- Owens Corning lightens its carbon footprint with online sustainability report
- PR Pet Peeves: WCCO Meet the Journalists Part 4
- Investment Banker Welcomes Back Humility with Bold Caution
- Client Service - Part One: From the Boss - I'm not the most important person you serve
- Reputation Management Panel Takeaway from IABC Pacific Plains Conference
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The Lead
| October 2009
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« September 2009 | Main | November 2009 » Owens Corning lightens its carbon footprint with online sustainability reportPosted by Bob Brin on October 28, 2009 at 7:15 AM Sustainability reporting has become about as complex as financial reporting. Witness this 70-plus page Web site by Owens Corning with tons of tables and charts and a hefty index mapping the site content to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI-G3). GRI's Sustainability Reporting Guidelines give organizations around the world a global framework for . . . and I quote . . . "reporting the economic, environmental and social dimensions of an organization's activities, products and services."
Being in the business of energy-saving products, it only makes sense that Owens Corning took a green approach by reporting online rather than producing a printed report. Still, Padilla Gorilla did some heavy lifting to design and construct this light and airy site. Built upon ASP.NET, the site runs on a complex content management system, is carefully tuned for search engine optimization and uses sophisticated Omniture analytics dashboards for performance analysis. After all, a stream-lined, smooth running site is more sustainable.
PR Pet Peeves: WCCO Meet the Journalists Part 4Posted by Rich Goldsmith on October 27, 2009 at 1:38 PMEvery journalist has them -- a list of tactics or approaches that just doesn't work with them. Running afoul of these pet peeves can often mean a long dark future of being relegated to the junk pile by the reporter in question. To help us avoid this fate, we asked WCCO Reporter Jason DeRusha and WCCO Assistant News Director Mike Caputa to detail their own PR pet peeves. For their answers, watch our latest Meet the Journalist video below: Meet the Journalists: What Are Your PR Pet Peeves? from Rich Goldsmith on Vimeo. Investment Banker Welcomes Back Humility with Bold CautionPosted by Bob Brin on October 16, 2009 at 11:58 AM We've covered humility in this blog as a characteristic of an approachable brand. Mark Sheffert, Chairman and CEO of Manchester Companies, which is in the business of investment banking, wrote an open letter to Humility this week and welcomed it back to the banking and securities world. However, the teaser e-mail implies he's not ready to throw a welcome party as recent news shows some execs still need a little humility upside their heads:
Why can't these executives understand the rage that their greed is causing among politicians and the public? I suppose if executives take their company jets to Washington to ask Congress for support money, and AIG takes almost $180 billion in bailout money then throws a $450,000 party to celebrate getting it, nothing should surprise me anymore.I like Sheffert's style. Humility can be bold . . . refreshing even. Banking and securities firms should give it a try. Client Service - Part One: From the Boss - I'm not the most important person you servePosted by Tony Morse on October 16, 2009 at 11:45 AM This week our family visited a well-known, 30-plus year old restaurant in the Twin Cities. We anticipated a nice meal, but it didn't end up that way. This isn't a rant about a dining experience, but a reflection on the impact of "the boss" on customer service, unless expectations are set between employer and employee.
To set the stage, another party "took" our reservation though we were seated after some confusion. We ordered wine, it was opened, I tasted and it was poured for the others. My glass was almost forgotten (not a big deal, really). The soup delivered was different from my selection. The main course was not what I ordered. To make amends, the server offered to discount the meal by the $5 difference in main courses - oh, and offered dessert on the house. (They later offered to remove the entire cost of my entree). When the check was settled, I saw the founder and owner - a prominent restaurateur - thanking the manager for a great meal and heading out the door. True or not, his gratitude shows me he had a very different experience from me. So, how do you keep from repeating this situation with your clients? As a manager, be good, be honest and be approachable. If your people fear you or feel like their behavior has to change when you're around, they're focused too much on serving you and not enough on serving your clients. The result impacts your brand and your business: without our clients, we don't have a job. Harvard Business Review and Liz Ryan Consulting (as published some time ago in the Star Tribune) offer some perspectives on leadership and things "the boss" wants you to know. Here are a couple points from Liz Ryan on the "10 things your manager wants you to know": For the manager, take a look at the "5 Traits of the New Creative Leader" HBR offered this week as advice to help get the results leaders want. What suggestions do you have for "Shared Commitments" between managers and those they manage? Reputation Management Panel Takeaway from IABC Pacific Plains ConferencePosted by Bob Brin on October 14, 2009 at 12:20 PM Yesterday I moderated a panel discussion about reputation management in the new media world at the IABC Pacific Plains Conference. It was a great discussion that would be worth sharing in its entirety, but here's the underlying message from our rep management man, Paul Omodt.
And I paraphrase: Crisis communications has evolved dramatically. Twenty years ago, those of us in the crisis field worked with clients to avoid the infamous 60 Minutes expose as everyone feared the reporter jumping out from behind the potted plant. Today's potted plants are things like blogs, YouTube, Twitter and the like - and they can also strike without warning. But good solid planning, combined with the proper implementation and sound judgment is still the most effective way to manage crisis. The technologies may have changed, but dealing with them still requires a strong foundation and a clear head. Paul's advice to everyone dealing with the increased speed in which today's communication can come to you is to remember speed can kill both ways:
Manage your speed, both incoming and outgoing. Remember, 'keep flying the airplane' - if you encounter turbulence, you still have a course you are on and you still have to maintain control of where you are going and how you get there. Pitching Via Twitter: WCCO Meet the Journalist Part 3Posted by Rich Goldsmith on October 13, 2009 at 5:22 PMAccording to what seems to be every self-proclaimed social media guru in the world, Twitter is the most momentous development since explorer Sir Francis Drake returned from his circumnavigation of the globe and discovered happy hour. Whatever its long-term impact is, Twitter certainly has made a huge difference in the way PR professionals and journalists interact. We asked WCCO reporter Jason DeRusha and WCCO news director Mike Caputa what they think of being pitched stories on Twitter and you can watch part 3 of our WCCO Meet the Journalist series to find out what they said. And just in case you're in too big a hurry to watch a video that clocks in under three minutes, I'll sum it up -- they're big fans. Meet the Journalists: How do you feel about being pitched via Twitter? from Rich Goldsmith on Vimeo. Should my organization have a Twitter site or just individual tweeple?Posted by Bob Brin on October 9, 2009 at 7:11 AMWe get this question a fair amount. The answer is: "Probably both." A Twitter Account for Your Brand? • The strategy (including why you should even be on Twitter and how you'll measure success) If you have multiple tweeters posting to the brand site, consider having them sign off with their name, just to personalize it a bit. Let Your Tweeple Carry the Brand While having a brand idenity on Twitter may make sense, consider the power of having multiple (or multitudes of) socially conntected individuals representing you on Twitter. Your brand is personified every day by the individuals who are in contact with customers and other stakeholders. And the more approachable they are, the more approachable your brand. Leverage those relationships and extend as much loyalty as possible from the individual to the brand. It's a matter of scale. With many voices singing in unison, but with their own special sound, your organization can tap their social networks and amplify its message. For example, when one of my tweets was retweeted by our Social Media Elite Response Force (SMERFs) recently, I got nearly eight times the reach. You'll need to define the strategy and other guidelines outllined in the bullets above plus a few more: • Whether the tweeple will/should have separate accounts for personal use Of course, all this assumes you get the first bullet right -- have a strategy. Getting into social media is more than tapping a new channel. It's a strategic move and a cultural shift for your organization. What Makes a Pitch Work: WCCO Meet the Journalist Part TwoPosted by Rich Goldsmith on October 7, 2009 at 5:04 PMDuring the recent Padilla Speer Beardsley Meet the Journalist session with WCCO's Jason DeRusha and Mike Caputa, the pair discussed the pitches the newsroom receives every day. They even offered their advice on what makes a pitch work. Find out their answers in part two of our conversation with Jason and Mike! Meet the Journalists: What Makes a Pitch Work? from Rich Goldsmith on Vimeo. Meet the Journalist: WCCOPosted by Rich Goldsmith on October 4, 2009 at 3:44 PM
Since most public relations campaigns are aimed at generating media coverage to raise awareness of an issue, product or service, it's important to have a full understanding of the needs of reporters and editors. To that end, Padilla Speer Beardsley holds regular "Meet the Journalist" sessions, bringing in journalists to discuss their work, as well as how we can work with them to help them find sources and report on the news of the day.
We recently conducted one of these sessions with WCCO Reporter Jason DeRusha and WCCO Assistant News Director Mike Caputa. We recorded video of some of their best tips for working with broadcast news outlets, and the pair discussed everything from the best way to contact a broadcast outlet, to their biggest PR pet peeves. Part one of this five part video is available below. WCCO: Meet the Reporter - Part 1 from Rich Goldsmith on Vimeo. |
