Art of the Real Deal

Believe it or not, several decades ago, my Mother made sure I was raised to be a good Queens (NY) boy. I was kind of polite, always a “card,” yet capable of cracking up adults at any wedding, graduation or Bar Mitzvah you threw my way. I earned a lot of good guy pats on the head.



Unfortunately for Mom, being first a reporter then a PR guy has wrung modesty right out of me. I learned quickly that the media has no respect for humility. In your quest for coverage, if there’s an angle that you know is best, and you are aiming to be the lead for a Times story, being meek and “helpful” just doesn’t cut it. You’ve got to pitch hard and be not mysterious about what you want or what placement you’re looking for. But you already knew that.

Some of you didn’t know? Over the past several years it seems that everyone has developed a new nicety with the media and with bloggers, presuming that if they’re really sweet and oh-so-darn helpful, reporters will be sure to feature them. While it’s true that being “nice” works with old ladies and in (some) court hearings, it doesn’t work with reporters who are busy fighting deadlines, particularly not with the fact that reporters have to get more done than ever before.

Does being wonderfully pleasing give you license to you be nasty? Nope. Instead, you need to be honest and upfront.

Journalists and online types interview you because they need information and new story ideas. You, on the other hand, have what they need and you need some coverage. See a deal formulating? Reporters are, contrary to popular belief, in fact people and love to be treated like adults. Yes, you should help them out with their story and okay be polite like your mother taught you, but you should also tell them, mano a mano, what story you’re looking for, what angle you think is best for all parties, and—how you can help.



Strangely enough, Mr. and Ms. Business Type, you soon learn that journalists happen to be some of the most talented dealmakers on our planet! If you think I’m on a media Jihad, do a quick Nexis search on Comcast Corporation. A few years ago, just four spokespersons commented in a not small way on a new deal Comcast slapped on the table.

The result was a thousand or so individual pieces of coverage around the globe, each a carbon copy of the last. That wasn’t what you might call luck—it was shrewd negotiation.

Reporters are aware of a balance between knowledge and access. They know how to use leverage when it’s necessary. They’re experts in requesting what they’re looking for—nay, exactly what they need—and they do it with the subtly of a bowling ball rolling down a staircase.

Bottom line: the next time you’re on the horn with a media dude, lay out what you hope to get out of the conversation.

Like never before, frank is what any reporter, blogger or producer will appreciate—and in the final analysis you’ll appreciate when the story or post runs.

Twitter @laermer, @badpitch

The Death of the Sci Fi Channel: Or, Semper Sy Fy!

Just this morning the Sci Fi channel became Sy Fy, which you can be assured will be back as Sci Fi not long after that. Just about everyone who has heard about this wondered “What branding company is sleeping with who over there?” You cannot pretend to like this moniker. There are reasons for this change—though none make sense. I don’t know why they did it, but as someone who’s watched thousands of companies make change for no reason, I can make some guesses:

1. They needed a slogan and they’d run out of creativity (the New York Times called their new name an experimental laxative; that's pretty creative). Sci Fi conjured up the gag “Imagine Greater” because they want to be like Apple (“Think Different”). With a mindless slogan on their hands, they used sleight of hand and imagined a greater-than-dumb trademark name for the network so people would mock it rather than their ludicrous tagline.

2. Just like Headline News is now HLN, Learning Channel became TLC, American Movie Classics fell into AMC, Game Show Network calls itself GSN, or Outdoor Channel morphed into VS., it’s bad form now to have more than a few letters in your name. Sy Fy is fewer than Sci Fi. The History Channel even changed to just History last year; it would have been THC were it not been for similarities to the ingredient in pot. OXYGEN would have been OXY yet it sounds like oxycodone and better still, Bill Mays owns the prefix outright! This whole shortening routine got more bizarre since E! Channel’s True Hollywood Story is now called THS!

Then there is truTV, which is Court TV’s newish name. Know what? I just found out it has no content from the late Truman Capote! As for Spike, does Spike Lee know that it will be Spi soon, I’m sure?

3. Change is not good all the time and still people get antsy all the time. Sci Fi wants to program more than science-fiction shows. So, like Grandma used to say: Nu? There are subtle ways to manage this—for instance tell people, “We’re still Sci Fi but we have expanded into newer dimensions!” The concept of expansion without screaming is foreign to corporate monoliths (Sy part of the NBC Universal “family”).

4. A branding company sauntered in and told the suits it’s time to grow with the times. That happens a lot, and quite needlessly. Slick branders speak a hi-toned language to make Senior VPS, all of whom are worried about their jobs, go “Man we gotta do this now!” I harken back to truTV, which has fared horribly since the change. You don’t know this because no one watches it—tru is a trailer trash version of reality TV. Or, as they pointed out: it’s “Not Reality. It’s Actuality.” Both of these networks think its audience is the lowest of common denominators. And oh yeah,the former Court TV laid off over 150 people last week. That, my friends, is tru(e).

5. Sy Sims is funding the rebrand. That explains Sy. As for the Fy suffix, one of the Sci Fi chiefs was in the military and doesn’t know how to spell Semper Fi. That’s all I got.

I told my closest pal about Sy Fy and he said he wished he could have been in the room when the decision was made. Since he’s not in marketing, I wondered why. “So I could have seen the look on the faces of people who heard the top person say ‘Great idea’.”

What can we learn from this mess? Just because someone wants to do something ‘different’ or ‘greater than’ what existed before, your job as a marketing person is to step in with the loudest voice on record and suggest that aybe we should reconsider. Or better yet: “Do we need to change this much?” Even if the business isn’t skyrocketing this second, there is that one reality: a brand that’s known worldwide.

Alternatively, you can remind the doofuses how far Tropicana fell after the brand tossed a well-loved carton design this winter, after which it lost more market share than ever in history. When asked why 2009 was a downer, a spokesperson pointed to the carton: “Draw a line from there.”

Sometimes decisions are drawn with no rhyme or reason. You can get the rhythm back.

……This is the first of a series of Bad Pitch Blog post about brands run amok……Twittering @laermer .

TMZ Speed vs. CNN Credibility – Pick One

Et tu, Richard?

The hypocrisy I’m seeing around the Michael Jackson news story is laughable. But it’s not very original. We’ve heard this all before.

What’s the motive behind declaring a winner and loser for who broke the story? Does it change the story? Does it give TMZ exclusive rights to the story?

Yet Web 2.0 super nerds are seemingly on MSM death watch, cheering with every development that can be considered a nail in the coffin of the fourth estate. And these same people would step over their own family if a CNN, New York Times or even smaller, niche and trade publications came calling asking them to contribute.

”The TMZ Beats CNN Pile On” is not a story about old being beaten by new. It’s several issues twisted together. Trying to deal with them in one blog post is like trying to read the Kama Sutra while riding a Sit & Spin.

Speed vs. Credibility
If this is about speed vs. credibility, new media will usually win speed and mainstream media will usually win in credibility. But more importantly, if mainstream media sacrifices their credibility, they have nothing left.

Case in point…as the world mourned Michael Jackson and the Internet moaned under the weight of it all, a new Twitter avalanche began that asserted Jeff Goldblum had passed on.

Thankfully the “Earth Girls are Easy” star is still with us today. But what if, after getting their shorts handed to them by TMZ, CNN said “screw it, we’ll be first THIS time” and reported that Jeff Goldblum was dead? Game over. But the Twitterverse can say anything they want and sleep soundly. We let them. We are them.

CNN lives in a different world than TMZ and is held to different rules as a result. Newspapers can get sued if they retweet something deemed libelous in a court of law. Something tells me TMZ budgets for law suits.

More People or the Right People?
If this is about getting exposure in the best possible outlets, TMZ is a niche publication. You won’t see a TMZ reporter at Davos…unless we find out Amy Winehouse is speaking at the World Economic Forum. One thing new media has shown us is that it’s no longer a question of the most exposure possible. It’s the right exposure that will move the needles measuring our programs. Bottom line is that public relations needs to blend the benefits of new media and mainstream media to reach its goals.

And we can work to make that happen with the urgency of knowing that we’ll all die someday. But unlike MJ, MSM is not dead. Not yet.

Twitter @prblog and @badpitch
Image via Some e-cards

Michael Jackson’s Dead: Now Comes the Mainstream Media’s Death

Tough media week for superstar Michael Jackson. Imagine, your death being announced by TMZ. Horrors!

Actually, I adore TMZ. It’s the one program and site that makes me laugh all the time. A lot of tabloids can learn from it. They should stop yelling at us. TMZ “covers the waterfront” in LA—there is no story they don’t have first. And it’s something their brothers at Time Warner (heck, they are all owned by the same Dad) should take a hint from.

RIP, Michael.

On the night of Michael’s death – may I call him Michael? –pristine and often other-worldly CNN spent hours looking uncomfortable and acting like they were phoning in election night results. Their viewers – the ones with ether abilities–knew the superstar was dead. But the major media lost their balls and waited. And waited. They looked silly. And for the first time, I turned the TV nets off.

That night’s background noise: “Rock With Me.”

Meanwhile, Twitterers covered the horrible event even better than CNN – questioning TMZ but keeping in mind the Harvey Levin institution usually gets their scoop (no matter what). I’d never seen such venom toward the cable news.

Since then, the “actual media” (quotes mine) has turned this into a strange story—the usual “how did he die?” pieces, as if that will ever be honestly pieced together. And the most fun story was that the mainstream media missing Jackson’s death because of inability to believe a “not quite credible” news source. Best Bullshit Ever. Credible to whom? This is not the National Enquirer, which uses a stable of freelancers to aurally-record each interview with “a best friend” of someone as proof of purchase. TMZ has a full-time, on-the-scene staff to interview real sources, taking photos and –yes-paying for clues. I’m sorry if MSNBC doesn’t want to be aggressive; it’s because they’re not budgeted for it. But I did see MSNBC salivating while interviewing a non-NBC celebrity journalist about TMZ while waiting for “the verdict.” (So MS couldn’t be accused of---what was it again they were worried about?)

As someone who worked as a scrappy and pit-bullish reporter for a decade before heading to the bright side of PR, I commend TMZ for knocking barriers down and saying “Fuck you” to everyone who hates them. (I admire that.) When I was a reporter I slept outside a source’s door until they came out for work (for the original Us magazine, in a story that became the movie I Love You To Death). I doubt the current MSM would do that, because they’d see it as unseemly.

Heck. A story is a story is a story, paraphrasing Gertrude Stein. TMZ rules right now. That Levin character is proud of his people—and the skills they’ve amassed. It is naïve for us to say MJ’s death is not a step toward the slowly-diminishing role of the “trusted sources” we’ve come to depend upon.

Hungry, nonstop TMZ will survive this downturn (they have a second series starting this month!); while that self-serious, slogan-inundated (“Keeping Them Honest”) CNN may end up being the TMZ Network. And that’s a story I can’t wait to cover!

What’s your take, Kevin?

Twitter @laermer and @badpitch

Death Be Not Pitch*

Laermer has jury duty. So while he does his civic duty, we’re waiting to put a fine point on our point-counterpoint posts. In the meantime, I have to rant and wonder WTF some publicists are thinking when they pitch around celebrity death.

If we’ve posted about this once, we’ve posted about it at least three times in the past. We’re getting tired of it and refuse to create The Dead Pitch Blog -- even though brand extensions are in and there seems to be a sad amount of fodder through the years for this macabre project.

Unfortunately there are some low-class, no-class publicity hounds willing to do anything to get their clients ink.

Dr. Drew -- Surgeon General Compared to These Sources
Our worst pitch was sent as a pondering email: “Michael Jackson - Death or simply 'Put to Sleep?'” Upon further investigation we learn that this person’s client is three steps removed from the pitch. It starts with Michael Jackson and leads to a Dr. you assume is being pitched as the client/source – but no.

“After reading this, I knew I'd found the right man to discuss Mr. Jackson's addiction to opiates, and asked him for a face-to-face interview. Dr. NAME, himself, has never treated Michael Jackson directly, but because of his extensive knowledge of addiction, and detoxification - I thought he'd have some cogent and perceptive thoughts on Mr. Jackson's life, addiction and death. Also, because of Dr. NAME extensive work with addicts at CLIENT, I was curious to hear about how Mr. Jackson's wealth and power might have played a role in his active addiction while living and, in his subsequent death.”

How’s that for a weak link? Not to mention it is wrong on so many levels. Is anyone else wondering why someone would pitch THESE sources to US?

But wait, there’s more! We were also sent this one from a similarly offended recipient.

“Michael Jackson's Fatal Demerol Addiction No Surprise to CBS Personality and Previous Addict” This pitch ends with this strategic insight: CLIENT is ready, as a guest, to begin talking about the anticipated toxicology — while everyone is still reporting on "heart attack."

I Want a New Pitch*
If this is your idea of timely pitching, you need to stop chasing ambulances and study up on good taste. And we didn’t out any of the above thick skulled ass hats as they probably think all Google Juice is good Google Juice and wouldn’t get the point of this post. >/rant<

With apologies to the book, and the song and -- most of all -- the families of all of the deceased.

Each war is different, each war is the same uploaded by kevindooley

Michael Jackson's Internet News Frenzy: History of Hypocrisy?

Let’s be honest…the only person happy about Michael Jackson’s death was South Carolina’s Governor, Mark Sanford.

As the world processes the loss of the King of Pop, many focus on related stories. Some PR folks for example have been proclaiming TMZ is “Associated Press 2.0” and are all but dancing on CNN’s grave.

Personally, I see the mainstream media’s role in this differently than some – including Richard Laermer.

So we’re doing a point counterpoint – 250 words each on why the Michael Jackson Internet frenzy spells the death of mainstream media and the rise of TMZ and other emerging news outlets.

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? You’ll be the judge.

Michael jackson is over capacity uploaded by :raeioul

Hello Out There: Why Letters to the Editor Are Pure PR

Dear Bad Pitch Participant:

You have to remember that all democracy truly guarantees us is death, taxes and (says Mark Twain) good ole Letter to the Editor. The latter is one of the most effective ways to get coverage in your favorite newspaper or magazine.

I, however, do not recommend death or taxes.



But remember: There are hundreds of more subtle plugs in the Letters section!

If you’re like most people, whether you flip through Vogue, The New York Times or Computer User, you set up camp for a few minutes on the LTTE section to read what people are griping about, snicker at the journalists’ boo-boos — where publications run their corrections — and other lurid pursuits.

But there’s another side to the section. Besides being a great place to rant, it’s also a good spot to shift opinions-at-large and plug your business to boot! It’s PR through and through.

Pick up any publication — let’s say BusinessWeek — and take a long, hard look at the letters. In this particular and randomly selected issue, neatly tucked onto page 19, Richard J. Martin, EVP for Public Relations and Employee Communication at AT&T, takes up a full page (small print, naturally) to grind an extremely angry ax and truly straighten out, he says, the “blatant distortions” served up in an article the week before. Now, there are two sides to every story, and Mr. Martin decided that his side should be long, packed with juicy sound bites and free of editorial banter. Martin got away with sentences such as, “AT&T Broadband’s combined telephony, high-speed data and digital-video growth leads the industry,” and the hearty “After AT&T Broadband spins off and merges with Comcast, AT&T will have one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry.”

Amen.

I’m sure that after BusinessWeek printed these sentences, Martin and his pals were high fiving each other in the conference room, sparking up Churchills left and right.



The AT&T incident was a pretty obvious example, but there are hundreds of more subtle plugs in the Letters area. You don’t have to be a big muckety muck setting the record straight or call a journalist on a blunder. There is plenty of space to write in support of an article you’ve read and then (aren't you good) work your message, subdued, subliminal, or totally “out there,” into your point.

Here’s an example: In 1998, I (author of Native’s Guide To New York) ogled a cover story in Time Out New York. The writer of that article claimed Giuliani was closing nightclub after nightclub - trashing city’s economy without taking the requisite early evening nap!

Said New York expert recognized the mud slinger as the PR guy for a nightlife association and wrote a strong letter in response, stating that thousands of partiers frequented one night club or another on Friday eve, but about 100,000 day trippers visited one of the dozens of museums and galleries (a la Native’s Guide) daily. He (“I”) mentioned how it was unfortunate to sight Disco Stu writing under guise of a wholly unbiased reporter.

One more, to make you realize how crucial the LTTE is: In 1990, aging singer George Michael released a CD (“Listen Without Prejudice Volume I”) and then announced how much he hated being on display, as though being a pop singer meant he should be completely private. It was the ultimate display of gosh-you’re-kidding chutzpah.

If you heard him whining — claiming he would not tour, do videos or even promote his downer collection of ballads — you weren’t alone. Oldster (he was alive) Frank Sinatra felt the same way and made it known in a classic and quite frank Letter To The Editor appearing in the LA Times after Hollywood’s paper of record published George muttering about his so-called problems. Frank told Michael that he was, without mincing words, a wimp who should be thrilled that fame had brought him to such heights. Inferring that he didn’t know the singer — his work nor existence — Ol’ Blue Eyes exclaimed how “he [Michael] should have it all taken away from him” and reconsider how sad his life was then. The letter was referenced in court years later when Michael ironically sued Sony for, uh, not promoting him enough. With this in mind it’s good to remember people read, collect, e-mail, tweet, save for posterity, and use these often-passionate missives.



The specific purpose of the Letters section is to give readers the opportunity voice their opinions on what’s going on in the publication and in society at large, so make use of it, turn it to your advantage, and make yourself and what you’re up to relevant at every opportunity. Also, reporters, dare I say, check Letters and snatch up story ideas and sources using letters as inspiration!

So that’s it. Be the letter writer. As Samuel Clemens said: use that gift to learn its value.

Yours truly,

Laermer
(@laermer)

Summer, Baby, Is Coverage Time: Tips for Real PR

Some are saying this is going to be a non-news summer. Hard news seems to only happen when it’s about the economy—and that’s even dimming some. That leaves a lot of domestic space to occupy! More space means plenty of opportunities for coverage in daily papers, on network affiliates, and in trade, consumer and business magazines (especially those weeklies!), not to mention blogs, vlogs, and the whole ‘og world from now till the end of the slow-w-w summer months. Below are 5 tips to help you maximize your coverage in this time of our need.



Make it timely

As you develop story angles for the season, remember it is summer. Whether you’re talking about a summer gadget (easy) or a medical device (hard), tie your pitch to something relevant to the here and now. For example, a lot of travel goes on this time of year, so tie your company, product, or service to summer travel (airfares…heat, sun..SPF..etc.).

Work the holidays

July 4th falls on a Saturday this year, creating opportunity for a fantastically long weekend, so most will take the 6th off — including experts who might otherwise be available to appear on TV. Make your company expert (you do have an expert?) available on holiday weekends—especially the 4th of July and Labor Day—when producers have a tough time finding guests.

Think smallish

Coverage in smaller markets or in smaller-circulation publications can be just as effective in achieving business objectives. Getting coverage in key markets is easy if you take the time to understand and include a local summer angle. For example, Milwaukee has a lovely lakefront where many denizens spend their summer weekends — can you tie that to your story? Milwaukee might be a second-tier DMA, but it’s only an hour’s drive from Chicago!

Present company

If you haven’t submitted products to relevant holiday gift guides, get going! Today! Many long-lead monthlies have deadlines any day now; some have already passed, but there are plenty out there for you to crawl onto. Just make sure you have images and specs at the ready.

Agency review, friend

If you’re not getting the coverage you merit — or, if you’re not seeing clear return on your PR investment—summer is the time for the ole agency review. Identify five companies and simply ask them what they would do for you—and who would do the work—given the chance to take it on. Compare this to what you have now. Even if you stay with the old firm, it’s good to hear new thinking, particularly about angles and opportunities. Time spent researching is never a waste! Just ask the folks at RLM, and they’ll tell you: “I research, therefore I am.” (Apologies to Descartes.)



You see, dear participant, although the lean summer months are considered by many to be a barren media wasteland, with the right attitude and some out-of-the-box thinking, they can be just as fruitful as any other month. As usual, though, success is up to you. It is merely a choice – a tough choice, sure – but what about the PR business isn't tough?

If you need something MORE to do this summer, call me. I have a lot of filing for ya.

Okay, a nicer ending: Tweet me @laermer.