“Woo,” “Stick” and “Tip” are all words used to describe successful pitching. There are many great how-to books on ways to win over an audience. As public relations practitioners, we are constantly trying to find the best way to communicate key messages. Tiffany Derville mentioned in my Advanced PR Writing class that being able to express your key message is crucial to public relations.

The Art of Woo, by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa, discusses how to use strategic persuasion to sell ideas. “Woo” is a fun way of describing the act of winning someone over. I enjoy that the authors give specific steps on how “woo” works. Step one is to survey your situation, which reminds me of a situation analysis section of a public relations plan. Step two is to confront the barriers, which then reminds me of a problem statement. Step three and four discuss how to make your pitch and secure your commitments.

Made to Stick, which we are reading in my Advanced PR Writing class by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, explores the sustainability of message and ideas. This book is a wonderful compliment to The Art of Woo because it gives the reader tools to keep an idea constantly communicated and explains why other ideas “die.” Made to Stick breaks stickiness down into six principles; the first two are my favorite. Principle one is simplicity. A message needs to be easy to remember by the audience. Principle two is unexpectedness, which is my personal favorite. When someone is taken by surprised they listen. Even a pleasant surprise, rather than shock value, is still “unexpectedness.”

Selling ideas with strategic persuasion and making them stick is all proven in The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. He shares stories of ideas and products that have been able to “tip” into our lives and create moment for change. I’ve actually never “read” this book, however, I have listened to it on tape. During my drive to Seattle, Wash., I could picture all of the “tipping points” that Gladwell describes in his book. The Hush Puppies story is my personal favorite and I encourage everyone to read or listen to this entertaining and educating book.

So whether you are “tipping,” “wooing” or “sticking,” remember to always keep your audience and key message in mind.

Currently, I am enrolled in Tiffany Derville’s Advanced PR Writing class at the University of Oregon. This week our class learned how to write shareholder letters. It became particularly interesting to notice differences in the executive’s photographs after reviewing several from Target, Chiquita and Disney.

Each executive had a completely different look to their style of dress and expression. For example, Chiquita’s Chairman and CEO, Fernando Aguirre, looks very accessible with his friendly smile and country-club style of dress in the 2005 annual report. Aguirre makes you feel happy to be a shareholder with his arms down by his side and one hand in his pant pocket. Even his body language gives you the impression that he’ll jump out of the paper and hand over your financial returns on the spot.

Chiquita’s 2005 annual report lends a positive image to the reader with it’s use of bright colors and a happy-go-lucky CEO. Surprisingly, Disney’s annual report gave me a completely different impression than Chiquita. Robert A. Iger’s “paparazzi” photo expresses a boastful attitude; he is almost too good to even acknowledge the shareholders he addresses in the letter. Iger is dressed in a tuxedo on the red carpet looking away from the camera with a smile. I wonder what their public relations team was thinking? Did they have a time crunch at the last minute? Maybe they entirely forgot about a photo and stuck one in before printing? The audience always needs to be addressed in the letter as well as in the author’s picture.

In any case, as public relations practitioners, we need to remember that a picture really is worth a thousand words and evokes emotion. The CEO’s picture can overpower the letter and leave a huge impression even if the shareholder letter is upbeat and friendly.

Shock the people and they will listen. Isn’t that how it is in every situation? I believe it is. The moment people are shocked, the moment people turn their attention to the situation. This is true for the latest Vanity Fair scandal and Kate Moss’ new lingerie advertisements. 

Pictures of Miley Cyrus, taken by the famed Annie Liebovitz, raised so many moral questions and sparked so much interest. All of the energy has brought the attention to Vanity Fair magazine. It’s true, bad press really is good press.

The Cut, New York Magazine’s fashion blog, interviewed former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown. She comments,  ”I just thought, ‘There Annie [Liebovitz] goes again! Driving up sales!’” she said. “I saw her here tonight and I congratulated her. I said, ‘Great job. Now just put one of those out every quarter.’ It’s terrific for newsstand and it gets Si [Newhouse] off your back.”

Another celebrity perfect for the use of shock value is Kate Moss. The model is always all popular in the blogosphere, including PerezHilton.com and The Cut. Her name alone is tied to numerous scandals and now she is in the midst of another “haute” topic. The Cut describes that the new Agent Provocateur bridal ad campaign features Moss in controversial circumstances where she, the bride, is shot in a “red underwear holding slices of wedding cake looking like she’d just trampled a pair of popes.”

Agent Provocateur’s co-founder Joe Corre “wanted to express his views on marriage and the Vatican: ‘For me, the idea of marriage, of two people committing to one another, is incredibly beautiful. But at a certain point you hand over the control of that to a different organisation, to something that is disconnected, whether it’s the Church or, if it’s a civil wedding, the Government. I think perhaps people should question that because what if the authority concerned is corrupt and its intentions are not as pure as the ones you had in the first place?’”

Even though many people disagree with controversial campaigns it sure looks like a good way to go. From a public relations standpoint this does usually does not help to connect with your target audience, however, it creates a strong presence. What do you think about using shock as a strategy?

It is very exciting to see such an admired designer outfit U.S.A. representatives. Polo Ralph Lauren has designed outfits for the Opening Ceremony Parade that are reminiscent of his classic 20s and 30s style.

This strategic move will give Ralph Lauren even more staying power in the fashion world. According to the The Cut, New York Magazine’s Fashion Blog, “A Ralph Lauren Polo spokesperson admitted to earning under $10 million for the deal. The company’s okay with the paltry sum because the venture provides an opportunity to spread its tentacles to China, where Polo don’t have nearly as much going on as its European counterparts.” 

It is a delight to see U.S. citizens embrace his elegant design with the use of clean lines and elegant silhouettes.I hope to see a new trend on the rise after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Could this mean that polo shirts and khakis will be more and more prevalent in men’s style? Goodbye to baggy jeans and boxers, hello to pinstripes and ascots. Stay classy, U.S.A.!

 

According to the businessandblogging.com’s criteria the Nike’s blog checks out as both a “good and bad blog.” Inside.nikebasketball.com is updated every few days with each post focused on a specific topic of basketball. The posts are also relevant and written in an engaging manner. 

Although the blog follows the criteria for a “good blog,” it was very hard to find on the Google search engine. After typing the words “nike blog” I would have expected every Nike blog to be listed on Google. It was also very disappointing to find that there is one-way communication; there is no area to post a comment after the post. This creates a defensive and unresponsive environment. 

Aside from the criteria on businessandblogging.com, I was unimpressed with the use of a black background and the use of confusing links. I had no idea where the link titled “Los Angeles” would take me and what it would be blogging. 

I rate this blog: Poor.

On a scale of 1-10:

Ease of Finding: 2 I was unable to find the Nike’s basketball blog when I typed in “Nike blogs.” I thought it would be easy to find it if I were to type in those two words but it wasn’t. 

Frequency: 8 The blog was updated every few days but never every day or more than once a day. I would have liked to think that a corporate blog would hire enough people to keep the blog updated a few times a day. 

Engaging Writing: 10 I’m not a huge fan of basketball but there was a presence of good writing that was engaging even though I’m not an expert. 

Relevant: 10 Every piece of writing has to do with basketball and people and items that relate to the sport.

Focused: 10 For the amount of blogs Nike has this is definitely focused because it is strictly about the  basketball industry.

Honest: 10 I believe in the Nike brand and because of it’s reputation the writing seems honest. 

Interactive: 10 They have a chat site, images as well as video. The blog is very interactive.  

Responsive: 1 There is no way I could find a way to leave comments about the posts. 

The Nike’s basketball blog received a total of 61 out of 100. 

Nike Fortune 500 Business Blogging Wiki

                      

Forecasts show sunny skies and floral prints in our futures! Designers such as Carolina Herrera, Christian Lacroix and Balenciaga are all participating in this spring fling. The use of poppies, daisies, carnations and roses pleases me to incorporate such bold prints into my wardrobe.

Whether it be work or play, wearing floral prints is easy to do. When I think of a floral print I picture myself in a dreaded sun dress. This will not be the case during the spring season, I promise. I particularly admire Lilly Pulitzer for her work-appropriate tile print sheath dress. Pulitzer’s use of structure and femininity creates a classic piece to add to any wardrobe while keeping up with the trend. Another favorite of mine is Anne Klein’s use of belts cinched at the waist paired with plunging neck lines to exaggerate the feminine shape of her floral print dresses. 

Integrating feminine silhouettes and prints will ease the pressure of having to hide our figures in tent dresses and “maternity wear” that most of us have purchased in the past four months. 

Corporate social responsibility is a great way for businesses to recognize the interests of society while acknowledging their impact on their audiences and environment. Abercrombie & Fitch has come up with a “brilliant” CSR tactic donating $10 million to the construction of a trauma center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The most shocking part of it all: The NCH could be renaming the building to the Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center. 

It makes sense for their CSR attempt tot arget children in hopes to further encourage support for its children’s store, abercrombie kids. However, Abercrombie & Fitch needs to change their advertising campaign. The use of sexual advertisements to represent a company that targets children and teens doesn’t seem to go hand-in-hand with a children’s hospital and many are speaking out against this relationship. The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has sent a letter signed by approximately 70 pediatricians and academics stating their position on the situation.

Both the New York Times and Fox News have covered the protest against renaming the hospital. Fox News features an article written by the Associated Press that ends with the following quote: “Abercrombie & Fitch is well known for pushing the envelope in terms of teen sexuality, and to have an emergency room named after them is ludicrous,” said Dr. Victor Strasburger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico, who signed the letter faxed to Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

How would you handle the bad press from this CSR move? I think it’s time for some crisis communication.  

Edelman went against the norm when they launched their brilliant Dove campaign. Oprah picked up on the campaign and featured the Dove spokeswomen on her show. The strategy had successfully driven the message of real beauty to women over 20 years of age, but after watching television this afternoon I noticed many cosmetic companies have yet to catch on. 

Companies such as Rimmel, Estee Lauder and Maybelline all utilize gorgeous actresses and models as spokeswomen (or as I like to call them, “spokesSUPERwomen”). Many of these successful women take advantage of the latest beauty treatments and innovative plastic surgery techniques as well as employ chefs and personal trainers. The Gaurdian explains, “Gwyneth Paltrow employs two [chefs] - one for sweets, one for savoury - to help with her macrobiotic diet.” 

I don’t know about you but neither do I have a personal chef nor a trainer. Even though Edelman’s campaign had a great deal of coverage, how come other brands have yet to follow this strategy?

Blogging is on the rise for every industry of public relations. Companies use blogs to be more transparent, professionals are blogging about their interests and public relations agencies use blogs to research and pitch to a certain industry. I am happy to start my own blog today and cannot wait to share my thoughts and research with you.

My interests include consumer brands and technology as well as fashion public relations. During my summer internship with Edelman Worldwide I worked for clients such as Getty Images, Expedia.com, Onlineshoes.com, Brooks Sports and Ultreo. Currently I work for the Center for Community Counseling, a non-profit counseling center, as the Account Supervisor with Allen Hall Public Relations. 

Besides my love for public relations, I spend free time taking my puggle to the park, cooking, tea tasting, practicing my guitar and flute, as well as spending time with my friends and family.