Four Lessons Learned the Hard Way in 2013

In today's world, the majority of business-to-consumer connections are now made using social media. This means that now, when a business blunders, there are many people that the business has to answer to, not just "those in the know." This is why managing public relations has become even trickier than before. With that in mind, I'd like to offer some of the lessons learned from poorly executed media relations strategies this past year:

Lesson 1: Consult your communication experts

With social media's continued rise, it is necessary for companies to hire the services of communications experts. Such people have an eye on the happenings all around the globe, around the clock, keeping them well informed of all activities going on in different places. They are immaculate judges of timing, and can advise the company as to which statement to make, and when. The right tweet at the wrong time, or vice versa, can cause much damage.

Lesson 2: if you have made a mistake, own up to it, and move on

Take into consideration the public relations misstep of the Lululemon chairman when he was asked about the quality of the yoga pants that they produce. He wrongly, from a media relations standpoint, stated that this was not a fault of the company, but rather the fault on the part of the women who were heavy and stretching the pants so thin that they were transparent.

Lesson 3: The CEO must be available to bear the brunt when things go wrong

When one of the ships belonging to Carnival Cruise Lines lost power, it was impossible for anybody to get in touch with their CEO, Mickey Arison. Amid the power disaster on the cruise liner, it was a younger executive who came out to deal with the grueling questions, demands and backlash. People were outraged by this, especially when Arison took to Twitter to discuss other matters, like his basketball team. The public seized upon this -- Arison should have been available to answer questions, and offer solutions for their oft-plagued cruise ships.

Lesson 4: If you have made a statement, stick by it

When you develop a customer base, you are bound to have established some form of loyalty from them. It is therefore foolish to say something, and then do the opposite. When companies take a stance, they must make sure that their actions are in agreement with what they project. Going against your stated values can cause you to lose your audience, and turns off new/potential clients, current customers or other strategic partnerships.


Follow Ronn Torossian on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RTorossian5wpr


SOURCE http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronn-torossian/4-lessons-learned-the-har_b_4532622.html

Amazon Drones and the Uphill PR Battle

When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos appeared on 60 Minutes to unveil his vision of using drones to deliver small packages (less than 5 lbs) for the company, America let out a collective gasp. "How much will it cost?" or "How will the FAA react?" or "Does that mean I'll have my earrings before the company Christmas party?" ... among others. According to Bezos, the program would allow online shoppers to receive their package in thirty minutes or less from the moment of purchase. Really. The program, called "Prime Air," is still just a vision - not yet available nor with any mention of a launch date from Bezos.

As a communications professional, my first reaction -- along with many people who caught the episode -- was to ask a lot of questions. How will this comply with FAA regulations? What will happen with incorrect mailing addresses? What's the cost?

The PR guy in me though kept focusing on one question -- Why would Bezos refer to the flight tool as a 'drone' rather than his first term -- 'octocopter'? I would venture a guess that maybe 95 percent of Americans hear the word 'drone' and immediately visualize the flying monitoring/attack tool commonly used overseas to provide surveillance, attack terrorists, track people and materials, etc. While these tools have no doubt supported U.S. intelligence and the war on terror, they have also generated a lot of bad press for their use in attacks that have lead to civilian casualties. In fact, even when not used in military operations they remain controversy, judging by a recent issue caused when a drone was used in Montana to survey a family in dispute with local authorities over ownership of six cows.

While it remains up to you to determine your stance on drones (or not), the fact remains that the connotation of the word itself is far from a neutral subject. Speaking from a PR standpoint, it is a mistake that the first mention of 'drones' in the interview came from Bezos himself.

Shortly after the interview, both the FAA and Amazon confirmed that the promotional video airing was shot internationally due to regulations, tee-ing Bezos' brainchild up for another, different, controversy. In the '60 Minutes' interview, Bezos mentions that Amazon is working with the FAA to get a better understanding of airspace rulings regarding drones, expected in 2015. The Washington Post went so far as to say, "The fact that Amazon had to leave the country to make the video underscores how slowly U.S. officials have embraced the policy challenge." This makes me wonder whether or not this announcement was a little premature. In PR, launching a major product, idea, or organization is all about one thing - timing. With the technology requiring "years of additional work at this point", I am not sure a company as large as Amazon is best served by short-term gimmicky media.

This lack of certainty and timeline, so far ahead of anything actually tangible resulted in high profile executives speaking out against the concept. "We're not really focusing on long-term fantasies, we're focusing on things that will change consumers' experience today," said Mr. John Donahoe, CEO of eBay. Again, announcing the technology while it's in such an early stage, rather than an R&D project progressing towards a goal, leaves room for this kind of reaction.

So while Amazon HAS announced a sure-fire state of the art concept, this is one that is far away from coming to fruition and still deemed a fantasy. They clearly have an uphill battle to fight with the much maligned FAA -- an organization that millions of individuals trust with their lives every year -- which is a relationship that will require serious time, money and attention. On top of that, Google the project and you'll find nobody is calling them 'octocopters,' but rather the negatively associated term 'drone.'

These factors add up to set Amazon's "Prime Air" up for a long public relations battle, one that if won, may change purchasing and fulfillment, but if it fails, will be nothing more than a discontinued idea and a gigantic waste of money.


Follow Ronn Torossian on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RTorossian5wpr


SOURCE http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronn-torossian/amazon-drones-and-the-uph_b_4433724.html