really conducive to team building.
I had to laugh because, well, most of the team building that I’ve ever done in my life was pointless as well. I think it’s because all the team building was forced upon the employees. It wasn’t a choice. Leadership decreed that “you will be a team and you will like it” and then sent us off to team build.
Teams are built from trust and shared experiences. Teams are built from people who actually want to care about each other. And you can’t force that.
So let’s get back to Internal Relations.
Many employers forget that they need to communicate with their employees. Or they think that a single communication is enough. Not so fast, Kimosabe.
Employees make your company’s first impression with customers and potential customers. In short, they make you great, or they make you awful.
And when you don’t give them information, they M.S.U. Yep, they make stuff up. Nature abhors a vacuum. And in the absence of information, they will start to make it up. And two employees together will make up more stuff. And before you know it, rumors and misinformation is rampant. Let the chaos and unrest begin. And once it begins, it’s hard to stop.
So employees are your first and most important market. Keep them informed and you keep them happy. Happy people are productive people. Your bottom line is happy.
What is Internal Relations? It’s a process of forming relationships between management and employees. Basically, employee relations makes employees feel like they are an integral part of the company and are committed to its goals, missions and objectives.
So in class yesterday, we talked about organizational culture and how it can be changed. At first the kids didn’t understand why pr people needed to know about organizational culture or why it fell to pr people to change (or uphold) the culture. Then they got it. I think. (Ok if you’re reading this and don’t know why, it’s because PR people are part of the decision making process, then it’s our task to promote understanding of the concepts to employees).
But the real learning here is that kids don’t like team building. They find it corny and not really conducive to team building.
I had to laugh because, well, most of the team building that I’ve ever done in my life was pointless as well. I think it’s because all the team building was forced upon the employees. It wasn’t a choice. Leadership decreed that “you will be a team and you will like it” and then sent us off to team build.
Teams are built from trust and shared experiences. Teams are built from people who actually want to care about each other. And you can’t force that.
So let’s get back to Internal Relations.
Many employers forget that they need to communicate with their employees. Or they think that a single communication is enough. Not so fast, Kimosabe.
Employees make your company’s first impression with customers and potential customers. In short, they make you great, or they make you awful.
And when you don’t give them information, they M.S.U. Yep, they make stuff up. Nature abhors a vacuum. And in the absence of information, they will start to make it up. And two employees together will make up more stuff. And before you know it, rumors and misinformation is rampant. Let the chaos and unrest begin. And once it begins, it’s hard to stop.
So employees are your first and most important market. Keep them informed and you keep them happy. Happy people are productive people. Your bottom line is happy.
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