KoiFish — The World’s Second Best PR Blog

For the record, we liked Ecopreneurist even before they decided to profile KoiFish Communications

We do a lot of work with “green” clients. Not surprisingly, we monitor the influential blogs having to do with environmental issues. All told, we review more than 2,000 environmentally-related blog posts a month. Our favorite all-around green blog is www.treehugger.com. You can read about what makes Treehugger so valuable on the StalkMarket blog. Another one of our absolute favorites is Ecopreneurist. Ecopreneurist is part of the Green Options blog network. As the name implies, Ecopreneurist is written for social entrepreneurs focused on finding solutions to some of today’s most daunting environmental problems. They cover a huge range of topics that we and many of our clients find invaluable.  We were honored that Ecopreneurist recently published a quick write-up on KoiFish Communications and proud to have been able to provide to provide some insight on ways green companies can increase company visibility through PR and marketing.

Nothing cracks me up like suicide

I’m all about edgy. I like dark twisted humor and laugh at jokes that make many people cringe. I nearly always root for the companies that have the balls to do something different and take risks with communications campaigns that push the limits. But I also have learned — occasionally the hard way — there are times when edgy is simply not the right tool for the job. A recent ad campaign by BBDO Dusseldorf and Pepsi provides an awesome example of where edgy is definitely uncalled for.

The ads portray a personification of a lonely calorie offing itself in a variety of gruesome ways. The point they are trying to highlight is the joyous fact that Pepsi Max has but one calorie. The violent and graphic images they use overshadow and muddy that point.

Not surprisingly, the ads caused quite a stir. Advertising Age wrote all about the ordeal in an online article that circulated very quickly. If you look at the reader comments about the article, you’ll see that most people agree Pepsi made a big mistake – one that Pepsi’s PR team is currently working to correct.

But a surprising number of reader comments defended the campaign. Their comments discuss the importance of being edgy, how political correctness has ruined the advertising business (along with everything else) and how those who are offended should simply “get over it.” The overwhelming majority of these comments came from the folks in the creative or graphics segments of the ad biz. Perhaps the apparent lack of judgment and filters is why ad agencies rarely take these guys to client meetings (a shame, really, because those meetings would probably be a lot more fun if they did).

What I find most interesting is that the people who stick up for this particular campaign genuinely don’t appear to understand WHY it is such a colossal screw up. But the reason is simple; it strays way too far from the rather whitewashed and benign brand image that Pepsi has spent more than a century working to create.

Goes great with Thai

Pepsi may call itself the “Choice of a New Generation” but, in reality, they have a customer base that extends across hundreds of cultures and virtually every imaginable demographic. And the bigger and more diverse your audience, the greater the chance an edgy campaign will miss its mark and be seen as offensive or even hurtful. With a customer base as big as Pepsi’s, even if an ad like this only drives off one percent of its customer base, you are still talking about a huge number of people.

Where Edgy Works

It might seem ironic that the very same ads that worked so miserably for Pepsi could actually work fine for a company that is going after a more specific and targeted audience. I even think the title of the Advertising Age story on the issue works fine. It reads “Pepsi Opens a Vein of Controversy With New Suicide Themed Ads.” Even though it is a little tasteless, most of the magazine’s readership probably recognizes it as clever and are able to take it in stride.

Edgy for the sake of being edgy doesn’t make sense. But when it works, it works well. There is a great Wired Magazine article about Ian Woolward, who did a bunch of print ads in the early 1990′s that pushed the envelope and arguably crossed the boundaries of good taste. But they worked (at least I thought so).

One of his most infamous works appeared in PC Magazine in the early 1990′s. It was part of a series of ads for Logitech. They were a new company that had just come out with a line of ergonomically- correct mice. The purpose of the ad was to underscore how good the mice felt to use. All of the ads were offbeat, but the one that caused the biggest stir was the “peeing baby” concept. On one half of the page was a diapered baby boy laying on his back with a caption that read “feels good.” On the other half of the page was the same baby – this time without the diaper peeing straight up in the air with a caption that read “feels better.”According to Woolward, “the ad really says that the product is fun to buy, fun to use and is fairly sophisticated because the ad itself is sophisticated.” Did the add “piss off” any potential customers? Yes. But Logitech knew this and accepted it from the outset. But it made me curious enough about the product to run out an buy one and I still use Logitech mice to this day.

The VW ad below isn’t real. Though clearly designed by professionals, it was (supposedly) a spoof that just happened to get leaked and go viral big time. While the political correctness police would never allow a company like Volkswagen to air such an ad, if they had, I’d probably be joining the creative types and say “just get over it.”

One of the first things I learned when I entered the public relations industry 25 years ago is that few people truly understand what PR actually is. I’ve never heard a great “elevator speech” that adequately describes it. When people ask me what I do for a living and I don’t have the time, interest or energy to properly explain it, I’ve resort to saying I’m a marketing consultant or corporate publicist.

When I interview a candidate for an entry level position, I always ask them to define PR. This question never fails to illicit an interesting response. A number of candidates – including some with college degrees in public relations – have been completely unable to provide a coherent answer.

The reason PR is difficult to describe concisely is that there are so many different types of PR. Helping clients clarify their message, writing news releases and talking to the press are the most widely understood functions of a typical PR person. However, publicists, crisis managers, political campaign strategists, lobbyists and other specialty “spin doctors” have also been counted among our ranks.

The best definition of PR that I’ve ever come across was from a PR textbook called Effective Public Relations that I still have from college. It says “Public relations is the management function that identifies, establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure depends.”

While the definition would require elaboration to accurately explain someone’s specific PR job, it does provide enough meat to differentiate PR from other types of marketing. It is also broad enough to encompass the multiple facets of the industry. And it has stood the test of time. In practice, PR is an extremely different animal than it was 10 or even 5 years ago. However, its fundamental purpose remains unchanged.

To be sure, the emergence of the Internet as one of the best ways to spread information and influence opinion has turned traditional public relations on its head. It has given rise to a whole new group specialties and specialists and a new set of thought leaders including Brian Solis, Steve Rubel, Mike Manuel and Jeremy Pepper to name just a few.

The impact of the Internet has changed the whole communications landscape dramatically enough that it has lead many self-appointed new media pundits to declare that PR is dead. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, for those who embrace change and new challenges, there has never been a more exciting time to be in PR.

Of course, there have been some growing pains. One of the most high profile was a program that Edelman conducted for Wal-Mart. It is important to note, however, that Edelman was among the first PR agencies to pioneer Internet PR. When you are exploring uncharted territories, you have to be willing to take an arrow in the back. The reward is often worth the risk.

Today, it is hard to find a PR agency that doesn’t claim to be an expert in Internet PR, social media, blogger relations, etc. Unfortunately ours is an industry where perception often precedes reality. In truth, many practitioners are just now beginning to adapt and figure out for themselves what will and won’t work. The bad news is that when they make mistakes, it leads to harsh criticism that impacts us all. The good news is that many mistakes are totally avoidable. Most of the industry’s true thought leaders are sharing every detail of the secrets to their success. Their collective wisdom is available via a whole array of social media outlets to anyone who bothers to search for it (thanks to all of you for that by the way).

There is no question that the methods of communication, tools and techniques used to “maintain mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the various publics on whom its success or failure depends” will continue to change rapidly. However, the fundamentals and foundation for success haven’t changed. The same principles that worked in 1950 will still be in play in 2050.

These include:

• Understanding your clients, their products and their industry
• Understanding the key audiences (a.k.a. “publics”)
• Developing clear, concise messaging geared toward those audiences
• Determining what forms of communication are most effective in reaching them
• Providing them with interesting, accurate and timely information that they will find valuable

Without these fundamentals in place, you can be successful whenever, wherever and however you choose to practice PR.

You've come a long way, baby

Public relations has the power to mold and shape public opinion – often more than many people realize. Discussion about the ethical use of this power is as old as the profession itself.  In the 1920s, Edward Bernays, who is often referred to as the “father of PR”, developed a very successful campaign for the American Tobacco Company designed to help convince women that smoking was healthy, fashionable and even patriotic.

Unfortunately, his campaign succeeded. Later in his life – once cigarettes were found to be anything but healthy – Bernays was plagued with remorse saying that if he had known the dangers of tobacco, he never would have taken the account. But plenty of today’s largest and most well-respected PR firms have gladly picked up where Bernays left off, knowing full well the danger of the products they promote.

And it isn’t just big tobacco. It seems like pretty much any company, no matter how despicable, is capable of hiring world-class PR representation if the price is right. Like any good defense attorney, who justifies representing criminals because the “deserve their day in court,” these agencies justify their actions by saying their clients deserve representation (or their day in the court of malleable public opinion).

Public relations has undergone a tremendous amount of change in the last decade.  Traditionally, the role of the PR practitioner has been very much behind the scenes. We used to help clients talk at customers through print and broadcast media.  Today we help clients engage in discussion with customers through a variety of methods. In some cases, we may even lead the discussion and serve as spokespeople.

Weber Shandwick has given this paradigm shift a name – advocacy. In fact, advocacy, has become the backbone of the agency’s branding strategy.  In many ways, they are right. In order to effectively promote a company in today’s PR and marketing environment, where words like “authentic” and “transparent” carry a lot of weight, it makes sense that true believers be employed to help spread the word.

By definition, a real advocate must take on a greater level of personal ownership for the message he is spreading. But what happens when a PR person is asked to represent a company that isn’t really worthy of advocacy?  What happens when the actions of that company run counter to the individual practitioner’s belief system? This is where the concept of advocacy begins to fall down. Bottled water – besides being a major pet peeve of mine – provides an excellent example of what I’m talking about.

Bottled water is an unsightly pig upon which PR and marketing types are currently applying copious amounts of lipstick. It is said that people in the United States go through TWO MILLION plastic bottles every FIVE MINUTES.  This bona fide environmental disaster is illustrated beautifully by artist Chris Jordan. Frankly, it makes me sick. Not surprisingly, the industry has increasingly come under attack by environmentalists.

The industry’s response? More marketing! Fiji went with a new “Fiji Green” initiative and is striving to become “carbon neutral.” Arrowhead came up with a new “eco-shape” bottle that uses less plastic and a smaller label. Ethos Water went with an oh-so-chic cause-related marketing angle.

While some consumers and even a handful of media actually seem to be buying in to this nonsense, those who genuinely care about the environment  are having none of it. Many of them call it “greenwashing.” The rest call it “bullshit.”  And that’s exactly what it is.

Greenwashing at its finest

Bottled water is big business. Fiji, Arrowhead and Ethos Water all have big PR and marketing machines (how else could they have convinced consumers to pay for something they get for free in the first place?). Presumably, very few of the people on these teams actually think they are helping their clients save the planet.

The way I see it, anyone who participates in this type of marketing is doing something that lacks integrity. However, those that call themselves advocates actually bear a personal moral responsibility for the harm these companies are doing to the environment.

KoiFish Communications is selective about the type of clients we represent. This allows us to accept ownership of our clients’ messages, to get behind their causes and to genuinely serve as advocates. It also allows us to take a great deal of pride in what we do. While relatively few employees of larger PR firms have much of a say in terms of what clients the agency takes on, everyone has the ability to choose not to work on a particular account. And if you really consider yourself and advocate, it isn’t a choice – it’s an obligation.

The Truth About Bottled Water — Penn and Teller (mature language, NSFW)

Here’s an article I pulled out of my archives. It was originally written after the burst of the technology bubble completely hammered the PR industry. Alas, it seems just as relevant now.

Today, it would be hard for even the most die-hard optimist to say that the economic outlook for next year isn’t a concern. Many PR budgets will be cut and all of them will be more heavily scrutinized. As a corporate marketing or communications professional, the decisions you make today become realities your company will have to live with for the next several months. This makes now a great time to evaluate what you are getting out of your advertising, public relations, graphic design and interactive service agencies.

Regardless of business climate and budget, the first and only priority of your agency’s account teams must be to ensure that every dollar they spend is used to contribute to the success of your company. In good times, this means having the discipline to stop themselves (and possibly you) before moving forward on big campaigns that make a lot of noise, but don’t get you closer to meeting your business objectives.

In hard times, it means your agency might need to help you determine which programs should be scaled back, which ones should be approached differently and which ones shouldn’t be fiddled with. In extreme cases, they will let you know that a serious re-alignment of goals, results and resources is in order, and they will help you make this case to management.

By sacrificing some short-term revenue, your agency is betting on your continued success and demonstrating a long-term commitment to your business as well as their own. They know that when you look good, they look good-when you fail, they fail. Understanding this principle provides the foundation for a long-lasting business partnership.

Unfortunately, in good times as well as bad, there are other pressures that can cause some companies and their agencies to deviate from this course. They act first, think later and make some big mistakes in the process.

PR agency fat cats don't deserve nine lives in a down economy. All activities should revolve around your most important business goals

When communications dollars are plentiful and business is good, some companies try to spend their way into a position of market leadership, giving little thought to how expenses map to results. Some agencies are more than willing to help clients spend their budget by promoting half-baked strategies or ideas. This approach usually generates nothing more than fat invoices.

Conversely, when resources are tight, anemic communications budgets are often expected to yield unrealistic results. Adding fuel to the fire, some agencies attempt to bridge the budget-vs.-expectations gap by offering more for less through steep discounts as a way to win business.

If you want to get stellar results with limited resources, you need a smart agency with the proven ability to do things right the first time. This isn’t the time to bargain hunt. When evaluating your communications budget and considering where to invest, consider these important questions:

• How long has the agency been in business and what is the health of the organization?
• What is the agency’s business model?
• How does management protect against market volatility?
• Has the agency operated successfully in strong and weak markets before?
• How did the team help clients weather the storm when times were tough?
• What processes does the agency have in place to manage your budget and avoid overspending?
• How are contracts and billing handled?

You need an agency with an established track record and lots of experience. Try to get a feel for how well the business is run. If its managers don’t have a good handle on their own organization, you can’t expect them to help make important decisions that impact yours.

Don’t just ask the agency these questions-ask existing clients. Any good agency will provide you with references that should be able to discuss overall performance, service and how their account is managed. If you are evaluating a public relations agency, you might also check in with key editors and industry analysts.

Don’t forget that a real business partnership requires two-way communication and a lot of give-and-take. Your account team needs to know the good, the bad and the ugly. They also need to know immediately if your objectives change. Be straightforward financially. If times are good, let them know so they can make recommendations accordingly. If tough times lie ahead, help them manage their own business by letting them know as soon as possible.

When looking for an agency to grow old with, be leery of those that seem too desperate for your business and are willing to do anything to win it. While the best agencies are always looking for great new clients, they usually have a steady stream of work regardless of the economy.

Choose wisely.