Canuckflack

Public relations, as a profession, has an identity crisis. Not really a surprise, is it? Is it a touchy-feely trade that can only be learned through practice or a cold-hearted discipline informed by social science and buttressed by research? Are we a homogenous enough group that we can speak with one voice, or are we really an agglomeration of egos and anxieties craving attention and monthly retainers?

And who in the world can speak for us? Can we turn to an Alliance, an Association, or a Chartered Institute? Or must our identities be boiled down to more realistic descriptions: investor relations, health marketing, internal comms, or, dare I say it, blogger outreach?

For most PR pros, this isn’t really a crisis. They’re spending far too much time actually churning out tepid fact sheets, internal newsletters, lame untargeted media pitches, spending far too much time on twitter or thinking up new bizdev gimmicks.

The real identity crisis occurs every Thanksgiving when the extended family asks “how things are going in the job,” all the while giving you the stink eye. You know from experience that they have a stereotype of your work firmly stuck in their mind, and it’s not positive.

For instance, your older cousins could be thinking of Mike Damone, the scalper from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Your Aunt could be flashing back to Ron Ziegler, Richard Nixon’s spokesperson. And that young niece? She’s thinking Billy Mays.

Wow. Scamsters. Hucksters. Second story men, the lot.

This is a baffling state of affairs because PR pros are surprisingly self-confident and certain of our own capabilities. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in PR – we’d be in journalism.

Unfortunately, no voluntary code, industry standards or charter will change that perception. There will always be a cheap, dirty and dishonest alternative willing to “do PR” for a client.

Which is why we can only hang our hat as public relations professionals on our own record of experience, professionalism and results. It’s a profession that revolves around the  name brand, the free agent on the rise, and the personal connection.

I think I’ve found my blogging doppelganger, Jen Mattern.

Senator George Mitchell’s months-long investigation into the use of steroids, additives, clear and other enhancers is nearing an end, with reporters, bloggers and baseball fans eagerly expecting his report - and a long list of names.

Personally, I think baseball mascots are going to be the un-named co-conspirators in all this.

Just think about it. Heavy and poorly balanced costumes. Highly choreographed dances and 7th inning stretches. All that running up and down bleacher steps. The effective aim and discharge of hot dog and t-shirt cannons?

That’s a long list of ab, calf, hammy and tricep work. Mere hours on the Bowflex won’t prepare you for that sort of gruelling workday.

And don’t even get me started on the Milwaukee Sausage Race. If there’s anything the Tour de France has taught us, it’s that the French, Germans and Spaniards will do nearly anything to win an arduous race - including blood doping!

Technorati Tags: MLB, steroids, reputation management, crisis communications

Original photo by Chad Davis

Lawrence Metal Products hit a homerun. The makers of Tensabarrier, the flexible in-store “queue systems,” got a nice placement in Newsday.

Who knew you could spin a holiday shopping feature out of some basic information about the efficiencies of installing in-store guideposts and barriers?

It helped that the final story covered three hooks:

• business efficiency and cost savings
• customer frustration at long lines and poor cash placement
• a link to Curb Your Enthusiasm

That’s right. Money, emotion and celebrity. All in one tidy story about lineups in stores.

“…An episode of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” makes the company’s case: To make up for a bad deed, Larry David goes to a store to buy his wife’s favorite perfume and finds two lines. He chooses one line and then jumps to the other because it appears to be moving more quickly. David gets stuck behind a woman sampling fragrances and is unable to buy the perfume because another man — who got on the other line, behind David — nabs the last bottle. David goes into a rant, asking why the single-line system isn’t used everywhere.

“We’ve proven that the fairest and most equitable way of queuing is the single corral, as Larry was demonstrating,” said Nick Byrne, vice president of sales and business development for Lawrence…”

Whoever media trained that man (or ghostwrote the pitch) gets a prize!

But there’s more: clear advice for retailers designed to increase sales on high profit items!

“…One of Lawrence’s British retail clients filled bowls fixed to a Tensabarrier with lip salve, tissues and playing cards and found that sales of those items increased 400 percent.

“A lot of retailers make the mistake of thinking that it’s just more retail space, but it’s not,” Byrne said. “They need to clearly display prices. It has to be an impulse-buy item, and there’s got to be lots of it.”..”

Keith, the new honcho at com.motion*, was kind enough to send over the results of their exclusive survey of 444 senior managers and marketers. As Sean pointed out, it’s always helpful to have detailed public opinion research on any aspect of our little marketing and public relations world - especially social media.

Especially when the results seem to expose senior executives lying about their familiarity with social media. To be fair, they could be glaringly unaware how little they know about new technology. Or, they could be underestimating the extent of their clients’ knowledge.

Even worse - senior communications advisors revealing - rather embarassingly - that they are falling behind the curve. As specialists, they should be AHEAD of the curve.

Later on in the poll, it seems that the long tail only applies to online activities. Overall, an intention to increase spending on social media does mean an overall increase in budgets, but some managers and marketers responded that they would cut back on direct marketing costs. That makes sense - abandon the tried-and-true targeted marketing for the shiny and new.

* not this com.motion.

Have you ever had a moment, sitting in a meeting, when you realize that the person sitting beside you is blowing it out of their ass?

Social media has become the subject du jour in our communications meetings, and everyone seems to be reading and repeating snippets from articles in Wired and BusinessWeek.

And then they crap all over the idea.

I’m witnessing the behaviour right in front of me. Someone has thrown out a new and imaginative idea … and the faux experts are murmuring slightly positive things about the technology - but only before they start rolling out institutional, technological and bureaucratic reasons for why it won’t work.

They don’t have an outright denial - more of a conditional and begrudging acknowledgement of developments in social media in other parts of the world.

And then they compartamentalize the idea and their perception of the risk:

“We’re exploring it.”

“It’s a pilot project, being launched soon.”

“W’re going to be looking into that.”

Their power comes from their institutional postition: these people arrive with their institutionally-issued black notebooks and the business cards reading “web advertising experts,” “promotion specialists,” or “IT consultant.”

But there’s an unspoken and unwritten text: “I’m here to suffocate your ideas with good intentions and poor policy.”

And I can’t waste the energy to play their boardroom politics.

Please tell me where you, oh faux social media expert, have an office, work with your colleagues and try to exert your authority.

Because I want to avoid it like the plague.

Technorati Tags: social media expert, pr consultant, bureaucracy

Barbara Faga is an urban planner who has participated in hundreds and hundreds of public meetings - meetings that attempt to build a dialogue among many different factions on a highly sensitive issue: what will be built/destroyed/grown/paved over near my house or business?

Imagine two ferocious Not In My BackYard opponents chained together and locked in a 900 square foot room - with bad coffee. That’s right. A NIMBY faceoff of epic proportions.

And you are the referee.

Barbara Faga is well-acquainted with this environment. Which is why she was well-qualified to write this blog post last month: A guide to Taser-free public meetings.

She has also written a much longer book, Designing Public Consensus, that discusses the process of urban design and public consultation. Of particular interest is her observation that a good public consultation will stray from a linear, factual and dogmatic presentation of the proposal and options.

“…Rather than a scripted reading, managing a public process is much more a continuous improvisation. This is another image that came to me in Boston, about halfway through the 19 months it took to get final approval of our design for the Wharf District Park. As we debriefed after a particularly fractious meeting, our colleague, Lynn Wolff, insightfully described this series of public meetings as a form of “civic theater,” an entertaining way for involved and curious citizens to spend an evening.

At this point, we felt like lion fodder in the Roman Coliseum, so the metaphor seemed particularly apt. The power plays, emotional outbursts, bitter arguments, tiresome soliloquies, comic relief, sudden plot twists, and dramatic resolutions of the typical public process somehow seem better suited to the stage than to the hardheaded realities of designing and building our public spaces.

As I participated in the public drama that played out in Boston, I couldn’t help noticing the strong parallels to soap opera, Kabuki, and a three-ring circus. Some of our most important work will be performing (not acting, precisely, though a little dramatic flair doesn’t hurt) for audiences we have to win over. If we design and planning professionals think we can stay safely in the wings, ensconced at our comfy desks or drafting tables, we’ve got it wrong.

It’s like the old vaudeville act in which the guy gets all those plates spinning at once, in time to the music. That guy has nothing on us. (Foreword, Designing Public Consensus)

Technorati Tags: consultation, public meetings, town hall, public debate

Depending upon the topic, it seems that people define the role of public relations practitioner, corporate communicator, and marketing fairly loosely. What exactly is the difference between the three distinct professions?

This graphic tries to separate them by indicating specific “benefits” of working in marketing communications (like travelling on business, having access to Super Bowl tickets) and then presenting the proportional odds of that benefit being available to one or all of the professions.

Technorati Tags: marketing, communicator, corporate communications, public relations, schwag

Strumpette is being replaced by Furthermore. Like Eric, I had mixed feelings about the persona called Strumpette.

There is a place in the world for effective and well-targeted satire. It’s usually most influential when focused on a particular issue or community - like Valleywag or Spy.

Satire tends to fall apart and draw criticism when it is used to further barely concealed personal vendettas, or where the level of humour and insight varies among the authors.

It has been announced that Strumpette will be replaced by a site called Furthermore. Brian Connolly, who some have argued was the puppet master behind Strumpette all along, provides this explanation for the new name:

“…”furthermore” was selected as it captures the point where a debate gets definitive. Connolly said, “It is the exact moment when the conversation concludes amicably or somebody gets punched in the nose.”…”

I completely disagree. “Furthermore” is a bridge in a conversation, the point where a boring pedant continues arguing their point long after anyone else is interested or even listening. Similar bridges include:

• “let me finish”
• “I’ll tell you”
• “just one more point”

Every time someone has used “furthermore” in a conversation with me, they were well into a diatribe and not very interested in my point of view.

Actually, “furthermore” was usually flourished when I showed an interest in interrupting the speaker or making a point of my own.

It’s a rhetorical tool used to stifle conversation, not encourage it.

Revision: I just looked at Furthermore’s About page. I’m being unnecessarily polite. The concept is bullshit. Satire is fine, but when you add exaggerated masculine bravado and fight imagery, you get bullying.

Technorati Tags: Strumpette, Amanda Chapel, Furthermore, PR 2.0, PR is Dead

Let’s stop this facade, okay? Public relations is not dead. For the vast majority of the world - in terms of population AND landmass - public relations practitioners still have another five, ten or fifteen years of holding back information, constructing media events and counseling executives and technical experts to “stay on message” and “bridge” from uncomfortable questions.

The “PR is Dead” theme is really a variant of a larger philosophy: information is free, and each citizen is capable of interpreting information as he/she sees fit.

It’s a lovely idea. Too bad it depends on three (or more) economic and social factors:

• intensive broadband penetration
• media integration across platforms
• computer literacy

Oh, and the money to buy a computer, a job stable and well-paying enough to free up the time necessary to sort your own information, and a cultural predisposition to questioning authority and information sources.

As Phil and Todd have pointed out, most people making the “PR is Dead” argument really are assuming that “public relations = increasing volume and winning attention.”

If we define our profession so simplistically, we certainly CAN be replaced by a good search engine optimization program - but only once the rest of the world has caught up to the technical sophistication of Silicon Valley.

Until then, the community of social media advocates is being pretty presumptuous about the capacity or willingness of large swaths of the earth’s population to jump on board with their ideas and innovations.

Technorati Tags: PR is dead, PR 2.0, Web 2.0, SEO

What’s the link between social media and skateboarding? Sometimes, social media experts will strike really poor bargains for their services - just like the early boarders who performed for stickers, decks and gas money.

I mean, in what other industry would thought leaders trade their hard-built reputation for a free camera, cellphone, iPhone or a free laptop?

A lot of social media experts are grinding out an identity as hard-working professionals - like the Social Media Group, or SHIFT, or H&K, or Crayon, or Converseon.

In skateboarding, there’s a lot of people who have jumped on a deck and found a new image or sense of group identity. There are a few boarders that have developed the skills - on the deck and in the office - to build strong identities in the sport and personalities that are eagerly sought out by marketers.

Sure, skateboarding has always had a distinctly commercial element. Even with its roots in home-made equipment and the growing legends of local or regional skaters, the continuing perception of skateboarding as an underground industry is largely manufactured. Today, it is part of a mainstream image industry.

Social media, as a profession for consultants, marketers and public relations hacks, is growing into a mainstream industry. For every mis-step amplified by bloggers and journalists, there are countless small improvements being accomplished in large and small businesses, not-for-profits, community organizations and local governments.

Still, I’m really growing tired of leading bloggers, authors and consultants crowing about how they scored some more schwag. Let’s keep this in perspective, people. Even community-access television can score $500 for a month’s sponsorship.

At some point, we’ve got to stop behaving like the stoners at the back of the school. Even skateboarders figured out that pocket change was poor compensation for their brilliant footwork.

Image above from a 70s era Skate Safety video.

Technorati Tags: blogger outreach, schwag, social media, payola

Another season of Third Tuesday Ottawa social media get-togethers opens with a sought-after star: Mitch Joel. You may know Mitch from such previous work as his Six Pixels of Separation podcast or his Twist Image blog.Mitch will kick off this year’s Third Tuesday Ottawa season on September 25. A kick you in the ass kind of speaker, Mitch will discuss marketing, social media and web 2.0.
Free registration can be found over on the Third Tuesday Ottawa Social Media Meetup group.

Some say skill is a gift; some say it’s learned; others say it’s earned. In my case, it’s all osmosis. I picked up everything I know about marketing, communications and public relations by watching movies.

School of Rock - never let a lack of formal education or professional accreditation keep you from seeking employment in your chosen field. Especially if your clients are gullible and misinformed.

Single White Female - you can operate a virtual consultancy for fun and profit, but always hold a vital piece of the client’s work hostage through deception and encryption.

Pretty In Pink - Quirky marketing and gimmicks are the key to successful independent retail.

Repo Man - no matter how crappy the job, a false sense of confidence and a poorly conceived personal ideology can carry you.

Trading Places - dress for success. It’s half the battle. The other half is family money and going to a good school.

Trop belle pour toi - you don’t have to be traditionally handsome to make new friends.

Wall Street - never walk around without an elevator pitch.

Chuckie - it’s NEVER child’s play.

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle - don’t be led by material needs. And avoid Neil Patrick Harris.

Crying Game - always be ready for surprises.

Star Wars - conformity stifles creativity and innovation in large organizations.

High Fidelity - every one can find their niche in the market, even compulsive obsessives.

Wedding Crashers - a good line of patter will break the ice in almost every situation.

Apocalypse Now - no matter how charismatic the leader, keep looking for the crazy eyes.

Bill and Ted’s Wild Adventure - you can always learn from the past.

Bullit - a gruff attitude, distrust for authority and a basic wardrobe of khakis and hearty sweaters convey authority.

It’s been a good day. Wrote up a note, had it translated. Posted it on the website and linked it to a couple of documents. We made a few calls, got a print story, a radio phoner and an influential blog reference - all in three hours.

Oh - and it helps to have an interesting story to tell.

Now, to my gripe:

Dear lady on the bus, the one wearing the thin cardigan:

We live in Canada. Despite our aversion to stereotypes, it gets cold here.

When you left the house this morning, it mustn’t have been very warm. Maybe 50 degrees?

Sure, at noon it was 70.

Now, on the bus, we’re at about 60.

Some of us like fresh air on a commuter bus. The designers knew that: that’s why they put small windows the length of the bus.

What gives you the right to walk the length of the bus and close all the windows?

Sure, being Canadian, you were polite and asked if you could close each individual window.

And, being Canadian, we were pussies and let you. After all, if someone asks nicely, we Canadians must bend to their will.

Secretly, I hope one of four things happens to you:

- you miss your stop because you don’t pull the bell cord strongly enough.
- the rear doors - from which you MUST exit - jam, forcing you to squeeze out of the bus sideways
- you realize you took the bus in the wrong direction, or:
- the second you step off the bus, those large, black, menacing clouds overhead break out in a shower of hail.

OH! Surprise ending! I’m not making this up! She missed her stop!

This has been a wonderful day.

I’ve been digging through the archives (more than 1300 posts) for something suitably intelligent and prescient to post in anticipation of BuzzCanuck’s 1% army bracket.

Instead, I’ve come up with a thought - two and a half years old - that seems right off the pages of this week’s Strumpette.

Ketchum, Williams, Rosen and the wood shed

Jay Rosen has rightly taken the PR blogging community to the wood shed for our (relative) lack of commentary on the Williams/Ketchum contract.

Many PR bloggers DID comment on the controversy - even those of us who do not work or live in the United States. Nonetheless, we can be critcized for not feeding this important debate on PR ethics at the speed or volume expected by most inhabitants of the blogosphere.

Not that we’re dealing with an isolated case. As Jeremy pointed out, the industry seems to be backsliding when it comes to transparency and ethical behaviour.

Public relations has long harboured underhanded operatives and unscrupulous tactics: the only way to demonstrate our commitment to open, honest and two-way communication is with the unstinting and outspoken leadership of prominent professionals, firms and associations (maybe even bloggers!) in the industry.

Neville Hobson, among others, hit the nail on the head when he asked where our professional associations have been hiding during this ethical imbroglio.

Several bloggers have suggested the associations’ low-key reaction may be a defensive tactic, designed to preserve their relationship with prominent members and sponsors.

If so, what is the worth of their codes of ethics? Are they just another page in a boring membership package, or a laminated plaque for the firm’s lunch room?

But why was the PR blogging community so subdued in its reaction? Why didn’t a feeding frenzy of debate and recrimination erupt, as in other parts of the blogosphere, building and tearing down arguments by the minute?

This, I think, reflect the differing motivations of the global PR blogger community: as Steve and Jeremy point out, we have individual areas of interest and concentration, and we don’t necessarily jump on the issue of the day when writing for our blogs.

Of course, our collective reaction could simply reflect natural aversion of all PR pros to becoming part of the story.

And that would be a shame.

Originally posted January 20, 2005.

Technorati Tags: public relations ethics, PRSA, CPRS, IABC, ethical blogging, values, morals

Coming, just for you, on Monday!

The Age of Conversation, an e-book collaboration by over 100 authors in marketing, advertising, public relations and big thinking.

All profits going to Variety, the Children’s Charity.
More details available on my custom Age of Conversation page.

Thanks to Drew and Gavin for organizing this!

Leigh Householder (AdverGirl) has some clear advice for a new account executive, including Eleven Unbreakable Rules for AEs and a Be A Better AE Cheat Sheet.

Technorati Tags: AdverGirl, account executive, advertising agency

.. together, in a post about publicity at book stores. Two excerpts from LA Weekly’s special feature on independent bookstores in the LA area: 

” … Tyson Cornell is the events organizer and publicity guy for Book Soup, and in that capacity one evening before an author reading, he found himself in the shop’s tiny upstairs office area drinking Chivas Regal with Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro. Thompson, having also ingested a quantity of cocaine and getting surlier by the minute, vomited on Cornell’s shoe while, downstairs, some 500 people were waiting in a line that snaked around the block for the gonzo journalist to sign books. Which he eventually did. But only for a couple of minutes. Thompson, to Cornell’s chagrin, signed 80 copies, got annoyed, then took off down the street and disappeared. It was his last public signing; four months later, Thompson shot himself in the head. …

For another account of Thompson’s visit, read comment #24 on this BlogCritics post.

” … Paris Hilton, who was twice mistaken for a Book Soup employee, is always forgetting her cell phone there. For her book reading, Hilton’s publicist hired 50 protesters to march across the street toting signs that said, “Read a book, don’t write one.” (“It worked,” Cornell says.)

More on author readings in Anatomy of a Book Tour,  from Publishers Weekly.

Technorati Tags: book tours, publicists, Book Soup, Paris Hilton, Hunter S. Thompson 

Steve Postrel left some incisive comments on Grant McCracken’s This Blog Sits At, building on Leora Kornfeld’s question:

Why does everyone call themselves a strategist nowadays?

“Just for laughs, when someone claims to be a strategist, you could ask them which tradition of strategy they represent. Economic? Then ask them to define a Nash equilibrium and see how they feel about Cournot vs. Bertrand models. Military? Then ask them about Clausewitz or John Boyd or Edward Luttwak. You can do the same thing with sports, chess, marketing, or any other domain they claim that has a tradition of strategic analysis. …

As a rule, I am opposed to credentialism, especially in ill-defined areas such as strategy. In fact, there really is no body of knowledge whose possesiion truly entitles one to claim “I am a strategist” or whose lack bars that claim. But it sounds like people are pretending that such a credential exists and then further pretending that they possess it. For a modest fee I’d happily prick that double-bubble.”

Ouch, I have two degrees in International Relations and consider myself well-educated in the areas of military and economic strategy - and I don’t think I could meet Steve’s standard.

Grant, naturally, digs into the question in a separate post. He rightly points out that many marketers, communicators and other of our ilk claim strategic skill and strategic insight - despite having no education in the field or demonstrable experience as a strategist.

“And then the question is, why should this rhetorical misbehavior be necessary? I am quite sure that other professionals do not suffer the temptation. Lawyers, doctors, civil servants…they don’t use the term. (”What kind of medicine do I practice? Oh, I do strategic medicine, you see. I don’t just identify symptoms. I think about them.”)No, the buzz word abuse that Leora spotted is a symptom. The field of marketing and the fact that it is not in fact a profession at all …

Without sorting, we are reduced to making boosterish, self aggrandizing claims, dressing ourselves up in the dignity of someone else’s language.

It’s not clear how we solve this problem. I agree with Steve that certification (or credentialism, as he calls it) is probably impractical. Reputation helps of course. It would help even more if those of us in branding circles had the depths of knowledge that distinguish the McKinsey consultant.”

Of course, the trend towards ostentatious titles may be a lingering backlash against the more outrageous job descriptions adopted during the late 90’s tech boom. After all, once you’ve lost hundreds of millions of dollars, you’re less likely to place your faith in:

• the Chief Dog Walker
• Founder without Title
• the Head Dreamer
• Spiritual Co-Creator
• Creative Imaginatist

Technorati Tags: Strategic , Strategic Communciations, Strategic thinker, credentialism

While it’s true that advertising cultures change (sometimes drastically) from country to country, it’s important to note that the British advertising industry feels sufficiently slammed by consumer advocates to launch an online petition to battle back against accusations that advertising is the source of all evil.

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Still, we would do well as advertisers, marketers and public relations experts to pay attention to the backlash building in many markets in Europe and North America. Even as technology and careful planning allow us to target markets more effectively, consumers, watchdogs and governments are focusing on the community-wide impacts of consumer marketing. (think kid’s snacks = fat kids)

Campaign magazine has come out swinging, hosting an online campaign calling on British ad types to speak out against increasing restrictions imposed on the industry.

There is a manifesto associated with the campaign, and it attempts to take a punch at all sorts of perceived opponents:

‘We’ve become complacent about single-issue consumer activists,’ an industry lobbyist claims. ‘They get listened to sympathetically, and what they say is often taken as gospel, without any proper investigation of their claims.’ …

‘The Government’s attitude is schizophrenic,’ [Hamish Pringle, Director General of the IPA] declares. ‘It says it supports the creative industries, which it hails as the saviour of UK Plc, while it continues to bash us.’ …

‘Just listen to Caroline Flint, the public health minister,’ one industry leader says. ‘She already talks as if she thinks she can tell us what to do.’ …

[Peta Buscombe, chief executive of the Advertising Association] says the key challenge is for the industry to reclaim control of the agenda and to show not only how important it is to the economy, but also how self- restrained and responsible it is. The rigour applied to devising advertising codes would put many Parliamentary law-makers to shame, she declares. … (Campaign)

Comments

I have three comments about the petition campaign:

• As I mentioned above, there is a lengthy manifesto/article associated with the campaign - but it is NOT linked to the actual petition site. There’s a risk that petition signers may not understand the breadth of ideas or positions that could be interpreted by their association with these two documents.

• It works outside the electronic petition process established by the British Government, which can be found at petitions.pm.gov.uk. Campaign has provided a separate comment stream for questions, and one questioner wonders aloud whether the government will even accept an electronic petition in an unconventional format.

• For an online process, there’s a remarkable lack of promotional material to help practitioners drive traffic to the petition. Actually, there’s only that one image I’ve used.

I’ll leave the larger issue of, you know, blaming the messenger for another day. God forbid any parent assumes responsibility for the actions of their children, or any consumer make a conscious decision about their purchasing habits.

Technorati Tags: Campaign magazine, Haymarket, Action for Ads, IPA

• Let me say - I like the interview. Ask A Ninja actually interviews Will Ferrell and Jon Heder about their new movie, the apparently sucky Blades of Glory. There’s something weird about seeing the Ninja on a promotional tour, sitting in an anonymous hotel room backed by a movie poster, but the exchanges between Ninja and the stars are funny. “I look forward to killing you soon.” “I’m not looking forward to that!” Make sure to wait for the Scott Hamilton easter egg at the end of the video.

• Imagine, if you will, a mash-up between the Will It Blend? and the Subservient Chicken. Kohler offers up a flash ad where you can direct a young lady (dressed like a plumber) to flush various items down the toilet.

Technorati Tags: Ninja, Kohler, viral video, flush

How does an industry react to calls for change - like improved safety monitoring or increased regulatory oversight? More particular to public relations and public affairs types - are predictable rhetorical tactics rolled out in response to these sorts of challenges?

Chris Hoofnagle prepared a paper on these tactics as part of his work as a consumer protection lawyer.

If you can imagine the most nervous and change-averse organization, then the Denialists’ Deck of Cards will likely seem familiar.

“In this context, denialism is the use of rhetorical techniques and predictable tactics to erect barriers to debate and consideration of any type of reform, regardless of the facts. Giveupblog.com has identified five general tactics used by denialists: conspiracy, selectivity, the fake expert, impossible expectations, and metaphor.

The Denialists’ Deck of Cards builds upon this description by providing specific examples of advocacy techniques. The point of listing denialists’ arguments in this fashion is to show the rhetorical progression of groups that are not seeking a dialogue but rather an outcome. As such, this taxonomy is extremely cynical, but it is a reflection of and reaction to how poor the public policy debates in Washington have become. ” (Social Science Research Network)”

(Pointer from Center for Media and Democracy, original post by Chris Hoofnagle on his blog)

• Advocacy Calls vs. Push Polls (and DON’T call them push polls) from Stuart Rothenberg. “As I have argued every year for the past five and apparently will have to continue doing until I have taken my last breath, push polls are really advocacy calls aimed at thousands of recipients. They are like television or radio ads, except they are delivered over the telephone. They seek to convey positive or negative information to influence a voter’s final vote decision.”

• Not wanted at SXSW: NO MAN PURSES!
  

• Latest WebTrenz from the San Francisco Bay Guardian: “Using micropayments, Annoturk helps you pay people in the developing world very tiny amounts of money to annotate all the information on all the wikis you’re supposed to be using. It’s like micro-outsourcing. You might pay 50 cents to a guy in Sri Lanka to add historical information about Lowell, Mass., to a wiki devoted to an upcoming Boston-area conference you’re planning. Or you could pay kids in China’s Shandong province to write small articles about every noun on your work-collaboration wiki. Annoturk is good for the developing world, and it’s good for writing. Plus, it’s just convenient when you’re trying to fill up space with information.” (it’s a joke, folks)
  

I would suggest that the practice of hiring someone to pump up your wiki could be called “wiki baking.”

• More SXSW: Lee LeFever on community lessons from SXSW and Community 2.0; Chris Carfi liveblogs the SXSW session on Community Ecology; SXSW Interactive podcasts

Technorati Tags: push polls, advocacy, man purses, wiki baking, community ecology, communities

Hey. Aren’t you tired of writing the same boring, careful, formulaic sets of questions of answers? Have to prepare for an upcoming news conference? Better grind through a set of dirty Qs & As to steel the execs. Building a new web site? Better whip out some ready FAQs to lead the blind and unwilling.

I often find writing questions and answers very dull work (except for the occasional thrill of inserting a question I know my clients will either find impossible or impossibly uncomfortable to answer).

That’s why I grabbed “I’ll Be Your Mirror: The Selected Andy Warhol Interviews” off the library shelf this week. Warhol’s approach to the utilitarian question and answer session could swing from barely responsive to creatively destructive: he would break out of the boundaries of the interview - often by drawing other members of his Factory group into the conversation, or by consciously undermining the implied authority of the interviewer by producing his own microphone and tape recorder.

There are many well-known quotes from his interviews. I’ve pulled from two pieces in the book: I may pull out more as I work through it.

Warhol on the routine of the interview genre:

“Interviews are like sitting in those Ford machines at the World’s Fair that toured you around while someone spoke a commentary; I always feel that my words are coming from behind me, not from me. The interviewer should just tell me the words he wants me to say and I’ll repeat them after him. I think that would be so great because I’m so empty I just can’t think of anything to say.” (”Andy Warhol:My True Story”, by Gretchen Berg)

Warhol, being interviewed interviewed by Tape Recording magazine, on his first impressions after using the new video recording technology:

Tape Recording (TR): How will video tape affect home movies?

Warhol: It will replace home movies …

TR: Have you recorded from a television set with the video recorder?

Warhol: Yes. This is so great. We’ve done it both direct and form the screen. Even the pictures from the screen are terrific …

TR: What else can people do with their home video recorders?

Warhol: Make the best pornography movies. It’s going to be so great.

TR: You think Mr. and Mrs. America will …

Warhol: Yes. And they’ll have their friends in to show them.

TR: Any other things you like about the video recorder?

Warhol: Oh, yes. You can spy on people with it, too. I believe in television. It’s going to take over from movies. … (”Pop Goes the Videotape: an Underground Interview with Andy Warhol,” by Richard Ekstract)

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