I rarely receive a response from these notes – which is unfortunate and yet telling. But music blogger Olivia Giovetti brings us an experience with a PR firm representing high-end hospitality clients that serves as a clear, and very frustrating, example of what not to do.
Chinese water torture via email? A steady stream of news releases
“I'm a writer who somehow wound up on a PR firm's mailing list receiving releases that were way outside of my beat. I first sent polite yet firm responses to the (frankly terrible) releases asking to be removed from their list to no response and no action.
“After averaging a release a week for about three months (each one followed up with a "Please remove me from your list" and a reminder that it had been requested numerous times before), I sent an e-mail to the firm's CEO and president, beseeching both of them to help. When I STILL got releases from their firm, I wrote a much more terse e-mail back asking if I'd have to ask their clients for help in getting off their lists.
“When that resulted in nothing but more press releases, I broke down last night and e-mailed their clients, who couldn't have been nicer or quicker to get my complaints passed along to the appropriate contacts at their PR firm. I kept it to a mainly just-the-facts e-mail with an emotional plea at the end noting that they may want to reconsider their PR teams if this was how unresponsive they were being to journos.”
Denial – not a river in Egypt
"Today I received an e-mail from the firm's president stating:
'We have learned that you are emailing our clients with negative and incorrect comments about our company refusing to remove you from our media lists. Point of fact is that we don't know you nor have we never heard directly from you about this matter. You are also obviously someone we would not want to work with. If you have issues with our agency please contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX to discuss. Otherwise we will take steps to report your harassment to us and to our clients.'
"I e-mailed and called her back immediately, as polite as I could be. In the e-mail I pointed out that I have dozens of e-mails (both sent and received) in my archives that I would be happy to send. I then forwarded a sample of five or six and called her to be lambasted on the phone with various and sundry threats. I then received an e-mail stating:
'It's been more than 20 minutes and I have not received any of the emails that you supposedly previously sent to me and XXXXXXXXXX asking that you be removed from our mailing lists. Please advise so that we can resolve this matter.'
"I re-sent from my Blackberry (and received delivery confirmations for each e-mail) and then received a phone call from her assistant demanding to know when I would be sending. I told her that they had been sent (a second time) and then also forwarded an e-mail from one of their clients to me, which mentioned that 'They’ve received your previous communication and are committed to honoring your request.'"
"Summing up a back and forth, the PR prez has decided the whole incident was a "fabrication" on my part (because, especially in a recession where I'm going bonkers to make ends meet, I have time to do this stuff). I realize I wasn't going to earn any friends at this firm for jumping on their clients, but it's interesting to see how inept these people were at relating with the public. Now they've not only turned one journo off, they've tapped into that marketing adage that a person with a good experience with a company will tell three people and a person with a bad experience will tell 10. And the only thing that's a fabrication about me is my hair colour. "
The Patience of Job
First let me say that Olivia went above and beyond to try and make this right. The PR firm however took a bad situation, chopped it up into kindling, sprinkled it with gas and light it on fire.
Could we have what Cool Hand Luke would call “failure to communicate?” Nope. I’ve seen screen grabs from Olivia proving that this particular agency was employing what we used to call the rolling thunder strategy: a press release every few weeks regardless of whether or not you have news. Worse still is that the agency paid no attention to their media lists or to their email inboxes for that matter.
According to the agency president, Olivia does not exist on any of their lists; however the agency does use Cision. Having seen screen grabs it does not look like the agency is using email marketing software. In fact, if Olivia was replying to the notes and not getting a bounce back, that proves they probably were not using email marketing to push out the latest in high-end hospitality news.
The PR exec’s arrogant and defensive response is ridiculous. But I’m giving this NYC-based agency an early Christmas gift by not outing them – despite the fact that Olivia asked them more than three times to stop sending her news releases.
Media Relations = Customer Service
If anyone you are pitching ask to be removed from your list? Do it. And make sure you tell them you’re doing it. If you get any communication from these folks that merits a response? Respond. It’s kind of why you send out email in the first place.
Never forget that you’re pitching on behalf of your clients and that’s kind of a big deal. Changing your story, acting arrogant, defensive or just being stupid? It’s eventually going to get back in some form or another to your client.
1983 I'm Surrounded By Idiots uploaded by JD Hancock
Wow and yes I have been there!
ReplyDeleteDr. Letitia Wright
The Wright Place TV Show
http://wrightplacetv.com
www.twitter.com/drwright1
I find that the next reasonable person to come along who is generally nice and honors the request to stop soliciting sometimes becomes the target of the anger generated by such an incident.
ReplyDeleteThe moment someone stops wanting it, it's spam.
ReplyDeleteDang, some PR folks can be @ssholes. All that extra smack talking was so not necessary.
ReplyDeleteWow, as a PR person, this situation makes me want to cringe, and it is embarrassing to think that my colleagues are out there behaving like these. These are the types of situations that give us all a bad name. Good customer services doesn't just apply to interactions with our clients, we need to treat the media with the same respect.What part of "service profession," do these people not get?
ReplyDeleteWow! As a PR professional, this is embarrassing and frustrating. I'm also shocked that they agency would have such a horrible sense of customer service. How hard would it have been to say, "We're sorry for the inconvenience; we made a mistake; we'll fix it."?
ReplyDeleteThis is another one of those "how the heck does that even happen?!?" situations. It's hard not to think the president of the agency was lying about not receiving Olivia's e-mails to prove her requests to be removed from the media list also weren't received. Let's hope one day all PR pros and agencies will practice media relations wisely!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about everyone who uses Cision lists? They are consistently the most poorly targeted batch pitches in my overflowing in box.
ReplyDeleteIs it the list itself? The marketers who use them? Are they promoted incorrectly to PR firms in the first place? Really, I'm dying to know.
I want to know what firm it was. Only because real PR people with professionalism and ethics need to know in case a recruiter comes calling. I would never want to be associated with such a group.
ReplyDeleteBesides, with all of the back/forth the firm game up the right to an expectation of privacy. OUT THEM - for the sake of PR people that get it.
Just horrified and it ruins the reputations of communications professionals everywhere. I have sometimes used lists that have reporters who wish to be removed. They just have to click at the bottom and they will never receive another. With the plethora of outlets lists are sometimes necessary - but not responding is unethical and a terrible business practice.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's clear the recession hasn't knocked all of the bad PR folks out of business. What a shame to let such a crisis go to waste.
ReplyDeleteWhy not out this firm? Carmen Harris is right, the longer we let firms get away with this crap, the worse off we all are.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, this PR firm is a disgrace. Why on earth they're sending out email blasts is beyond me. Secondly, it's probably coming from a "newsdesk" type email account which no one internally is checking...so they very well might be missing all the replies from the blogger (not her fault).
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that we need to act as terrified subordinates to journalists. On the contrary, we're both trying to accomplish our work, and give each other a hand. And a mutual respect should be maintained. This PR firm could easily have their reputation--hence business development--ruined over this episode.
And bottomline, a forgivable error of sending a press release to the wrong reporter, and getting a response of "wrong reporter" should be thanked, not ignored, or scolded.
First of all, as PR people, aren't we supposed to be communicators? This is the biggest communication failure I've ever heard of from a large firm. It is appalling that the president of PR responds the way she does - completely opposite of what I'm learning in my journalism and strategic communications classes at my university. I agree with others before, this firm should be "outted." When I start looking for jobs in the next two years, I absolutely do not want to be a part of this firm.
ReplyDeleteAs a final thought, not only is this behavior ridiculous coming from someone in PR (let alone a president), but it just isn't common courtesy.
The thing that continually amazes me when I read of these situations is why is it so hard for people to admit mistakes.
ReplyDeletePR people know that in crisis communication situations the first thing to do is admit responsibility, if appropriate, then apologize and work to make it right. Examples of that are all ove the place (i.e. Hugh Grant, Michael Phelps, etc.).
So just do the same darn thing with your customer service. It's not like we humans don't understand that other humans will make mistakes.
As Charlie Brown would say, "Good grief".
We've all made mistakes and stepped in messes we shouldn't have. Sometimes, I would guess, some of us let our emotions get the best of us. However, this sounds like flat out unprofessionalism.
ReplyDeleteBack in my journalism days I ran across it in PR folks. Now days, I run across it in journalists and with bloggers.
The ones who stand out are the ones who are professional, polite and to the point. And that is greatly appreciated - and a practice I try to uphold every day.
Thanks for all of your comments, guys. I'm glad to know I'm not crazy on this (my boyfriend was backing me up on this, but he also backed me up when I thought cap-sleeves flattered my shoulders....they don't). Ironically, last week I got an e-mail from Cision saying that I was removed from their database, per a request. When I asked who requested it (since I hadn't reached out to Cision at all), the rep told me the PR firm "informed us that you are not interested in receiving PR materials of any kind."
ReplyDeleteI don't want to tread on Kevin or Richard's territory here and out the firm directly, but anyone who wants to know who the offending PR firm is can feel free to reach me via Twitter (@ogiovetti). I'm happy to privately rat them out.
To be honest, we did not follow our own rules in outing these folks. Olivia offering to out them has me rethinking my position.
ReplyDeleteThe agency's name rhymes with M. Silver Associates.
http://www.msilver-pr.com/
And now you know. Proof that sometimes the best part of the post are in the comments.
This is definitely a sad day for pr professionals with integrity. I have been saying this week that Marketing has really created debris for effective communicators to kick through. M. Silver does not know the difference between dialogue and message generation.
ReplyDeleteWhat's even worse as a new business, I am appalled at how much money gets spent on not even mediocre results. Obviously, the cash as clouded their ears and made it difficult for AE's at M. Silver to manage their coordinators.
Small firms rock!
Christina
@ergonomixpr
For the record this was Kevin's decision to wait, then out (and it was his post - so decision was his entirely). I had thought we should just say who the offensive firm is--even though I know the M Silver people well and have for a few decades. I just think this is an example of three-times-at-least bad behavior. Just like any field, you have to learn how to handle the "new" and if you don't know, either take a class--or ask. This was an example of someone who just didn't get how real PR works today.
ReplyDeletePlease note: The whole point of BadPitchBlog is to make our industry better, not to mock. However, sometimes the mocking gets started all on its very own!
Apparently this is more common than we realize. Scott Stratten @UnMarketing recently experienced a similar situation and the manner in which the PR firm handled the problem was appalling.
ReplyDeleteSomething else other than deaf... I woulda removed her right away and I'm deaf :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this is unbelievable. I hope PR companies read this and realize this is not the kind of press they want to have (in this case, bad press is NOT good press).
I'd given up on asking to be removed from lists that send me inappropriate releases. Maybe I'll try again.
ReplyDeleteBut my question is ... just who was the PR firm going to report Oliva's "harrassment" to?
Just curious -- did Richard and Kevin actually see Olivia's confirmed emails to the agency? Not doubting, just seeking clarification. It wasn't clear to me from the blog. Closest thing I saw was:
ReplyDelete"In fact, if Olivia was replying to the notes and not getting a bounce back, that proves they probably were not using email marketing to push out the latest in high-end hospitality news."
The "if" in that sentence makes it sound as though Olivia's emails weren't reviewed first-hand.
Did I miss something? (If so, I'll certainly apologize!!!)
Anon - No need to apologize.
ReplyDeleteBut I can tell you that, in addition to several emails she forwarded, Olivia also sent along screen shots of her inbox to support her account. This was the most conscientious and well-documented bad pitch we've ever received from someone.
Wow, great post. Kevin, thanks for outing this incredibly rude, unprofessional PR firm.
ReplyDeleteHere's what angers me the most: my well-intended pitches, sent individually to journalists that I carefully research and target, are more likely to be lost in the crap that flood bloggers and writers' inboxes. These practices make my job much more difficult while giving my profession a bad rap. It leaves writers jaded, distracted and frustrated.
That said, Olivia should have picked up the phone and talked to someone at the offending PR firm. She emails and emails... I never see that she once spoke to someone there.
The sad thing is that this kind of response happens far more often than it should. Perhaps not to this degree, but it always amazes me when PR folks are offended when someone asks to be removed from the list.
ReplyDelete