All in Reputation Management
Toyota's PR nightmare are like falling dominosNews from the crisis world brings us to the mess Toyota still finds themselves in -- a mess that just got messier with various reports pointing towards an email from a company exec to another Toyota employee basically begging the company to come clean about the various recall issues they were up against.
Can you hear the dominos falling?
Here's the gist of the latest PR head scratcher (from my post over at Technorati):
Influencers are the new mediaIf you've ever worked in the PR, marketing or advertising business, you know that the media industry isn't the same as it used to be. Yes, everyone knows about newspapers closing, smaller staffs and dwindling advertisers numbers.
However, when you work in the business, there is a noticeable dynamic shift in the value placed on media coverage by both clients and agencies.
I'll admit, securing a positive piece in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe or a trade magazine gets clients excited still. Afterall, those are top tier publications. However, do "clips," as they called in the business, really move the needle? Do they help sell product or service?
Sometimes you have to put in your boots; somtimes you dont.As PR professionals, we’re trained to think about worst case scenarios and are continually learning and testing strategies and tactics that will help our clients address any crisis situation -- no matter how severe the facts and brand risks may be.
While some of the tactics we employ are just as viable today as they were 10 years ago, including strong, clear messaging, other tactics aren’t, such as relying on traditional media to tell your story.
As counselors, we have to be on our toes more than ever today because of the share of voice and influence that social media channels can create on any given day, at any given time and around any given issue.
Take what’s happening to Nestle for example.
I watched the show Undercover Management right after the Super Bowl and had some initial thoughts as it relates to all the business environments I've been in.
First off, upper management will never, ever, have the pulse on a company. No matter how much the CEO and the lead dog walks the hallway, how often will that executive get to know the guy that takes out the trash?
If those executives exist, they are rare.
At the end of the day, it's all about the numbers. Whether it's billable hours, volume or clock punching, business is all about numbers and the top executives are in charge of the numbers -- nothing else really matters because they, themselves are held accountable for the numbers.
I was going to write a post about Ted Kennedy, his passing and the impact it'll have on the media over the next few days and months. But my boss beat me to it with a great post about Ted's communications legacy. It's a great round up for any brand, leader or porofessional (anyone for that matter) who wants to be seen by their peers as a trusted resource. The key to any communications program -- no matter what you're selling or who you're selling it to -- is trust.
Here's the Ted Kennedy, communications "to-do" list: