In a world of 24-hour information, quality PR work is crucial.

When the Baltimore Colts moved out of town under the cover of darkness in 1984, the team pretty much cemented its place in the Bad PR Moves Hall of Fame. But last week, Bally Total Fitness took a page out of the Colts’ playbook anyway, completing a sale of 171 of its clubs to competitor LA Fitness — without telling its members. Other than a vague, one-paragraph statement on both companies’ websites, and two days’ notice of an early closing on November 30, gym members were given no information about the sale, or what it would mean for them.

This communication blackout triggered an escalating PR nightmare. At my local former-Bally-now-LA Fitness, members arrive with no idea that club ownership has changed, and are surprised to find they must now wait in long lines to receive new membership cards and sign new paperwork. Familiar staff members are gone. Bally’s Facebook page features stories about memberships suddenly canceled, gyms abruptly closed and fees arbitrarily charged. All the while, Bally and LA Fitness remain silent.

In an earlier blog post on crisis communications, AB&C’s director of public relations John Orr stressed the importance of maintaining a constant flow of open, honest interaction. Surely a corporate takeover should have prompted both companies’ PR teams to go into overdrive, executing a carefully planned crisis communications plan. But outside of a short email from Bally to its members stating they should notice no changes, there have been no press releases, no staff on hand at clubs to answer questions, not even a single Facebook post. In a world of 24-hour information, it’s both surprising and disheartening to see two large corporations dismiss the opportunity for some quality PR work.

As PR professionals, we would love all our stories to be good news. Of course, that’s not always the case. That’s why it’s so important to be in front of the story and tell your side before someone else does. In this case, there may have been some good stories to tell in the takeover. For example, perhaps the gyms that are closing will be remodeled. Maybe LA Fitness plans to purchase new equipment or add new classes. On the other hand, maybe those gyms will close permanently or membership fees will skyrocket. Like every other customer, I can only guess. When you leave your PR to guesswork, it’s hardly ever positive and almost never accurate. And that’s not good.

Many crisis situations entail change, surprise or the unexpected.

“In many ways, individuals and institutions get measured by their capacity to deal with change, surprise and the unexpected.” — Bob Woodward

Many crisis situations entail change, surprise or the unexpected. How do we as public relations professionals respond effectively? How do we blend the proper doses of textbook theory, gut instinct and level-headed judgment?

Over the course of my career I have dealt with a variety of “urgent” situations: product liability, white-collar crime, race and sex discrimination, life-threatening negligence by healthcare providers, environmental issues, and corporate downsizing, to name a few.

In determining a tactical approach with the media, there are certain classic principles to follow in most occasions:

• Be honest
• Never say “no comment”
• Designate a single spokesperson
• Provide a constant flow of information
• Be accessible

I know what you’re thinking — that all sounds too easy. How does it really play out? Here’s a real-world example. One major caveat: This incident took place in an analog word without cell phones, e-mail, Twitter or Facebook but nonetheless the basic principles hold true.

Johnson Matthey, a UK company, is the world’s largest precious metals refiner. A number of years ago, my former agency represented their catalytic systems division based in Devon, PA, which was the leading supplier of catalytic converters to the auto industry in the United States.

One Monday morning I received a call from the Communications Director who filled me in on what had transpired the preceding Saturday night. The company had suffered a horrific explosion and fire in a large warehouse in Seabrook, NH. The fire was brought under control in about six hours, but a huge plume of acrid white smoke had been created. The warehouse was leveled. Three thousand chemical compounds — from aluminum to zinc — had been stored in this facility for packaging and distribution to various companies and universities for research and development purposes. The first of seven news crews (from WBZ-Boston) arrived on the scene around midnight.

An evacuation was ordered for all residents within a one-mile radius. That area included a large trailer park. Also nearby was the Seabrook Nuclear Power plant and that was cause for some concern. Bottom line — they were not only dealing with a very nervous community, but potential air and water pollution and allegations of arson by a Johnson Matthey employee. It all added up to what the New Hampshire State Fire Marshall characterized as the “worst hazardous material incident in the state to date.”

So how did we handle the crisis situation? We immediately sent a team for on-site handling. We brought in environmental experts from the Environmental Protection Agency to assess and mitigate the impact of the explosion. We helped set up a healthcare clinic to minister to the needs of affected residents. Moreover, we organized daily press briefings and two large town meetings with on-site media training for the Johnson Matthey spokesperson who was experiencing her first crisis situation.

With regard to the town meetings, we had one that Monday night to communicate the company’s response, a timetable of the cleanup procedure and an investigation into the cause. A second town meeting was held about two weeks after the incident to announce soil and water test results by the EPA and to answer questions from the town residents and media. As it turned out, no significant ground or water contamination was found.

Press coverage of the event and local resident attitudes toward Johnson Matthey turned around 180 degrees over a three-week period — from suspicion and anger to understanding and trust. Plant safety records were fully divulged; the company became extremely active in the community and demonstrated good citizenship with its neighbors.

We were honest. We were accessible. We answered questions. We designated and trained a single spokesperson and we provided a constant flow of communication. With the agency’s proactive efforts PR efforts and Johnson Matthey’s acceptance of responsibility, a highly volatile situation was turned into a positive story for our client.

(Adapted from a lecture presented by John Orr to a graduate class in Advanced PR Management at the University of Delaware.)

Sean Parker: You may have a point, but you’re also missing the point.

Just like any morning I opened my eyes to my alarm gave a quick stretch and rolled over to my smart phone to quickly enter cyberspace and start my day. Naturally, I had to check Facebook first to see what mindblowing information I had missed in the past eight hours (priorities straight). As I scrolled through my app a plethora of status updates came through bashing the book for changing its layout.

UGH! Really, Facebook? How could you do this to me? You are supposed to be there for me, you are MY minion, and you operate as I say, and by taking the time to learn of your upgrades, I will miss perfectly good stalker time. You are not the Tooth Fairy, Facebook, so don’t surprise me with some “improvements” in your layout and leave them for me under my pillow in the morning.

All right, maybe a bit of an overreaction at first, so after my first cup of coffee kicked in and the stench of bitter early morning blues wore off I had an actual realization as to why I was so disappointed in this “big” change. It was the unknown. The change hit the site’s 750+ million users with no warning and I couldn’t help but think Facebook displayed a little bit of bad PR by keeping its audience uninformed. I brushed it off. It’s going to take a lot more for me to boycott Facebook. I’ll show my anger in the best way I know how — by publishing a snarky status update and going on about my day.

It wasn’t until the afternoon, when I was on my lunch break, that I revisited my anger. Sean Parker, a founding partner of Facebook, posted on his wall, “I’m appalled that the free service that I am in no way obligated to use keeps making changes that mildly inconvenience me.” I couldn’t help but think, whoa, dude, defensive much? Comments like that don’t help you to live up to the rep of the actor who played you in “The Social Network” — Justin Timberlake is a gentleman.

Sean Parker: You may have a point, but you’re also missing the point. These users are the reason for Facebook’s billion-dollar business, so lay off the snark. You made the common mistake of not informing them of changes. The element of surprise is the reason our news feeds are clogged with hateful status updates. If you had offered tutorials and made your users aware of the changes, I guarantee the backlash would have been much less vituperative and people would have, with the help of information, been much more receptive to this change. Facebook, you are getting too comfortable with your audience. If you’re not careful, they’re gonna switch to Google+!

As for you Sean Parker, you’ll never be as cool as Justin Timberlake, so stop being an a**hole.

Zuckerberg’s going live at 1 p.m. today to announce even more changes. At least we aren’t being completely ambushed this time.

Part 3: The Leader of the Facebook Pack

The first three posts in my Facebook news feed this morning were:

• A video of my neighbor’s new puppy (cute!)
• A picture of the beach in Greece where my best friend is vacationing (jealous!)
• A rant on the morning commute from a high school classmate (unintentionally hilarious!)

On the surface, these posts have nothing in common. So how did Facebook decide they should be in my “top news” feed? In a word: EdgeRank.

EdgeRank is Facebook’s top-secret algorithm that determines what each user sees in his or her news feed.  Although its exact formula is unknown, EdgeRank functions much like search engine optimization for Facebook. Its goal is to show unique content to each user, based on his or her personal profile.

EdgeRank is made up of three factors:

• Affinity. Affinity examines how often a user interacts with a particular page, and how many common friends or interests exist between the user and that page. The more often you view, comment on and message a particular page, the higher your affinity score with it.
• Weight. Weight accounts for the interactions with a particular post. This includes how many comments and likes it has generated. For example, a post with 12 replies will receive a higher weight score than a post with 2 likes. In addition, video and photo posts receive more weight than text-only ones.
• Relevancy. Relevancy is the time-sensitive branch of EdgeRank. It considers how recently the item was posted, and looks for keywords such as “today,” “limited time only” or a date. It also matches keywords against interests. For example, if a post mentions gardening, and you list gardening as an interest on your Facebook profile, that post will receive a higher relevancy rating for you.

Now let’s go back to my morning’s top posts. My affinity for all three users is high — I interact with each of them on a daily basis. Two of the three people are connected with each other, as well as with me. Two of the posts contain photo and video, automatically giving them more weight. The commute post attracted scores of replies from others chiming in with their own travel horror stories. It also contained the phrase “this morning,” tipping off EdgeRank that this was a time-sensitive post, which increased its relevancy score. Suddenly, my morning news feed makes a lot more sense.

The beautiful — and frustrating — thing about EdgeRank is that it is so customized for each individual user, it can be difficult to figure out how to make your page stand out above the rest. How can you possibly be all things to all people? This is such a hot topic that the recent PR News Facebook conference for communications professionals dedicated an entire session to the “9 secret weapons” of increasing EdgeRank. They are:

1.       Ask questions — especially ones that start with who, what, when and where — to encourage fan interaction. But avoid asking “why” — fans might be put off by the need to give a long response and choose to skip the post altogether.

2.       Post games and trivia questions. Not only does this help engagement, but it sends a message that you care about what your fans have to say.

3.       Keep up the conversation. Answer questions, solve problems, acknowledge compliments. Be an active participant in your page.

4.       Incorporate “sapplets” — small social applications, such as polls and quizzes. Keep your page interesting and give fans a reason to visit.

5.       Post relevant photos. Users are more likely to view photo posts than text-only ones. Tag photos whenever possible.

6.       Relate to current events. Not only does this make fans more likely to view and interact with a post, but it also helps with the time-sensitive aspect of your relevancy score.

7.       Incorporate video — but use it sparingly. Keep it short and let viewers know up front how long it is.

8.       Post at odd times. Engagement is 20 percent higher outside of business hours.

9.       Include links — but be careful when posting shortened versions. While link-shortening services such as www.bitly.com are great for tracking results, some users think the funny-looking combinations of letters and numbers will take them to spam or a virus. Whenever possible, include both the full and shortened link so that fans have a choice.

I hope this three-part series has helped you get a clearer picture of Facebook marketing. What it all comes down to, as one conference participant said, is to be a good storyteller and always be interesting. And really, isn’t that what all good marketing is about?

Part 2: Facebook PR Strategies for a Small Budget

Kohl’s department store has more than 4.8 million Facebook “likes,” a following largely built during a 2010 campaign that let fans vote for which 20 schools should receive $500,000 each. The company gave away $10 million, but gained a groundswell of good feelings and a legion of new fans who now receive the company’s updates every day.

But take heart — you don’t need a multimillion-dollar budget to build a Facebook following. Instead, take a lesson from Kim Miller, Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Time Inc. Style & Entertainment Group. Speaking at the PR News Facebook event for public relations professionals last month, Kim discussed the simple strategy that increased People Magazine’s Facebook following from a few thousand to more than 1.2 million. The magazine offered coupons, giveaways and fabulous sweepstakes — but in the end, the most successful tactic turned out to be a simple free survey that allowed fans to vote on a Sexiest Man Alive poll.

Kim’s advice works, even if your brand name isn’t People and you don’t have beefcake pictures of actors to post on your Facebook page. The strategy: Engage your fans. It’s cost-effective (if somewhat time-consuming), but by doing so, you’ll send a message that you’re building a community — and that you value your customers’ participation in it.

Here are some easy and inexpensive do’s and don’ts that will help you get the most out of your Facebook marketing campaign:

DO

• Appreciate your fans — acknowledge them, interact with them, ask them questions and respond to theirs. Your fans love you and want to be loved in return!

• Post quality content that resonates with your fan base. If you’re not sure what your fans want to see on your Facebook page, ask them!

• Use Facebook Places. Own your space. Check that all locations are accurate. If you are a restaurant, retail outlet or other consumer destination, encourage fans to “check in” by offering a small discount or other promotion.

• Offer incentives exclusively for fans. A coupon program may be less expensive than you think.

DON’T

• Over-promote, over-commercialize or over-post. Yes, it’s great that you can pull 10 snippets of information out of one press release. But flooding your fans’ newsfeed with commercials is a sure way to get them to click the “Block” or (worse) “Unlike” button.

• Ignore your page. Too much information is bad, but so is too little. And there is nothing worse than those poor abandoned pages created on a whim that now feature only “acai berry diet” and “dude I can’t believe I just got a free iPad 2!” spammers.

• Blow off fan feedback. You never know where the next great idea will start. Starbucks routinely asks fans for advice, and has incorporated several of those ideas in-store.

Remember: Some of the best Facebook tools are free. Facebook Insights offers a wealth of information on fan demographics, most popular posts, activity spikes and so much more. Link-shortening site www.bitly.com allows you to track the popularity of links posted, and also (shhh) lets you see stats on your competitors’ links. Finally, don’t forget about your company website. Post a link to your Facebook page prominently on your home page so your fans can easily find you.

Coming up Next in Part 3 … How to climb to the top of the Facebook news feed.

Casey Anthony at trial

The verdict is in. Casey Anthony, the Florida woman who was on trial for the murder of her daughter Caylee in 2008, cries in the courtroom as the jury forewoman reads, “In the matter of first-degree murder, we the jury find the defendant not guilty.” There are more than a million onlookers on CNN.com as Anthony walks away from the death penalty and into the arms of freedom. She’s acquitted of all major charges: murder, aggravated manslaughter and aggravated child abuse. Charged with only four counts of delivering false information to law enforcement officials, Anthony is sentenced to four years in prison. But having served three years already, she won’t be doing much hard time.

What will Anthony do with all of her newfound freedom? Well, she won’t be having lunch with Nancy Grace anytime soon, but the law does allow her to capitalize on her misbehavior. According to the Son of Sam laws, which prohibit convicted criminals from profiting off the sale of their stories to publishers, Anthony can cash in on her case because the major charges were dropped. She’s been speechless from the beginning, opting out of testifying, making no comments to the media, but now that a big payoff is possible, who is going to get Casey Anthony to speak?

She should hire a publicist. If she chooses to break the silence she’s going to need someone to represent her voice just as well as Jose Baez, her lawyer, represented her right to freedom. But would you want to be Anthony’s publicist? Considering she could be offered up to a million dollars for the exclusive rights to her interview alone, and the small window of opportunity this story has, she’ll be able to cash in — and so will her publicist. In addition, there’s already buzz about the best actress to play her in a movie — Kristen Stewart is a favorite — the best title for her new book, and even Oprah descending from Olympus for a one-on-one. Cha-ching.

So why wouldn’t you take Anthony on as your newest star client? Michael Levine, a veteran Hollywood communications expert, said it best: “She could probably get a million from an outlet, but I wouldn’t recommend she do that, because she’s such an unsympathetic figure and a known liar.” Anthony’s sticky web of lies may not hold up well under the white-hot glare of media attention.

It is a publicist’s job to help decide if and when she should withstand that glare and risk exposure. For Anthony, the best decision would be to stay silent. She’s already received $200,000 from ABC for the exclusive rights to her personal images. As a publicist, my opinion is she is going to want more money and more attention — and that will mean more vulnerability. The media is going to want to know the details of Caylee’s death, details of her history with her father, details of her personal life. If the press breaks Anthony down there’s a strong possibility she could contradict everything her defense built for her, and that is bad news for a publicist.

It’s important to weigh the good and bad of your client before taking them on. Anthony could be a great payout, but also could end up costing a lot in damage control and hurt your reputation as a professional. Keep in mind that not every client is a good client and always consider your customer just as much as they consider you.

Part 1: Your Facebook cheat sheet

Facebook. One out of every 13 people on earth is on it. More than half of all social media traffic in the United States comes from it. It’s no wonder that it has become a component of every good PR strategy.

But unlike traditional media outlets, with their long histories of best practices and protocols to follow, Facebook and other social media outlets change the rules often by the day. The whole process of setting up a page, recruiting fans and interacting with them — not to mention making the whole thing valuable for the client — is new territory for many PR professionals.

To address this, PR News (an online public relations resource) recently hosted more than 300 public relations specialists for its first-ever Facebook Conference. The day-long, sold-out event brought together everyone from advertising industry thought leaders to overworked one-person communication “departments” for small businesses. All were seeking advice on the same subject. How can I build a successful Facebook page?

Sessions provided a crash course in everything from “How to Get People to ‘Like’ Your Brand” to “How to Manage Employee Facebook Activity for Optimal (and Safe) Results.” At the end of the day, 300 new Facebook experts returned home, armed with new terms such as “like-gate” (requiring users to “like” your page before viewing content) and “EdgeRank” (Facebook’s top-secret system for News Feed rankings).

Those two terms, and the following themes, repeated throughout the day’s sessions. Think of this as your Facebook cheat sheet:

Be authentic. Facebook is not the place to sell or be overly commercial. Think of it as a blind date — you want to look nice, ask questions, and show interest in what the other person is saying and doing. Brag a little, but not too much.

Resist the “me too” urge. Many companies rush to sign up for a Facebook page for the same reason: their competitors are there. A successful Facebook page launches only after the account team has thought through its objectives, strategy and measurement methods. Social media should be just one component of a comprehensive marketing plan. Remember — plan first, act second.

Social media is a team concept. The ideal Facebook team includes PR-driven content, with input from design, measurement and strategy — and an overall community manager to keep the whole thing in check. But no matter how large or small the social media team, it’s important to make sure everyone speaks with one voice so that the page stays consistent and on message.

Finally, a word about posting: The best time of day to post is before or after working hours. This ensures you will be at the top of the news feed for people logging on first thing in the morning at work, or in the evening before bedtime. There are various theories on the best day of the week to post, but the consensus seems to be Thursday.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Facebook strategies for small budgets.

Planning is key to event success.

Not for jingle bells, but for events — royal weddings, grand openings, fundraisers and community fairs. Whether you’re hosting a small group of friends or the entire town, planning is key to event success.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1.      Start early. The more time you have, the better your event will come together. Book the band, caterer, VIP guests and space as soon as you have a date. Planners of annual events often start planning for next year the day after this year’s event is over.

2.      Let people know. If you are hosting a public event or an exclusive by-invitation-only event, make sure you get the word out about date and location as soon as possible. Your family’s calendars fill up fast. Editors have deadlines. Even if you haven’t worked out all the details yet, let your guests and when relevant, the media know the date and time, and that more information is to come.

3.      Have a plan B. Let’s face it — things happen. But don’t let minor setbacks stop your event. Make sure you have a backup plan. A tent, a menu fit for humidity and bugs, more than one extension cord, and a pocket camera — some basics for any event planner’s survival kit!

Events are a fabulous way to celebrate, raise awareness and funds, and build community support. Start planning your next event today!

Here are some upcoming events AB&C is involved with:

St. Anthony’s Italian Festival

http://www.stanthonysfestival.com/

Jasper Crane Rose Garden Party

http://www.friendsofwilmingtonparks.org/

Miracle Whip's current campaign

Advertising used to have one goal: to make you buy a product. But recent campaigns from big names like Miracle Whip and Domino’s are taking the opposite path. They are spending big chunks of time, space and money to tell us that lots of people hate them.

Jay Sinha, a marketing professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, calls this “anti-marketing,” arguing that traditional advertising no longer works because consumers have become jaded from years of heavy-handed promotional tactics. Instead, he says, more successful techniques should be simple, straightforward and truthful — even if the truth isn’t pretty. I’m not sure I completely agree with Professor Sinha, but I am a big fan of making your brand stand out in the marketplace. Telling me why your product isn’t that great definitely makes me sit up and take notice (even if it doesn’t make me buy).

In Miracle Whip’s new TV spots, celebrities such as the Jersey Shore’s Pauly D and political commentator James Carville join “everyday” people to proclaim their love — or hate — of Miracle Whip. Pauly D says that he hates Miracle Whip so much that if he had a girlfriend who liked it, it would be a “dealbreaker.” But Carville lovingly details how his favorite sandwich begins with a voluminous spread of the product.

The Domino’s campaign, which launched more than a year ago, began by showing feedback from real people, including focus groups noting that the crust tastes like cardboard, and photos of unappetizing pizzas sent in by dissatisfied customers. The ads have since evolved to show what Domino’s did to address these complaints, and how the brand’s new recipes are winning back old customers — and a fair amount of new ones, too.

One thing these campaigns have in common is you either love them or hate them. As a PR person, I love them! Buzz-generating advertising lends itself to so many great PR opportunities, and is a terrific example of how public relations and advertising can (and should) work hand in hand to generate successful results for a client. In Domino’s case, the initial risk ended in a true feel-good story: company listens to customers, company turns profit, everybody’s happy. Miracle Whip’s strategy has already led to an engaging social media campaign that lets consumers weigh in on the love/hate debate via Facebook.

So what do you think? Do these ads make you sit up and take notice? And if they do, it is for the right or wrong reasons?

Check out some of the ads here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MiracleWhip?blend=3&ob=5

http://www.youtube.com/user/dominosvids

Working with an agency

How can a PR agency help you in your quest for the gold? How can they understand the constraints of hospital PR and the competitive, ego-rich environment you have to navigate every day?

1. Use an agency with proven experience in healthcare public relations and media relations. You need someone who has been there and done that.

2. Let your agency be on your team. The more they know, the better they can help you. That means inviting them to clinical team meetings and making sure they have access to all your collateral materials. You can be assured that they will always have your back at all times.

3. Choose an agency that has the right tools. If your account executive has never heard of ProfNet, HARO, Cision, Vocus, SHSMD or NACHRI, you need to start shopping around. The right PR tools will help ensure that you are visible in the marketplace.

A good PR agency works with you, has a strong grasp of your goals and is well versed in your communication strategy. They should be intimately familiar with your hospital’s culture and assets. Because, when the pressure’s on and you’re reaching for the gold, your PR agency can extend your reach.

Get noticed by the media

So whatever happened to Dr. McDreamy? The world’s news cameras are at your door and you can’t wait to show off the medical miracles happening in your hospital. Here’s where the level head comes in.

With the needs of the patients and family, the media, and the executives in mind, you need a well-oiled PR department in which everyone knows what to do. (And maybe even a PR agency. But more on that later.)

Interviews are scheduled, executives are informed and expectations are managed. At the end of the day, the media gets what they want — a compelling, informative story told through the eyes of real people. The C-suite gains exposure for the clinical team and hospital investments. You get a chance to enhance your media relations.

Here is where a steady stride will pay off. A hospital PR professional who produces a steady stream of newsworthy stories — and keeps the information coming — will be noticed by the media. If you focus on the media relationship and tell stories with people in mind, you’ll reach the pot of gold and maybe even land an interview on CNN.

Make your healthcare story gold

You’re a hospital public relations professional and you want to get on the evening news. And you will — because you have Dr. McDreamy saving lives in your OR and Elmo visiting patients in your cancer ward. And yet, at the end of every news-crew-coordinating day, your executives demand a completely different level of recognition.

The C-suite wants gold: the CNN interview with the highly sought-after surgeon they just hired. A 60 Minutes story about the new hunk of technology the board just agreed to pay for. Even if you’re a seasoned and connected PR professional, these are elusive goals. So what do you do?

Ask yourself what rates as news. Think like an editor, reporter and producer — or better yet, like a reader or viewer. Is this a story you would tune into? Never pitch a story that is not newsworthy — it will keep you from the gold.

Focus on who — not what — makes miracles happen. Acquiring the latest technology has to be about more than flexing muscles in a competitive environment. The new doohickey must be saving or improving people’s lives.

Be creative. In the sea of new media, find the most effective vehicle for the story. The award and accreditation story may be best told via trade media. The health clinic and expert panel may be best told in a social media outlet. The sensational patient story is best on the evening news, while the issue-related medical ethics story is best for a print outlet. Be aware of your venues and use them wisely.

With media calling on one line and your executives on the other, you need to go for the gold, but keep a level head and steady stride.

The art show will feature sculptures, paintings and live music

It’s time for AB&C’s fall art show — and we’ve got something special: “Four Spikers” is the first agency art show to feature four members from one very talented family.

Bill, Carol, Mike and Tom Spiker will all be displaying their art at the opening on Thursday, November 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., but the art will remain on display until the end of February. To support our community, the Spiker family will be donating a portion of their sales to the Delaware Community Foundation.

“Four Spikers” will feature a unique mix of paintings, sculptures and live music. If you’d like to join us on Thursday evening for light hors d’oeuvres, beverages and some fine art, “Like” us on Facebook and RSVP to the invite.

AB&C’s semiannual art show gives the agency a fresh look, inspires employees and clients, and offers local artists an opportunity to showcase their talent.

We will be tweeting live from the event so be sure to follow us on Twitter @ABCadvertising!

Toyota relies on brand legacy during times of trouble

Talk about a summer of discontent. It seems that almost every week, another Toyota vehicle recall is announced. And it feels like no make or model year has dodged (pardon the pun) the recall bullet.

For instance, in April 2010, 50,000 Toyota Sequoias were recalled to reprogram the stability control system. In July, more than 400,000 Avalons and LX-470s got the hook for faulty steering column components. The latest recall involves a potential stalling problem affecting 1.3 million Corollas and Matrix cars. (I love it when a company spokesperson states the recall repairs will be performed “at no cost to consumers.” Oh, the generosity!)

So, what can a self-respecting auto company like Toyota do to combat all the bad press? It appears their strategy is to tap heavily into the company’s brand equity bank. That’s why freshly minted Toyota branding TV spots are popping up everywhere. Most center on quality-oriented themes like “dependability” and “longevity.” One features a rather smitten end user with 300,000+ miles on his trusty Toyota coupe. And why not? For decades, Ford and GM have relied on vintage Mustang and Camaro owners to serve as spokes-cheerleaders in their advertising campaigns.

Hey, when quality control gets shaky with your current offerings, there’s no harm in hitting the brand legacy trail. The inference seems to be, “We have a long history of building quality, trouble-free cars. Why would you think our current products would be any different?” Umm, maybe because they’re all being recalled? Just a thought.

Lebron's "Decision Show" was a huge PR mistake.

I heard that there’s a LeBron jersey burning party in a small neighborhood in Columbus tonight. If I were a Cavs fan, I’d be the first in line. Not only has the basketball star left his hometown for the sun and sand in Miami, but he broke their hearts during an hour-long nationally televised infomercial.

I understand the business side of his decision and that he wants to win a championship, but his Decision show that aired on ESPN was a huge PR mistake. Filled with commercials from his sponsors, the show exposed him as incredibly vain and self-absorbed. The show didn’t grow his brand, it grew his ego.

The good news? The hype that has exhausted even the most rabid basketball fans is finally over. LeBron will join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, and maybe win a championship, but the damage has been done to his image— and the Cleveland economy.

Media relations is a lot like dating...

Recently I found myself consoling a coworker who was bothered because a reporter wouldn’t return her phone calls or emails or agree to go to lunch with her. Suddenly it occurred to me that entering the world of media relations is a lot like diving into the dating pool. Both involve unwritten rules, lots of phone calls, rejection and frustration—but with a little patience and a little luck, a long-lasting and trustworthy relationship can develop.

The relationship between a PR professional and a journalist is not just a one-night stand. It takes persistence and commitment.

PR pros are natural relationship builders. Even though we may be “playing the field” by pitching more than one journalist, it’s our job to make each one feel special. This means we need to do a little homework. I’m not advocating stalking by any means, but finding out interests and making a connection are keys to building any relationship. Read the journalists’ blogs, follow them on Twitter and find out what makes them tick before you decide to pitch them.

When connecting with a reporter, avoid bringing up competition. You would never compare the new person you are dating to one of your exes—it’s completely unflattering. So why would a reporter want to hear “X and Y media outlet picked up my story, so you should too”? You’re trying to build a new relationship, so keep others out of it.

PR pros should be reliable, accessible and punctual. If you set some time aside to talk to a reporter, make sure you are there when you say you will be. Reporters have strict deadlines; you can’t keep them waiting around or they are going to move on to someone else. If a date showed up 20 minutes late and forgot to call you, you would probably kick them to the curb too.

After you’ve established a relationship and a reporter tells your story, stay in contact! Keep the conversation going—even when you don’t want something in return. You wouldn’t want to date someone who only communicated with you when they wanted something (think 1 a.m. text on a Saturday night—get real). If you stumble upon an interesting study or resource that doesn’t involve you and could help out a journalist, send it over to him or her. He or she will remember it, and will appreciate that you’re not asking for a favor.

Stay optimistic, PR people. A recent study by UKDating.com reported that the average woman dates 24 men before finding “the one” they will marry. So don’t get discouraged if every reporter doesn’t want to tell your story (and we all know that it was a great story). There are plenty of other media contacts out there, so keep on pitching.

Tiger should have taken advice from a PR professional.

Everybody’s weighing in on how Tiger Woods should have handled his recent scandal. Public relations professionals argue that he should have gotten ahead of the tabloids and issued a statement right after his accident. Lawyers and agents maintain that the man has the right to keep his personal life private and is not obligated to comment on these issues.

Clearly, Tiger had something to hide. As a PR professional, I knew that if and when he decided to talk, his very personal problems would become very public. And when US Weekly announced that it was releasing voicemail messages that proved his “transgressions,” Tiger finally took advice from PR people and came clean.

In this day of the 24-hour news cycle, Tiger would’ve been better off admitting his “sins” a week ago. The story would be over by now. But because he remained mum, reporters continued to dig and to speculate — and his silence became part of the story. Now that the truth is out, Tiger has taken control of the message and the worst is over for his public image. His sponsors are standing by him and he will still go down in history as the world’s greatest golfer. Let’s see if he can find a PR professional who can help him on the home front.

The bi-plane cake for St. Joseph's Children's Hospital

A recent episode of TLC’s The Cake Boss (“Bi-Plane, Bridezilla & Busting Buddy”) featured our client, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. The reality show follows Buddy Valastro, the master baker of Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ, as he and his team create amazing cakes and pastries.

During this episode, Buddy created a completely edible version of the St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital bi-plane logo and unveiled the cake at the hospital’s annual Cooking for Kids event. Although we were fortunate enough to be in attendance at the event, it was great to see how Buddy and his team created the cake and debated how to bring the logo to life. But what was most rewarding was watching the work that the AB&C team did come to life on TV. Our team updated the Children’s Hospital logo last year and also designed the posters that were visible at the end of the episode when the cake was brought to the event. But the real highlight of the show was when “bridezilla” destroyed her wedding cake and insisted on a new one for the next day!

Finding new ways to use Facebook

Target recently ran a two-week campaign on Facebook called “Bullseye Gives.” The premise? The mammoth retailer offered a choice of ten charities, from breast cancer research to the Red Cross. People voted for their favorites.

The prize? Target will split $3 million among the charities based on the percentage of votes they received.

It’s a great example of viral marketing for both Target and the charities. People posted their votes on their Facebook profiles, encouraging others to participate — and getting more people to join Target’s fan base. Some of the charities posted links on their website homepages, too. In addition, Target will help to connect voters with volunteer opportunities in their local communities. After two weeks, more than 290,000 people had voted!

So Target not only looks hip and philanthropic, but through a creative use of social media, it is strengthening its online community while building its brand.

Photo courtesy ABC News.

When you think of US Airways and all the negative press they’ve had in the past year about lost luggage and delays, you would never imagine that a plane crash would finally give them positive exposure.

The crash of US Airways Flight 1549 into the Hudson River has produced nothing but positive exposure for the airline and the crew. What has been the public perception of this accident?

• The airline appears blameless — everyone is pointing the finger at the crazy flock of geese.
• The pilot handled a difficult situation perfectly — with only a few minutes to act, the pilot made a textbook water landing into the Hudson River.
• The crew demonstrated expertise and skill — no one died, few were injured and the pilot checked the plane twice before exiting.
• The airline was proactive — less than a week after the crash, US Airways issued $5,000 checks to passengers to assist them with their immediate needs. They are also reimbursing passengers for ticket cost.

Let’s hope they handle their next “lost bags” crisis just as well.

Original Story at ABC News