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Some of the most recent PR blunders were so ridiculous, that you can’t help but laugh (and isn’t laughter the best medicine?). At the same time, each case teaches us to remember some basic PR lessons that it would be wise not to forget, and are so simple they shouldn’t be crushing your mind grapes.

One Million Moms Attacks DC Comics For Gay Green Lantern

Earlier this month, conservative group One Million Moms attacked DC Comics on their Facebook page, after news leaked that popular character Green Lantern is gay. Tables soon turned, however, when One Million Moms became flooded by positive comments in support of the move by DC Comics. Eventually the original Facebook post was deleted and with their Facebook page now being offline, the group tweeted, “OMM will be offline most of next week for Vacation Bible School!” One Million Moms has also recently been in the news for their dislike of JCPenney’s pro-gay family stance, urging their readers to boycott the retailer because of gay couples being featured in a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day ads, in May and June of 2012  respectively.

Lesson: Don’t ever forget how viral social media has become. After One Million Moms posted their protest against DC Comics on Facebook, media outlets such as Washington Post, Yahoo! Voices, and popular site Reddit all linked their readers onto the group’s Facebook page, letting people show their vocal support for the newly outed Green Lantern and disagreement with OMM’s view. OMM was unprepared for the counter-attack and immediately went offline. If you intend on posting a controversial opinion, then you’d better be ready to take the heat or get out of the Facebook kitchen. See also: Susan G. Komen and Planned Parenthood.

Kansas Governor Brownback Demands Apology When High School Student Tweets “Governor Sucks”

Social media has made it easier than ever before to track news-whether positive or negative. In early November 2011, after a Kansas Youth in Government field trip, Emma Sullivan, Shawnee Mission East High senior, tweeted “Just made mean comments at gov. brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot.” Brownback’s office, which monitors social media content with the Governor’s name, blew a gasket over this harmless little Tweet. They contacted her high school, demanding that she write an apology for the disparaging remark. The situation then grew viral when Sullivan’s older sister contacted the media about the asurdity. By the end of that month, Sullivan’s followers grew from 65 to over 12,000 and everyone had a good laugh at Brownback’s office’s expense.

Lesson: Remember the source before you make someone issue a public apology because of a negative tweet. A high school student with only 65 followers didn’t have much influence, but the major media outlets (CNN, Politico, Huffington Post, NY Times) that spread her story definitely did. Not everyone’s going to like you or your brand but they’re entitled to their opinions and you’ll need to choose your battles wisely. A situation that was truly much ado about nothing suddenly became a media firestorm. After all, the press love David vs. Goliath stories. A high school senior vs. a powerful Senator? Comedy (and media) gold.

PR Agency Tweets That Detroit Drivers Are Horrible on Official Chrysler Twitter Account

Chrysler’s official Twitter account (@ChryslerAutos) is run by a PR agency called New Media Solutions. One of their employee, frustrated with Detroit traffic and its drivers, tweeted  “I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to (expletive) drive.” Would’ve been fine-except that tweet came out on the official Chrysler account, making it look like Chrysler was dissing the city of Detroit, a place legendary for its automobile production. Oops. It only took a day before the tweet, employee, and media company were all removed from the Chrysler contract.

Obvious Lesson: When you’re airing frustration on social media, think twice. Sometimes it’s best to just type your frustration and then never click “send” or “tweet.” Take a deep breath, walk away from your computing device, pet a puppy or coo at a baby, and then go back and see if you’re still upset. And if you still want to vent? Make sure you’re on the right account. Even better solution would be to not make negative comments that would adversely affect a client. Social media makes dirty laundry travel faster than you can hit the delete button.

By Courtney Lee, Account Coordinator

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With his signature #Ohmyy, funny memes and e-cards, and constant witty pot shots at fellow Star Trekker William Shatner, 75 year old George Takei has become a social media tour de force. Even though he’s been on both social media accounts for one year, the actor famous for his portrayal of Sulu has accumulated over 1.9 million Facebook fans and 370,000 followers on Twitter.

Numbers don’t lie. Takei has proven that he can teach viable lessons to current social media, advertising, and public relations professionals who count themselves as industry heavyweights.

What can we learn from Sulu?

Lesson #1 People Pay Attention To Creativity and Humor

Takei’s Facebook page has daily updates of funny e-cards and memes that Takei, with his long time partner Brad, discovers from the Internet. Use humor strategically to catch the public’s attention with a catchy headline or picture that would make someone smile or even better, elicit one of those LOL moments that happen at the most inopportune, but welcome, times.

Wouldn’t you smile at seeing this? (from Takei’s Facebook page: 5-24- 2012)

Lesson #2: Do The Research To Be Strategic In Your Messaging

The memes and funny e-cards that are on Takei’s Facebook and Twitter page don’t come from a magic lamp. Along with Brad, Takei builds a backlog using social media tool Hootsuite of the pictures that appear on both social media sites.

“It all depends because I have a very irregular schedule. What we do is we build up a backlog and Brad [Takei’s husband] doles them out in dribs and drabs. And other times, I’ll spend a couple of hours and add to the stockpile. Other days, I might be on it eight, nine, 10 hours!” (George Takei in Hyphen Magazine:Issue 25-Generation,” It’s More Than Ok To Be Takei”)

Spend the time to find something worth grabbing the attention of the audience you want to reach- whether you’re trying to reach a demographic of twenty something Instagram users or their parents. Your audience is worth the effort.

Lesson #3: Be Clear And Consistent

Fans know what to expect from George Takei. He posts regularly on his social media channels multiple times a day. His open support for LGBT rights and advocacy for Asian Americans is apparent in his  #It’s OK To Be Takei slogan and in his upcoming musical Allegiance, based on the internment of Japanese Americans.

What do you want your audience to know about your brand, client, and campaign? Be clear and obvious! If you want to project that your client is a hip, trendy yet delicious restaurant-hit the foodie blogs of Los Angeles up for press, not newspapers with low circulation. If you succeed in combining all three key factors in your messaging, your brand might “live long and prosper!”

-By Courtney Lee, Account Coordinator

 

 

 

Major leading shoe brand, Skechers, was just slapped with a $50m settlement by the FTC for false advertising related to its Shape-ups products. Before we blame the whole fiasco on Kim Kardashian (because if there’s one thing America can agree on, it’s that Kim Kardashian ruins everything. See: marriages, basketball players, Reggie Bush, Kanye West), the FTC’s ire appears to be Skecher’s emphasis on weight loss and misrepresenting clinical studies within the scope of its campaign.

Running ads featuring high-level celebrities (Kardashian, Joe Montana) during the most visible advertising forum (the Super Bowl) hurt Skechers more than it helped. Though the $50m settlement is a small chunk of change for the traditionally billion-dollar company, it’s twice the amount Reebok previously paid for similar charges. Skechers was fined for its claims that the Shape-ups would help purchasers lose weight. Skechers also used a clinical study run by a chiropractor, who just happened to be married to a Skechers executive, in its campaigns, ruining the impartiality of any such study.

So what exactly did Skechers do that hundreds of equally visible, big brands also do on a daily basis?

The health claims that Skechers made appears to have been the nail in its coffin. It’s dangerous, and tricky, territory when products make significant health claims, especially when you’re doing so on a national level like a Super Bowl ad. The Jenny Craig’s of the world have experience enough to be cautious on their wording, and in fact have some statistics that show they’re not complete bald-faced liars. However, taking a shoe and proclaiming it to help a user lose weight better live up to that claim, or consumers will start walking all over your brand.

Does this mean that the FTC, and consumers who clearly raised the flags for the FTC, want more honest advertising? And will they get it?

Chances are, no. Advertising will continue to use any means necessary to lure money out of wallets, regardless of the veracity of what they’re claiming. Perhaps when making genuinely serious claims such as weight loss by a pair of shoes, the mad men of Madison Avenue will be more thoughtful in what they emphasize and not make outrageous claims that prey upon the vulnerabilities of Americans who are willing to try just about anything to lose weight. And just maybe, brands will avoid Kim Kardashian in their campaigns.

 

The Bay Area Parents Leadership Action Network (PLAN) are taking an ambitious step toward improving the dialogue between Oakland’s public schools and parents by hosting the first-ever teacher-parent summit on April 26.

This Thursday at 5:30pm, at the International Community School (2825 International Blvd., Oakland), nearly 100 parents, teachers, school administrators and educational leaders will gather to discuss how to improve the education system for the most at-risk children and youth in Oakland’s communities.

By bringing parents together with the very people who shape their children’s lives, PLAN is hoping that Oakland’s education system will finally favor the young. No matter the outcome, the conversation needs to happen.

If you are a member of the press and would like to cover this gathering, please RSVP by emailing katy(at)bethechangepr.com. Obtain more information on this Summit at http://www.parentactionnet.org/?p=1389

Last week, we were lucky enough to watch the beautiful documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” Initially, we were excited for this movie because we’re huge sushi lovers. But after watching the movie, it was clear it’s a film for anyone who is passionate about what they do, and who wants to be experts at their craft, not for money, not for fame, but for personal growth.

The obsession of Jiro Ono, the titular sushi artist, drives him to eat, sleep and yes, dream of sushi. He believes in perfection through repetition, a philosophy that is also shared by one of Change Communications’ clients, Kihon Games. Kihon named themselves after the Japanese phrase that means perfection through repetition. Like Kihon, Jiro believes in learning his craft better than anyone, and that means perfecting the little things, whether it’s the perfect way of fanning sushi rice, or the perfect time to massage an octopus (45 minutes, according to Jiro).

In the movie, Jiro states that he doesn’t do what he does for money. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he can command $300 per person at his 10-seat restaurant. But regardless of what price Jiro can put on his perfection, it’s very clear that this is not a man driven by money or the kind of fame that many entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley (or just anyone with a Twitter account) seem to crave.

Sometimes, for some people, it really is about the craft. And you can be your own best competition. Being great at something is truly a lost art.

If you are lucky enough to be in a city screening Jiro Dreams of Sushi, go check it out and uncover your inner Jiro.

 

Pinterest FourSquare YouTube Flickr Twitter Facebook Google+ LinkedIn Tumblr Aretheyallstartingtoblurtogetherandoverwhelmyou?

The rapid pace of the social media landscape is exciting and definitely overwhelming. There are so many opportunities (and the majority of them low cost) but so few that end up with genuine results for your brand.

The impulse to throw your hat into every single ring is understandable. After all, you don’t want to be the brand that doesn’t have a Facebook page when every competitor has already surpassed 10k fans. But you also don’t want to be the brand that half-heartedly sets up a page on a platform where none of your customers hang out and lets the digital weeds grow.

Remember, just having presence on a social media platform does NOT make it a strategy. A strategy is developing said presence, growing your user base, engaging and exciting your fans, and seeing real ROI — whether it’s in the form of sales, biz dev or good ole fashioned brand building. Research is critical to understanding whether a platform is right for you. Perhaps you have a product that is geared toward teenage boys. Then maybe Pinterest isn’t where you should put all of your energy. Know what each platform offers, what people are doing on them (e.g. if Pinterest is for what people want to do, then Facebook/FourSquare is what people are doing) and assess it for your brand. If you’re not a location-based brand, then maybe FourSquare isn’t for you. p.s. We have some good Pinterest tips for you here.

Knowing the user base of every emerging social media platform and knowing what that user base is doing on the platform is key to your strategy. If your service or product doesn’t fit, then keep tabs on the platform as it is constantly evolving and can shift to eventually meet your needs, but don’t spend energy, resources and time on a platform where you don’t have any customers or engaged user base.

Unless you have an unlimited budget (in which case, you are Apple), you’re not going to have enough community managers and PR professionals to truly leverage all of these social media platforms. Focus on the most important ones for your audience, and the ones that make the most sense for your brand. To use a dreaded phrase, keep a finger on the pulse but don’t expend the resources that will be better suited to more productive platforms.

Mere presence on social media platforms is not a strategy. It’s not even good branding. It shows a lack of sophistication both around your brand and around the social media platform. It’s certainly a fine balance between getting swept up in media hype around the latest, greatest thing that will eventually evaporate in a matter of months, and being tragically left behind.

So just take a deep breath, relax, and start using these mediums, talk to the folks who are also experimenting with them and do your research. Once you know it’s the right place for your brand, you can then dedicate your creativity and budget without feeling stretched thin.

And don’t forget, today’s Pinterest might just be tomorrow’s Friendster.

What is “Kihon?” The word is a Japanese term referring to mastering the basics and fundamentals of martial arts. For Kihon Games, the term is a philosophy, the way that Kihon approaches their craft. This dedication to quality and creativity led to Kihon’s investment from the venerated Rick Thompson and his Signia Ventures. We are proud to work with Kihon Games and in this interview with the App Marketing Podcast, CEO Mark Grossnickle offers insight into Kihon’s process, his vision, and the surprising genesis of Kihon’s first title, the popular game “Baby Monkey (Going Backwards on a Pig),” which recently surpassed half a million downloads. Along the way, Grossnickle explains his career path, and (brag alert) Change Communications gets a nice shoutout around the 18:00 mark! Thanks, Mark! It’s been our pleasure.

Kihon’s upcoming title, “Dojo Danger,” will hit the Apple store in Q2.

This week, we got great news for three of our beloved clients so we’re celebrating with a cocktail.

Our first official client ever, eCert, won a well-deserved recognition, winning SC magazine’s award for Best Rookie Security Company. It’s an honor to be nominated but it’s way more awesome to win.

Then, one of our newer, exciting clients, ViewBug, was featured as the website of the week by e-junkie.com, highlighting the passion that is the foundation of ViewBug. The founders of ViewBug are two energetic entrepreneurs with a love for photography and a greater love for community. Getting to tell their story is absolutely thrilling.

And lastly, Kihon Games, the team that brought “Baby Monkey (Going Backwards on a Pig)” to your iPhone, announced a major investment from a revered game industry vet with impeccable taste.

The common thread for all three companies? They all love doing what they’re doing. Sound simple enough? It is, but it’s shocking how few people are actually doing it. So we salute eCert, Kihon and ViewBug for not only loving what they do but being darn good at it, too.

That’s a quote we always see on a billboard when driving to San Francisco. And it pretty much sums up our love for life and pizza. ‘Cuz we love pizza. Fancy pizza, cheap pizza, boxed pizza, microwaveable pizza, pizza pockets – you name it, we’ll eat it and enjoy it. Our favorite pizza place in L.A.? Mulberry Street Pizza. In San Francisco, we’re partial to Irving Street Pizza. NYC? Everywhere. Don’t get us started on Chicago. Our love for pizza is why we’re thrilled to work with Mobi Pizza.

Take equal parts social gaming, Yelp integration and pizza, and you’ve got the new free mobile app, Mobi Pizza. A hungry gamer’s dream, Mobi Pizza is the only independent app where users can play a Pizzeria Challenge game, make over the top “dream” pies, and check Yelp listings for local pizza parlors, all from their iOS device.

Mobi Pizza challenges players to run a successful pizzeria, while managing an overhead of $100 a day to stay in business. The Pizzeria Challenge is absolutely a time management game, as you’ll find order tickets piling up once you start creating your first pie. With the pressure of a ticking clock, this quickly becomes a game of memory and coordination, as you rush to fill and ship orders. The more pizzas you bake and ship successfully, the more money you make in a day. Mobi Pizza is even sensitive to the personal touches you add to your pizzas, paying out tips for extra sauce and toppings, and charging for botched orders. Not a pizza-pie virtuoso? No worries. As with any good app, Mobi Pizza gives you the opportunity to purchase more “Mobi Money” within the game. You’ve got to spend money to make money, right?

One of the most interesting features of the app is the Yelp integration. If you develop a craving in the middle of the game, switch to the Yelp directory to locate pizza shops close to your location. You have full access to Yelp’s listings, reviews and even directions capabilities. In the coming months, Mobi Pizza will launch a feature allowing users to order pizza directly from the app.

Mobi Pizza is a great example of combining social gaming with real usability. That, in tandem with its genuinely fun and interactive game-play will keep this new app in high rotation on our iOS. Originally created for the iPad, Mobi Pizza is also available for the iPhone and iPod, and has been optimized as a native app for both iPads and iPhones. Download the Mobi Pizza app for free from the iTunes store.