In a changed world, PR will more be about co-creating with the media!

This is an age of round the clock news breaks, and news agencies around the world are in a frenzy to get what they perceive as ‘breaking news’ to the consumer. But this is also the age where news houses are under intense scrutiny by their consumers, and also critics who are more informed and equipped by the social media to counter any misrepresentation or mistake in facts that come out along with the  breaking news and views.

PR is very effective, and makes sense even in uncertain times!

So, in this age of social 3.0, where news and views are shaped by the minute, how does one serve as a better PR professional. 

The PR pro serves his set of clients, equipping them with the right news to be communicated at the right time in the targeted media – conventional, and social. His expertise in the communication  business is meant to serve the needs of the client who acts a consumer.

On the other end of the spectrum, the PR pro also serves the needs of the journalists. The well equipped and informed PR pro is someone who can facilitate the journalist with the right bits of information and right facts, illustrate what will be trends in any industry in product, service or innovation, and beef up the journalistic armor of his consumers at the other end. 

From being just release pushers or press conference specialists, the PR profession has completely morphed into a new avatar – that in which each PR professional or PR agency is co-creating and collaborating with their consumers – the clients and the journalistic fraternity as well. 

There is intense competition for eye balls and viewed/read column centimeters, and every right 140 or so characters which are pregnant with news-breaks, and news shapes (setting trends for what would make bigger news in the media). 

For the well meaning journalists and media houses, who want to be a credible source of breaking and shaping news and views, the need of the hour is people who can collaborate and co-create. 

And the onus to take this place is on PR professionals who want to make a difference to their clients. The one question which a PR pro or agency must ask them-self  everyday is – 

ARE WE COLLABORATING AND CO-CREATING? That is a recipe that will make all the difference, now, and in the future!

What defines social media outrage and customer dissonance?

All practicing public relations professionals would by now be too familiar with the all too often tryst with soc-med disasters by players in the aviation business. You had the sad saga of American Airlines tweeting out lewd pictures in reply to a query by a flyer, who wanted to have some information.

There have been a handful of such incidents in the airline business, which is probably one of the more wide adapters of social media for better customer engagement and experience.

The latest social media outrage is over what General Mills company chose to do – the company shocked social-media users everywhere this week after an update to its legal policy was interpreted as preventing customers from suing the company if they Like any of its brands on Facebook.

Off-course, the food company later reversed the change to its legal policy in response to the controversy.

"Those terms -– and our intentions -– were widely misread, causing concern among consumers," Kirstie Foster, General Mills' director of external communications, wrote in a statement online. "So we’ve listened –- and we’re changing them back to what they were before."

Now to the question that brought forth this post – What action on social media can be construed as that can provoke outrage, and moreso, cause tangible customer dissonance to the brand?

The answer, a simple and interesting one emerged on twitter, in an interaction on the latest General Mills fiasco.

“As long as none of our rights are in jeopardy” (read customer or user rights) there is no cause for concern.”

What better way to sum up what will really impact your social brand – if your customer rights are in jeopardy, they will thrash you bad.

Makes eminent sense? Thank you Steven Caggiano.

Pepsi India - Social media insensitivity, culture ignorance or plain indifference?

This Diwali will not be a memorable one for the well known soft drink brand, Pepsi. 

And that's thanks to the insensitivity to the culture and people of this country - India, probably one of the largest markets for the brand. 

What's worse was the timing of this ill-conceived and ill-fated contest - Diwali eve. 

Driven by sheer over-enthusiasm or plain indifference, their social media team jumped onto the contest bandwagon last evening Indian time, asking participants to use the hash tag  #Ramayana140 and tweet in their version of the story - to use Pepsi India's words - Are you someone who can explain the Ramayana in 140 characters....

It was surprising, and to an extent downright stupid of people who were responsible for social media at Pepsi, or may be their digital platform agency to even attempt to hold a contest in the name of Lord Rama, who is a much worshiped God by millions of people in the country.

Withing hours if not minutes, a whole lot of people on twitter expressed disgust and outrage at the way a brand like Pepsi decided to even begin a contest like this.

More damage was done by some twitter handles which went about defending Pepsi India’s action, and asking why the brand must even apologize. It was amusing to see that the people behind these handles did not see the twitter-verse to be intelligent to see that they possibly were people who work with the digital agency behind this insensitive campaign.

The question for a brand like Pepsi is – how would you ever imagine that such a campaign will not hurt the sensibilities of a country in which characters of the epic Ramayana are worshiped day in and day out? And do such campaigns and contests have any prior vetting by the country’s senior leadership, or at least the social media custodians of the brand?

Pepsi India apologized later in the day for attempting such a contest. But the brand and its digital agency has more explaining to do.

By the way, this also is an eye-opener for social media custodians of many such brands - when you plan a contest,  beware of the people, their culture, beliefs and value-systems. Some basics that were thrown to the wind by Pepsi. 

Dear Air France KLM, this is going to hurt badly.

To say the least, the airline industry is just not waking up to the power of social media. Do these guys who run some of the so called world class airlines realize that we do not live anymore in the stone age! Every customer armed with a camera mobile phone and a personal computer, is a global citizen – and command all the power to decide the fate of brands at the click of a mouse.

These airlines had a huge wake up call to get their act together, when a disgruntled businessman Hasan Syed made news after buying several promoted Tweets to blast British Airways -  for allegedly losing his father's luggage on a flight to Paris.

But that does not seem to have served a wake up call to the aviation industry, and the CEO’s who run the businesses.

Not to  Alexandre De Juniac, CEO of Air France-KLM at the least!

Disgruntled – well that is an understatement by all means – passenger Jay Shah has had a nightmare of an experience with Air-France, along with a bunch of co-passengers. Read Jay’s experience/letter to Alexandre here. To quote from the blog: 

I’m over and done with this debacle but not without spreading the word about your service amongst my friends and family. There’s no doubt that your company is not competent or professional enough to take passengers world over. You may get defensive and say that this is a one-off incident but unfortunately, it isn’t. Number of people have voiced a similar opinion about the treatment meted out to them by your company. It is rather unsettling. Don’t know the effect this letter might have on your customer service but rest assured, you can thoroughly deduct an average of 5000$ from your annual profits if not more. Although that might be just a whisker in your overall mess, it’ll be one which was done with due diligence. We’ve had enough of your staff’s condescending bullshit. We have encountered inadequacy of service, which I never knew was possible for such a big company along with ignorance and stupidity of humungous proportions. 

Let me make it very clear, we don’t fly your airlines for free and more often than not are the only people flying on this particular sector. You might try and make some damage control but be completely sure, that we will never forget the way we’ve been treated at the hands of your staff. You have failed miserably in meeting the expectations of your customers based on the promises you’ve made to them. 

All the best Alexandre De Juniac – please do salvage what’s possible of your airlines now battered image. 

One last thing – when will people who work is customer service (we will say ‘public facing’ roles) wake up to the reality that every consumer is a journalist?

Social media, arms market-place? - Stop this now

Social media and online-commerce are the 2 most revolutionary things that have impacted human race more than any other phenomenon in the recent history.

While there can be no debate on the greater benefits of this market-place, what is shocking is the impunity (or call it ignorance?) with which some of these social places like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are being used by gun/arms vendors to sell their ware easily. And there is just no control of in whose hands across the globe these are landing – may be a few this minute too.

This story in the Daily News as to how Instagram is being used to buy and sell guns without background checks is a stark reminder of the world we live in, and the perilous side of any social tool.

In this story is the Huffington Post, Michelle Shimel throws more light into Social Media Networks As a Marketplace for Gun Sales.

Shouldn't we be alarmed at such brazenness with which this great new world of social market place is turning into a free ware-house of arm peddlers?

We should, and must to what is possible by us to highlight this danger to all fellow humans out there. Do what you can as well to stop this kind of social marketplace abuse.

Live-wire crisis management – a great lesson from Patna.

Today, in India’s run up to the next general elections, the principal opposition held one of the largest ever rallies in Patna, the capital of Indian state of Bihar. Social media counts and feedback from on the ground indicate that there was anything over 1 million people at the venue ground.

There were a series of bomb blasts (5 in number as per police reports) around the meeting venue, with subsequent information even suggesting that there was a live bomb that was placed right under the dais, from which the probable PM, Narendra Modi delivered the speech.

Yet, as would be in any such mammoth gathering in the country, there was tremendous crowd control, and fortunately no stampede as a panic aftermath of the blasts that rocked the area.

The organizers told the crowd through speakers that there were celebratory crackers that were set off, and also urged people not to resort to bursting crackers. Plus, the party cadre also urged the people to stay put and not move helter-skelter.

All this, despite the party leaders/organizers knowing well that there could be some casualties and damage owing to the bombs that were going off.

Yet, realizing that any crowd surge towards the bomb spots would lead to an uncontrollable situation and also loss of more lives, the organizers used the cracker decoy.

While one may debate on the ifs and buts of such a handling, it is truly praise worthy example of real-time crowd and crisis management.

Moral - seldom panic and think before managing a crowd when crisis hits.

Social response – Buffer is in the ‘swift response’ league

Sometime last night, Indian time, social sharing tool, Buffer was hacked send shockwaves across loyal users round the world. 

To quote from this story at CSO blogs by David Lewis twitter - @gattaca   - “It turns out that the social media aggregation site, BufferApp.com, was compromised earlier today. A significant number (actual number unclear as of this writing) of users had their accounts taken over by nefarious types who then took to sending our spam posts via that linked Face book and Twitter accounts”.

Buffer chose to respond swiftly – pat came a mail from Joel and the Buffer team, which clearly laid the facts to the users. A reality statement, and what was being done to set things right – to make sure the customers did not suffer.

Intent for customer delight does not end there. This blogger sent a tweet to Bufferapp raising doubts the payment security, and also the customer usage status.

The response from the @Buffer twitter handle was almost instant, again reiterating facts and the present situation.

Buffer sure comes out a winner in crisis communication, and more, a good example of how swift the response on platforms like twitter ought to be.

May there be more brands that respond like Buffer. Sure a win in customer response real-time.