Trade Tips: Altruism or Publicity Stunt?

Trade Tips: Altruism or Publicity Stunt?

By Nicole Hayes

Have you seen a campaign or action that initially appeared altruistic but then wreaked of self-promotion? The following effort may be an example of that, but I'll let you decide.

This past weekend's "Super Soul Sunday" on Oprah's OWN network, aired the documentary "No Impact Man" created by Colin and Michelle Bevan of New York City, as part of a yearlong quest to reduce their carbon and environmental footprint as much as possible. Working off the “reduce, reuse and recycle” model, the Bevan’s went without electricity (six months, including television), took stairs instead of elevators (including access to their fifth floor co-op), bicycled New York’s congested streets (with toddler daughter in tow) for one year. The Bevan family washed their clothes in the bathtub, ate by candlelight and tried alternate means of refrigeration with a Nigerian flower pot idea that wasn’t successful. They eventually requested daily ice cubes from their neighbor's freezer for their cooler, grocery shopped from farmer's markets, used cloth diapers for baby as opposed to disposable—all to reduce their personal waste. Their perceived intent was that their diary of yearlong sacrifice when viewed by the public would spur a movement and behavioral change among individuals—and the promote Colin’s book, No Impact Man. Yes, Colin is an author. Michelle is a senior writer at Business Week.

http://www.oprah.com/own-supersoulsunday/blogs/Highlights-from-No-Impact-Man

While the Bevan’s can be applauded for their efforts to change how we treat our environment, understanding their professional backgrounds makes me question whether the message was 100% altruistic. Furthermore, they might have unintentionally defeated their "no impact" effect—by adding to the public’s carbon footprint. The couple landed multiple interviews on national television talk shows—interviews that occurred in television studios using wattages upon wattages of electricity. Studios delivered the Bevan’s interviews to millions of viewers who could only see the "no impact" information via their plugged in televisions and computers. Speeches and workshops could have been conducted in a park, sparing the electricity used by millions. Not only that, their neighbor who gave them daily ice from her freezer, was making her own carbon footprint so the Bevan’s didn’t have to. Does this make sense?

As communications professionals we strive to ensure that our messages, strategies, tactics and outcomes/impact align with our goals.

Was the Bevan’s purpose met or was it simply a publicity stunt?

PR Tips: Managing Expectations and the Consequences of Failing to Do So

PR Tips: Managing Expectations

and the Consequences of Failing to Do So

By: Ryan Duncan

If you missed last week’s Friday video post, “Teachable PR Tips from Howard University's CapComm Lecture Series” one of Gwen’s PR Tips was about “managing expectations,” an important lesson for all public relations work.

Today, we were presented with another perfect example of the consequences of failing to manage expectations. Apple Inc. – beloved tech company which created the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad, had scheduled a highly anticipated press event in which expectations were high.

For the past year, there was endless chatter and rumors surrounding Apple’s next iPhone device, which everyone assumed would be called the iPhone 5. Plus, with the announcement of Steve Jobs retiring and this event being his replacement, Tim Cook’s big debut, the excitement and expectations were even more heightened. All day on Twitter and Facebook, my friend’s updates and posts reflected their extreme anticipation for the event and Apple’s announcement of their next device.

But boy were they disappointed. It turns out, there was no iPhone 5. Instead, Apple debuted the iPhone 4S. It may be faster, it may be on more carriers, and have a nicer camera, but it looks pretty much the same as the iPhone4. The press and the public were clearly let down and disappointed in the announcement.

Apple‘s stock fell as much as 5% after its iPhone 4S announcement Tuesday, illustrating that the news failed to wow investors. This is the first time I can ever remember Apple’s stock going down after one of their press events. What lessons can we learn from this? What we have here is another perfect example of failing to manage expectations. Usually Apple had always done an incredible job of keeping their products secret while also under-promising and over-delivering.

What do you think? Was this a failure by the new CEO Tim Cook’s failure to manage expectations? Are you disappointed by the iPhone 4S? How could Apple have done a better job of communicating in advance what to expect ahead of their product unveiling?

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Graphic Warning Labels Aim to Prevent Youth

Smoking & Help Smokers Quit

 By: Shawntay Warren

Would you purchase a product wrapped in a label that showed a man with a hole in his throat? How about one that showed an infant struggling to breathe through a thick cloud of smoke? I hope not. And that is the hope of the federal government as it plans to use similar labels on cigarette cartons in compliance with The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. On November 10, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration released 36 images, nine of which will appear on future cigarette packs.

            Images like the ones pictured below will be placed on cigarette cartons across the U.S.

Since nearly 90 percent of today’s adult smokers took their first puff before the age of 18, this regulation is one of several important tactics to discourage youth smoking, including sales tax hikes and the ban on flavored tobacco products. In Washington, D.C. alone, 400 kids under the age of 18 become new smokers each year and 8,000 kids under the age of 18 today will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.

If you’re wondering how a product that is legally sold in the U.S. can possibly be lethal, take a look at this video that was produced a couple of years ago by the D.C. Tobacco Free Families campaign with former Washington Redskin, Darrell Green:

McKinney & Associates is launching the BeWellWomen campaign in February 2011, which encourages California’s African American women of childbearing age to put their health first. Our goal is to leverage this campaign beyond California and help reduce health disparities across the country, many of which are caused or made worse by tobacco use. Part of being well is to stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke, which can cause serious health complications, including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, heart disease, cancer and emphysema.  

Tobacco is the only legal consumer product in the United States that, when used as intended, will kill you. If you are a smoker, there are plenty of resources that can help you break the stronghold of nicotine addiction, including the toll-free Quitline, 800-QUIT-NOW. In 2009, former Denver Broncos player, Steve Fitzhugh, shot a video in Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia High School to encourage youth to stay tobacco free. As I leave you with this musical treat, I hope you will make living tobacco free part of your New Year’s resolution if you’re a smoker. If you’re not a smoker, support your loved ones who want to quit and do your part to keep children away from tobacco.

Question: How effective do you think graphic warning labels will be in preventing tobacco use?