So What's a Power Pitch, Anyway?

Jamie Favreau over at Ereleases published a relieving article today regarding press contacts vs. pitch content. As someone who has all of one reporter's email on file, I was relieved to hear that as long as I was making a pitch the reporter can't say "no" to, I didn't have to have an overflowing address book.

But what does the perfect pitch look like? Sound like? And how can you fashion it to be relevant to more than one editor?

Here are the top three tips I've been told are essential to crafting a powerful pitch.

1. You researched the reporter - and it shows.
Reporters don't want a one-size-fits-all letter sent to them, because then it's apparent that they're being used. And no, just filling in their name and the paper they work at doesn't cut it, either. Instead you have to personally cite why this source and this reporter were chosen. If you saw an article that your release would compliment, mention it. If the reporter shares a certain interest with the story, make sure to highlight it. A vanilla pitch might mean a missed opportunity, so make sure to tailor it to the reporter's taste.

2. Multi-media is your best bet.
Yeah, it might feel like stalking. But if you email a reporter and hear nothing back in a prompt manner, a follow-up phone call or a phone call before the email is sent might help get the story published. I'm not saying 20 minutes after the email is sent. I'm saying give it a day or two, depending on the timeliness of the release, and then give them a phone call NOT to make sure they got the release (they probably did) but to ask them if there is a better place the release could be sent if they're too busy to deal with it.

3. Write it like a journalist!
No one wants to publish fluff, and no one wants to read it. Don't talk excitedly about how awesome your product is; sell it for what it is in an effective, public-relations-esque way without being obnoxious or seeing the product through rose-colored glasses. There are flaws, so don't pretend that there aren't (I'm talking to you, Steve Jobs & co.) but do your job in a way that isn't going to make the editor groan.

Any media people out there have other preferences or peeves? Any PR people with a tip or a secret to a great pitch? I want to hear them. Comment away!

Aw Google, C'mon.

As a beta user and big fan of Google Wave, finding this article about why the buzz as worn off and the product abandoned, really cleared up for me why it's never gone big.
Remember how it was the "future of email?" It was a trending topic on Twitter and tech nerds from all over were salivating for an invite. It was a big deal, through word-of-mouth marketing and viral buzz, the service was thriving. But without Google's official support, the buzz eventually died out and the brand ambassadors moved on to the next great technology.
It's still an incredibly useful service. Having depended on it to keep a team of eight on a brainstorm and then using it to coordinate with over 40 other students for one project, I will stand by Google Wave as an incredible service. That's why, if you're not on it and want to try it out, please comment. I still have eighteen invites and would love to get you connected with the service.

Know Your Medium (Or At Least Put a Leash on Your Spokespeople)

The Attorney General of Utah announced the approval of a death sentence on Twitter yesterday, drawing shock and disapproval from the Twitter community. I agree with the general consensus that this was an inappropriate place, and the response to it less than professional.

To reply to people's concerns about the comment with a "flippant" and then aggressive manner, shows not only an inconsistency in tone, but that the Attorney General is either tweeting while emotionally unstable (which is not recommended) or someone else is tweeting for him (which is a lapse in tone for the communicators).

At this point, the Attorney General should apologize to his followers and to the families of everyone involved in the case. To announce such an important decision on a trivial medium was inconsiderate to the families of the victims. His PR team needs to jump on this situation and handle it to control his credibility as well as smooth over community relations, both online and offline.

Twitter Task Forces & Why They're Essential

Recently, a State Farm marketing exec advised students of at the NSAC conference this year, "You can't stop the conversation - you have to let it play out and try to respond as quickly as possible." In regards to twitter communications, all it takes is one frustrated customer tweeting at the counter to get attention.

Though I myself haven't had much interaction as a consumer with brands on Twitter, today was one of my first experiences and I have to say, one of the most impressive.

I recently was involved in a car accident that has left me car-less for the past few days. My insurance company arranged for me to get a rental car from Enterprise. Through poor staffing, pickup from my home would have been long delayed. Upon arranging my own ride and arriving at the location, I had to wait for a considerable amount of time and wasn't told to bring the appropriate paperwork. While I waited, frustrated, at the counter, I tweeted: "having a bad experience at enterprise, trying to rent a car." After telling the associate of my frustration, she apologized and made sure I was more than satisfied with my rental. Everything from that point went without fault.

I returned to Twitter only an hour and a half after to find that I had been contacted by an Enterprise associate asking what went wrong, and how they could help. Only an hour and a half, and one tweet! I was really impressed with Enterprise's monitoring of their brand on Twitter. I explained that I was satisfied. That's when I realized that, as consumers, we have an obligation to report the conclusions after we complain. I tweeted my admiration of Enterprise's online support and gave credit where credit was due. It's my own fault for not tweeting that everything was resolved afterward. So before you send that angry tweet, prepare yourself for two responsibilities after the fact...

1. You're responsible to report the conclusion. Your followers and others finding brand representations online need the whole story, not just your initial dissatisfaction.

2. Give credit where credit is due. Don't ignore any attempts to make the situation right online. Even if you aren't satisfied, if someone contacts you to ask why you were not satisfied, you owe it to them to thank them for their attempts. Chances are, if you've had a problem with one associate, that's not an accurate representation of the company as a whole. Thank them for what they do well and return or don't return; you decide with your money how satisfied you are. However, don't disregard the company if it's trying to help you out.

So, well done, Enterprise! We'll see how the rest of this transaction plays out, but as for now, your associate's responsiveness and your online outreach are very impressive to me!

Pitchin' Ain't Easy

I'm starting to get involved with writing and pitching national media for a local Iraq and Afghanistan memorial, and I'm facing the same issues I've faced with my last few pitching adventures...

1. Who gets this?

2. How can I get you to read it?

3. Please, please run it? Please?

While running the press release through a syndicate would help ensure plenty of coverage and help with credibility, the price (over $400) breaks the bank for a group of locals who care about properly memorializing veterans and those we lost in Afghanistan and Iraq. On the other hand, it would take hours upon hours to personally call the editors of newspapers nationwide, asking them to pretty please run this release. It's a catch-22; either you spend a lot of time, or a lot of money; and neither features a guaranteed outcome.

Has anyone else run into this problem? How did you overcome it?

Chapman University wins the National Student Advertising Competition

(a shot from Chapman University's presentation of the "Feel Free" Campaign for State Farm; specifically, the Public Relations initiative section)

On Friday at approximately 1:45 p.m. EST, the winner of the State Farm national student advertising competition was announced. A small private university located in the heart of Orange County that goes by the name of Chapman University took the honors.

As I reflect on the past year, I can't say that I ever knew we would win. I knew we worked hard. I knew that our product was high quality and that the effort we put into the work shone in every aspect. I knew that many of our 50 person team ate, slept, breathed and bled State Farm to produce a beautiful campaign we could be proud of. It's a personal flaw, I would say, that I'm reluctant to predict the outcome in projects I'm close to, so I just believe that working my hardest is going to be the best reward I can receive. Winning only helped to verify that all of the work was worth it.

I am just so happy and proud to be part of Circle Advertising this year. I didn't think I could be more proud to be part of this team than I was last year, when I first joined; now I'm even happier. These people are my peers but also my teachers. I've learned more and been motivated more by the excellence and talents on this team than I have by many professors. How did we do it? Remarkable outreach for fundraising from communities, families and friends. Partnering with the incredible film school talents who were graduating as well. Frugal efforts on our part to get the best deals on our projects. Oh, and a strong partnership with our father club, Chapman Ad Club.

The most remarkable part of this victory is the reception we received after the results were announced. Many of the competing teams reached out to us to congratulate and compliment. They wanted to get to know our team members and spend time with them while we were all in Orlando. This speaks volumes to the fraternity and maturity of these teams, which is complementary to their talents. Each presentation that I saw had a strong, cohesive campaign to be proud of. The advertising industry can breathe a sign of relief with minds like these coming into the work force within the next few years. I can only imagine what next year's work will be for everyone, including ourselves, for the new client, J.C. Penney.

If you're looking for the future of advertising, you've found it. It's not just at Chapman University, but in all of the NSAC teams who bleed for their campaigns and produce something they are proud of.

#NSAC Goes To Orlando

This week, teams from all over the United States will bring their comprehensive campaigns for State Farm to the National Student Advertising Competition national championship, in Orlando, Fla.
The #ChapmanPRA group will be presenting our #FEELfree campaign on Friday. We're excited, optimistic and eager to see what our creative counterparts from all over will be bringing to the table.
I hope State Farm looks at their current campaign and uses the millions of research impressions and new ideas that we present to create a campaign that resonates with their target demographic.

Check out Tom Arthur's portfolio to see our commercial and our book. Wish us luck!

(thanks to Kayla Glass for her photo!)

McDonalds France: "Come As You Are"

McDonalds France released a viral commercial this week, depicting a young homosexual man and his oblivious father.

There are so many possibilities as to what the motives are for this commercial, I don't really know where to start. An appeal to the homosexual audience in France? Support of a social movement? Rebranding as a "hip" restaurant who opens its doors to the changing times? There are arguments for all of the above. But since I enjoy anything French, and things that are generally positive and accepting of all different lifestyles, I'm just going to leave you with the link. Enjoy.

Chase Community Giving: Round Deux

Since I don't want to be the BP oil blogger (there are way too many others that blog about it much more informed than I do), here's something more PR and less oily...

Chase Community Giving starts up its second round of charity donation voting on June 15. After the last round ended with fraud accusations aimed at one of the nonprofits, hopefully this time around, supporters of the nonprofits will play fair.

Unfortunately, some nonprofits were denied access because they weren't informed of the contest quickly enough. One Orange County nonprofit tried to contact Chase as recently as yesterday and was denied entry into the rankings. A search of Chase Community Giving last week showed nothing more than the fraud accusations for the last round. Why was there so much less press this time, Chase? To avoid fraudulent submissions? Or because you'd already determined which charities were allowed to participate?

In any case, a good cause (or several) is well served from the Chase Community Giving initiative. I hope to see this cause marketing via social media continue.

BPGlobalPR Revealed...

From a PR standpoint, this guy is a nightmare.

A few points that particularly caught my eye, for the "too long; didn't read" crowd...

"The point is, FORGET YOUR BRAND. You don’t own it because it is literally nothing. You can spend all sorts of time and money trying to manufacture public opinion, but ultimately, that’s up to the public, now isn’t it?"


My response to that? Look at Tylenol. Look at Apple. Look at the millions of businesses worldwide who have encountered issues and bounced back through the management of their brand. The fact is, the public believes what it wants to believe. It forms these beliefs by how the company acts in public. These actions are controlled through PR. He says forget your brand; I say, your brand is EVERYTHING.

"Don’t let people forget what has happened here. Don’t let the prolonged nature of this tragedy numb you to its severity. Re-branding doesn’t work if we don’t let it, so let’s hold BP’s feet to the fire... Right now, PR is all about brand protection. All I’m suggesting is that we use that energy to work on human progression. Until then, I guess we’ve still got jokes."

Using Twitter to make jokes about the BP oil spill is helping to create a lighthearted look at the oil spill that is obviously very important to this man. He should maybe re-evaluate the tone he's giving the disaster by joking and making it a laughable situation.

I wonder where both @BPGlobalPR and @BP_America are going to go from here?