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Perspective 1: Penn State Crisis Management – What to Do Now
Corporate Communications…By Matt Eventoff, Princeton Public Speaking
The Freeh Report, released this week, was gut wrenching to read. Penn State has a crisis management problem, caused by the actions of one man and the inaction of many men. The actions, and the report, are a crisis management issue for more than a football program and a board. It affects hundreds of thousands of people who have been, are or will be associated with the University, and have nothing to do with the football program.
What Penn State can do today:
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Perspective 2: Crisis Lessons from the Penn State and Sandusky Case
Public Relations…By Dr. Zeny Sarabia-Panol, Professor and Associate Dean College of Mass Communication, Middle Tennessee State University
Freeh’s report shows how misguided and callous Penn State has conducted itself during the entire Jerry Sandusky scandal. Motivated in part by fear of bad publicity and in an effort to protect the university’s reputation (as opposed to protecting the children), Penn State decided not to report the child sex abuse. Penn State’s actions violated and disregarded basic, long-established strategic communication/crisis communication principles in the books. First of all, this scandal magnified in no uncertain terms the importance of involving and seeking strategic communication input (a.k.a, public relations counsel) before, not after a crisis.
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Wall Street and Social Media: Progress, But a Long Way to Go
IR Therefore I Am… By Gene Marbach
While many companies, most notably those dealing in consumer products, have made tremendous strides in harnessing the power of social media (read any of my friend and fellow blogger Vicki Flaugher’s postings in the Social Media Zone at http://www.commpro.biz/social-media-zone/ to see how), the financial services industry is taking baby steps.
Of course, the financial industry, given its highly regulated nature, tends to be conservative (some might say “boring”). For example, there are strict rules governing what and how financial advisers and brokers can communicate with their clientele. Broker-dealers are mandated to keep records of their external messages, which typically require approval from their compliance departments.
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Testing the Power of Public Relations: Meeting Planner Enlists Hotels in Fight Against Sex Trafficking
By Mitchell Beer for CSRwire for the Corporate Social Responsibility Channel
A St. Louis, Missouri, meeting planner is generating an avalanche of attention and some glimmers of action after drawing public and media attention to human sex trafficking in hotels that host participants in major conventions and sporting events.
Kimberly Ritter of Nix Conference & Meeting Management first learned about the problem when she was organizing a meeting for a client, the Sisters of St. Joseph. As she searched through the victim profiles on sex trafficking sites, she recognized the wallpaper and furniture in the hotel rooms where the photos had been taken — and realized the scope of a devastating illegal trade that meeting and event planners are uniquely positioned to fight.
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Shelley O’Connor Joins MWW as Vice President
The Sacramento Bee
MWW announced that Shelley O’Connor has joined the firm as vice president, consumer lifestyle marketing. O’Connor’s expertise spans lifestyle marketing, entertainment, and multicultural communications. Drawing from her experience in the food and beverage segment and her leadership of campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, she will play a key role in managing strategy and initiatives for some of MWW’s flagship consumer marketing clients. O’Connor brings a depth of experience in lifestyle marketing and corporate communications to MWW. Most recently, she led development and execution of the U.S. lifestyle strategy for FIAT USA at DeVries PR. Prior, O’Connor spent nine years at UniWorld Group Inc. (a WPP Company) as director of public relations …
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Crisis Communications: HSBC Compliance Chief Steps Down in Mexico Money Laundering Scandal
The Wall Street Journal
The top executive in charge of HSBC Holdings’ anti-money-laundering programs told lawmakers he is stepping down in the wake of a Senate investigation into risky practices at the global banking giant. A yearlong investigation alleged HSBC’s U.S. bank became a conduit for money-launderers and potential terrorist financiers. A report released ahead of the hearing also found “systemic failures” at its main U.S. government regulator, the Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He plans to stay with the company after a transition to his successor, an HSBC official said. The biggest problem Senate investigators found was HSBC’s Mexico branch, which moved billions of dollars of bulk cash through HSBC’s U.S. bank despite suspicions that client accounts were being used for laundering of drug cartel funds …
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As Economy Cools, IBM Furthers Focus on Marketers
The Wall Street Journal
Technology companies have found a new customer – the marketing department. At telecom equipment maker Motorola Solutions Inc., for instance, CMO Eduardo Conrado figures he now spends more than 50% of his budget on technology to manage activities like online marketing and social media. His priorities reflect a shift in how technology is managed and bought. Companies are deemphasizing traditional productivity tools like PCs and standard business software in favor of advanced programs that help them boost revenue, for example by tracking customers across channelsand better targeting offers and advertising. In reaction, companies like IBM are broadening their attention from the traditional holder of the purse – chief information officers – to include chief marketing officers now taking on more responsibility to manage customer relationships across multiple fronts …
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CMOs on the Go: Starz Entertainment’s Randall McCurdy Promoted to SVP Sales & Affiliate Marketing
MarketWatch
Starz Entertainment President of Affiliate Distribution Ed Huguez announced the promotion of Randall McCurdy to senior vice president, sales and affiliate marketing. Effective immediately, McCurdy manages for the company the Comcast Cable, Charter Communications, and Suddenlink Communications accounts. McCurdy joined Starz Entertainment in 2008 and was vice president of sales and affiliate marketing responsible for National Division and other accounts. In a related move, Christine Carrier, also a senior vice president, sales and affiliate marketing, is now responsible for the Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Cablevision, Bright House Networks, and National Division accounts …
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P&G Seeking PR Help? Company Looking for Counsel on Ackman Pressure
BusinessWeek
Procter & Gamble has spoken to financial and communications advisers to help manage an activist investor as demands grow to jettison executives or assets, said people familiar with the matter. P&G may hire both an external public-relations firm and banks in coming days, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The Cincinnati-based company has typically used Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley as advisers on deals. The maker (PG) of Tide, Pampers and Crest is under pressure from investors frustrated after Chief Executive Officer Robert McDonald reduced P&G’s profit forecasts (PG) three times this year. Investor Bill Ackman last week bought into the company with what he called his biggest initial stake ever and is likely to push for a management change and large asset sales, said another person familiar with the matter …
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New Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Sits Out Phone Call to Investors on First Day
Huffington Post
Yahoo Inc’s new chief executive, Marissa Mayer, and Ross Levinsohn, the executive whom she replaced, both sat out the company’s second quarter earnings call Tuesday. The once iconic Internet company caught analysts, investors and industry watchers by surprise Monday when it announced that it had poached Mayer from Google Inc to be its next CEO. Many had assumed that after a stellar run as interim-CEO that Levinsohn would be named to the position on a permanent basis simultaneous with its earnings announcement. Yahoo Chief Financial Officer Tim Morse led the call solo for the company. Mayer’s first day at Yahoo coincided with its reporting of flat net revenue and a slight decline in profit during the second quarter …
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Internal Communications: Facebook Is Top Culprit in Time Wasted
Forbes
According to a recent Salary.com survey, one of the biggest culprits of employees’ wasted time is surfing the Internet.
the survey revealed 64 percent of employees visit non-work related websites every day at work. Of that group, 39 percent spend one hour or less per week, 29 percent spend 2 hours per week, 21 percent waste five hours per week, and only 3 percent said they waste 10 hours or more doing unrelated activities. The survey also revealed which websites keep employees most off-task. Not surprisingly, socializing on Facebook occupied 41 percent, while 37 percent use LinkedIn, and 25 percent are shopping at Amazon. Other destinations include Yahoo and Google+ and to a lesser extent Twitter and Pinterest. The younger, more tech-savvy worker demographic appeared to be the biggest group of recreational Web surfers. Of employees between the ages of 18 and 35, approximately 73 percent reported spending time inappropriately at work on a daily basis …
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Hunt Named AOL CMO, Communications Chief
Mediapost
AOL on Tuesday named Jolie Hunt as its new Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. “This is a company on the move,” Hunt said regarding her new employer. She characterized AOL as a company in “transformation,” as well as one focused on “trusted content.” In her newly created role, Hunt will oversee AOL’s global communications strategy, including internal and external communications, social media, corporate social responsibility and cause-related initiatives. Reporting directly to AOL head Tim Armstrong, Hunt will also be responsible for AOL’s global brand development, partnerships and consumer marketing efforts …
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Olympic Advertising: P&G Leads the Race in Most Online Views, Buzz
ADWEEK
Procter & Gamble is the Usain Bolt of 2012 Olympic sponsors, judging by stats in a fun infographic (click through for the visual) which pits brands against one another in a mad dash to viral advertising glory. The chart, from Unruly Media, tracks online ads from official Olympic sponsors, and illustrates – through animated running avatars – which brands are generating the most social-media buzz. The more shares a sponsor’s videos earn across Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere, the faster its avatar runs toward the finish line. The data in the infographic will be updated twice a day through the London Games. Unruly is also tracking the most-shared individual spots on a special Olympics Ads Chart. As it stands, P&G, buoyed by its enormously successful “Best Job” spot from Wieden + Kennedy, has opened a sizable lead in the race. Adidas is currently second, followed by BMW. The Brand Tracker infographic is the first piece of research from Unruly’s Social Video Lab, which launched last month …
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Romney Ad Pulled from YouTube over Copyright Complaint from Music Publisher
Washington Post
A Mitt Romney campaign video has been pulled from the video-sharing site YouTube at the request of a major international music publisher. The video, titled “Political Payoffs and Middle Class Layoffs,” suggests that President Barack Obama has helped enrich his friends and political patrons at the expense of the middle class. It features a few seconds of Obama singing Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” It was that video that prompted music publisher BMG Rights Management to file a copyright complaint. Obama sang the song at a fundraiser in New York City earlier this year. A Romney campaign spokeswoman says the video falls under fair use laws. She says the campaign will work to have the ad restored …
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