LEWIS 360°

Blogger - did you get love to give love?

To borrow from Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changin’.” The Federal Trade Commission has formalized new mandates for bloggers, requiring them to disclose whether the products they cover were sent by companies seeking coverage.

Now, anyone who writes online reviews or endorses products using social media (even Twitter) must say when they receive payment, including merchandise, for doing so. According to the Boston Globe, these new rules update FTC’s guide from 1980, which assigned marketing rules for the digital realm. The abyss of the online world makes it hard to decipher whether enthusiasm is due to a great product, or a free product.

 

The FTC’s associate director of consumer protection, Mary Engle, says print or television ads are obviously ads, but a regular periodic review of guides in 2007 illustrated a need to update them, based on new media. According to the Wall Street Journal, however, the FTC isn’t sure yet how to enforce the new rules.

 

What’s it all mean to you?

You’ve undoubtedly also seen a product so extolling that you wondered whether it was an ad. But, if you weren’t sure, you might have wanted to believe the good news and made a purchase. As a consumer, you may appreciate the principle. However, not everyone is on board. Some bloggers don’t intend to comply. Others are adding disclaimers to their posts.

 

Either way, the new rules mean it will be easier to distinguish between credible news and paid content. And that could be a good thing.

Video - crisis management in social media

I wanted to share the full video (38:19) of our crisis management in social media webinar which we held earlier this month. This is a recording of the entire session, but we'll be running it live again in the near future if you'd like to jump in with questions.

My thanks once again to everyone who attended. Hope it's useful.

Sign up for a place at March 10 Summit

On March 10 LEWIS PR, in partnership with Salesforce.com, is hosting an event which focuses on the role social media is playing in the upcoming election. Do politicians need to start making friends on Facebook or setting up their own Twitter accounts? And was Gordon Brown's debut on YouTube something voters will be seeing a lot more of in the future?

Political blogger and journalist Paul Evans will be joined by a panel of digital politicos, including Tom Watson MP in the heart of Westminster to debate some of these issues and more, as the UK gears up for its first hi-tech hustings.

Places are limited so, if you’d like to get in on the debate, register now for your place.

Since posting, we are pleased to announce that the Evening Standard's Deputy Political Editor, Paul Waugh, has joined the panel line-up.

Social media is just for B2C. Isn't it?

Well that's the impression you'd get if you read the hundreds of articles whirling the web on the subject. If you work in the B2B space and wonder how you can get a piece of the social media pie believe me, you're not alone.

This was the topic for our latest digital dinner held last night at Charlotte Street Hotel with representatives from some leading B2B firms. The question of whether this social media 'thang' can really help attract the attention of a CFO was at the heart of the debate.

The term 'social media' is now very much a permanent fixture (and sometimes a curse) on the agendas for many PR and marketing professionals. The problem for many though, is that for an organisation to be considered 'good' at social media, it has to relinquish control over the channels it seeks to influence. As one PR manager put it: 'Control is sooo 20th century.'

Ultimately this is the trick B2B firms have to come to terms with if they are really going to make social media work for them. While a CFO might not respond directly to a tweet, the increase in reputation that social media can bring to an organisation can increase the chance of even getting on his radar. 

Social media at work: striking a balance

Exactly where do employers draw the line when regulating how their staff use social media? This question is back on the agenda after LEWIS PR tabled Freedom of Information requests with the Ministry of Justice and Metropolitan police.

The information which emerged revealed more than 70 staff had been disciplined for misusing social networking sites and the internet in the past two years. Four staff were actually sacked by the MoJ, and three are on final warnings, indicating the seriousness of what has been happening.

This is a problem which is not going to go away in hurry - and is especially pressing in public law enforcement agencies where security issues are at stake. How exactly do employers allow staff to do their job online while ensuring they do not spend their time bringing the organisation into disrepute or leaking confidential or sensitive material? (Remember, LEWIS also discovered 10 Ministry of Defence personnel had been disciplined after secret information was leaked 16 times on social networking sites. when it tabled another FoI request.)

It might be possible to implement an outright ban on using sites such as Facebook and Twitter in the office but these social media channels can also be valuable work tools. And what happens when staff return home and log on to their own computers?

The Met, MoJ and MoD all have rules and regulations on proper computer usage but it is clear they still have a lot of work to do in educating their staff properly about policies on internet use. This area needs to be taken far more seriously with staff left in no doubt whatsoever about the penalties for breaching the guidelines.

Good Times for Washington Nationals Fans

If the following is an example of the future of journalism - bring it on.

You see, the Washington Nationals former beat reporter for the Washington Times, Mark Zuckerman, was let go at the end of 2009. In fact, about two dozen of his other colleagues from the sports department were laid off as well. Mark wrote a heartfelt and sincere good bye to his readers on December 30, 2009.

For those of you who know me, you're probably scratching your head, "Why the heck is Rich writing about the Washington Nats? He's a die-hard Red Sox fan!? And wait, this is a blog about PR, journalism and new media, not major league baseball!!"

Let me assure you, I don't care about the Nats, per se, but I do care about how the fans will get their fix now that the Times' has ceased local sports coverage. But from what I've seen since early February, the Nats fans needn't worry.

The reason - Mark is now publisher, EIC, staff blogger, copy editor, and intern of his very own blog Nats Insider.

Mark's fledgling journalistic venture is the future of journalism, people - writing copy his readers want, allowing readers to easily vent and ask questions, engaging them directly in the comments, creating interesting, conversational and controversial analysis. Basically, delivering information much more effectively than his former employer could ever dream of (and even his former employer's competitor). And if you're wondering, Mark still holds his Baseball Writers Association of America card which gives him access and guarantees admittance to any major-league press box/clubhouse. So it's not as if he's blogging from the sidelines.

Even one of Mark's readers commented: "The Technology was so clunky at the times Blog Mark, every day a new signon process or ID....now we can converse" We can relate to that with many of our own local media outlets, can't we?

So how are things going for Mark?

Well, in a February 4 post, a reader asked if he were heading to the Nats' spring training camp to which Mark answered: "Since I'm not getting paid to write this blog, at the moment I can't afford to go to Viera for more than a couple of days. But I'm exploring some other ways to try to make it happen."

Not one week later, he had raised nearly $10,000 from reader contributions to finance a trip to spring training and report daily from the Nats' camp. How about that? And to think it took Newsday three months to collect $9,000 from all of 35 subscribers...

Amidst all of the bloodletting in and across newsrooms, it's certainly inspiring to read about journalists like Mark who have the guts and drive to continue delivering valuable content on a new platform - even if the pay sucks - for now.

Mainstream media better wake up soon and realize we readers care more about the name on the back of the jersey, than the name on the front.

Well done, Mark. I may just start keeping up on the Nats now!

LEWIS US – Best Practices for Embargoes

What is an embargo good for? Increasingly, reporters say “nothing.” They’ve had it up to here with pre-embargoed press releases, unscrupulous, side-dealing PR reps and colleagues who keep “accidentally” jumping the gun. They’re through. They’ve sworn off. And listening to their hair-raising stories, who can blame them?

We still believe embargoes have their place -- under the right circumstances, for the right news, handled in the right way. But how can reporters know what they’re signing up for when they accept an embargo? In the interest of transparency and accountability, we’ve decided to publish the best practice guidelines we give to our US teams.

This is a living document, not an exhaustive, final statement of policy. No doubt we’ll add to it and modify it over time (and note that different practices may apply outside of the US). Your input is an important part of that process. If you have any thoughts, or want to share your own agency’s practices, we welcome your feedback.

Embargo Best Practices (US version)

1. Use embargoes as rarely as possible

As a rule, PR professionals embargo too much. While slapping an embargo on routine news can sometimes boost coverage, over the long run it undermines our credibility and that of our clients. It complicates reporters’ jobs and makes them reluctant to accept embargoes on more important announcements. This is a bad habit that afflicts the entire industry, and it will take time to improve. But for our part, we should steadily decrease our use of embargoes, reserving them for our clients’ most important news, and even then only if appropriate.

2. Never provide embargoed material without agreeing the embargo first

Reporters have a professional duty to write what they know. Until a reporter has agreed to an embargo, all communications should be considered fair game for publication. Always get written or verbal agreement to an embargo before providing the news, and never include embargoed news in the same e-mail as an embargo request. The one exception to this rule comes with certain trade publications that have a stated policy of observing embargoes on all news sent to them.

3. Communicate embargo times explicitly, clearly and consistently

Embargo offers should prominently display the date and time the embargo will lift.

Don't forget time zone differences and make sure clients, embargoed reporters, and all members of the PR team receive the same information.

4. Keep embargo groups small, manageable and reliable

The more people you include in an embargo, the more likely the embargo will break. For the sake of all parties involved, especially the reporters investing their time in your announcement, offer embargoes to as few people as practical, and only to those who consistently honor them.

5. Give all reporters the same embargo time

Enough said.

6. Resist ‘side deals’

It rarely happens, but vigorously resist any attempt by a client to give favored reporters permission to publish early. Embargoes depend on trust. If reporters can’t trust us with one client, they have no reason to trust us with others.

7. If the embargo breaks, the embargo is off

If any reporter breaks an embargo, immediately contact all other reporters in the group to apologize and confirm that the embargo is lifted. Never try to hold a broken embargo.

8. Never deal embargoes for scores

Related to numbers 4 and 6. Never offer to lift an embargo in exchange for a positive review.

Do you pass the good client test?

Thought I’d respond to my colleague Noah’s excellent post this morning about how agencies can create a lasting relationship with their clients. This time though, let’s look at it through the lens of the agency staffer. We've heard a lot over the past 18 months about how the PR agency model has to evolve to survive, especially as we all emerge, shaken but not broken, from a battered economy.

But what about the client? Where are they in this complex landscape, and what part do they need to play in the industry’s ongoing evolution? How does a client’s behavior impact the way the PR team works? How do we take it beyond mere supplier/client?

The best results come from a two-way, productive and collaborative working relationship between the two. Indeed, this is how we counsel clients on the way they should engage with reporters, influencers, and communities. Engage, don’t merely broadcast your view. Respect opinion. Gather feedback. Foster a healthy debate where both sides bring value to the table.

But clients, how do you measure up under this microscope? (Be honest!) Here are a few simple, yet perhaps surprising questions that might help you figure it out:

·        Is your agency team’s performance integrated into your own professional development? Go on, you can be honest here. You’re far more likely to foster collaboration with your agency if you have a vested interest in seeing them succeed. Of course, we hope that all our clients want to see us succeed, but there’s nothing like the question of your own career development to push that into overdrive, even more so than the CEO breathing down your neck. NOTE: If the answer to this question is yes, have you shared these metrics with your agency team? It goes without saying that your team will always strive to perform, but sharing your very personal goals or MBOs will really inspire them to go the extra mile. And when it’s this personal, you’ll figure out fast that collaboration is the easiest and fastest way to achieve success.

·      Do you share positive feedback with your agency team? The simple act of sharing some props you got from your own manager, or sometimes even the CEO, or that tricky spokesperson you’ve been working hard to bring on board; will really help your team feel like part of the team. In the same way that we all share responsibility for fixing any problems, an agency team will be cheered and motivated by even just a sliver of positive feedback or public kudos. We’re like puppies really. Tickle us and we’ll roll over. Ok, maybe not…

·      Do you think before you press ‘send’? Let’s get real here shall we? We all have bad days. The kind of day where the s**t has hit the fan before you even reach the office and where that tempting episode of Lost and a glass of wine is still 12 hours away. In those situations, tempting as it might be to kick us when we're all down and haul us over the coals, we'd much rather spend our time fixing the problem. Trust us on this – there is nothing more demoralizing for your faithful team than a pissy email at the end of a long, difficult day.

·      Do you expect your team to work for free? A tricky one this, and I know it’s contentious. Time management is an essential part of being an agency PR pro, and it’s how you balance that time between multiple priorities to achieve the best results across the board, that marks you out as a stellar performer. Part of that is being upfront about the time you spend with each client, and how that squares with the budget you are allocated by that client in order to do the job. Again, trust us on this – no agency works for free. And if they do, they’re not exactly operating on the type of business footing that reassures you they’ll still be around in 10 years’ time… LEWIS is proud of its commercial track record, but what does that mean to you, the client? It means that we’re transparent about how much investment you’ll need to get business-changing results. That we’re predictable with your spend, so you don’t get any nasty invoice surprises month to month. That we don’t play guessing games with your budget, with your time, or with ours. It also means that we value the time of our team. After all, our people are our best asset. And if we don’t value the time of our team, why would you?

·      Do you know your team on a personal level? In the agency world, we hope that we're good at getting to know our clients. We try and remember birthdays, celebrate milestones, and generally remember that we're all human! But how much do you know about your agency team? You know, the same team that delivers reports and results on a daily basis? Taking a little time to get to know us is a great way to motivate us.

What say you about these questions? Agree/disagree? Let us know in the comments.

Meet your own standards

One of the side-effects of multitasking, is that we end up with too many tasks. We take on more than we can deliver to a high standard. Instead we skim across the top of each activity doing the 80% in 20% of the time, and ignoring the rest. This is great for feeling important because we're in so much demand.

For many activities, just enough is good enough. The problem comes when we apply this 80% universally to all activities. We become blind to what excellence really means. To the value in putting in the extra effort to get something that is perfect. In short, we get accustomed to not meeting our own standards, and numb to how that feels. But over time, ignoring the feeling that we could do better eats away at our motivation. It erodes our capacity to deliver 100%. If you can't remember what it's like to focus on one task until it's perfect, then how do you recognize perfection?

That's why it's important to resist the sugar-rush of multitasking. Don't apply Pareto's Law to every activity - be selective. Some tasks do not warrant the full force of your manifest abilities. But others will move the needle and create a 'wow' moment if you exceed expectations. Don't shortchange these opportunities, just to check them off the list. In fact, ignore five others so you can do this one thing well. If not for your team or your client, do it for yourself.

Share the love: Create a lasting client relationship

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be a good opportunity to provide some reminders on how to create a positive client relationship that will last through the years.

1. Get to know your client, personally. What does your client like to eat, drink? What is his / her favorite sports team, TV show, actor? If you don’t get to know your client, you are missing out on a great opportunity to create a long-lasting relationship. We all work hard, clients are busy, but getting to know your contact on a personal level can pay dividends for years to come. You don’t need to be BFFs with clients, but at least make the effort to go beyond the day-to-day work and create a meaningful relationship.

2. Understand the best communications tool. Does your client prefer email, phone, Twitter, Facebook or IM? It might sound basic, but if you don’t know the preferred method, you can spend hours trying to reach your client. Of course, when an editor calls on deadline you might need to use all of the above.

3. Be flexible. An important part of any PR campaign is planning, but allow some room for change. Product availability slips, messaging changes, life happens. Live with it and move on, don’t ever become so rigid that it impacts the relationship with a client.

4. Be there. As in any relationship, show attention to detail. Be on time. Be attentive. And sometimes, being good at your job just means you’re there when your client needs to vent – about the product pipeline, horrific shipping incident or busy tradeshow. The skill of diplomatically showing understanding and concern can go a long way.

I know there are many other tips, what do you do to help foster a positive relationship? I’d love to hear from both clients and agency reps.

For a bit of fun leading up to Valentine’s Day, check out this mock Facebook client / agency breakup we put together, enjoy!