Public Relations Princess

U.S. Public Relations Makeover: "Public Diplomacy 2.0"

I read this blog post by the Baltimore Sun's Jay Hancock and it suddenly struck me: The United States of America needs a PR makeover. Good thing I have a magic wand, because as my good friend Todd Jones would say, "This is going to be a heavy lift." Basically, Jay states that the U.S. still has a shaky reputation abroad because of its actions.

It's no surprise to me that the GAO (Government Accountability Office), in its recent report, noted a new shift in public policy outreach, something that been dubbed "Diplomacy 2.0:"

Interagency efforts to adopt a new approach to public diplomacy— Dynamic shifts in how target audiences obtain and use information have led many public diplomacy practitioners to conclude that the United States must more fully engage emerging social networks and technologies (such as Facebook and Twitter) in order to remain relevant. Referred to as “Public Diplomacy 2.0,” this new approach to strategic communications is exploring ways to operate in this evolving information environment. However, substantial questions exist regarding the challenges associated with this new approach.

If the U.S. government were my client, I would tell them the hard truth: America has a bad reputation, the first thing you should do is STOP doing the bad things that are causing the bad image. Waging the unnecessary and costly war in Iraq set us back 25 years at least. I would also tell them to quit wasting so much money on mass media such as Radio Free America and propaganda leaflet dropping. There is no way to measure either effectiveness or feedback from the people we're "reaching."

Also, as the first President to fight for the right to keep his Blackberry, it does not surprise me that Obama is dragging the diplomatic corps and the State Dept. in right behind him. Using social media as a diplomatic tool makes perfect sense to me.

What it's Like to be an Agency

Todd Defren over at PR Squared turned me on to this video today. It's soooooo true. Agencies get abused like this all the time. Not ALL clients take advantage of their agencies, but in a recession, bad behavior abounds. Enjoy!

I Love U.S. Cellular

I just reread my recent Qwest rant because I responded to a nice comment made by a customer service manager there. It made me realize that I don't write enough about the good service I receive at my favorite companies and I am fixing that today by starting to talk about those companies on this blog.

My cell phone company for the last eight years has been U.S. Cellular. U.S. Cellular is the fifth largest cellular provider in the U.S. and was the first to provide service in Iowa. I am so glad they haven't been bought up by one of the big three cell companies. I like their attention to customer service and they way they treat me and my family when we come in to one of their stores. I patronize the Urbandale store and I end up in there quite often because between two teenagers and two aging parents who are add-ons to my family plan, things happen. Keyboards blow out. Batteries die. Phones get run over and dropped in toilets (my daughter Chelsey is almost as graceful as her mother).

Full disclosure here. I used to work at an agency where my client was U.S. Cellular, and I did PR for them for two years. So I got an inside look at their customer service operations, management team and the way they do business. It was impressive. The biggest asset was their incredibly dedicated team. The folks here in Iowa that I have worked with are wonderful. I still run into a few of them. Laurie Haeder, Matt Campbell and Steve Cunningham are completely dedicated to the company and are out there representing it well. All the staff at the Urbandale store (86th and Hickman) are fabulous.

Let me give you a little example of customer service. I had purchased a couple of phone accessories for my mom and dad for Christmas that they ended up not needing. So they sat in a bag in my house until I finally got around to returning them in April. I had no receipt because the purchases had been added to my bill. So I took them in and the sales associate spent a good 10 minutes tracking them down and subtracting them from my bill. He could have told me no, but the accessories were clearly unused and in their original packages. So he did the right thing. (TARGET, ARE YOU LISTENING?) And then he reviewed my minutes on my plan for me because he remembered me from the last time I came in and knew that I was concerned about going over my plan minutes with two extra people added on to my account.

I spend $200 a month with U.S. Cellular. That's a lot of money. But it's worth every penny, because they've got my back. I could go get an iPhone at AT&T, but instead I chose to purchase an iTouch and kept my U.S. Cellular phone. I know that when something goes wrong with it, I can take it to the U.S. Cellular store where a friendly technician will take it apart right in front of my eyes, believe my story about how it has been misbehaving, and then lo and behold, he will swap my phone out for a loaner or a new phone if necessary. ON THE SPOT. No waiting, no hassles, no excuses, no bs.

We are all busy people. We all like to be treated as valuable customers. U.S. Cellular has trained their people to be courteous good listeners, empathetic, and look for solutions to problems. I am very loyal to this brand and can't see myself changing anytime soon.

Good job, U.S. Cellular. You rock!

Social Media is Not a Campaign, Rather an Ongoing Conversation

I am a former campaigner. From Senator Tom Harkin in 1984, through Barack Obama in 2008, and meeting lots of candidates along the way (pictured here with Hillary Clinton in July, 2001), I have witnessed A LOT of campaigns.

In the advertising agencies I've worked at, I've also been a part of a ton of great campaigns. Some of my favorites include Tobacco Free Iowa's campaign to outlaw smoking in public places and Kum and Go's summer gas tanker giveaway.

Campaigns all have one thing in common. Campaigns all have a defined beginning and a defined end. Conversation in social media are more fluid. They have a beginning, though it may be a quiet one. But any good conversation just keeps going. Some social media types get downright adamant about it. Don't call your social media effort a "campaign." Some alternative suggestions include "conversation," "program" or "initiative."

I think the distinctions are important. A "social media campaign" implies that you are running a promotion and aren't planning to stay in for the long haul and do the hard work it takes to make a social media presence successful. Let me suggest that a new social media presence should be called an "initiative," whereas an ongoing one should be referred to as a "program." Both words suggest an ongoing commitment to a conversation and an ongoing set of expectations.

Let's face it, some campaigns just don't quite make it. So does that mean Hillary Clinton's campaign was unsuccessful? Not exactly. But it certainly wasn't permanent.

Words matter!

Vocus, Quit Bugging Me

Vocus is a service that allow public relations professionals and agencies to track publicity and gather clips and other data. It's quite a pricey service, in my opinion. But they've made a great effort lately to market their services.

Which brings me to this point. VOCUS, I'VE ALREADY TRIED YOUR DEMO. Now please send me the $50 Barnes and Noble Card you promised me six months ago and STOP bugging me.

I have received no less than 15 emails from them since my demo! So, Vocus, I assume you're employing the same technology you sell to your clients to listen to the blogosphere too. If you're listening, great. Send me my gift card and I will leave you alone. Then please leave me alone. Thanks! Email me for the address in case you don't have it.

By the way, I did send Vocus two nice emails asking to be taken off their list and that I had already done the demo. No one responded.

Update: (6 hours later) Vocus sent a nice email containing my Barnes and Noble giftcard link and promised not to call me anymore! Yeah blog! Yeah social media! :~) Thank you Vocus.

Qwest: Bad Corporate Customer Service Example

I have just spent the last few days in Qwest hell. The original problem? My six-month old wireless modem blew out. It was under warranty, so Qwest shipped me a new one. Nevermind that it was a huge inconvenience and that I couldn't work and my kids couldn't do their homework for six days...that turned out to be the least of my worries. The rep told me they would ship me a new FREE modem. Say it again. FREE.

So I finally received my FREE modem and Jim hooked it up for me. Got a couple of new computers and hooked them up, got everything all re-networked with the new FREE modem and my wireless printer. All in all, all this re-wiring and re-configuring took HOURS.

So, then I lose my job and all that. So of course, I start checking my bank account everyday to make sure I have enough money in there. Then on May 7, a mysterious debit appears. It's called "Qwest" and the amount is $181.75. This is neither the amount of my normal deduction, nor any combination of my normal deduction times two, three or even four. So I call Qwest. Qwest, by the way, only has customer service between 8-6 on weekdays. Pretty much bankers hours. So I call them, and get RayLynn on the phone. RayLynn was very nice, but she could not help me. So she dutifully took down my cell phone number, told me she would talk to her supervisor, and would call me back. Guess what happened next? ABSOLUTELYFRICKINGNOTHING. She did not call me back on that day, nor the next day, which was a Friday.

So I called them back on Monday. This time I got Chris in Sioux City, Iowa. Now, I love Sioux City. One of my favorite places on Earth. And once again, Chris was very nice. But she gave me the corporate line I was expecting. Yes, it was our fault (like it could be my fault!), and no, we can't give you your money back. The only option was to give me a credit on my bill. Now why on God's green Earth would I want to loan a jazillion-dollar company like Qwest $141 dollars for the entire summer? Especially when I need every penny I can get? By the way, if I hadn't had a few dollars in my savings account to cover the withdrawal, they would have overdrawn my account.

So Chris asked if I would like to talk to Enoch, her supervisor. Enoch, once again, was very nice. He also told me that I couldn't have my money back because they physically could not reverse the charge back into my bank account. I called bullshit on Enoch. Why? Because I used to work at a bank and I know that money flows pretty easily both ways. You have to know the EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) people at your bank. They are pretty powerful folks. They make money appear, and they taketh money away.

So once I put on my mommy voice, and very carefully explained to Enoch why I needed my own money back (like I should have to explain that!), a little lightbulb popped up above Enoch's head. It happened right after I told him that the Director of Public Affairs for Qwest in Iowa is my Facebook friend. I didn't even mention that I was a blogger. I didn't want to send Enoch's head spinning around before I got my money back. Michael, if you are reading this, aren't you proud of me for not calling you first? :~)

So Enoch FINALLY got me in touch with Doris in the EFT department. Doris, not surprisingly, was also very nice. By now, I had been on the phone with them for an hour, and it was 5:35. You guessed it! My bank was already closed. Doris dutifully wrote down my cell phone number, and promised to call me back the next day. By 4:45 yesterday, no Doris. So I called the 1800 number AGAIN. Guess what? Doris was "not working that day." I didn't catch the name of her co-worker, but she dutifully wrote down my cell phone number. Doris called me back about an hour later. But alas, my bank was closed, and we could yet again not "verify" that the money had indeed been stolen out of my account. Doris promised me that she would call me today at 2:00.

I am pleased to report that Doris did indeed call me at 2:00 today. Then we three-way called Angie at my credit union (I felt like Gretchen Wieners on Mean Girls) and Angie verified that indeed, those little red numbers that appeared on my online banking screen that indicated a withdrawl, indeed were real, and that I was not making it up. Qwest had indeed stolen $141 out of my account! I'm so glad I wasn't hallucinating because I have enough problems without hallucinations. Doris then told me my paperwork would be processing and within 24-48 hours my money would make the reverse trip to my bank account.

I have compiled a few tips for my friends at Qwest to improve their customer service experience. I hope they are listening!! By the way, a free month (or eight) of service from Qwest would go a long way to assuring that I don't completely pull the plug!

1. Stay open longer than 8-6 every day. Real people don't have three hours to spend explaining their problem to 15 different people over and over again.
2. Empower your customer service reps to solve problems the first time.
3. Fix your computer systems. The reps I spoke to took at least 15 minutes to piece together the information from my internet and phone service account. It took another 15 to figure out that my modem was indeed under warranty and another 10 to figure out the amount taken out of my account (even though I told them).
4. Asking me to verify my identity by giving my home address does not give me comfort. It just annoys the hell out of me. Who couldn't get my home address?
5. Take care of the problem and APOLOGIZE for the INCONVENIENCE. APOLOGIZE for taking away the nearly four hours of my life that I will never get back. APOLOGIZE for taking the money out and not even having a clue how it happened.

I sort of feel better now. But only sort of. The only redeeming thing I get out of this situation is that I can use this personal example in all my presentations and classes now instead of someone else's. Screen grabs already done.

Cause Marketing: Why did Candie's Pick Pregnancy Prevention as its Cause?

I feel so sorry for Bristol Palin. At the tender age of 18, she has been thrust into the spotlight by her mother, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. After she had a baby late last year with Levi Johnston, she made the following statement on national TV, "The best option is abstinence, but I don't think it's realistic at all." What a breath of fresh air that was. Obviously, she had not been reading the Bush administration's key messages on the subject. Levi has since gone on record that the couple had been using condoms...except when they didn't.

Now, she is becoming a spokesperson for the Candie's Foundation, and is back to promoting the abstinence-only message. Besides the obvious disconnect between what Bristol Palin is preaching and the reality of her own situation, I'd like to examine the decision by the Candie's Foundation to chose preventing teen pregnancy as their cause.

Let's review the top banner on the Candie's Foundation Web site. Here are the topics as they are listed: History, Facts, Tips for Teens, Tips for Parents, Event to Prevent, Partners, Donate and...wait for it..."Be Sexy Tees." WHAT?????

Candies' image is not exactly wholesome. In fact, my own mother would not let me where the vampy Candie's shoes when I was in high school. Now, they have a whole line of hoochy-mamma wear that I would not let my girls wear either. I'm not saying that wearing hoochy-mamma clothes causes one to become pregnant, but Candie's is not exactly practicing what they preach. I would argue that their brand image does not infer abstinence. I think perhaps they should re-think their decision to align themselves with this particular cause.

Maybe they should team up with Madonna to make a "what not to wear to Africa" fashion video.

Target's Point of No Return Policy

I hate to keep harping on Target, but it looks as if they are STILL not bending to public opinion about their decidedly non-customer friendly "return" policy. I would even go so far as to say the policy is, "let's make it as hard as possible to return ANYTHING policy."

A little background: About a year ago, Target's return policy changed. Now, any purchase over 90 days (receipt or not) cannot be returned. Even if the customer lives far away, or even if they can prove they purchased it through credit card records. Even if the box hasn't been opened. Even if the gift was a duplicate purchased through a wedding gift registry. I could go on, but the folks at ConsumerAffairs.com have allowed Target's own customers to rant on its site for a long time. Just click on over and give it a read. You'll see what I'm talking about.

I still shop at Target for some stuff, but since this return policy has been instituted, I would think twice about registering for wedding gifts there. I am engaged now, so this is a real decision I am making, not just some arbitrary "threat." Where will my dozens of wedding guests go to buy gifts? A place where I could not return unopened duplicates without a receipt? I think not.

Drake University and IRIS: A Look at the Student Campaign Program

I had the distinct privilege of viewing and judging the Drake PR Class of 2009's Campaigns presentations to their "client," this year, an organization called IRIS. There were five groups from Drake presenting as if they were an agency. Each person in the group had a specific role and the presentations each lasted 25 minutes. The groups had the task of presenting a public relations plan to IRIS, and based on the organization's needs, creatively addressing how they would tackle promoting the non-profit using a limited budget.

First of all, I must say how completely blown away I was by the professional presentations I saw. Though each group took a different approach to the challenges IRIS is facing, the ideas represented and the manner in which the groups presented their ideas was inspiring. It made me very proud to represent the public relations profession and very confident that the next wave of young professionals being released into the talent pool is ready to work! Congratulations to Ronda Menke and her colleagues at Drake for teaching a new group of students to prepare for the workforce and hone their many talents!!

A personal benefit of attending this presentation was to learn more about IRIS. I had never heard of it before, but now that I know more about it, I can't possibly keep this information to myself. IRIS stands for Iowa Resource for International Service. It has programs that promote cultural exchange and international understanding, and its most prominent program is an exchange program called YES. YES brings 50 young people from Nigeria and Tanzania to Iowa for a year of study, and students live with host families. Most students are Muslim and one of the big benefits of the program is to promote cultural exchange between the Muslim students and their mostly Christian host families.

IRIS is located in Ames and is looking for host families to expand their YES program. If you have an extra room in your house and a desire to promote international understanding, contact IRIS and open your home to one of these students. I hope someday to be able to host a student, but until then, I wish IRIS all the best in their PR efforts. Judging from what I saw at Drake yesterday, there is a great possibility that you will be hearing more about IRIS and its programs in the near future!