Twitter is the NEW Complaint Department & Companies NEED to Keep Up!

In this class, we often discuss how companies can and should use social media to communicate with their customers and target audiences. However, maybe this class is being taught to the wrong generation of people. As Generation Y PR students, we use social media on a daily basis. We grew up with Myspace and Facebook, and therefore recognize the importance of these new communication channels and how they could best be utilized in PR practices. These are concepts that innately make sense to us. But we are not yet in the workforce. Instead, the people running most corporations and companies are from earlier generations, ones that do not fully understand the importance of social media in PR and still see Facebook as a waste of time. While social media has gotten huge amounts of attention in the past few years, many companies still have a long way to go in terms of learning how to communicate with these channels. 


A new study by Maritz Research Company has shown that most companies still have not fully grasped the importance of Twitter, social media's newest fad. Twitter is the new method that consumers use to complain about a product or service, and most companies are just not listening. The study surveyed an online panel of 1,300 consumers who use twitter regularly and have complained about a product, service, brand or company. The findings showed that only about 1/3 of the complaints received a response from the company.


Of the tweeters that received responses: 
83% liked or loved hearing from the company
4% didn't like or hated hearing from the company
3 out of 4 were very or somewhat satisfied with the company's response. 


Of the tweeters who did not receive responses:
86% would have liked or loved hearing from the company
1% would not have liked hearing from the company
63% would not like it or hate it if the company contacted them about something other than their complaint tweet


The numbers don't lie. Today's consumers want to be heard and know they are being heard. The technology is there, corporate America just needs to take hold. 


Article: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9758.aspx

Blogs: The 21st Century Journalist

This week's reading is focused on the field of Public Relations expanding into the phenomenon of blogging. When I first think of a blog, I think of individuals with a little too much time on their hands ranting about anything and everything they can think of. In my mind, blogs are similar to the old online journal site, Xanga, where middle schoolers like myself would write about whatever excitement entered our preteen lives. But this is not the case at all. Blogs are taking over the way the public receives news and completely overturning the process. Instead of companies pitching to journalists to write about a new product or service, a company can now create a blog and communicate that information directly to interested publics themselves. Microblogs like Twitter provide real-time updates of any news that a company deems shareable, whether it's about a last minute sale or a new shipment of products. 

Taking down corruption, one tweet at a time

Thought social media was just for fun and games? Well yes, but it's also for other things, such as talking to your favorite celebrities, finding your next job, and preventing corruption. Did that last one confuse you? Well I recently came across this really interesting article about how Zambians were using a monitoring campaign called "Bantu Watch" to report possible irregularities in the recent presidential election. Bantu Watch uses crowdsourcing to deliver reports from multiple users to monitor any problems and concerns regarding the poll. 


I thought this was really cool because you can see social media being used for more than just talking to Ashton Kutcher. To us, we see social media as something to do while we're procrastinating or just bored. However, to Zambians, they see social media as a way to communicate with people throughout their country and ensure that their next leader is elected fairly. It's really eye-opening to see something like Twitter be put to such amazing use. 


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/20/us-zambia-election-internet-idUSTRE78J3TW20110920

Social Media: A Modern Love Story

While looking for a social media video to post, I stumbled upon a variety of gems that were decidedly too inappropriate to seriously post. One of these is a youtube video titled "a social network for two a modern love song": 

While this video is hysterical, it's also a commentary on our society and how the modern world is finding love. Things like friend requesting and lying about your age is funny to laugh about in this video but things like this happen on a regular basis. Sites like eHarmony and Match.com are more popular than ever and it's almost replacing dating in real life. While I grew up in the world of social media, it still blows my mind that people go online to find their love matches. The concept to me is completely unreal and kind of ridiculous, but the television commercials prove it, people actually end up getting married to strangers that they meet through their computer. 


It kind of makes me worried about the future of dating in general. Am I ever going to find myself on one of those sites? I really hope not. But who knows 10 years into the future? 

Twitter is influencing the way you buy

I recently read an article about how Kantar Media Complete found in their quarterly Online Shopper Intelligence Study, that consumers say that Twitter influences their buying decisions more than Facebook does. This is something that absolutely does not surprise me. However, this articles seems to attribute this to Twitter's promoted tweets, which I don't, in fact, agree with. I mean, while I do not go on Twitter on a regular basis, I don't just follow my friends and favorite celebrities, I also follow my favorite clothing brands and magazines. And while I do see the promoted tweets on my homepage, I tend to ignore them, recognizing them as promotions. However, when I see one of my favorite clothing brands tweeting about a huge blowout sale or a recent discount on a cute skirt with a picture and link, I might find myself making an impulse buy. Same thing goes for magazines. Magazines are great at promoting their advertised products, stating their benefits and how much that particular magazine loves it. This would make me more likely to click their included link and check it out. 


I mean, maybe I'm alone on this whole promoted tweet business, but personally if I see something I know is advertisement, I tend to tune it out. 


article link: http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/twitter-influences-more-consumer-purchases-than-facebook_b13718

Kaplan Response

In "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media" by Andreas M. Kaplan and Michael Haenlein, they discuss what social media is, the challenges and opportunities of social media, and advice for companies attempting to utilize social media. When reading this article, I felt that it was really stiff, especially when discussing such an informal topic. Social media is supposed to be fun and casual, but this article makes it sound just as stiff as what the author is writing. 

I also believe that there was a crucial piece of advice missing from the "ten pieces of advice for companies deciding to use social media," specifically under the social section. I think that since this article is trying to be so exhaustive, it should've mentioned that companies should try to maintain their contact with their social media followers to a respectable and non-annoying level. This is a problem that most companies using social media faces and is something that they should seriously consider before jumping in and harassing all of their followers, which ultimately ends up damaging them more than just not choosing to use social media. 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Receives Anonymous $5 Billion Donation

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Vivian Chao (Spokesperson) ABC Agency Account Executive 123 Blue Jay Lane Miami, FL 33143 999.999.9999 (office) 999.999.9999 (fax) 999.999.9999 (cell) abc123 (im) John Doe (Client) St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Fundraising Executive 369 Red Road Memphis, TN 12345 999.999.9999 (office) 999.999.9999 (fax) 999.999.9999 (cell) stjudefundex (im)

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Receives Anonymous $5 Billion Donation

A check for $5 Billion was dropped off in an unmarked envelope at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital this Monday. The generous donation will go towards saving the lives of thousands of children with pediatric cancer through treatments and research. St. Jude urges anyone with information about the donor's identity to come forward so they can be commemorated.

Memphis, TN - September 7, 2011

• On Monday morning at around 10AM, an unmarked envelope was dropped off by courier to the front desk at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital headquarters.
•  The envelope contained a check for $5 billion and a typed note that read "No child should die in the dawn of life"
• The note quoted famous St. Jude founder Danny Thomas and contained no identifying marks
• The funds will go directly toward pediatic cancer treatment and research
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is the leading pediatric cancer center and treats children with this horrible ailment without ever giving families a bill
• The daily operating cost for the hospital is $1.5 million, which is primarily covered by public contributions
• This is the largest donation that St. Jude has ever received from any individual or corporation.
• The hospital is urging anyone with information regarding the donor's identity to come forward so they can be properly recognized and commemorated. 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Website
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's General Website

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

Download Why do you support St. Jude?	Download This Time Around - St. Jude Video

QUOTES

"I would like to thank this person on behalf of all of us at St. Jude. From the bottom of our hearts, God bless you." - John Doe, Fundraising Executive

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is the leading pediatric cancer center in the world. Founded in 1962 by famous entertainer Danny Thomas, its unique mission is to treat children with cancer regardless of race, religion or ability to pay. 

Technorati Tags: cancer | St. Jude | hospital | research | donation | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | treatment | anonymous

Tell me what you want, what you really really want

Ok, don't get too excited, this post is not about the Spice Girls (no matter how much I may want it to be). It's about what social media users want from companies using social media. Like with any form of PR, so many companies do social media completely wrong. Whether it's overposting or underposting, there's a very thin line of effectiveness in this practice. 


I recently read an article on PR News titled "Q&A: What Do Facebook Users Really Want?" In this article, PR News interviews Huma Gruaz, president and CEO of Alpaytac Inc., a full service PR agency in Chicago, about how to best use Facebook and Twitter for your business. Overall, I agree with her advice. However, she did say to not use Facebook to respond to customer service issues. While I haven't seen this in practice on Facebook, I recall learning in one of my PR classes about how Zappos used Twitter to promote their company and their customer service. Apparently, one day a twitterer tweeted that the shoes she got from Zappos were damaged. Almost immediately, the CEO of Zappos tweeted her back saying that they would replace them. While I'm not usually a fan of companies intercepting with my personal life, I still think that's pretty cool. 


I honestly feel that only 1 out of 100 companies doing social media are doing it right. Maybe even less than that. But eventually, you're going to have to give in to the fact that they're doing it. Good or bad, they're out there and they're trying to reach you. 


link: http://www.prnewsonline.com/free/PR-News-Q-and-A-What-Do-Facebook-Users-Really-Want_15250.html 

The Reinvention of the Press Release

In our PR classes at UMiami, the proper way to write a press release is drilled into our heads. However, in PR 2.0, Chapter 7 discusses how the news release is due a facelift and needs to be catapulted into the world of social media. I was really surprised at how heavily the chapter discussed social bookmarking and RSS because when I think of social media for Public Relations, I think of Facebook and Twitter reaching out to the general public. The idea of offering tags in a media release so journalists can bookmark information is something that I've never heard of before. 


Considering the book was published in 2008, I feel like it's still well ahead of its time. Before this class, I considered myself a relatively knowledgable social media user and I thought sites like delicious and digg to be unpopular and not very useful. To read about all these ways that journalists are using these resources is a very eye-opening realization and makes me want to take a closer look at the way social media is changing industries, outside of the usual Facebook and Twitter methods. 

Terrifying But True - An Intern Horror Story

Ever since taking my first PR class and learning about the different occupations of the Public Relations industry, I've pretty much had a lot of my life mapped out. I was going to spend the better part of my twenties expanding my skill set by diving into the chaotic and cut-throat world of a public relations agency. Then, with these years of experience & hundreds of satisfied clients (hey, dream big right?), I would land a corporate PR job at a company I love where I can steadily move up the ladder and have a comfortable and fulfilling position. Not exactly a detailed plan but a plan nonetheless. However, this summer I worked at a boutique PR firm in Manhattan and it definitely gave me a ride on a long and emotional roller coaster. 


In the world of Public Relations, "boutique" is the equivalent of small. Yet, they have their advantages, such as full service and complete attention to detail (or so it is advertised). This boutique PR firm in particular specialized in the luxury industry - their clients are salons, clothing designers, high-end restaurants, and yes, personalities. Since it was the summer season, many of the clients that the firm was working with were in the Hamptons - the playground for the rich and famous from Memorial Day to Labor Day - and I was told that we would be covering events in the Hamptons almost every weekend and I could not be more excited. This kind of hands-on experience is just what I was craving and I was ready to dedicate every minute of my summer absorbing everything I could. 


The minute I stepped through the door, I noticed the cluttered office. It was probably the size of my living room at my house in Miami. There was one window facing a concrete wall in the very corner which completely deserted the purpose of a window to begin with. Everyone working in the office (other than the president & founder of the firm & her sister who works with the beauty clients) were under the age of 25, and they were all doing a million things at once. 


At first, I was intimidated. These girls are a year out of school and handling every aspect of Public Relations for these high-profile clients. But then after a few weeks at the job, I quickly realized that this was probably the worst and most unhealthy work environment I could ever be in. 


Following is a cliffnotes version of my summer in no particular order:

• Over the course of the summer, our boss has made 6 people quit, hired 7 different unpaid interns (for a firm that totals at 13 people - over half of the employees are UNPAID interns!), and has made people cry on numerous occasions.
• The employee that has been there the longest has been there for 6 months and is frantically sending out her resume.
• I was the only person in the entire office that knows how to use Adobe. And my boss took advantage of that.
• The firm's use of social media (if any) were outdated and poor. 
• On my first Friday at work, I stayed in the office from 9AM-9PM doing a send-out, while most of the office (including the boss) left. 
• For events in the Hamptons, my boss refused to provide us with lodging, instead making us drive back at 1AM after working from 5AM in the morning all the way to 10PM.
• None of the employees got paid for working late or working events on weekends
• You were constantly verbally abused and NEVER appreciated.
• My boss administered a grammar test & found that I was the one with the best editing skills, so she made me, an unpaid intern without even a travel allowance, read and edit every single piece of writing that was sent out
• I read and edited an article she wrote on the Cannes Film Festival and found over 30 mistakes.
• Starting salary is $25,000
• Interns were assigned articles, and our boss would put her name on them. 
• I once had to chase a paparazzo through the woods at an event.
• Our boss frowned on any and all friendships in the office. If you and another employee/intern left the office at the same time, she sensed a conspiracy theory.
• Our boss took any and all credit. You were penalized if a client praised you.
• You had no lunch break. Every employee would buy their lunch and eat it in the cramped little office. If you were gone for more than 20 minutes, you would get phone calls asking where you were.
• It was not uncommon for unpaid interns to work from 9AM-8PM on any given weekday.

I'm sure I could think of more if I really wanted to but I think you get the gist of it. It was not only an unprofessional atmosphere, it was downright unhealthy and absolutely illegal. And this wasn't some unknown public relations firm either, it has been around for 11 years. The founder/boss has been featured in numerous news articles, such as The New York Times as a power publicist. In fact, she has become a socialite herself, with invitations to every red carpet event you could imagine and her wedding extensively covered in the internet and print media. The clients themselves are nothing to laugh at either. They are restaurants that are regularly visited by well-known celebrities, personalities that are constantly photographed, and designers that have dressed dozens of bold faced names and movie wardrobes. And not even a tenth of the clients' fame should be accredited to the firm's founder. 

But alas, it was a learning experience that I don't think I would give up. Although the internship physically generated nothing more than a lukewarm recommendation letter with absolutely no feeling written by the founder's husband (despite working 60 hour unpaid weeks and doing tasks of a paid account manager), I gained invaluable experience and knowledge. I learned that I can survive the agency world because no agency could ever be as bad as the one that I've already worked for. I learned that the next PR job I take, it will absolutely not be with a boutique firm. I learned to never judge the professionalism of a firm based on its clients. And finally, I learned that your coworkers are your best friends, no matter how much your employer may discourage it. Because in the end, they will be the ones that will have your back. 


In our PR classes at Miami, I remember professors trying to convey the insanity and chaos of public relations agencies. Even in countless books and movies, the world of Public Relations is painted as evil, cut-throat, and downright cruel. But it's firms like the one I worked for this summer that truly epitomize and reinforce this stereotype. So I consider this post a commentary on that negative PR stereotype and would like to say that although the head of the firm was the most unprofessional and useless publicist I could ever dream of finding, the people that she employed were some of the most hardworking and genuine professionals I've ever met. Under that dark and scary stereotype, there are true people doing good work - that is what I think defines PR.

So to all future employers, bring it on. Hit me with your best shot & I will surprise you.