Archive for March, 2009
March 31, 2009 at 12:10 pm · Filed under Issues Management, Media Industry
A few weeks back USA media commentator Rachel Maddow aired a segment about AIG and their use of public relations firms (see 11 March blog posting). She then chose to closely examine the track record of one of the firms that AIG uses. The segment led to a letter being issued by that firm’s CEO to all employees. And…you guessed it…another segment on The Rachel Maddow Show.
Here’s the dig. Rachel’s show is really popular. She’s a ratings star, according to Wikipedia:
Since its debut, the (Rachel Maddow) show has topped Countdown as the highest rated show on MSNBC on several occasions. After being on air for a little over a month, Maddow’s program doubled the audience for MSNBC’s 9PM hour.
Clearly Rachel Maddow has made attempts to speak to the public relations firm in question. This is exactly the type of appearance the CEO should have accepted. By failing to engage the conversation is one-way. Rachel is in control. She’d no doubt enjoy a fiery debate with an well-versed professional. Instead she was denied the chance and the story ran another day.
Lesson? Is it “do as I say, not as I do” for clients of that agency?
March 31, 2009 at 8:36 am · Filed under Social Media
The marketing team at T-Mobile have scored another mention. I was shown a video on Facebook this morning and found it really brightened the start of my day. It’s too good not to share. So watch it - and spread it. This is a happy viral message…
March 26, 2009 at 3:14 pm · Filed under America, Globalisation, Australia
Politicians and business leaders are learning the importance of confidence. Obama describes the latest increases in housing starts and durable goods orders as “first shoots of green”. The New CEO of National Australia Bank says the global financial crisis could be bottoming out. Given the speed this crisis hit are we going to see a rapid return to consumerism-fueled prosperity? Or is it a dead cat bounce
Time for Wikipedia…
A dead cat bounce is a figurative term used by traders in the finance industry to describe a pattern wherein a spectacular decline in the price of a stock is immediately followed by a moderate and temporary rise before resuming its downward movement, with the connotation that the rise was not an indication of improving circumstances in the fundamentals of the stock. It is derived from the notion that “even a dead cat will bounce if it falls from a great height”.
I trust the positive figures and am relieved to see stirrings of life. But I am also a realist and believe the crisis is far from over. The analogy I prefer is rather gruesome. I believe the python has swallowed the sheep, but it’s going to take a long, long time to work through the system.
March 25, 2009 at 3:07 pm · Filed under Media Industry, Australia
When trying to better your skills for media interviews, it pays to listen to great interviews. Some people really know how to get their point across succinctly with vivid language and descriptions. For radio it’s especially important to use strong visual language and to project confidence to engage the audience.
None of this happened on ABC New Radio yesterday.
Australian Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, was questioned about the role of the Federal Police at Sydney Airport on the weekend. In the lobby of the domestic terminal two rival motorcycle gangs had a fight. One man was bashed to death with a metal stanchion in front of horrified passengers. This was metres from the check-in desks. Four of the assailants made their get-away by taking a taxi from the rank downstairs. From the time the attacks started until the Federal Police arrived was 15 minutes according to witnesses.
In this interview, Minister Debus says a thorough investigation is called for:
ABC News Radio: Home Affairs Minister BOB DEBUS has told Marius Benson there will be a thorough investigation.
What’s so wrong? Debus fails to use language that cuts through to the audience. He never takes any responsibility. His government takes its time responding to issues and he won’t comment until there’s an investigation. He is unclear of the facts. He is wooden in his delivery. He doesn’t believe there’s any reason to apologise or accept wrongdoing. Others are talking of witness accounts and he fails to comment.
All in all this is a very poor interview that reflects very poorly on the Federal Government and the Home Minister.
March 24, 2009 at 11:38 am · Filed under Issues Management, Globalisation
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has already received a significant injection of taxpayer-funds in the first tranche of emergency government lending late last year. This past weekend The Sunday Herald in Scotland writes that RBS is likely to receive much, much more (”RBS will get ‘billions’ in US bail-out of economy” by Ian Fraser). In Sydney RBS now has a prominent facade as the old ABN-AMRO Tower has been renamed the RBS Building-Tower-Shining Edifice.
So with a big building - and a bigger bail-out - I was keen to learn more when I saw RBS sponsoring a large display in Sydney’s Martin Place.
It was odd to see such a large - bubble - with the RBS logo so prominently displayed. I figured inside would be the legendary “toxic assets” that were the root cause of this global strife. I imagined bio-hazard engineers mopping up collateralised debt obligations and other nasties.
Instead RBS had a sports car that simulated a real “on track” experience. Brochures invite participants to:
Take the Challenge
Using a full size formula 1 show car with a driving simulator, you can test your instincts, nerve and reactions to set the fastest lap (source: The Sydney Challenge hand-out from RBS Martin Place display)
Now people have accused me of being cynical - and I agree. I have been a little biased in past posts. And at first I was horrified. Last year RBS accepted US$30 billion in government funding to continue operations (according to CNN). Today it is in line to receive tens of billions of dollars more. And in Australia, RBS has no retail banking operations. So the RBS Bubble is to keep the brand front of mind with corporations and other banks.
Then the penny dropped. Of course it makes perfect sense. RBS needs its customers to have all the reflexes of a professional race car driver if they are to survive the harrowing twists and turns in the coming months.
Who says the RBS display in the centre of Martin Place is a waste of tens of thousands of dollars?
March 24, 2009 at 8:47 am · Filed under America, Globalisation
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd just landed in Washington, DC according to his Twitter posting 17 minutes ago. He’s on his way to meet Timothy Geithner, USA Treasury Secretary. It’s nice being able to Tweet a head of state to offer suggestions and advice. It almost makes you feel like your voice is being heard.
Just this morning Geithner has a bylined article on page 20 of the Business Section of “The Australian”. Seems the public relations offensive is in high gear.
Thankfully Wall Street and global markets liked Geithner’s presentation yesterday. The indices are up across the board and this looks like a convincing bear market rally. Maybe traders can claw back profits before the markets swoon again.
The Tweets and the bylined article showcase the importance placed on the effective presentation of the US Treasury Secretary. In his first public outing last month, Geithner failed to impress audiences with the details of his plans. Seemed the vaguaries and poorly considered plans left traders with cold feet. That set off a wave of panic selling and demands for Geithner to attend presentation skills training.
The combination of a stronger presentation and global media relations helps ensure global markets that the USA plan will work. There is a constant need for ongoing information. Pleased to see Geithner has lifted his game.
March 20, 2009 at 2:19 pm · Filed under America, Media Industry
Less than an hour ago in the USA “The Tonight with Jay Leno” made history. For the first time a sitting president of the United States appeared on the show. It’s great to see Obama breaking down barriers and appearing in a format that’s very known and comfortable to millions of Americans. Watch highlights here.
March 20, 2009 at 1:59 pm · Filed under America
Tom Stiglich / Journal Register
March 20, 2009 at 8:16 am · Filed under Leadership, Social Media
Earlier in the week I posted about a bad shopping experience at David Jones. Maybe the post lost something in the writing - it attracted the ire of one person (see comments).
After leaving the store I filled in a web complaint form and was pleasantly surprised to receive a gracious reply:
Dear Mr Jennings,
Thank you for contacting David Jones. Firstly, please allow me to apologise for any disappointment or frustration caused to you when shopping in the Foodhall of our Market Street store recently.
I can offer no excuse for the series of events that have occurred. Your requests were simple and consequently our staff should have had the knowledge of all current promotions and the skills to be able to fulfil your needs with no difficulty.
I apologise that we have let both yourself and David Jones down in the way in which we handled your shopping experience.
I can assure you that we take all feedback seriously, and have forwarded your feedback on to the Store Manager and Foodhall Manager of our Market Street store to follow up with our frontline staff. As a result we have agreed with the Management Team on the following actions:
1. Review the communication of promotions to our frontline staff
2. Reiterate to supervisors their ability to deal with situations
professionally and promptly so as not to disenfranchise our customers
Once again, thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback as your comments will enable us to improve our service in areas where it does not meet our standards. I do hope you will allow us the opportunity to welcome you in our store in the future.
Kind Regards
(name withheld by blogger)
Customer Service Specialist
That was a great response - thanks, David Jones.
Then this morning I arrived at work to find two boxes of chocolates in a David Jones bag with a trademark purple ribbon. The ‘Store Customer Service Manager’ also read the complaint - and probably the posting - and apologised for the poor service and response.
Companies understand that a disenfranchised consumer is a powerful anti-marketing device. And maybe it’s due to the public posting of the poor experience that warranted the chocolates. I am thankful David Jones treated the single issue seriously but feel uncomfortable accepting a gift of “thanks”. On my walk home I pass the Red Cross blood collection centre. I’ll drop in the chocolates. No doubt donors require a shot of sugar after giving blood.
And I’ll make sure they know they come from David Jones.
March 19, 2009 at 9:26 am · Filed under America, Social Media
Traditional news media follow the US President’s every waking movement. In February he and his wife returned to Chicago for Valentine’s Day. The convoy of photographers and journalists were separated for 45 minutes. That was the largest gap in media coverage since the early days of the campaign. So it’s unlikely we’ll miss much action.
But social media now allows us to get beyond the external action and enter the mind of the president. No - this is not an Oliver Stone film or a pop-shrink’s television analysis. The social media phenomenon Twitter allows you to tag and follow the regular updates of people large and small. Each entry cannot exceed 140 characters - that’s roughly two sentences. But sequential updates allow you to track a person’s day - and their thoughts.
Today I started following the Tweets (Twitter postings) of Barack Obama. I am fairly certain he’s not the one typing away (otherwise we’d read “Hillary’s back. Called Putin and suggested a crisis so we can get her out of DC again”). But it is another example of social media changing politics. Would future presidents be able to shut down the information flow?
Precedent says the inside of the White House - and inside the president’s mind - suddenly got a whole lot more accessible.
Michelle said she cooked tonight but why do I think she had help?
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