Facebook gets bad publicity for changing 'Terms of Service'

Photo: Facebook staff member & facebook logo
Photo Source: Google Images


After causing havoc in the Internet world, one of the most popular social networking site's, Facebook, has issued an apology to its users for creating confusion over the privacy of their content, causing Facebook immediate negative publicity. Users who may try to deactivate their account on the site are now being asked if they are doing so because of concern for their content. If the user's reply yes, they are being informed that the terms of service have been corrected and their pictures and information are safe and belong only to the user that put the information on the site.

In an effort to clearly communicate and correct the negative publicity to Facebook users directly, Facebook founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg posted a blog entry on February 18 that mentions that the networking platform would continue with its previous ‘terms of service’ till new terms are defined. Zuckerberg claims in his personal blog that the intention of the changes in the privacy language was to make it clear that even after a user has deleted his or her account, the messages he/she may have sent out to his/her contacts would continue to be with recipients.

Facebook also states updates about the privacy situation on the home website when users log in. Also, the Facebook team is asking users to contribute ideas and suggestions on the language of the new 'terms', and has set up a global group called 'Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities'. The group has over 78,000 members and over 9,000 wall posts/entries have been put up within the last two weeks.

Suspicion over privacy of users' content uploaded on Facebook was raised recently after the company changed the language in its 'Terms of Service' on February 4, stating that even after users leave Facebook, others would be able to access their information and content like photos and messages.

Even though it was not a good idea to change the terms of service and think that the member would not know or care, but I believe that Facebook counter-reacted in a very speedy and efficient way. Just like any other organization, mistakes are bound to happen, but Facebook displayed their phenominal public relations skills by listening to complaints and responding quickly through the use of blogs and news releases.




-- Samantha Savory

Ashton Kutcher Did What?

I wanted to keep this post nice and light (as if my last post wasn’t on the light side, lol), so I decided to travel down memory lane with you and talk about Ashton Kutcher. We all remember Ashton Kutcher, right? You know him from “That 70’s Show” and/or “Punked”. You may also be familiar with his friendships with stars like Diddy and Bruce Willis. Not to mention his highly publicized marriage to Demi Moore (Willis’ ex, by the by). Well, Kutcher has been out of the spotlight for quite some time. After a few years of seeing his face everywhere, now the only place he can be spotted is on the random Nikon “Cool Pix” commercials. Don’t get me wrong, those commercials are entertaining (he’s a funny guy), but he has definitely been amiss in the media lately.

So it came as a surprise to me to find that Kutcher has decided to start a series on Facebook. I thought it so apropos that I couldn’t stop myself from writing about it. According Mediaweek, “the Ashton Kutcher-led production firm, Katalyst Media has entered into a partnership with leading social networking apps developer Slide Inc. to launch an original Web series on Facebook”. The series is entitled “KatalystHQ” and it is basically going to be a “mock reality” series that will allow for viewers to have a behind-the-scenes look at the ins and outs of the Katalyst offices in Los Angeles. The first episode, “Method Acting”, debuted on February 4, 2009. The hot buzz about this is that this marks the first time a series is being exclusively shown of Facebook, this is in part because all of these episodes are being distributed via Slide’s FunSpace app, which apparently reaches 150 million users on Facebook. It’s also pretty interesting because it will offer advertisers more space than is usually available on Facebook.

This is the question I pose to all of you PR guys and gals out there: did you have any idea that this was happening? Whether you care or not about Ashton Kutcher, if you didn’t have Facebook, would you have known about this venture? My answer to these questions is, no. So, what would you, as a PR professional in the making, have done differently to bring some media attention to this story? Let me know, give me some feedback; I would love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, have a great night, be safe and enjoy the rest of your weekend.


--Porsche

Picture retrieved from www.bittenandbound.com
Kutcher Debuts Series on Facebook
'KatalystHQ' provides product placement opportunities on social networking site
Feb 4, 2009
By Mike Shields, Mediaweek
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/creative/news/e3i9f631ea10a4997bcfbad1745fee47cfb

Diesel Fashion Brand

Diesel Revs Its Engine for the Brand’s 2009 Guerilla Marketing Campaign





(Picture-http://torontoist.com/attachments/toronto_christopherb/diesel-boat.jpg)


Many of us who enter the Public Relations field often have thoughts of becoming a professional in the entertainment industry. No matter what category of PR you select, the strategic planning and communication programs will involve the same techniques needed to reach a successful and effective conclusion.


PR in the fashion industry is more than just getting a famous celebrity to wear the designer’s piece that you represent on television. It involves building the designer’s or company’s brand, making it familiar to the public. Integrated marketing communications are often used for business-to-business transactions (to obtain materials or services needed to produce the company’s product), building brand equity, advertising strategies and so on.




Diesel is proud of its brand and is confident in changing its PR and advertising tactics for 2009. With the opening of its largest store in the world located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Diesel has developed a guerilla marketing scheme.

(Picture- http://weburbanist.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/guerrilla-marketing-gorilla-in-disguise.jpg )


During an interview in the February 23, 2009 issue of PRWeek, Diesel US CEO Steve Birkhold said the company’s strategy is to focus on [driving] traffic into Diesel retail stores (where the majority of their business comes from). He calls this approach organic because they did not solicit a lot of media, and they want people walking by to discover it, themselves.


Some of Diesel’s guerilla marketing campaign tactics are to transform the store window into a dinning room where local New York figures (Giants players and their wives, Ford models, and NY Fashionistas) will eat dinners catered by renowned New York resturants, and organize a street team in Mohawks and Diesel fashion to walk the avenue for the week. (Pictures http://guestofaguest.com/nyc-events/diesel)

-Armegan

Chris Brown: Did his PR team handle the negative publicity effectively?

Picture Source: http://www.celebrityicing.com

R&B singer Chris Brown, who was arrested last weekend on suspicion of attacking a woman widely believed to be his girlfriend, Rihanna, who is also a famous pop singer, has finally brought his silence on the domestic violence incident to a close and hired a public relations company that specializes in crisis management.

After more than a week of dozens of reports floundering the internet with details of Brown's alleged assault on Rihanna, Brown finally broke his silence by having his PR practitioner publish a five sentence news releases in which he also said many media and blog reports have been wrong.

In the news release, Brown said that "words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired...I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God's help, to emerge as a better person."

The 19-year-old performer of such U.S. chart-toppers as "Run It!" and "Forever" has been in hiding since the alleged scuffle with his girlfriend in a rented Lamborghini, which was the wrong thing to do from a PR position. To most PR practitioners, being silent during a time of crisis is the last thing you want to do. Brown and his rep's remained silent for more than a week which allowed false rumors and stories to be published in blogs, websites, as well as on radio talk shows and TV shows. If Brown would have immediately come out and told his side of the story as well as sincerely apologized, the press and his fans would most likely be less harsh on him.

In effect to Brown's alleged domestic violence, sponorships such as Doublemint Gum have suspended their Ad commercial which features Brown singing about the gum product. Brown's reputation has been tarnished and as a PR practitioner, I believe if he would have not gone into hiding and would have honestly spoken out about the situation from the beginning, then he would have received less negative publicity.

From a good public relations stand point, Chris Brown should have put out a press release within 24 hours of the incident, which would have killed all rumors and speculations.

Brown has officially been charged with one count of criminal threats and is expected to attend court on March 5th in Los Angeles. The pop singer has also hired popular defense attorney, Mark Geragos to represent him in the case. For future reference, Brown and his PR staff should continue communication to Brown's public in an effort to help restore his reputation.

QUESTION TO THE PUBLIC: Do you think Chris Brown's publicist handled Brown's domestic violence incident in the best manner? Why or why not? Explain

Publicity Stunts vs. Special Events

photo from kfoxtv

It’s Valentine’s Day and I thought it fitting to blog about something kind of “Valentine/PR related”. In Texas there was an uproar this Thursday, February 12, 2009, when PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, gathered in Downtown El Paso and put on a show. Now you may be asking yourself, “What kind of show; puppets maybe?” Unfortunately, no puppets here. No, PETA wanted to pull out all the stops. So, to bring attention to the plight and suffering of animals, PETA organized a “special event”. For those that are a little unsure as to what constitutes a special event, according to “Strategic Planning for Public Relations” by Ronald D. Smith, special events are “staged activities” that are planned. They’re also called pseudo-events and they provide the PR professional the opportunity to gain the attention and the acceptance of key publics.

Anyway, back to the story. PETA’s “show” couldn’t have been any more show stopping. To bring attention to the suffering of animals and the benefits of living a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, PETA made sure that all El Pasoans spending the morning downtown saw their display. Two bikini clad women on a blow-up mattress, making out. People were passing by, snapping photos and taking video with their cameras, and wondering what this had to with animals. Ashley Byrne of PETA provided a little enlightenment on the subject. "This weekend is Valentine's Day, so it is a great time to get the point across that vegetarians have lower rates of impotence and this is also a great way to show off what a healthy vegetarian body looks like," said Byrne. Although the method is rather mad, the message is correct, at least for some El Pasoans. Vegetarian Miguel Rodriguez stated that he used to be overweight, but now that he is a vegetarian he’s a lot healthier and says that, “I am a better lover now.” Some people, however, were not so impressed saying that the whole thing was disrespectful and inappropriate for children.

Whatever people thought about the event, it was definitely attention grabbing. This brings me to my final point ladies and gentlemen, so please bear with me a few minutes longer. As I stated before, a special event is a staged activity that provides you, the PR professional, the opportunity to gain the attention of key publics. That being said, I want to know what you think about this “event” and if you actually believe it’s a special event or a publicity stunt. Publicity stunts, unlike special events, are gimmicks, “planned mainly to gain publicity and having little other value,” said Smith. Whatever the value of this particular show, I am sure the people of El Paso won’t soon forget this past Thursday and hopefully they walked away with some of the message, which was to, “learn more about how delicious and easy a vegetarian lifestyle is," Byrne said. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day and take it easy. Talk to you soon.

--Porsche

"Half-Naked Women Make Out in Downtown For Animals"
Derek Shore-KFOX News Reporter
Thursday, February 12, 2009 – updated: 10:41 am MST February 13, 2009

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/18704797/detail.html

I Just Love This Page

http://globalnerdy.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/kissing-the-monitor.jpg

Love is in the air and on the web too. Instead of just spreading love to your Valentine you can spread love to the website that you think needs more love. HubSpot came up with the idea to give a V-Day present to the small to medium sized businesses that they represent, as well as any others, by allowing Twitter users to post the websites that they think deserve more link love this Valentine’s Day. HubSpot is an inbound marketing site that helps small to medium sized businesses market their business to current/potential partners and clients on the web using different techniques; two being social media and helping design a company’s webpage. http://www.hubspot.com/


Anyone can get to the Link Love by HubSpot webpage http://linklove.hubspot.com/ and view the interesting websites other people think you will enjoy. HubSpot included a funny, but very cute, mini Valentine’s Day video. Visit the site and WATCH IT!


Link love is a term that derived from Google’s Page Rank algorithm of search engine optimizations and blogging. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_love That basically means it is the effect of high amounts of visitation to a site which gives it a high ranking and more attention pointed to it from other higher quality links. The more visitors to the link the more love it is receiving.

This Valentines Day show a website (www.thebaracknation.com, http://rap.de, etc.) that you care by inviting others to become familiar with it.

The 51st Grammy's engage in social media...

It seems like everyone is getting in touch with their social media savy side these days. One of the biggest music events in history decided to jump on the bandwagon this year: The 51st Grammy's Music Award Show live-streamed awards given out to artists that were unable to make the nationally televised show due to time constraints.

In an effort to give music lovers what they want as well as publicly congratulate musicians for their hard work, the Grammy's participated in social media by live-streaming the "pre-telecast" awards. The live-streaming show included such categories of music like gospel, latin music, spoken word and classical music acts through RSS Feed live on the Grammy.com website. The Pre-tel kick off started at 4 p.m. ET and showed the other 80 awards that were given out to artists, directors, editors, etc.

The fact that the Grammy's was unable to showcase the more than 100 awards that they gave out to musicians this year and took advantage of a great opprotunity of easily accessable social media outlets is just another step towards convergence and intelligent PR strategies.

The Grammy's also had professional social media experts create blogs as well as profiles on Twitter and Facebook in order to keep the blogosphere and internet world updated on what to expect for the 51st Grammy Awards. The Grammy's public relations team did the research and listened to what people wanted, and since they were unable to televise all of the awards given, (which would have made the show over 6 hours long), they still found a way to give all the winners recognition through live-streaming RSS Feed.

On the Grammy's official website, fans were able to get updated by the second with pictures, live interviews, and live stream of who was at the Grammy's, who won what award and what they were wearing. People from all over the nation left hundreds of responses with their comments on the show. Some fans posted on Facebook and Twitter about how mad they were that their select singer or band didn't win a specific award. Whether a music fan was estatic about the performances or upset about who didn't win an award, they all were provided the opprotunity to get involved through social media and voice their concerns.

I think the Grammy's did an excellent job in using social media to their advantage this year.... Do you think it was a smart move for the Grammy's to get involved with social media? Did they execute their interraction with social media well?

-- Samantha Savory

Phelps' Reputation Goes Up in Smoke...

Michael Phelps is probably having one of the worst weeks ever. After becoming America’s pride and joy this summer at the Olympic Games, Phelps has had a blast from his past come back and bite him in the “you know what”. Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals in Beijing and is one of the world’s most acclaimed athletes, has experienced major fallout from a photo that showed him smoking from a bong.

The photo of Phelps has been one of the most-seen headlines in the news lately and I can only imagine what his PR team has been doing to shield him from the controversy. Phelps has dealt with major consequences and could still face criminal charges in the state of Colorado. According to FOX Sports, Phelps has been suspended from competition for three months and has had all of his financial support withdrawn for the same three-month period by USA Swimming. In addition to all of the professional repercussions, he has also put his endorsements in jeopardy. In fact, Kellogg Co. has announced that it would not be renewing its sponsorship contract with Phelps, stating that “his behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg.”

So what has his PR team done in the way of damage control? Well, as I learned in my PR Campaigns class last semester, there is an entire typology of public relations responses that one can use to deal with situations that could be problematic. There are seven types of PR responses and they are as follows:

1. Pre-emptive Action Strategies (e.g. prebuttal)
2. Offensive Response Strategies (e.g. attack)
3. Defensive Response Strategies (e.g. denial)
4. Diversionary Response Strategies (e.g. disassociation)
5. Vocal Commiseration Strategies (e.g. apology)
6. Rectifying Behavior Strategies (e.g. repentance)
7. Strategic Inaction (e.g. silence)

All of these responses can be used to handle situations that have gotten out of control. From my personal observations, I have noticed that the main response that has been used by Phelps has been vocal commiseration in the form of regret and apology. I believe that this is the best way for him to regain control of a situation that has been very damaging to his reputation. By offering an admittance of remorse and issuing an apology, publicly accepting full responsibility for his actions and asking forgiveness, Phelps can regain the support of his public. People like honesty and they respond well to it. So, I ask you, as future PR professionals, if you worked for Michael Phelps, which strategy would you employ to put out this fire?

"USA Swimming Suspends Phelps for 3 Months"
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/9186634/USA-Swimming-suspends-Phelps-for-3-months?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002


-Porsche Haynes

Social Media Spectrum: Where do you fall?

While searching the blogosphere I came upon a post entitled, “Social Media is the Responsibility of Public Relations” by Jason Falls. This post was written in 2008 and it’s basically about “where” social media lies, in terms of responsibility, in the corporate spectrum or organizational structure. I found this blog very interesting because it really describes social media in the context of the PR professional and it’s various uses in this field. Falls states that in his personal opinion, social media should be the responsibility of public relations and he explains his position very eloquently and convincingly enough.

The main reason Falls gives as to why social media belongs in the realm of PR is simply because social media is a method of communication. Falls states that, “To be effective in social media, whether as a marketer of just an ordinary participant, you must, first and foremost, communicate well.” He goes on to discuss that although social media tools are technology driven, the technology is used primarily to deliver or convey a message; and who better to covey any message that your company may have, than someone who is trained in the art of effective communication.

That being said, what I found so interesting about this post is that Falls goes on to discuss on important it is for PR professionals to learn as much as they can about computer and internet-based technologies. Communications professionals shouldn’t just sit back on their laurels and hope to understand all of this new technology. He urges PR professionals to get out into cyberspace and to really experiment and become familiar with the technology. “Technology has become a requirement of the skill set,” Falls said.

The need for communications professionals to be adept and knowledgeable about web-based technologies and tools is evident and as social media continues to evolve, I can only see how important this particular skill set will become. Now here is the question that I pose to you. Do you believe that within the corporate structure, social media should fall to the PR professional? Do you believe that perhaps there is a better way to divide this responsibility? Let me know your thoughts and check out that post if you get a chance at http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/2008/07/18/social-media-is-the-responsibility-of-public-relations/ . Thanks.

Porsche Haynes

3-D Commercial on YouTube Presents New Ad/PR Techniques

SoBe’s Lifewater 3-D High-Definition Commercial Can Be Seen on YouTube


With their pimped-out grills and their fly moves, the SoBe Lifewater lizards bring new meaning to the word "commercial." Try more like mini-music video. With this new approach to commercials, SoBe has done exceptionally well with profits, even though the economy isn’t at its best. "The SoBelieve campaign continues to be an extraordinary multimedia, multiplatform event. From iTunes to NBC to the global YouTube platform, the lizards are everywhere," said Massimo d'Amore, CEO of PepsiCo North America Beverages (http://www.prnewswire.com).

YouTube is the first social networking media site to show the 3-D commercial. SoBe’s new Super Bowl XLIII commercial will show in 3-D Hi-Def and includes the oh-so-famous blinged-out lizards dancing alongside NFL superstars Ray Lewis, Matt Light and Justin Tuck. To see the true effect of the video, viewers can go by their local grocery, drug or other retail stores and pick up a pair of free 3-D glasses from SoBe Lifewater displays (http://www.sobeworld.com).

SoBe enables viewers to share and discuss the footage among each other by posting the 3-D SoBe Lifewater commercial on YouTube. The SoBe 3-D commercial cannot only reach couch potatoes, but it can also reach computer junkies (people who are excessively devoted to a particular activity or place on the Internet).

From gorilla advertising to 3-D commercials on the Internet, companies are finding new spins to innovative advertising and PR strategies.

How effective do you think the 3-D commercial (on TV and YouTube) will be on SoBe Lifewater sales? Is it a good idea to use social media sites to show advertisements? Why or why not?

-Armegan Anderson