website after social media backlash that included a funny and biting parody (A2; http:// adage.com/adages/post?article_id=132738). On sites such as YouTube, parodies and mashups of traditional ads can take on lives of their own. For example, Apple’s “I’m a Mac” and “Silhouette” campaigns sparked hundreds of videos including a copycat ad from a Mexican advertising agency. “Mexican Riff on Apple Advertising Has Locals Crying Pla- giarism” describes an ad that, while not a parody, clearly borrows its format from the Apple “I’m a Mac” spots (A3; http://adage.com/article?article_id=138095).
Uncontrolled media such as crowd-sourced efforts or online contests can also have unintended consequences. When GM invited consumers to create their own commercials for the Tahoe SUV, the company received more than twenty-one thousand entries. Unfor- tunately, three thousand of the spots mocked SUVs in general and the Tahoe in particular. These gained far more attention than the many positive ads, as described in the article “Consumer-Made Commercials Blast Chevy” (A4; http://adage.com/article?article_ id=108317). One ad says, “We paved the prairies, we deforested the hills, we strip-mined our mountains and sold ourselves for oil to bring you this beautiful machine.” Chevy decided not to filter the negative spots. Some observers thought that the strategy brought even more attention and visits to the Tahoe site without doing significant damage to the brand. However, brands need to think carefully about what kinds of reactions such strate- gies might elicit.
Ever-expanding communication capabilities present other challenges to brands’ repu- tations. A few influential bloggers blasted a new version of Procter & Gamble’s Pampers Cruisers diaper and even started a Facebook group dedicated to bringing back the old de- sign. “Can One Bad Tweet Taint Your Brand Forever?” highlights how a few outspoken dissatisfied customers can stir waves of negative postings and publicity (A5; http://adage. com/digital/article?article_id=142205). Real time tracking of the blogosphere and other digital media helps companies monitor what’s happening in the social media sphere, but deciding on appropriate responses is still a complicated problem. Unlike United in the ex- ample above, P&G responded swiftly to the original complaint, but that didn’t appease the original unhappy customer. Even though it’s important for companies to be responsive and vigilant, the article suggests that well-planned strategies can’t always be successful against a few disgruntled and vocal individuals.
Even fans of a product can get a company into hot water. BrosIcingBros.com appeared to be a site that poked fun at Smirnoff ’s Ice Malt Beverage and featured a viral drinking game. The website showed young guys being “iced” or caught without a Smirnoff Ice and thus required to chug a bottle on one knee. The mocking tone notwithstanding, many ob- servers believed Smirnoff began the website as a viral marketing stunt. But it soon appeared that enterprising college kids had hijacked the brand. Smirnoff evidently threatened legal action and the site went dark (A6; http://adage.com/article?article_id=144493).
Examples like these show that PR practitioners and marketers must work together to deal with potential problems and crises. Blogging and social media can be a double-edged sword for companies and for news organizations. They can be wildly successful in raising interest and awareness and incredibly damaging to a company’s reputation if somebody highlights shortcomings or problems.
Different Roles for Public Relations
Public relations can be loosely separated into two main areas. The first plays a role in marketing support, a role that is growing in today’s media world. The second involves fostering and building relationships with key stakeholders and maintaining a brand’s or
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corporation’s reputation. In both areas, public relations practitioners use a variety of tools and approaches.
Let’s consider each of these general areas. Marketing public relations (MPR) involves programming that’s aimed primarily at driving sales. It includes tactics such as publicity, traditional media coverage, special events, social media efforts, company-sponsored blogs, and publicity stunts. It frequently overlaps with tools thought of as sales promotion. MPR objectives may include generating interest in a company’s products or services, helping the sales force get leads and close deals, and driving store or e-commerce traffic. It’s part of the marketers’ toolbox that we’ve discussed in previous chapters.
Gap’s Piperlime brand deployed a website complete with a blog, a widget that lets users experiment with different looks, a Facebook page, and Twitter feed. Traditional advertis- ing, YouTube videos, and a “pop-up” store in New York City are all part of the mix. Pop-up stores are short-term retail spaces usually open for no more than a month that act both as sales promotion and as publicity vehicles. The Piperlime vibe is a bit pushy and edgy and features posts that say things such as “Every time you wear sweatpants in public, a single guy leaves New York.” “Is Piperlime a Mean Girl?” examines the edgy brand personality that churned up complaints and also a lot of interest and traffic (A7; http://adage.com/ article?article_id=145411).
Ad Age reported on another MPR approach in “Small Agency of the Year, Campaign
of the Year: Definition 6’s ‘Happiness Machine’” (A8; http://adage.com/smallagency10/ article?article_id=145066). The article describes an agency’s imaginative strategy when it installed a Coke machine at St. John’s University in New York. It looked completely normal but offered students happy surprises. The hollowed out machine hid a real person. When a customer paid for a bottle of Coke, he or she might receive multiple sodas, pizzas, balloon animals, huge sub sandwiches, and even flowers. The resulting videos, shot over two days, depicted delighted and amazed customers enjoying their unexpected gifts. As the agency hoped, the videos went viral on YouTube.
As we’ve seen, marketers are increasingly drawn to earned media such as these cam- paigns achieved because they tend to be less expensive and often are more trusted by con- sumers. Although we still have many news media and entertainment outlets, PR managers are relying less on reporters and news organizations and more on creating content that’s aimed directly at consumers (A9; http://adage.com/article?article_id=139864). The ar- ticle says that even though PR professionals and agencies are still using pitches to reporters and editors, companies such as realty giant Coldwell Banker developed its own YouTube channel, “Coldwell Banker On Location,” that’s aimed at helping brokers and potential buyers learn about the housing market. While promotional in nature, it provides needed information to first-time buyers and others who have questions about the home-buying process. Procter & Gamble also bypassed traditional media and created its own branded print magazine, “Rouge,” that looks and feels like a high-end women’s fashion and beauty magazine, but features ads only for P&G products.
Best Buy’s Geek Squad is upfront and funny about its goals. The PR person in charge of the initiative is known as “mistress of propaganda.” However, the videos the Geek Squad created are less promotional than you might expect and are mainly tutorials answering questions buyers might have about their computers and mobile devices. The program is strategically smart in that it underscores the Geek Squad’s authoritative and friendly role in guiding customers through complex technology purchases.
Although these direct-to-consumer channels and strategies offer opportunities for mar- keters, those creating the strategies must keep in mind that what’s offered to consumers has to be relevant, interesting, and engaging for consumers. They’ll be walking a fine line between being useful or edging into territory that’s too hard sell or too obviously real propaganda.