Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
Currently athletes from around the globe are competing on the world’s largest stage—the Olympic Games. The opening ceremonies in Pyeongchang brought in 27.8 million viewers. For the 2016 Rio Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) estimated that half of the world’s population, roughly 3.6 billion people, would watch at least one minute of the games. That’s quite an audience—and naturally, it is something most brands want to take advantage of.
However, despite the variety of advertisements and marketing materials featuring athletes, brand engagement with the Olympic Games, as well as the athletes themselves, is actually incredibly limited around the time of competition due to Rule 40.
Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter states that athletes competing in the Games may not appear in any advertising or marketing material during the games-time period, typically the week before competition, the two weeks of competition, and the week following competition, without expressed consent from their national Olympic committees. In the case of the United States, this is the United State Olympic Committee (USOC). 
So what exactly does that mean? Well, official partners of Team USA, not to be confused with the IOC, are authorized to feature competing athletes in advertising or marketing materials during the games-time period so long as the content has been approved by the USOC. This makes sense for most material as commercials, billboards and packaging are often planned far in advance.
However, it is quite interesting to see how the rule is being applied to social media. Social media has become a platform for fans and brands to interact directly with athletes, celebrities and influencers. It has also created a way for brands to react quickly to events. For instance, Oreos “you can still dunk in the dark” tweet stole the show during the Super Bowl power outage in 2013.
Similarly, athletes are making history daily at the Olympic Games. Already we’ve seen two 17-year olds win gold medals for Team USA, Mirai Nagasu was the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympics, Shaun White won his third gold medal and there’s still plenty of competition left.
However, because of Rule 40, brands cannot interact with athletes publicly unless they are an official partner of Team USA and the content they post is approved by the USOC. Many of these athletes have been supported by a variety of sponsors throughout their journey to the Olympic Games, but cannot publicly wish them good luck or congratulate them on their success until about a week after the closing ceremonies—defeating the purpose of social media.
For some big brands, this may not have as big an impact, but for smaller brands that have invested a significant amount of their marketing budgets in these athletes, they end up missing out on major opportunities for exposure, especially considering many of these athletes have built impressive followings on social media. For instance, Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, Mikaela Shiffrin, Gus Kenworthy and Chloe Kim all have about 500,000-1 million Instagram followers. One Seattle company, Oiselle, supported a track athlete and was restricted on how they expressed their excitement for her after a very successful performance at the Olympic Trials in 2016. The company shared its frustrations with The Seattle Times.
The IOC explains that the purpose of the rule is to prevent over-commercialization of the Olympics. The games are about bringing together the world’s best amateur athletes in spirited competition that promotes unity. And while it is great to see a historic, monumental and often moving event stay focused on its values, it will be interesting to see if the rule ever evolves to ease up a bit on the limits and restrictions around brands congratulating or celebrating athletes on social media.
We’ll have to wait and see, but until then, good luck to the athletes of Team USA!
In our book, Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR, we wrote about the shifting marketing landscape. At the time, close to 10 years ago, we argued that PR was more strategic than ever due to reputation, fragmentation, and saturation. Since that time, these trends have continued to expand at an exponential rate, reinforcing and building the importance of public relations.
Social Media Defines Your Public Relationships
Consider reputation: In our book, we wrote about the power of the internet to rapidly disseminate information about your company, brand and identity. What we did not explore was the dissemination of “fake news,” the changing ways we consume news, and the evolution of crisis and reputation management in the digital age. A tweet from President Trump or an employee/partner misstep or wrongdoing can create a firestorm in an instant that can damage a brand’s reputation.
These changes increase risk to companies and their brands. KPMG’s- Global CEO Outlook 2017 survey found that CEOs cited reputational and brand risk as the third most important risk out of 16 in total. The survey also revealed that CEOs also see “reputation and brand risk as having the second biggest potential impact on growth over the next three years.” Given the role PR plays in building and protecting reputations, the industry is likely to see increased demand for these services, especially digital reputation management.
Healthy Relationships Begin with Trust, Authenticity and Listening
Similarly, fragmentation has continued with more and more sites, blogs and sources available. Data aggregators and solution providers have adapted to these changes, enabling marketers to directly target specific audiences through consumer purchasing behavior, life-event targeting, and search engine marketing. These solutions make it easier for marketers to directly reach their target audiences.
However, the power of marketers to influence behavior relies on delivering content that resonates with those target audiences and fostering these direct relationships in authentic and valuable ways. Lean Cuisine’s “Weigh this” campaign represented a “massive pivot” from its prior messaging and focused on developing an authentic and connected relationship with its consumer. Results from the campaign show a 33 percent increase in positive brand perception and importantly “a drastic spike in sales, reversing a 6 year decline.” The most successful of these content programs integrate with PR, leveraging the team’s ability to build a compelling narrative that reinforces the brand messaging and aligns with the company’s business objectives.
Make the Message Emotionally Valuable to Your Audience
Saturation has increased with the prevalence of mobile devices and social media. Consumers are continually exposed to marketing messages and the noise is overwhelming. This noise and flood of information, makes it harder for companies to establish strong awareness and own a position in a consumer’s mind. With this noise, it appears consumers are more influenced by their friends and family. Data from a recent survey of 2,000 adults in the U.S., UK and Australia shows that “60 percent of consumers (and 70 percent of Millennials) said social content from friends and family impact their purchasing decisions – while only 23 percent said celebrity influencer content was impactful.”
This shift in communication is redefining how we interact as humans, and how brands effectively tell their story to the right audience. Success will be measurable and sustainable for brands that can deliver valuable messaging in a consumable way.
Eight years ago, the advertising industry was facing a significant challenge due to these trends. Traditional advertising was declining and digital ad spending was on the rise. However, since that time saturation, fragmentation and reputational risk have increased, and digital advertising has evolved. Ads are still perceived as less credible then editorial content. To that point, in a recent interview, Publicis Groupe’s Rishad Tobaccowala shared a prediction that advertising to reach consumers will decline 20 to 30 percent during the next five years.
Similarly, the lines between what is driven by PR and communication versus the advertising teams continue to blur. Fortunately, as businesses leverage advertising and PR to achieve specific business objectives, the core principles of our book hold steady for both advertising and PR teams alike.
We plan to revisit the content of Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR and provide updates and insights via blog posts moving forward. Watch for tweets with #PowerofPR to follow along. Feel free to tweet your thoughts and comments with this hashtag to participate in the discussions. We hope you will share your perspective along the way.
Recently, it’s become apparent that people will do just about anything, no matter how dangerous, to become internet-famous. Who could have guessed that eating highly concentrated packets of laundry detergent – an activity that can possibly kill you – would become an internet sensation?
For those who are not yet aware, the Tide Pod Challenge is a social-media trend that has inspired countless memes and tweets about eating single-load laundry packets that seem to look somewhat like candies with their shape and bright colors. Apparently the similarity is so striking that teenagers are videoing themselves eating the Tide Pods and uploading the video to social media platforms for bragging rights.
These bragging rights are not worth the potential harm it can cause the human body. Laundry detergent, especially in the highly concentrated form that Tide Pods are, is incredibly toxic. According to Consumer Reports, these pods typically consist of ethanol, hydrogen peroxide and soap. Those three elements combined have the power to “literally eat away at the tissue that makes up your gums and inner cheeks.” After turning your mouth into a caustic chemical wasteland, the same will happen to your esophagus, stomach, and other parts of your gastrointestinal tract. Inevitable intense vomiting and diarrhea will follow, and if you don’t seek medical attention, it is a quick route to seizures, coma and eventually death.
A few years ago, Tide Pods drew negative attention for their harmful effects on toddlers who had accidentally gotten into the packaging. Proctor and Gamble (P&G), Tide’s parent company responded by adjusting the dissolvable plastic to be thicker and harder to bite through, as well as adding a bitter taste to prompt spitting the pod out. Little did P&G know that it would soon be dealing with a different crisis: people intentionally hurting themselves with its product that is clearly marked as toxic.
Since Jan. 1, 2018, the The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) reports that there have been 157 cases of “intentional exposure among teens to single-load laundry packets.” Because the total number of cases in 2017 was just 53, the rate that this internet sensation is gaining popularity is extremely alarming.
In accordance with P&G’s swift response to its crisis with toddlers ingesting the detergent, it has arguably been just as proactive and comprehensive with this latest problem. In an effort to hinder the virality of the phenomenon, P&G moved quickly to work with social media sites like YouTube and Instagram to get the harmful videos removed. On Jan 17., YouTube announced it would be deleting all videos associated with the Tide Pod Challenge, saying that the videos violated a rule that prohibits content that is, “…intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm.”
Also using social media platforms in their favor, crisis teams with P&G used two-way communication with consumers to ensure its key messages were being disseminated to the right audiences. An example of this communication is P&G releasing a public service announcement featuring the New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski.
https://twitter.com/tide/status/951940660499755008
This PSA appears to be constructive because P&G contracted someone with whom teenagers are familiar and who can reach these social media users on a peer level.
After asserting that, “even the most stringent standards and protocols, labels and warnings can’t prevent intentional abuse fueled by poor judgment and the desire for popularity,” P&G’s CEO David Taylor implored the public for help in a Jan. 22 blog post. “Let’s all take a moment to talk with the young people in our lives and let them know that their life and health matter more than clicks, views and likes. Please help them understand that this is no laughing matter.”
P&G’s key messages were very clearly thought out. Because P&G clearly marked its labels with “Keep out of Reach of Children” and “Do Not Ingest”, it was smart for P&G not to apologize for the mistakes of consumers. This way, “They validated public concerns, yet made it clear they don’t consider themselves responsible” said marketing professor Americus Reed.
On Feb. 6, 2018, Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas and Sen. Brad Hoylman of New York wrote a letter to P&G asking for a design change that would make Tide Pods look less appetizing and less like “Gummy Bears.” If P&G were to make this change, it poses the question if an uglier detergent pod will deter teenagers from seeking internet popularity? Or is the potential fame too enticing? Time will tell.
If someone you know ingests a laundry packet or has a question about the risk of exposure to one, immediately contact the national Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222. The AAPCC poison control experts are available 24/7 and free of charge.
At the beginning of each year, I review and sign the PR Council’s “Code of Ethics and Principles” as part of Communiqué PR’s membership renewal. The PR Council is an industry association committed to advancing its member firms’ business and there are more than 100 firms who belong to the organization. Firms of all sizes have joined the PR Council for its proprietary data and research, roundtable and networking events, and for its education programs, which are designed to empower the next generation of communication professionals.
Every year when I read the Code of Ethics, I am reminded of the importance of acting with the highest level of ethical conduct as we provide public relations and communication services to our clients. As such, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit the topic of ethics and explore what it means for our industry.
First, a refresher on the meaning of ethics. According to Wikipedia, ethics, also referred to as moral philosophy, “is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, 
and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct.” In the practice of public relations, the PR Council and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) have well-established and helpful guidelines for ethical behavior and/or conduct that adheres to professional industry standards.
In today’s media and political climate, it is more important than ever to review these principles and to ensure we act in a manner that is honest, transparent and morally sound. We need to conduct our business so we systematically adhere to these guidelines – even when it is difficult or challenging to do so.
Consider the following: In adherence with the PR Council’s Code of Ethics around protecting the integrity of client information, member firms reserve “the option to represent more than one client in an industry sector, but any apparent conflicts must be vetted with relevant clients.”
This means that if a PR firm represents Alaska Airlines, it has the right to provide services to Delta Airlines, but that the partnership must be transparent with both parties. Clearly, this is the right thing to do, because of potential conflicts of interest and representing companies with competing interests could make it difficult or impossible to fulfill one’s duties in an impartial manner.
When representing more than one client in an industry sector, there is also the potential of damaging one’s credibility with journalists. Imagine a PR professional contacting a journalist on a Monday to espouse the benefits of Alaska Airlines over other airline competitors. How could this same PR person possibly call the same reporter on a Tuesday to promote Delta Airlines? This would be damaging to the PR person’s credibility with the journalist. This example is extreme, but it illustrates the point.
Another principle that stands out as deserving special attention is the need to “honor our role in society.” As the PR Council outlines, the services we provide day-in and day-out are vital to facilitating public discourse. The conversations about key issues and initiatives regarding technology, medicine, science and new products are essential to our democracy and society. Oftentimes, when one is working a pitch or campaign, it is easy to forget the importance of our work and how it supports the larger society. However, by supporting the sharing of accurate and timely information with journalists and others, we enable vital education, debate and examination. Just take a look at some of the press releases that communicators have developed and distributed recently:
● Society Under Strain: Americans Struggle with Technology’s Impact, Look to Policymakers and Internet Companies for Solutions
● Robust Job Market for Grads Continues in 2018
● The War on Cancer has Failed
While scanning these press release headlines, one can only imagine the sorts of questions and debates that might arise as journalists write and publish articles, and readers comment and react to them.
In any event, I would encourage anyone in the business of public relations or communications to review the PR Council’s Code of Ethics and the PRSA’s Code of Ethics. There are some powerful reminders about the best ways to conduct oneself as a PR professional.
I recently started an online course through Coursera called “Learning How to Learn,” after a colleague recommended it. While there are no shortcuts that completely revolutionize the way that we learn new information, there are several tips and tricks that people can employ to enhance their pursuits.
For me, my biggest breakthrough came in the second week of the course. In week one, we learned about the different modes of thinking: focused and diffuse modes, which Jennifer Gehrt wrote about in a blog post titled, “Master Your Mental Toolbox in 2018.” While I found focused and diffuse modes of thinking interesting, my biggest “ah-ha!” moment was in week two when I learned about “chunking.”
When you learn something new, your brain creates chunks of knowledge to help to understand a concept. The easiest way to understand “chunking” is to think of chunks of information as a puzzle. Each chunk is a set of separate pieces that, once connected, allows you to see the full picture of the puzzle.
Building these chunks is not always easy. To build a solid chunk of information or understanding, it takes intent, focus and repetition to make the. In fact, there are even some popular study habits that stunt chunk development. Some of these habits include:
- Highlighting too many notes in a text book or notebook. By highlighting too much information, you can overwhelm your brain with facts and limit your brain from un
derstanding the context of how or when to use the chunk. - Studying material you already know. Often it is tempting and affirming to review material you already have mastered, but this is problematic because this creates a false sense of mastery. Instead of feeling like there is more to be learned, our brain relays messages of completion. Think of math. Just because we know the pythagorean theorem specifically, does not mean we know algebra as a whole.
There is also a concept called the “Illusion of Competence,” which is when the mind completes a task related to learning and you think the learning is done, when in reality, learning has not taken place. Think of a student in lecture who is flipping between note-taking, texting, and tweeting for example. The student may feel that the lecture was easy, but in reality, the mind was not fully engaged with the material. This gives a false sense of understanding, which tends to cause a relaxation, because the student feels he or she knows the material and will not need to review or think deeper.
Barbara Oakley, one of the course instructors recommends these strategies to help improve comprehension and information retention so you can successfully build chunks of knowledge and avoid the Illusion of Competence:
- Recall: After reading material or a lecture, try and comprehend as much as you can without referring to notes. This will show how much information you retained initially.
- Self-testing: You should try and quiz yourself to see how much you know — another variation of recall. This is one of the most effective ways to retain information.
Studies have shown that those who were able to recall the information after reviewing it knew the material better than those who simply reread the material multiple times. And by self-testing, you challenge yourself to focus more on the material, rather than quickly skimming over it and tricking your brain into a false sense of competency.
If you’re interested in learning how to learn, I would encourage you to check out Coursera’s free online course. It has been of tremendous value to help me understand how the mind works and how I can take further control of my own learning, whether it is in the classroom or when you’re attempting to build new professional or personal skills.
This past week I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong and attend the Public Relations Network’s first Digital Forum. PRN is a network of approximately 25 PR agencies from around the world. Communiqué PR is a U.S. agency with partner firms in India, South Africa, Asia and Europe to name a few. As members of this network, these agencies have the opportunity to share case studies, solve problems and discuss PR best practices.
PRN Digital Forum 2018 brought together executives from different regions and industries. As noted in the title, the conference had an overarching focus on digital transformation, and the panels and keynote presentations discussed the role “digital” has played in PR and media, retail, Fintech, ecommerce and shipping and logistics.
Not only was this a great opportunity to learn about another culture and its businesses, it was my first business trip and first trip to Asia wrapped into one. During the week I had the opportunity to meet the other agencies in the network and chat with attendees at the conference. It was fascinating to hear perspectives on the past, current and predicted business situation in Asia, as well as other regions in the network.
The panel, “The Digital Impact on Media and the PR Industry,” moderated by Communiqué’s own Colleen Moffitt, discussed some of the benefits and challenges digital has provided for PR professionals and their clients. For example, digital can improve a company’s ability to track metrics and foster direct engagement, but it has also made it difficult to connect with journalists and customize content, and has single handedly driven the decline of print media. It was especially interesting to learn how digital has shaped media in different countries, both positively and negatively. A controversial topic of discussion during the event was whether or not paid content would eventually trump quality news; although a terrifying thought, with some in belief it would, the majority of attendees had faith that hard facts and quality journalism will always be preferred.
In nearly every presentation, Amazon was mentioned. If it wasn’t for its quick delivery, it was for its innovative stores and booming success in a number of industries. It was exciting be able to closely grasp and visualize the bar that companies are trying to meet and exceed in their own industry. Living only blocks away from an AmazonFresh Pick Up, I was able to share my firsthand experience with the brand and truly understand how about how it is massively impacting local and global industries and their planning.
Along the way I also picked up a few best practices for business travel, particularity international travel. For one, make sure you know the time difference of your destination. Although seemingly obvious, understanding and communicating this with your colleagues and clients will help you plan for the time you are out. If there is a particularly drastic time difference (i.e., Hong Kong was 16 hours ahead of Seattle), it can also be beneficial to arrive a few days earlier than the conference start date to adapt to the time change. I recognize that this is not always feasible due to finances and schedules, but it is definitely worth considering.
Another business travel best practice is to embrace the networking opportunity and meet new people. For me this tip is easier said than done. I can get shy and channel my inner introvert at business events, however, during the trip and conference I focused on breaking this habit and getting to know the people around me. After fully rejecting the nerves, I embraced the occasion and introduced myself to the people in the network and at the conference.
While waiting in the coffee line at the event, I met with a woman who had no connection to the PR network, but who was making an industry change (from fashion to tech) and was eager to network and learn more about some of the marketing best practices. Another woman I met works at a wine distribution company. Given the limited budget for PR expenses, she wanted to chat with professionals about strategies implementing PR practices on a smaller scale. By breaking out of my shell, talking and listening to these individuals and many others, I was exposed to perspectives and learned about companies I would likely have never experienced if not for attending the event and speaking up.
One last tip I will share not only applies to business, but international travel in general. A great way to experience and embrace yourself in another culture, is to try out the public transportation and local cuisine. We did just this and mastered Hong Kong’s MTR underground train and made an effort to eat a few dishes that scared us. Mastering the train became a running joke, but provided us with the opportunity to see the city’s population outside of the business district and in the rush of their everyday routines. We also ate pidan, known as the thousand-year-old egg, which is a preserved duck egg. Here is a link to the Wikipedia page for full understanding (and condolences).
Duck egg and all, I am so grateful for this experience and look forward to business trips in the future.