Category Archives: in the news

Trick or Treat: Recent Brand Wins and Fails

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In the spirit of the Halloween season, we thought we would take a look at some tricks and treats in corporate communication efforts from the past several months that have made headlines. From widespread crises to clever spooky-time initiatives, brands and organizations around the world are experiencing tricks and treats impacting their brand.

Getting Tricky

Shein,a Chinese clothing company known for fast fashion, made headlines recently when they invited a group of influencers for an inside look at their factories. This trip came after several journalistic investigations last year revealed unsavory business practices including violations of labor laws and an environmentally unsustainable business model. The idea behind the trip was to have a positive image of the company presented by trusted influencers.

Unfortunately for Shein, this attempt to reclaim their brand image was not well received by the public since influencers only toured and commented on the company’s innovation center rather than multiple locations. Some accused influencers of taking part in a “propaganda stunt” as they shared reports with followers of clean factories and happy workers. After the backlash, some influencers ended their relationships with the company.

Shein’s experience is a key lesson in transparency and influencer marketing. While influencers are trusted by the public, they are not a surefire marketing tool and can present new risk exposure. A better approach from a communication perspective would have been for Shein to have a more honest and open conversation with the influencers, talk about prior news reports of poor conditions, point out discrepancies and note changes that were made to improve the work environment for employees.

In other news, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently pushed for a recall of about 52 million vehicles made with parts by a supplier, ARC Automotive, due to defective air bag inflators. General Motors (GM) manufactured approximately 20 million of those vehicles and recalled nearly one million in May for the same reason. The potential recall comes just two weeks after members of the United Auto Workers began to strike. GM made a statement in response to the NHTSA saying, they “believe the evidence and data presented by NHTSA at this time does not provide a basis for any recall,” per CNBC. “If GM concludes at any time that any unrecalled ARC inflators are unsafe, the company will take appropriate action in cooperation with NHTSA.”

GM has an obligation in the scenario to communicate a message regarding public safety. While vehicle manufacturers have come a long way in terms of safety standards over the last several decades, and the court of public opinion requires they tread carefully. Although GM’s concerns with the data presented could be valid, they could be seen as failing to prioritize customer safety. A good communicator will always encourage leadership to message with a sense of humanity, considering all sides of a situation and would have encouraged any messaging to include customer safety at the top.

Time for a Treat

It can be hard to gauge just how much candy to buy in preparation for trick or treaters.This year, Mars, the manufacturer of M&M’s, teamed up with delivery service GoPuff to create the M&M’s Halloween Rescue Squad. On Halloween after 3 p.m. ET, consumers can visit the M&M’s website to order free M&M’s in all locations GoPuff serves.

As one of the most popular candies in the U.S., M&M’s is taking a smart step to reinforce a positive brand image. Earlier this year, M&M’s was caught up in public controversy when they made changes to their “spokes candies” to remove gender norms from the characters. The controversy was thought to ignite a culture war that garnered the attention of national news outlets, political commentators and more. Less than a year later, the Halloween Rescue Squad is a way for media and the public to engage with M&M’s in a more positive, timely way.

Good communications can be a treat – or win – for your company, elevating your brand and bringing new customers to your door. But beware the trick of an ill-considered communications strategy. Partner with a public relations team who understands your business, your needs and can see the big picture.

From Love Story to Bad Blood: The Pros and Cons of Influencer Campaigns in Public Relations

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Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for brands and public relations professionals looking to boost their reach and credibility. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the influencer industry is set to grow to approximately $21.1 billion in 2023. However, despite many success stories, there are downsides. For example, according to Truelist, 63% of marketers and brands have been victims of influencer fraud. In addition, fake followers remain a top concern for 50% of marketers.

Perhaps no one understands the Jump Then Fall of the influencer world better than Taylor Swift. With more than 250 million followers on Instagram and more than 90 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), Swift can surely add the title “influencer” to her long list of accolades. Her recent relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ Tight End, Travis Kelce, and her subsequent ties to the team serves as an outstanding example of both the pros and cons of utilizing influencers.

The Power of Influencer Campaigns

Influencer campaigns can be a dynamic component of public relations strategies, extending a brand’s message to a wider audience and enhancing credibility through association. While there is currently no formal influencer relationship between Swift and the Chiefs outside of her romantic relationship with Kelce, the team and the National Football League (NFL) are benefitting from the Invisible String that ties them together.

Wide Audience Reach: Swift’s immense popularity and influential status make her an ideal choice for brands looking to reach a diverse and massive audience. For instance, since her first appearance at a Chief’s game there has been a nearly 400% increase in Travis Kelce jersey sales. Brands who partner with certain influencers that connect with their audience and have a wide reach are sure to see similar results in their bottom line.

Authenticity and Trust: One of the primary reasons influencer marketing works is because it leverages the trust influencers have built with their followers. According to Marketing Dive, 69% of consumers trust influencers, then friends and then family before information from a brand.

Targeted Marketing: Since the first rumors of their relationship were released, interest in Travis Kelce has gone up by 25% and his favorability has gone up by 10%. Based on the many social media posts, a large portion of Kelce’s new fans are “Swifties,” otherwise known as Swift’s biggest fans. This is significant for both the Chiefs and for Kelce’s sponsors as 45% of these individuals are millennials and 52% are female. This is in contrast to the NFL’s typical fan, as 70% of the NFL’s fanbase is male and 65% are aged 25-39.

The Challenges of Influencer Campaigns

Despite the undeniable advantages, influencer campaigns come with challenges. Swift’s history with both the media and the public showcase just how quickly the tides can change.

High Costs: Hiring a superstar such as Swift, or even someone on a much smaller scale can be costly. While the average cost to hire a nano-influencer (1,000-10,000 followers) is only $10 to $100 per post, that cost can soar to $5,000 to $10,000 per post for macro-influencers (500,000-1 million followers), and organizations are paying the cost. In fact, 23% of respondents to Influencer Marketing Hub’s survey stated they plan to spend more than 40% of their budget on influencers this year, potentially taking vital resources away from other marketing efforts.

Loss of Control: When collaborating with influencers, brands must relinquish some control over their messaging. This can be risky if an influencer’s actions or statements do not align with the brand’s values or objectives.

Saturation and Authenticity Concerns: In the case of Swift’s relationship with Kelce and the NFL, many fans appear irritated, saying the NFL and the Chiefs are going overboard with mentions of Swift. Kelce seems to agree, saying, “They’re overdoing it a little bit, especially my situation.”

Influencer campaigns are valuable tools, offering a range of benefits such as broad reach, authenticity and targeted marketing. Nevertheless, they come with challenges like high costs, loss of control and concerns about authenticity. By carefully weighing the pros and cons and tailoring influencer campaigns to fit specific needs and circumstances, PR professionals and brands can leverage this powerful tool to enhance their public image and reach new audiences.

Weighing your Options: Pay-to-Play Media Coverage

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While not a novel concept, the idea of pay-to-play media coverage has recently made a resurgence. Organizations, many off-shore, are engaging in an aggressive strategy of cold email outreach to businesses and non-profits offering to secure guaranteed placement of news coverage or thought leadership. What’s more, these organizations assure their prospects there is “absolutely no payment” until the placement is secured.

You don’t pay a penny unless you get your message published or broadcast. Sounds great, right?

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

They Think You’re Great

The email reads well. It is gracious and solicitous, although there is sometimes the occasional typo or grammatical error. These emails seeking to engage you even include a little detail about your company, non-profit or you personally. A nice touch. They seem legit. You can even find their website, although the only button that links to anything is a “Contact Us” selection.

Typically, when a company you never heard of comes calling offering you a remarkable opportunity, it’s a sales pitch, not a legit offer.

Also, often there’s no human behind these emails. These emails are artificial intelligence (AI) generated. They’ve scraped your website for a few details about you or your organization. And they will keep emailing, seeming to wonder why you haven’t replied.

The Fine Print

Despite claims to the contrary, there are a few details absent from these sales tactics.

The first is the outlets in question. Many of these solicitors highlight amazing media outlets: Forbes, CNN, FOX, The Financial Times, Yahoo Business News, etc. What they fail to mention is they are targeting the advertising or sponsored sections or segments of these outlets. What does that mean?

In the case of Forbes, they will sign you up for a paid opportunity you could have secured on your own. What’s more, if you worked directly with Forbes, you would likely be paying to become a regular contributor, writing and publishing up to 11 or 12 articles per year (all labeled as paid or contributed content). But with the model offered by these pay-to-play organizations, you will pay significantly more than the annual Forbes Contributor fees for just one opportunity. They are counting on you not knowing how Forbes, and other outlets, work regarding paid placement and costs.

Where broadcast outlets are concerned, it’s a near guarantee you won’t be appearing on Fox & Friends or Anderson Cooper 360. More likely your brief, paid segment, will run on the backwaters of these outlets’ websites in special “Sponsored Content” sections or on a 3 a.m. Sunday morning broadcast segment with a D-list celebrity host.

Also, for many B2B organizations, the outlets targeted are not strategic to fit their unique target audiences. If your target audience are the readers of Horse & Hound magazine, then a 2 a.m. Saturday segment on TBS is not exactly on point. Sure, you may be reaching a potentially large audience (insomniacs everywhere will be delighted), but is that audience the one you need? In short, these placements are tactical, not strategic.

The Cost

They promise you won’t pay anything until a placement is secured. But when you do, brace yourself. A single placement in Forbes, as an example, could run you two to three times what Forbes charges to be an annual contributor. Not exactly money well spent. And the broadcast placements can be simply astronomical (so they will push you to secure a CNN.com article instead because it’s much cheaper … or so it seems).

Competency

Finally, it comes down to turning over your brand or your personal reputation to individuals and organizations that have no track record in public relations outside of paid placements. They are basically placing paid-advertisements for you (and typically the outlets are doing the writing, not the so-called agency you hired).


And what happens if there’s a problem? What if there’s a mistake or worse? What if the paid opportunity mutates into a crisis situation? Well, these organizations have been paid. Not only do they have no reputation management or crisis communications experience, they don’t offer those services or care to help you. It’s pay-to-play, and you will certainly get what you pay for but likely, not one little thing more.

To cultivate and advance your reputation, a journalist must see a legitimate story and make an independent decision as to whether to cover it or not. There is not a public relations agency on earth that can make The New York Times or CBS News run a story that isn’t deemed newsworthy.

Where paid content is available with major media outlets, the value is limited. Make sure you understand both the benefits and limitations of any paid content opportunity as well as who and when actual humans will have access to that content.

Beware the public relations person who guarantees success. The success you achieved in business, as a non-profit leader or other professional endeavors was never guaranteed from the start. Neither is public relations.

5 Steps to Navigating a Crisis Situation

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Planning your escape while your house is engulfed in flames is, arguably, the worst time to try to develop an escape plan. Surprisingly, countless business leaders take this approach to crisis communications management; trying to make a plan to save the business as metaphorical flames lick at their hands and feet.

The smart move is to have a comprehensive crisis communications plan in place long before you need to use it. However, given the relative lack of thoughtful crisis communications planning among many organizations, the next best strategy is to try to navigate the crisis as best as possible without getting too badly burned.

If your business or non-profit lacks a crisis communications plan, but you find yourself trying to manage a crisis situation, here are five steps you can take to try to minimize the damage:

Gather the Facts

The worst thing an organization can do early in a crisis is make assumptions or speculate. The outcome of your crisis will be shaped largely by your initial response. What can you verify? Start with what happened, when, who was involved and how you expect this event to impact your organization’s stakeholders and the public. Keep emotion out of it, recognizing emotions will run high in a crisis. Remember, we all have different perspectives and opinions when we’re asked to recount a situation. This is where you must insist on only dealing with verifiable facts.

Assemble Your Team

Typically, this includes one or more people in leadership, your organization’s attorney and one or more crisis communications professionals; either your in-house communications person or an experienced public relations agency specializing in crisis work. Empower the team to examine the situation and guide the course of how you will message to internal and external audiences.

Take Control of All Communications

From answering phones and the receptionist greeting guests to the intern handling your social media and the company daily email newsletter, your crisis communications team has to have complete control over all your communication channels. It’s best to deactivate comments on your Facebook page, pause your company newsletter and instruct everyone answering phones or greeting the public to direct all questions to a member of the crisis communications team. Everyone must be in sync in managing how your organization communicates in the middle of a crisis situation.

Be Consistent in Your Messaging

While it is important to adapt your messaging as facts present themselves, the messaging strategy and tone you and your crisis communications team agree to should remain consistent. Shifting the premise of your messaging will only create chaos, creating further confusion and eroding trust in your organization’s ability to manage the situation. There is also a tendency by some to question the strategy if an immediate resolution does not manifest. Recognize that once in a crisis, there are no quick fixes but often rather only a series of unpleasant realities. Managing a crisis in progress is about being patient and, frequently, picking the least damaging option available among several less-than-ideal options.

Do Not Lie

A final point on messaging: don’t lie. Don’t guess and don’t try to obfuscate. As noted in step one, your messaging must be fact-based. You should never try to spin your way out of a crisis as doing so almost always leads to making matters worse. Be honest, even when painful. And while legally you may be advised to not admit guilt, there are ways your legal and communications team can work together to provide fact-based and forthright messaging that will ultimately move you toward a more positive outcome in crisis situations.

Applying the above steps can help your team better manage a crisis and help ensure you aren’t completely overwhelmed by circumstances, some of which may not be of your organization’s making or in its control. But when in doubt, contact a professional crisis communications team. Your reputation and bottom line are worth the investment.

Pitching media during the COVID-19 crisis

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In the U.S., we have found ourselves in an unprecedented situation: a pandemic combined with a national economic shutdown and widespread social unrest. Many businesses and non-profits have repeatedly asked about the timing of any type of public relations efforts.

  • Is now the right time to announce a product launch?
  • Should we try to connect our message to COVID-19?
  • Can we break through with our message given what’s happening in the world?
  • Are reporters/producers looking or eager for stories that aren’t COVID-19 related?
  • Will we be seen as tactless if we try to get our message out now?

Compounding these questions is the state of the media itself. While the news industry has been experiencing financial challenges for decades, COVID-19 has had a swift and devastating impact on the Fourth Estate at the exact time Americans stuck at home are rediscovering the importance of good journalism.

According to The New York Times, furloughs and layoffs have impacted nearly 40,000 journalists since the pandemic began in the U.S. Those who aren’t furloughed or laid off are working remotely, doing more with less, and are harder to reach than ever. What I’ve heard personally from reporters and editors at major daily metropolitan newspapers, news desks and producers of broadcast news and journalists at a range of trade media is their inboxes are inundated with hundreds of pitches, nearly all including COVID-19 in the subject line.

So how do you break through? Patient persistence.

In times normal and otherwise, it is essential to have a compelling and relevant story to tell. We advise our clients to work backward from the reader/viewer/listener perspective when evaluating the newsworthiness of any message. Absent your brand, would a generic story like yours be of interest or value to the intended audience? If it is promotional, only about your brand or is out-of-touch with the state of the world, stop right there, toss your pitch into the garbage and, if I may be so bold, set fire to it. In the midst of a pandemic, you can’t afford to sound out of touch.

My advice is also the advice good journalists give to public relations professionals all the time: do your research. This is the time-consuming leg work that pays off; the work often overlooked or even ignored by those who “just want to get the message out.” Beats, for those who still have them, are less ridged than ever. That green energy beat reporter from last week might be covering Capital Hill tomorrow. Look back at their recent work and make an informed decision as to whether their work indicates a reasonable wiliness to learn about your story.

If you feel you have a newsworthy story, and if you believe the journalist you want to contact might be interested, email away and then follow-up afterward. But assume your email is just to get on their radar. They won’t read your pitch if it is longer than 100 words or has an attachment. Bullet points can help. In times like these, getting on the phone with a reporter — assuming he or she will take your call — is the make-or-break moment of a pitch and is simultaneously nearly impossible.

I recently pitched a national story to an editor at major daily newspaper. Where I would normally follow up two or three times, I left two voicemails and emailed five times. He actually called me back, thanked me for being persistent and then asked me to “just tell [him] what the story is about.” He remembered seeing my email (just one?) but “didn’t have time to read it.” So, I gave him the 15-second elevator pitch. He liked it and ended up not only interviewing my sources but running a major feature article on the issue. Patient persistence.

COVID-19, and the economic fallout from it, will continue to have lingering effects all across the U.S. economy. Journalism is not immune from this, and this will continue to pose challenges to those engaging with the media. I advise patient persistence in getting your message out. A tenacious PR professional helps a lot, too.

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Photo by bongkarn thanyakij on Pexels.com

During the COVID-19 pandemic, your employees, clients, partners and other stakeholders are getting their messages from sources ranging from the CDC to Instagram. Writing in PropertyCasualty360, KHPR President Gary Kimball asks: shouldn’t some of that messaging come from you? He provides guidance on how business leaders can communicate with their audiences — read it here.

Download our Communications Checklist

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For businesses, there is a right and wrong way to communicate during a crisis as tragic and widespread as the COVID-19 pandemic. We all know the wrong approach when we see it — but how do we do the right thing? We hope our Communications Checklist points you in the right direction

Click here to download the KHPR Communications Checklist.

(It’s free to download and we’re won’t make you sign up for anything — that link takes you directly to a PDF download.)

If you need further guidance during this trying time, please rest assured that our team is fully operational and ready to support you. Reach out at info@kimballpr.com for general inquiries, or connect with the Kimball Hughes PR team on LinkedIn.

Thinking About Thought Leadership

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How thought leadership can help in a crisis

A colleague recently shared an article published in The New Yorker in 2009 about how Kellogg responded to the Great Depression. In the 1920s, along with its main rival Post, the company dominated the then new packaged cereal market. The New Yorker summarized Kellogg’s reaction to the country’s economic collapse this way:

“Post did the predictable thing: it reined in expenses and cut back on advertising. But Kellogg doubled its ad budget, moved aggressively into radio advertising, and heavily pushed its new cereal, Rice Krispies. … By 1933, even as the economy cratered, Kellogg’s profits had risen almost thirty percent and it had become what it remains today: the industry’s dominant player.”

This is how just one company responded to a crisis nearly 100 years ago. But it does address a question many companies are facing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic:

In the face of a temporary but significant economic downturn what do we do with our marketing and communications budgets?

As I write this, the stock market is reacting to the U.S. Labor Department announcement that unemployment benefit claims soared to 3.28 million last week. I’ll leave it to the marketing and advertising gurus to comment on their budgets, but I can speak to communications efforts that may be worthwhile to pursue in this environment, especially for B2B companies.

Some public relations efforts, such as product launches, events and location openings are being postponed or suspended because they aren’t relevant or would be lost in the pandemic news reports. Those are generally wise moves.

At the same time we are seeing a need for thought leadership from industry leaders who can write articles or blogs (what I’m doing here), produce videos and podcasts, and do anything to share valuable ideas and opinions with their audience. As long as these messages are relevant and well done, they can have an immediate and long-term impact to build and maintain awareness of a company and its expertise.

Ramping up social media efforts with the same type of messages is also a good idea. And not just because more people are working remotely, but also because it’s estimated that more of us are on social media during this crisis than usual. And this change, along with higher usage of mobile apps and other digital communication platforms, may very well be permanent changes in your workplace.

So, my advice to business leaders as you navigate the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and plan for the future is this: Think about what you have to say, develop a thought leadership plan for the short- and long-term, align it with your changing business plans, and start sharing those thoughts through multiple digital channels.

The results may not be as dramatic Kellogg’s in the 1930s, but building awareness of your expertise may serve you well when the dust settles and business growth resumes.

Avoid These Cringe-Worthy Crisis Communications Errors

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You don’t have to be a communications professional to cringe when you read certain emails and social media posts today. In the new COVID-19 world we find ourselves, it can be difficult for businesses to know what to say, when to say it and how often to say it to their clients and the public. Everyone wants to jump in with a message, look for revenue opportunities or offer helpful advice, but some do it better than others.

Below we offer common mistakes and some tips to avoid them.

4 Mistakes to Avoid When Communicating During a Crisis:

  1. Not adjusting scheduled social media posts in light of new circumstances. This should be an automatic step whether you’re facing a global pandemic or a crisis isolated to your business. Make sure you read them all, and then delete and edit them to be relevant and tasteful in the context of new circumstances.
  2. Going ahead with planned announcements without considering how they will be perceived. You may be excited about your latest opening or product launch, but such an announcement may be ignored or — worse — perceived as insensitive and opportunistic when you do it. Timing is everything.
  3. Being opportunistic. There is a difference between offering sincere help during difficult times and being perceived as trying to make an extra buck when others are suffering. It’s all about perceptions.
  4. Pitching related stories to the media that are just in very bad taste and opportunistic. Just take a look at this piece by Mashable to see PR people at their worst. PR pros should be able to know when they have an expert who can make a real contribution to a conversation and when it’s just a bad idea.

5 Things to Consider When Messaging:

How do you know whether your message will be well received or will make you appear careless and opportunistic?

  1. Put it in perspective. COVID-19, for example, is a global pandemic with unprecedented and tragic consequences. People are dying and more will die. Many more will lose their jobs, businesses will suffer and many will face economic and personal hardship. Most of us are scared and worried. Think about this when messaging and make sure your messages are in touch with the current reality.
  2. Make sure it’s relevant. In the context of the above, what is relevant? For example, this blog is being written to help prevent businesses from making mistakes when communicating during the current and future crises. That seems relevant to our audience and a way we can help.
  3. Does it address what your audience’s needs. Ask yourself if you’re tooting your own horn, going through the motions or really addressing what your clients, employees and partners need to know. Sometimes, as in the current environment when our mailboxes are full of COVID-19 messages, what your audience needs is a message as simple as “We’re here for you.”
  4. What are others doing? You don’t want to follow the crowd necessarily, but seeing what others in your industry are doing can help guide your decisions about what to do or what not to do.
  5. Test it. There no time for focus groups, but try running your message by a long-time partner or client who you trust and get their reaction.

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Reputation management through crises

For businesses, a compassionate and savvy response to the COVID-19 pandemic involves transparent, accurate and realistic communications. This serves to protect not only employees’ and customers’ health, but also a business’s reputations. In PropertyCasualty360, our VP Rod Hughes offers guidance on reputation and crisis communications for insurance professionals and all B2B professionals.