Why PR people can be annoying

I just posted this on Successfool.com. This is why I get so annoyed with PR and marketing folks:

This is just the latest example of why I get annoyed with public relations professionals. Yes, I am one, I understand that. But I just refuse to speak like this because I think people want to be shot straight, not “wowed” with a bunch of marketing speak.

This is important because you might find yourself interviewing PR agencies someday and if you are new to how my field works, it can be a difficult choice.

I just read where former CBS president Andrew Heyward asked the What’s Next for the Media roundtable at the PRWeek Next Conference what word or phrase best describes the next two years in the industry.

Among the answers: “transparency,” “speed and volume,” “implementation,” “keeping up,” “time management,” and “Twitter.”

With the exception of Twitter, this is just more PR speak. I can’t stand PR speak. These words mostly mean nothing and marketing folks just love to throw them out there.

You can tell this struck a nerve with me, huh? I get livid when I see PR agencies that say things on their website like “we’re results oriented.” What?! Who isn’t?! What business in the world can you say that you can get away with not being results oriented? Why does this even need to be said? As though other PR firms think, “oh…you wanted a results-oriented PR firm? Yeah, that’s just not us.”

This is just something that stands out to me when looking at other PR firms. If you are going to meet with a PR firm, look for a group of people that shoots you straight. Tell me what you are going to do. What media outlets can you get me coverage in? Stop talking about how your company “leverages synergies,” as though anyone knows what that nonsense means.

There certainly are different types of PR, but if you have an internet business, chances are you are just looking for someone to spread the word about your company in the media. This isn’t brain surgery. My job is not hard, and I don’t ever pretend that it is. Don’t let some PR company make getting your word out seem like some Herculean task that requires a “results-driven” team. Watch out for the marketing speak and look for the substance of what a PR firm can really do for you.

That’s all for now, I have to get back to leveraging synergies so that I can implement strategic solutions.

FOX News attacks MSNBC & CNN

We can't believe that FOX News actually ran this ad in a trade publication. Here is the text:

"* This would be where CNN & MSNBC use an asterisk in their ads to point out some half-baked on-time statistic to prove that somebody stumbled across their channels giving them a temporary spike in the ratings, which they would tout as unprecedented, earth-shattering and monumental. It's actually pathetic since we all know if they massage their statistics long enough, they can come up with something to make their lame point. But deep in their little hearts, even they know that FOX News is number one in cable and has been for years."

It sounds like a bunch of five-year olds are running cable news stations these days. Actually, I don't know if five-year olds would act like that.

Facebook reverts to old TOS

There was a large outcry recently over whether Facebook owned you or not. Well, they reverted to their old Terms of Service. This message is on the Facebook homepage:

"Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago. Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised. For more information, visit the Facebook Blog. If you want to share your thoughts on what should be in the new terms, check out our group Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities."

For businesses, Twitter is best social media

A recent poll by Abrams Research found that 32.2% of Facebook users said that they would pay for that service.

But, when asked which social media service was the best for businesses, Twitter won hands down, 39.6% to 15.3%.

LinkedIn came in second in both of those particular polls, although I really don't like LinkedIn.

But, as far as Twitter, it means if you are a business, get your rear end on Twitter.

Great article on integrating social media into your marketing

I love Twitter. You get so much neat and new information put in front of you that you would have never found otherwise. So, I came across this great article on integrating social media into your marketing. It's very thorough.

Why you need SEO

Good article on why you need search engine optimization. Showing up in the natural results is huge, especially if you do all of your business online.

Not a good time for endorsements

These last few weeks have not been good for young celebs with endorsements. Wrigley just announced that they are suspending their Chris Brown advertisements. The R&B singer is involved in some domestic violence charges and it's not tough to understand why you wouldn't want that punk repping your brand.

Michael Phelps is also getting dumped by some sponsors (including Kellogs) for being photographed hitting a bong two weeks ago.

And now?

A-Rod has thrown his hat into the ring by admitting he took steroids from 2001-2003. No word on what sponsors plan to do right now, but you have to imagine that there will be some repercussions.

Post on Successfool.com

Here is my latest blog post on Successfool.com on how to reach out to bloggers.

Adrants apologizes for fake Virgin ad

Adrants.com has issued an apology for posting a fake ad that was a picture of the US Airways plane in the Hudson River. The image made it look like an advertisement for Virgin Airways. Why apologize for a joke?

Virgin sued them.

That's a good reason.

The suit says that Adrants said, ""We've seen Virgin turn ugly situations to its advantage before, making it [the fake advertisement] very much in keeping with the Virgin brand persona. The only thing saving the tribute from being in terrifically bad taste is the fact that no one lost his or her life in the crash. So woot! -- slather your big reds all over those news shots, V."

So Adrants issued this apology:

"On January 15, Adrants posted a depiction of the downed US Airways plane as a Virgin America ad. Certain topics are fodder for humor. This is not one of them. Our endorsement and depiction of the downed US Airways plane as a Virgin America ad was inappropriate. The posting was in poor taste, we were remiss in drawing further attention to it and corroborating it without checking our facts. As a result, we want to offer our apologies to the crew, passengers, families of US Air Flight1549 for making light of this accident. It is clear that Virgin America had nothing to do with the original false ad and that they and the entire airline industry takes issues of safety very seriously."