Michael Dell Confirmed You as a Friend on Facebook

I’ve never been one to pursue the celebrity “friend” or MySpace “add” from a random band that played Paddy’s Irish Pub on Thursday or my favorite WWE Diva. I like to believe that it is the human elements that keep social networking sites real and interesting. Linking to political campaigns, celebretards and corporate brands with teams of marketing and PR people behind them remind only that these sites are being exploited for branding a la Tila Tequila. Don’t get me wrong, it’s brilliant, but frustrating at the same time. Maybe because I didn’t think of it first.

This has been happening on MySpace for some time. Imagine my amazement years ago when I discovered my sister was connected to Dr. Marlena Evans. I was certain she was being extorted by someone posing as Deidre Hall online seeking money to pay for emergency cosmetic surgery so she could keep her contract with NBC, only to find it was (somewhat) legit page run by her publicist.

I’ve noticed this phenomenon creeping into Facebook lately and who should come up in the “People you may Know” module today but Michael Dell. Granted, I am “friends” with a number of folks who would have good reason to be connected with Mr. Dell, so I wasn’t completely surprised. I still thought it smelled of a viral marketing ploy, but I gave it a shot for research sake and sent him a friend request. For a CEO of a global business, Michael really stays on top of his Facebook requests. I had a confirmation within minutes. Perhaps he’s just been itching to talk with Stephen Baker or Harry McCracken and hoping I can hook him up.

Marketing ploy or not, I was impressed with his profile. It felt like I was reconnecting with an old friend. It had his high school info, family photos, sports affiliations, a where I’ve been map and wall messages with dumb videos, posts from his kids on Father’s day and notes from actual Dell employees. I know a PR or marketing team very likely set up the profile in an effort to influence my feelings on Dell and the company. I’m encouraged to see how it has taken on life beyond the façade though and somewhat “real” communication.

Green really is "Big in '08"

Ok, I have to preface this post by stating I've never warmed up to saying something was "Big in '08." But, when you receive mail from your mother who is generally two or three years behind on adopting any kind of idea or product (ever wonder who is still keeping the VHS industry alive?) it really has achieved "Big in '08" status.

As many of us in the office continue to plan our summer weddings, including me, I thought I would share an article (sent to me from Mom) that appeared in The Olympian on how you can make your special day ecofriendly. Of course, green weddings do come with a price, as Alex Lluch, a wedding planning book producer points out, "The average wedding costs about $27,000, according to recent statistics, but green weddings can cost up to 20 percent more."

Below are some tips on how to keep the big day green:

Reception

• Hold your ceremony and reception at the same location to cut down on consuming natural resources
• Outside receptions are generally more energy-efficient than indoors
• Use glassware and cloth napkins to cut down on waste

Ceremony

• Instead of using rice, which is in high demand and dangerous for birds, for throwing at the end of the ceremony, the article recommends using flower petals, waving ribbons or blowing bubbles.

Invitations

• Print invitations on recycled paper and limit the inserts that go with the invitation. One way I have limited invitation "filler" is by creating my own website to give hotel details and directions.

I'd be interested to hear how the rest of you are keeping, or have kept your weddings green.

Spread the Truth - Political Style

The Barack Obama capmpaign just started a new Web site called Fight the Smears. The purpose is to defend head on any smear attacks that come his way. Usually this is done in one way or another through the main campaign Web site but this one invites and makes it easy for people to spread the word to others. It will be interesting to see how this evolves as the campaign progresses. It will also be interesting to see if the media uses the site when reporting stories about Obama. Sometimes the truth can't always be explained in soundbytes. And sometimes the truth is a matter of perspective. And even sometimes the truth is not popular. Especially in politics. Let's see how this is used.

Seattle Weather: Colder Than Siberia!

So, I could go on and on about the dismal weather in Seattle. It has been downright terrible. I know Seattle summer does not usually start till mid-July but November weather in June, come on, stop the torture. Okay, I know the photo is not from Seatttle. It is actually Martin Stadium in Pullman on Tuesday morning, June 10th. Normally, it would be around 100 degrees in Pullman, not snowing!

Don't worry supposedly relief is on the way. McQuaid is leaving town so as soon as her plane departs the sun should reappear.

What I really found interesting though is how much discussion spurred from the headline in yesterday's Seattle Times. I talked about it in the lunch area. I heard people talking about it on the sidewalk. A freind mentioned it to me on the phone. And at the coffeeshop this morning another friend brought it up again. I have to give credit to the Times, in a world bombarded with 24/7 news they found a topic and a headline that obviously struck a chord. Maybe, people really do like talking about the weather.

Best In Show

Last week, more than 200 PR people gathered in New York City to celebrate PRSA’s recognition of the most successful communication campaigns in 2007. The PRSA Silver Anvil award is seen by many as the most prestigious public recognition in PR. One of our campaigns was nominated; we won. Woohoo!

The event drew people of all types. Newbies, industry legends and regular ole communication people walked through the red carpet entrance dressed in glitz and glam. This is the one and only night a year PR people get to feel like celebrities (PRSA paparazzi included), so people play it up.

Most headed straight to the open bar, obviously. To give PRSA some credit, the food and drinks were impeccable. We had dinner elsewhere, but the post-ceremony dessert and cheese selection was scrumptious enough make me forget the six-course Mario Batali meal I consumed three hours ago.

It is an honor to be awarded a Silver Anvil; however, I couldn’t help but ask myself how many of these campaigns were truly industry moving and as successful as they appeared on paper? Which strategies and tactics really moved the needle?

One submission won because of its lavish national media coverage, yet I had never heard of it or had any perception of the brand. I read a lot, so it made me question the entire spectacle. How much of this is just marketing PR collateral to PR people?

Regardless of intent, people seemed to have fun. And while the beagle didn’t beat the poodle for best in show this time around, we have high hopes for next year.

Faux-prah…

I’m the first to admit that I like Oprah. For all the crazy she’s brought into the world, she’s brought as much good.

In the crazy column: Dr. Phil; Rachel Ray; Oprah’s favorite things; Big Give; Stedman and Gayle; “a new car”; a magazine with every cover featuring her; the Oprah Store; Oxygen; OWN; and the ability to name everything after herself.

In the good: her ability to get a swath of people previously only addicted to TV to become addicted to Oprah’s Book Club; her slapdown with James Frey (though the blessing from heaven to come of that whole mess was the South Park episode); Barbara Walters’ affair; the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy (and she managed the bad press around the headmistress scandal well); Eckhart Tolle’s book sales.

But, the good and crazy aside, it’s hard to forgive Oprah for what she’s done to PR. It seems that the holy grail for every client these days is landing on the Big O. Increasingly, the first question we get asked is “how do I get on Oprah?” The response is eerily straightforward:

First of all, no one gets on Oprah, she gets on you. (We even pitched her the most sought after speaker on the planet and her producers barely feigned interest…)

Secondly, to get the Oprah blessing you must have a product, person, or cause that realllllyyy appeals to Oprah’s “ah-ha” sensibilities. Or it must be a “flytothemoonmakingnonfatwonderfoodssavingtheearthreclaimingwaterchangingtheworldproduct” that Oprah’s billions viewers are worthy of.

And, no matter the media contacts, the “rolodex”, or the connections, it seems landing the O is much more about destiny than art.

How do we counteract this approach to the media over which we have no control? As the flacks of this world, it’s time to band together and give the O the Big No. In this YouTubeIt age there are as many other outlets as there are Oprah viewers. And while the faithful may still consider the O placement as the hallmark of their offering, what really sells is reaching those committed people who you actually want to have your product.

How can the queen of all media have no regard for us, the gentle souls who keep the media machines moving? And better yet, do we need her?

Does Oprah still move products and create buzz or is it YouTube and the thousands of micro-persuasion sites that we need to start reaching?

My vote is in the O No column—it’s time to band together and focus clients and stories to the places that matter. Those small yet powerful new opportunities are ours to seize. And if Oprah picks up on it, all the better.

Do you have blogger's block?

What is cooler than blogging? Blogging about blogging, duh! Or how about blogging about blogging about blogging? I hear it is going to be big in ‘08. Nevermind.

Lore Sjöberg of Wired posted the Secrets of the 7 Basic Blog Posts, so if you are looking for some inspiration for your next Fizzle-Pop post, look no further. Sjöberg suggests that, similar to the theory that there are only 36 (give or take 35) basic story plots that just get reused, all blog postings fall into one or more of the following categories:

1. Be upset!
2. Buy a thing!
3. Animals are cute!
4. People are dumb!
5. Something I like, only different!
6. Weird science!
7. Me, the blogger!

So, if you are engaging with bloggers, might be a good idea to think about how your product/service/idea fits into these kinds of blog posts in order to create something that resonates. On the other hand, this blogger would like to think that humans are a little more creative.

Where does this post fall amongst the seven? Well, I am not exactly sure.

Get Your Press Release Graded via HubSpot

If you have a few minutes before submitting your press release I would suggest running it through Press Release Grader for a quick evaluation on how effective your release will be. I've used their Website Grader service in the past and have found it to be very helpful with search engine optimization.

All you need to do is copy and paste your release into the 'Press Release' box, provide them with your clients name & website and your email address and hit "Grade Press Release". Within a few minutes you should have a report in your inbox that will analyze each of the following areas below and will provide you with a score as well. According to Todd Defren, "any score over 80/100 is considered 'Very Good'".

Readability Level: What grade level does your press release read at? Think about who your audience is!
Contact Info: This one is a no-brainer...I hope! Make sure you've included contact information.
Gobbledygook Score: This will help you avoid words that are overused and have very little meaning.
Link Analysis: Takes a closer look at your links which will hopefully help you improve your search ranking
Word Cloud: Your release is about a new Cherry Flavored Chapstick. Word Cloud says your release is about Soft Supple Cherries. You might have a problem, depending on the audience you are trying to reach. You can click on any of the words and it will show you how many times you used the word. This is how search engines determine what your release is all about, so you want to make sure your keywords are right on!

Need more Fizzle!

All I gotta say is that after Te Frost gets back from the Dog Show later this week, there better be some furious posting from all of us.

Recycle This Post

101 Things Designers Can do to Save the Earth is a good read, whether you're a designer or not. And it's further proof that bad design really can ruin the world.

Just When You Thought Seeds of Compassion Was Done...

For those of you who were part of Seeds of Compassion and His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Seattle in April, you can relive it here.

For those who weren't part of it, read on:

Last month Porter Novelli Seattle was fortunate to have the opportunity to manage the communications efforts for the recent visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Seattle. Over the course of five days in April, Porter Novelli led the public relations strategy for Seeds of Compassion, a secular and non-political event with the goal of nurturing kindness and compassion in the world starting with children and all those who touch their lives. Through the event the important message of compassion reached more than 150,000 attendees in person and an additional 80 million through television, print, radio and online communities.

We were honored to be a part of this unprecedented effort and to lead one of the largest media management undertakings that our region has seen. Porter Novelli was responsible for coordinating more than 400 members of the media over the course of five days and assuring they passed U.S. Department of State and Diplomatic Security Service scrutiny. From international press outlets, to the Today Show and New York Times, and all local news groups, the Porter Novelli team led an incredibly complex and delicate credentialing effort that resulted in worldwide attention on both the Seeds of Compassion and His Holiness' messages to the world.

As a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a renowned author, and the most highly sought after speaker on the planet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in high demand during his Seattle visit. Again, Porter Novelli was humbled to be chosen to manage His Holiness' personal media schedule. Given the political sensitivities of the time, the conflict between Tibet and China, and the world awaiting the Dalai Lama's response on the Beijing Olympics it was clear that Seattle would be the center of history making announcements as the Dalai Lama spoke of the concern for his country.

In a highly anticipated interview, we worked with Ann Curry of the Today Show granting her the first US interview with His Holiness in this politically charged time. Her piece, which aired in a lengthy four-minute segment on the Nightly News with Brian Williams unleashed a flood of media activities resulting in more than 1000 broadcast stories and 100 print stories during the event. Through all the coverage--reaching an estimated 80 million people worldwide--Porter Novelli's media relations team balanced messaging to assure the higher profile Tibet story did not overshadow the real reason for the visit, the emotional and social development of youth. In all, key media pick-up represented that effort with the majority of coverage containing all major message points and highly positive headlines like the AP's: "The Dalai Lama Talks Compassion, Not Tibet". Additionally, we secured His Holiness' only radio interview, an almost eight minute conversation with Renee Montagne, host of NPR's Morning Edition.

As a special seal of approval from the Seeds of Compassion organizing committee, the Seattle New Media Team became the only new media team allowed to cover the event, resulting in podcasting, vodcasting and vlogging. Our challenge was to develop content that would extend the dialog from the initial five-day event to an ongoing online conversation. In addition to helping build a social networking site, www.committedconversations.com, our New Media Team conducted on-the-ground and behind-the-scene interviews. The video and podcast interviews were produced wholly in-house in Porter Novelli Seattle's podcast studio.

Say "Cheese"

The "stupid thief" story never gets old. Why? It's comforting to know that the jerk who violates your privacy is too dumb to get away with it. Even better? When the thief is caught by their crafty victim, adding a heroic twist to the story.

The New York Times recently reported on one such victim that was able to tell the perpetrator to say "cheese" while using her stolen laptop. A friend noticed that someone had logged onto the computer, and through Apple's "Back to My Mac" service, the victim was able to get onto her computer and take the thief's picture. Brilliant.

My Mac Love aside (how cool is Back to My Mac?), this is a great story of karmic retribution for anyone who's ever had anything stolen. And this is the type of publicity you just can't plan.

To read the article, click here

Are you YAWNING?

Being a YAWN is all the rage these days. According to The Sunday Telegraph of London, “They are a new breed of Gen Xers and Ys, Young and Wealthy but Normal, or Yawns.”

A what???

“They drive hybrid cars, if they drive at all; shop at local stores, if they shop at all; and pay off their credit cards every month, if they use them at all. They may have disposable income, but whatever they make, they live below their means in a conscious effort to tread lightly on the Earth. Yawns sound dull, but they are the new movers and shakers, their dreams big and bold. They are men and women in their 20s, 30s and 40s who want nothing less than to change the world and save the planet.”

CNN.com posted this great article about this new phenomenon and the potential effects it may have on spending in the coming years. Check it out here.

This article makes me think of a new philosophy we are trying to integrate into our outreach efforts with one of our clients. We are working to promote the positive experiences that customers get from using the service. The idea of making the actual experience more worthwhile, leaving the customer with a feeling of accomplishment and that they have done something meaningful seems crucial to targeting a YAWN.

If you are working on a green initiative for a client or trying to influence influencers, the Earth-consciousness of the YAWNs is something to consider.

What's Your Price?

Okay we have a very important survey here. How much money would it take to eat one of Brent's two year old twinkies displayed at his station. According to Hostess the recommended shelf life is 25 days. But don't fret because a twinkie also is basically void of any real dairy product so not much in there can really spoil. So what's your price?

I'll start it out. Mine is $1,000 - can't drop below the four figure amount.

I think Noah would do it for $3,000 or a new air conditioning system for his Audi, installed.

Who's next?

Morocco Pops, Sour Milk Fizzles

I've become akin to a local god in the apartment building I'm staying in (literally, I was told "God bless you and your travels for coming here" or something like that) thanks to fixing the WiFi connection, so I decided to take advantage of it by checking on my beloved Fizzle-Pop. It took a while to log in unfortunately due to Google's excessive helpfulness. Please note the tiny arabic writing on top of our banner in the above screenshot. If anyone can tell me which one of those is "Sign In" please let me know. 

Anyways, things are awesome. Don't worry Martin/Katie, I still haven't checked my work email. Props to all the new contributors and the new posts. And it looks like Rob and I are both still alive, so we are both "winners" on that bet. 

Other highlights include:

• Getting sick from sour milk. Yeah, they serve it sour on purpose.
• Quality time with the lady.
• Testing my natural resistance to mosquitos/malaria.
• Meeting what are quite possibly the nicest and most generous people ever.
• Finding out that bread sucks in America, and cheese sucks in Morocco.
• Getting a text message from my Blizzard friend randomly that Blizzcon is on again this year... so I'll probably be gone sometime in October doing "competitive research."
• That I can't play the race card and have my "Puerto Ricaness" save me from bad sun burns.
• Discovering that the climbing mechanics found in the game Assassin's Creed would indeed be possible in cities such as the ones i've been staying in.

Baslama. See you all on Monday.