Huh?

One of the major cardinal sins of doing an interview is when the subject speaks in terms your audience doesn't know. You should never, ever use industry jargon, or talk above your audience's head. This gentleman provides the perfect example of what I'm trying to explain:

The Ultimate PR Nightmare

Recently, a Mexican restaurant in Kansas was shut down when approximately 20 people fell ill with nausea, vomiting and dizziness. The restaurant said it was from carbonic acid poisoning caused by faulty water lines; however, the state health department said not all those who got ill had carbonated drinks, and preliminary testing had not confirmed that was the cause. It was the second time in less than a month that patrons became sick at the establishment. According to a restaurant spokesperson, the problem was caused by carbonated water for drinks getting backed up and making contact with copper tubing, causing a chemical reaction that led to the poisoning. But a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said not all those who got sick had a carbonated drink. “We can’t say that’s the cause yet,” she said. “They are looking at the water and the ice as well.”

Now, how can a restaurant, any restaurant rebound from a nightmarish incident such as this, especially when there are conflicting stories from the restaurant and the health department? First, clean the restaurant like it has never been cleaned before. And comply with all health department regulations before you even consider reopening the doors. Once all that has been completed, relaunch, and by doing this, take the restaurant to the people. Show the public you are for real in what you have done to fix your problems. Remember, you have had two health incidents in less than a month. Set up a stand at a busy (foot traffic) area, and give out free samples of your popular dishes. Hand out coupons to passersby. Take out ads in the local paper with coupons. Go on the local midday news show and prepare one of your popular recipes. Have a kids eat free night. There are a myriad of solutions to this problem, the key is to keep it up so that people will know you are serious about your turnaround and will keep coming back.

More interviewing 101

Even those who've been in the business forever can come into an interview unprepared...or at least make it look like they were unprepared. Take this clip from "Larry King Live" where Jerry Seinfeld talks about the end of his show "Seinfeld."




I always wonder how uncomfortable it is in the studio during the commercial breaks.

The next big food debate

It's not that corn is at the top of everyone's mind these days...especially corn syrup, but there's a recent push making news that may put it at the forefront very soon.

Kraft Foods Inc. has been removing high-fructose corn syrup from several of its most popular products because some consumers believe this ingredient to be dangerous.

According to a story in Chicago Business ("Kraft touts efforts to skip corn syrup," 8/24/09), Basil Maglaris, a spokesperson for Kraft stated: "We saw some consumers were interested in products without high-fructose corn syrup, so we decided as part of this quality improvement to eliminate it."

Other companies are also taking steps to eliminate HFCS such as beverage companies. PepsiCo launched "throwback" versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew, which are essentially HFCS-free formulations in retro cans.

The Corn Refiners Association has taken notice and staged a full-fledged media assault aimed at what it perceives to be "misinformation" in the media. According to the article, its campaign, from agency DDB, Chicago, depicts people such as mothers in a kitchen, or a young couple on a picnic blanket, talking about whether corn sweeteners are bad for you. "It has the same amount of calories as sugar or honey, and it's fine in moderation," a woman says while handing her boyfriend a popsicle stick.

"It has really been a nationwide multimedia and advertising campaign targeted principally at moms, given the role they play in buying food," Corn Refiners Association President Audrae Erickson said of her group's effort.

But here's what the other side is saying:

"I don't know whether it's laughable or tragic that the corn refiners association is likening its product to sugar," Rory Freedman, co-author of "Skinny Bitch," wrote in an e-mail. "Neither HFCS or refined sugar is good for us. Our bodies simply do not like foods that have been highly processed, especially those which cause spikes in our blood-sugar levels."

The real issue here is money...for both sides. Studies have shown that people are obviously gaining weight from the massive amounts of food they are taking in containing high-fructose corn syrup or sugar. Companies that are producing these foods know they have to change for the sake of potential lawsuits somewhere down the road. The Corn Refiners Association members have do whatever they need to do to put food on their tables. The story here is that there are two sides of an argument where each party is making a compelling case, but the side that's getting the most negative publicity has hired a PR firm to clean up its tarnished reputation and maybe help persuade people that are undecided on the issue or quite possibly on the other side. These types of stories are very common in the PR world, as this is just one recent example.

How to right a wrong

Wanna know how to fix a big PR blunder? Take the billboard advertising campaign for Coors Light beer in Toronto, Canada. According to a story in the Aug. 19 edition of the Winnipeg Sun, approximately 30 billboards were scattered throughout Toronto recently that stated: Coors Light is "colder than people from Toronto."

Some citizens of Toronto were offended by the ads, and a handful of emails were sent to Coors; however, when the Toronto newspaper reported on the ads, a backlash brewed (no pun intended), and Coors pulled the ads.

"Sometimes we get it wrong," said Adam Moffat, Molson brand and marketing public relations manager. "This is one instance where we misfired, and we realized that after seeing people's reaction here in Toronto."

The key message here was that a large corporation admitted to being accountable for its own actions and then acted on it rather than let what could have been a potential PR nightmare fester.

Interviewing 101

One of the major mistakes a reporter can commit is coming into the interview completely unprepared. Here's a classic example:

So is it the money or the students?

According to an Aug. 17, 2009 Wall Street Journal story "Hard-Hit Schools Try Public-Relations Push," many inner-city school districts throughout the country are trying to stem the tide of a mass student exodus to suburban, private and charter schools. These school districts are turning to public relations and marketing firms to help get the word out that their schools aren't so bad while enrollment numbers continue to plummet. Some of the tactics used are billboard, television and radio ads, as well as direct-mail campaigns.

In St. Louis, the urban district's enrollment has plunged 40% in the past decade because of students moving to charter schools and suburban districts. The school district has been through eight superintendents in 10 years and lost its state accreditation. It faces a $53 million deficit and recently closed 14 schools. But administrators have set aside $1 million to pay for publicity that may include bragging about a top-ranked high school and magnet programs in culinary arts, aeronautics and international studies.

Now here is where it gets interesting.

According to the article: A marketing firm will spend the next two months asking residents, "What would it take to get you to send your children to school here?" said Patrick Wallace, a district spokesman. "We're losing 1,500 to 2,000 students a year," Mr. Wallace said. "If we can get those kids to come back, that's a whole lot of money."

Now, I understand school districts need to make money to "stay in business." They have to pay for teacher and administrator salaries, books, supplies and general upkeep and maintenance of the buildings, but the last quote from Mr. Wallace has the completely wrong focus. As a spokesperson for the district, his number one concern should be the quality of education for their students rather than the amount of money they are losing. A better quote might be: "We're losing 1,500 to 2,000 students a year," Mr. Wallace said. "However, our chief concern is providing the best education we possibly can to the students that have remained as we continue to look for new ways to attract new students to the district."

Any qualified public relations professional could have helped hone the message and put the focus where it should be.