Posts Tagged ‘journalist’

Target and Breastfeeding: How To Turn A PR Problem Into A Positive

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

A mom says Target employees humiliated her while she breastfed her baby in the store. To support her, breastfeeding mothers then staged a nationwide “nurse-in” at Target stores. How did the company deal with the nurse-in and media attention? To borrow one of Target’s lines, we “expect more.”

Support Groups:  If an advocacy group contacts your company about an event at your business, quickly answer questions. Post comments on their blogs explaining your position. Support groups frequently feel strongest about issues. They pass on concerns to the broader public that may not be paying close attention. Don’t underestimate the power of such groups. Work with them. Be sympathetic. Surprise them and support their concerns when possible. The groups will share the company’s goodwill with the public and explain how the business is turning a problem into a positive. A group describing its mission as “to change the cultural perception of breastfeeding” says it was tough communicating with Target about the breastfeeding incident. The group says someone from Target eventually called back and summarized the call by releasing a statement. Meanwhile advocates pointed to how Whole Foods handled things when facing a breastfeeding incident.

Facebook: Acknowledge the complaints. Stun the planet and ask people to share stories and post pictures. Respond to questions. Embrace your role in the discussion. Welcome shoppers who may usually favor the competition and prove your company is a different type of business. In the Target case, mothers used a Facebook page to organize. As we wrote this, the page included more than 7500 members. The day of the nurse-in, Target posted on its Facebook page “How long do you leave your holiday decorations up?” Some people used the comment section to discuss the breastfeeding issue.

Twitter:  Target was more on target on Twitter. We read several examples of Target responding to people on Twitter about breastfeeding. Here are examples of the company’s posts to Twitter:

  • We support breastfeeding too. We have a long-standing policy allowing breastfeeding in public areas of our stores.
  • We continue to educate our team members on the policy, and ask guests to contact us if they don’t feel comfortable.
  • Nursing mothers are welcome to breastfeed in our stores, including in public areas, wherever comfortable.
  • We have a long standing policy that allows breastfeeding in our stores and have addressed the Team Member incident.
  • We’re happy to support nursing mothers! Please let us know if you encounter any problems.

 

YouTube:  Post a video. Make clear the services your company offers for, in this case, breastfeeding moms. Video puts a face on your company. A video helps you standout while engaging and educating viewers. Video may capture attention more than any press release. Target has a YouTube channel called Target Theater with more than six thousand subscribers. We didn’t see any videos about breastfeeding or the nurse-in. Watch a recent example of a FedEx video responding to a PR problem.

Pressroom:  Provide news releases and links about the situation. Give phone, email and social media information for contacts specifically handling the situation. Give a timeline of what happened. Recognize what journalists want to see. Target’s pressroom states the “Target Public Relations team is always interested in hearing about how to serve the media better.” We searched but could not find news releases about the nurse-in and breastfeeding situation.

Media Relations:  We read several statements Target released about breastfeeding. We didn’t see a lot of Target spokespeople on air. We saw a Target manager on ABC News saying “Target is a family-oriented company, so if a guest chooses to breastfeed in our store, Target supports it 100%.” Target’s pressroom lists four media contacts. The efforts of those contacts, management and support staff should expand way beyond news releases. Identify managers in geographical regions the company feels comfortable putting on TV. Fly key team members to areas needing help handing media questions. Consider allowing a “pool camera” in each TV market to shoot video of the breastfeeding moms.

A company might win the war of words by drawing up a conservative game plan, taking a few hits and assuming the PR problem will blow over and be forgotten. If you like to do things the way they’ve always been done, feel free to play prevent defense. But PR problems also open opportunities to establish your company as an industry leader while inspiring trust and growing your reputation. Drop the icy and impersonal company language for something thoughtful and sincere and watch the headlines change. Expect more.

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Media Training: How to Handle Tough Interviews Differently Than Ron Paul

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

CNN interviews presidential candidate Ron Paul. Paul begins with quick, short answers and then tells the journalist “Why don’t you go back and see what I said yesterday on CNN?” Paul continues to answer questions and later says “and it’s been going on 20 years that people have pestered me about this. CNN does every single time. When are you going to wear yourself out?”

Later in the interview, the journalist says “These things are pretty incendiary.” Paul responds “Because of people like you.”

While the journalist continues the discussion, Paul pulls his microphone off his suit jacket. As he continues the process of removing the microphone, he says “Goodbye.”

This exchange between CNN and a presidential candidate is not black and white. The person conducting the interview is to some extent awkward in how she delivers her string of questions. And she continues to question him on the same matter even though Paul feels he’s answered the question then and countless times before.

Paul’s critics may use this interview as more ammunition to question his character. Paul’s supporters may applaud him for toughness and dub CNN the “Clinton News Network.”

You don’t need to run a campaign for president to come across a confrontational interview with the media. Even small business owners thrilled about their upcoming media opportunity may without warning smack into a reporter determined to dig up a serious news story instead of delivering a “fluff piece.”

Be ready. Prepare yourself for any question about your business. Be equipped for any inquiry about your industry that has little or nothing to do with your company. If you find out ahead of time who is interviewing you, Google that person and watch the tone of some of their prior stories.

Maybe the reporter isn’t being reasonable. Maybe the reporter is playing a game of “gotcha!” But stay professional and let reporters sink themselves by appearing unfair and badgering. I once watched a local TV personality drill a local politician with one question after another. The journalist probably assumed viewers saw the questions as an attempt to keep the local politician honest. Most people I talked with thought the journalist went over-the-top, tried too hard to appear tough and frankly looked silly.

Journalists are not always fair. They may ask you the same question 20 times in a different way. You may feel ambushed. You may feel angry. You may think you answered the question 10 years ago. But don’t prematurely take off your microphone. Be the bigger man or woman. Take the high road. Always practice for the worst. Have prepared answers. Have prepared statements if you must answer the question over and over.

Some TV news people use the expression that something makes for “good TV.” Ending an interview before the reporter is ready makes “good TV” for some broadcast journalists. Your behavior, not your business, ends up making the news.

Some viewers may not have heard or been only slightly aware of the questions CNN asked Paul. Taking off your microphone early and appearing aggravated give media (and everyone on YouTube and social media) an excuse to play your performance over and over. Now the question you’re tired of answering is getting even more attention.

As of Monday, more than 96,000 people on YouTube watched Ron Paul’s clip with CNN.

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Don’t Fake It

Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
Fake The Flowers Not The News

Fake The Flowers Not The News

Someone in PR pitches what she describes as a national story to a reporter. The reporter gets “first dibs.”

In the first paragraph, she explains why the story is relevant to the reporter’s city. She acknowledges a local journal already published the story and sends him a link to it. She lists video and interview opportunities and on short notice, even appears to have everyday people available so the reporter can help personalize the story.

But there’s a snag. The story involves visual workshops that haven’t started yet. So the PR pro is thinking of a “mock class” even though she acknowledges faking it isn’t really a good idea.

I’ve known journalists who would blow their tops when someone suggested faking something for the purposes of a news story. But some reporters often allow it to happen. And there’s a philosophical debate about just how realistic any person or situation can be when the biggest camera you’ve ever seen is watching your every move.

Even if you can sometimes get away with role playing for visual purposes, don’t do it. It strikes at the very heart of what news should be. And by just mentioning it, you’ll lose instant credibility with some journalists who will assume you don’t know the difference between Hollywood and the five o’clock news.

I’ve known reporters who needed video of someone on the phone and waited until a real call came in. That might seem silly to you, but if you’re the one who said let’s keep it real everyone, you’d score big with at least the reporters who care about the purity of the business.

Leave role playing to other parts of your life.

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Choose a reporter wisely

Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Choose Wisely

Choose Wisely

Persuading the media to cover your client shouldn’t be like throwing darts and hoping one sticks. Decide what type of coverage you want.

Do you want a general assignment (GA) reporter? Your exposure may be brief, but it will air that very day. That’s good news for a time sensitive event. And with GA stories, you increase your chances of more than one media outlet showing up.

How about an investigative or special projects reporter? Maybe you want in-depth coverage in which a journalist can spend more time on the story. The report will air some time in the weeks ahead and you’ll get more airtime. Promotions departments may even air “teases” throughout the day to get viewers to tune in at just the right time. And local media sometimes share special reports with partners in other markets and before you know it, your client is being seen across the country. But when it comes to special reports, media want to feel special. Pick one outlet and work with it. Don’t sell your idea to everyone. If the media find out they invested time on a story readers and viewers can also get elsewhere, you’ll burn a bridge.

Does your client belong on a morning show? The morning news often welcomes lighter topics, from cooking in studio to a weatherman preparing ice cream in a shop while delivering the daily temps. Morning shows include a lot of long live segments. Is your client ready for that? TV stations keep starting their morning news earlier and earlier. And although they might not admit it, those morning producers have a lot of time to fill. Otherwise, they simply repeat the same stories every half hour. More time to fill might mean more opportunities for you.

So think carefully before tossing that first dart. Picking the right reporter or news show will help you get a bullseye.

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I Love It When You Beg

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Someone in PR sends a reporter an email pitch and the subject includes this: “Please take my pitches!!!” The email includes phrases such as:

The Art of Begging

The Art of Begging

“THIS IS HUGE FOR ME PLEASE?” and “THIS IS A HUGE CLIENT, TOO!! PLEASE?!!!!” The email includes the word “please” eight times.

This is not unheard of. Someone on a local TV station’s assignment desk shared the story of a woman in PR who pretty much begged for a photographer to show up at a client’s event. She was worried of five local TV stations, none would show up. One did. The one she begged.

Is begging beneath you? What if it works especially when mixed with some charisma? Before reporters bash the beggars, you should know many journalists have pleaded with people for interviews. Sometimes the reporter is desperate to beat or at least keep up with the competition. Sometimes the reporter just doesn’t want a story to fall through only to face starting from scratch.

It’s important to note the two examples above of PR requests of “pretty please” were shared with members of the media they worked with before. Sometimes we say things to friends we would never say to strangers.

But even if begging works, you should ask yourself what perception is left behind. Are you really that desperate? Do you look unprofessional? Or is it simply another tool in the toolbox to get results?

I’m sure the media loves it when you beg. But will they respect you in the morning?

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