Fake News: Trick or Tactic?

We’ve all seen fake news stories pop up on Facebook and Twitter. 2014 included a ton of great, yet fake, stories such as the LeBron James “Space Jam” sequel, and the woman with three breasts. Unfortunately, it’s easy for a news story to get out of control, especially when some reporters are more concerned with speed than accuracy.

What happens when these fake stories are intentional? It’s a lot easier to get press coverage with the unique, unusual, and adorable. Check out the clip above from “Nathan For You” to see just how easy it can be to go viral.

Here’s a couple examples of stories invented for publicity.

Jesus Loves Kit Kat

When I first began my advertising minor, our professor showed us an example of viral content; the Kit Kat Jesus. This story broke in Europe through a Dutch news site due to a fake email from a European agency. The image was shared on over 150,000 websites, including several news sites, for a grand total of zero dollars.

The image was created purely for publicity. The relevance to recent Jesus imagery stories and Good Friday made the image spread like wildfire.

Chicken Chain “Steals” Big Mango

Another big story from 2014 was the theft of an Australian tourist attraction, a 10-ton mango statue. The theft made headlines around the world. There were photos, footage, media releases–but no police report was made.

The “theft” was actually a publicity stunt orchestrated by a Sydney advertising agency. The Australian chicken chain, Nando’s, used the stunt and following news coverage to promote a new mango-flavored sauce.

Is It Ethical? 

When it comes to the ethics of using a blatantly fake story for publicity, the answer should be pretty obvious. While the execution of these stories seems innocent, it still stems from false information. These stories can lead to great results, but can also lead to lack of trust in the future. I know I’m a lot more skeptical than I used to be when I see unusual stories online.

What do you think about fabricating stories for press coverage? Share your thoughts below.

YouTube Kids and the Ethics of Child Advertising

It wasn’t until I met my boyfriend’s 5-year-old nephew that I realized YouTube had replaced television for a lot of young kids. He loves watching a variety of user-made content, including Minecraft videos and short cartoons. The only problem is how YouTube is set up; he’s basically one click away from the seedy parts of YouTube.

This week, I stumbled onto the YouTube Kids app. Available for iOS and Android, the app offers a child-friendly experience and a simplified YouTube. The app is free, but still features advertisements. YouTube says the advertisements are heavily regulated. The ads must be family friendly, and they cannot direct to an advertiser’s website.

Kid-Friendly or PR Move?

The new rules don’t please everyone. Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood thinks the whole concept is misleading.

It’s disingenuous to claim that YouTube Kids, or any ad-supported programming, is “kid-friendly.” Children are already inundated with advertising selling them everything from junk food to junk toys — and it’s not good for them. Research links child-targeted marketing to a host of problems facing kids today including obesity, unhealthy body image, the erosion of creative play and family stress. And children are more susceptible to advertising than adults. They don’t have the cognitive wherewithal to defend themselves against it.

Linn brings up a good point. Can kid-friendly advertising really exist? It’ll be interesting to see what YouTube considers appropriate for the YouTube Kids app.

These regulations aren’t expected to deter any potential advertisers. US children are some of the top consumers of advertising. If anything, advertisers will probably get more creative. It’s likely we’ll see more product placement and cross-promotions in YouTube videos targeted at children.

If YouTube follows through with their promise to make the app “kid-friendly,” it could be revolutionary and great for their overall image. Otherwise it’ll feel like a targeted ad-machine for young kids. But then again, is this really that different from kid-targeted network television such as Nickelodeon and Disney Channel?

Carnegie Mellon Crushes 800 Dreams

If you’ve ever sent an email to the wrong person, you’ve felt that white hot feeling of embarrassment. Now, imagine that feeling multiplied by 800. That’s what happened to Carnegie Mellon University this week as they “accepted” nearly 800 applicants. Unfortunately, these applicants received acceptance emails by mistake.

Sorry Not Sorry

800 applicants received emails claiming acceptance into Carnegie Mellon’s prestigious graduate computer science program. About seven hours later, “apology” emails were distributed.

“We understand the disappointment created by this mistake, and deeply apologize to the applicants for this miscommunication. We are currently reviewing our notification process to help ensure this does not happen in the future. “

The two paragraph apology hardly makes up for the disappointment felt by the rejected applicants. “It was heart-shattering,” said an applicant from Saudi Arabia. While Carnegie Mellon obviously can’t accept everyone, this mishap is cruel and their apology feels insincere.

Lesson Learned

If anything, this incident can act as a warning to others. These emails were sent from an automated system, and could’ve been prevented through diligent attention to detail. When dealing with such important channels of communication, it’s important to triple check your emails. It might even be beneficial to have a second pair of eyes look over your work.

This also makes the school look less credible as a whole. For a university with a top-ranked computer science program, something like this shouldn’t happen. Hopefully one of their newly accepted students can figure out a solution.

1-800-Flowers: Disappointment on Demand

Social media has given companies the opportunity to create a two-way street for conversation with their customers. Reaching your target audience has never been easier, but dealing with customer complaints now takes place in a public forum.

Flower Failure

As Valentine’s Day 2015 comes to a close, it’s become an annual tradition to see 1-800-Flowers.com deal with customer service fallout. 1-800-Flowers.com had a terrible year on social media in 2014. Pictures of dead flowers or comments about undelivered products circulated the internet long after V-Day.

It looks like 1-800-Flowers.com didn’t learn their lesson from last year, as an almost identical slew of problems followed them this year. Unsatisfied customers flocked to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share their opinions on the flower delivery service. More dead flowers, undelivered flowers, and automated customer service robots. At this point, it’s hard to see why the customers are still coming.

It’s No Secret on Social Media

Photos and comments like these could have dire consequences for the brand. One year is an accident, two years is a trend. Personally, I see these complaints and tell myself to never order from 1-800-Flowers.com.

At this point, the brand needs to step back and apologize for their poor service. This is an opportunity to fix their mistakes and learn for next year. Whether this is a quality control issue or a delivery issue, this can’t happen again next year. In a world where similar services are popping up everyday, they don’t have room for mistakes of this caliber.

The Fallout of Sony Pictures and Amy Pascal

This week, Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair, Amy Pascal, resigned her position at the studio. Pascal fell victim to a high-profile cyberattack last year which resulted in stolen private emails. These emails revealed conversations with producer Scott Rudin containing racist remarks about President Obama and mocking several celebrities.

Unsurprising, and Not Undeserved

This news should not be surprising to anyone. There’s no argument the things said by Pascal were abhorrent and harmful to her entire company. What is surprising, is that Pascal is the only senior Sony manager to depart after the cyberattack fallout. The rest of the Sony Pictures team will remain to deal with the aftermath and rebuild the company.

Producer Scott Rudin and writer Aaron Sorkin both said foolish things through leaked emails, but haven’t seen nearly as much backlash as Pascal. Pascal has become the face of the Sony hacking, even though she wasn’t the only person who made a mistake.

Pascal was often identified as, “the film industry’s top female executive.” This makes the whole situation even more disappointing. Pascal stood as an inspiration to women everywhere with interest in the male-dominated film industry.

The email leaks also revealed Sony Pictures has a disparity in pay when it comes to gender. Pascal was the only woman at Sony Pictures making $1 million or more. These are things Sony Pictures deeply needs to consider as they restructure their company and brand.

The Future of Amy Pascal

Pascal will move on to form a new production company with ties to Sony Pictures. While she remains involved with the film industry, it’s going to be tough to repair her reputation. Reputation is everything–once you’ve lost that, you’ve lost it all. Of course, that’s not to say that what is lost cannot be regained.

If nothing else, the attack on Pascal has taught us that nothing is hidden from the public’s eye. Private emails are no longer private, and joking with your friends can have disastrous results. Whatever happens to Pascal, I hope she has learned from her mistakes and understands why her words and actions were harmful to women and people of color.

What do you think about Pascal’s resignation from co-chair? Should she have been given a second chance or was it the right thing to do? Share your thoughts below.

The Killer Creativity of ‘Game of Thrones’

This week, HBO released the latest trailer for everyone’s favorite nerdfest. Game of Thrones is back for season 5 this April. Since its 2011 debut, Game of Thrones has become a cultural icon. This success could not have been possible without their brilliant marketing team.

To celebrate the release of the season 5 trailer, let’s take a look at some of the Game of Thrones team’s best marketing tactics.

Dragon Skull Found on the Jurassic Coast

One of Game of Thrones’ most memorable tactics went viral back in 2013. Taylor Herring PR placed a giant dragon skull on Dorset’s “Jurassic Coast,” which is famous for its dinosaur fossils. The stunt resulted a ton of realistic and enchanting photos while generating hype for the upcoming season.

Game of Thrones on the Big Screen

This week, HBO screened the final two episodes of season 4 in over 200 IMAX theaters across the country. The screenings were one night only, and offered fans an exclusive first look at the aforementioned season 5 trailer. HBO made $1.5 million in one night, which means we can definitely expect a repeat of the stunt in the future.

#RoastJoffery: The First Social Comedy Roast

Game of Thrones has a multitude of hateable faces, but Joffery trumps them all. To generate conversation between seasons, HBO and 360i used the hashtag #RoastJoffery to invite fans, celebrities, and even brands to mock the little brat. The campaign ended with over a million engagements on over 60,000 original posts from users. There were over 800,000,000 earned media impressions over the course of two days.

“Beautiful Death” – Gruesome Meets Gorgeous 

Another brilliant move by HBO and 360i is the “Beautiful Death” series. Artist Robert Ball has created a work of art commemorating iconic deaths in each episode. The illustrated posters were released on a daily basis leading up to the season 4 premiere. The trend continued as new posters appeared for each episode of season 4. The posters were incredibly popular and are available for purchase on the “Beautiful Death” website.

With season 5 only a few months away, there’s no doubt we’ll see more creative and effective tactics from the Game of Thrones team. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for more David Bowie covers.

What do you think of these kind of marketing tactics? Worth it or a waste of time? Share your thoughts below.

Harassment in 140 Characters

Lena Dunham revealed during the Golden Globes that she would be making her departure from Twitter. At first, you might wonder why a successful young woman would abandon one of today’s most essential social media channels. One glance at Dunham’s mentions makes it abundantly clear.

“People like, threaten my life and tell me what a cow I am. So I decided I was gonna … I check it occasionally, but it isn’t the same co-dependence Twitter and I once shared. … There’s a lot of people I love on Twitter, but unfortunately you can’t read those without reading deranged Neocons telling you you should be buried under a pile of rocks.”

Disagreements and Death Threats

The creator of “Girls” experienced plenty of controversy in 2014 and has her fair share of critics. That being said, the things people write about her are abhorrent. No matter the topic, her tweets are often met with name calling, death threats, and rape threats.

Dunham isn’t the only celebrity to take a step back after abuse. Zelda Williams quit social media this summer after the death of her father, Robin Williams. She was bombarded with graphic images and insults from sockpuppet Twitter accounts and anonymous users.

People Before Brands

Amy Poehler on Celebrities Read Mean Tweets #5

Part of the reason it’s so easy for anonymous users to share their sleazy opinions is the lack of immediate consequences. Nobody was punished for the harassment of Zelda Williams, and nobody will be punished for Dunham’s ongoing threats. Personally, I believe this is only half the problem.

I believe there is a large disconnect between the perception of celebrities as brands instead of actual people. These users don’t see Dunham or Williams as human beings, but rather as vessels for a show they don’t like or an opinion they don’t agree with.

Disconnect or Block it Out?

So where is the breaking point? When is it time to turn off social media and cleanse yourself of 140 characters of vitriol? From a PR standpoint, I believe it depends on the situation; there are no clear cut rules. I think Williams made the right decision to take a break during such a tumultuous time in her life. As for Dunham, I’m not so sure. On one hand, I think it’s smart to remove something that makes your life miserable, but you shouldn’t be forced to leave social media because of bullies.

Overall, you should do what’s best for you. Social media should never cost you your happiness.

Do you think Dunham is making the right decision? Share your thoughts below.

Q&A – Ben Tole

Ben Tole, a Central Washington University alumni, has been working with sports media for several years.  Tole has worked with a variety of teams including the Washington Stealth Professional Lacrosse team, the Seattle Storm Women’s Basketball team, and currently works as the communications coordinator for the  Tri-City Americans Hockey Club.  

Tole proves you can successfully combine PR and your personal interests.  In this interview, Tole discusses the ups and downs of sports media, career challenges for young professionals, and advice for those of us about to enter the real world.  

You’ve worked with several sports teams. What drew you to working with sports media?

I originally went to Central Washington University to go into the education field thinking that I wanted to be a teacher. However, going through CWU’s general education requirements I found that a had a fascination with media which I was first exposed to in the Communications Mass Media class.

After exploring the specific fields in communication I found that PR was the one that most appealed to me. With PR you have the luxury of being able to go into almost any industry you want. Every company in the world needs PR people, so I decided to join PR with my passion in life, sports.

Several of my classmates want to enter this field. What’s the best part of working with sports media?

If you are lucky enough to work in sports media you get to do so many cool things. My favorite is getting to know the players and coaches on a personal level and overall being around the team, in the locker room after the game, and behind the scenes before the game.

Being able to get up in the morning and go to work in the stadium is a really unique feeling. On top of that, you get paid to be at sporting events. For a person who loves sports, what could possibly beat that?

Every job has its downsides. For you, what’s the toughest part of your job?

The sports industry is a very different business much like the merchandise or food industry. Teams make their money capitalizing on consumers during their free times meaning you work a lot of nights and weekends.

During the season there isn’t a whole lot of days off and you will regularly be working hours that you likely won’t be getting paid for. On game days I usually arrive at work at 9 a.m. and won’t leave until after midnight. Also, compensation is not very competitive in sports particularly early in your career.  You will make more money by doing something like working for a PR firm, but if you’re like me you want to wake up every morning and be excited to go to work.

Young professionals like me often start in minor league sports where there is very little money. There is money to be made in bigger leagues but it can take time to get there and some people never get there.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in your career path?

My biggest challenge was landing that first full time job. Coming out of college with limited experience is not an easy sell to employers.

Another challenge I have faced is my age, working with people significantly older than me. You may run into a case where people won’t take you seriously or refuse to listen and take orders from someone as young as you. If you work hard and prove your value and capabilities it is a problem that you can easily overcome.

Do you have any major career goals for the future?

It’s my goal to one day to be in charge of an entire communications department. Whether that is in sports or not remains to be seen. I like what I have on my resume right now. I think I’m off to a good start early in my career and can’t wait to get even more experience.

Another thing I would like to do one day sooner rather than later is get my master’s degree, I’m leaning towards Master of Business Administration but haven’t made my final decision.

What advice would you give to students entering the PR field?

My advice to you and anybody looking to get into PR is to get experience however you can. You will find as you graduate and begin looking for that first “real world” job that the market for a college graduate with zero work experience is slim to none.

How can you get this experience? Internships are huge; I know that you are required to take a one-quarter internship as part of your graduation requirement. My challenge to you is to not stop at that one quarter. Every person graduating with a PR degree will have that one-quarter of experience, which for many people won’t help because companies have no interest in you if your experience is fetching coffee and photocopying.

Stay with the internship as long as possible and get as much experience doing legitimate PR work as you can. If you can do multiple internships, that’s even better in my opinion. I did three internships before getting this job. It is often a long road so get ahead while you can.

You’ve probably heard your professors talking about networking and they couldn’t be more right. Internships are probably the best way to get these connections. Other ways to do it are buy getting informational meetings with anyone who will let you come in. They might not be hiring but they might know someone who is looking for someone. I was never part of PRSA while a student but it’s something I wish I had done.

Apple’s Social Media Debut

Before reading an article on PR Daily, I never noticed Apple’s lack of social media presence for hardware.  I was shocked to see an empty Twitter account and very unofficial looking Instagram.

Apple recently broke ground on their social media scene by creating a unique Tumblr page.  The site features unique minimalist videos that I’m surprised I haven’t seen on TV.  The page promotes their multi-colored and cost efficient iPhone 5c.

It might seem strange at first to enter social media through Tumblr, rather than Twitter or Facebook.  But as Digiday points out, the target audience for Tumblr is nearly identical to the target audience for the iPhone 5c.  This makes Tumblr a perfect fit for the iPhone 5c campaign.

It’s interesting to see a successful company not indulge itself into social media.  There’s no doubt the foray into Tumblr is a good move for the company.  But I do question if ignoring other social media outlets is a good idea.

As I said before, I did look for other social media.  Finding the weird empty sites does warp my perception of Apple.  Apple has a large and informative website, but many people check social media for news and information.

The Tumblr page is creative and refreshing, and I’d personally love to see what Apple could do with other social media platforms.

That being said, I never noticed their lack of social media before.  Apple also became the top global brand for 2013.  This surpasses the social media savvy Coca-Cola.  Maybe Apple is simply the exception to the rules of social media.

Plagiarism: Never Worth The Risk

Plagiarism is a guaranteed way to destroy your credibility.  Taking credit for the work of others not only makes you look lazy, but it shows a lack of ethics.  It’s easier to plagiarize in the Internet age, which means we must work harder to avoid it.

It’s important to avoid plagiarism because it can destroy your career.  In public relations, your reputation is everything.  If you have a reputation for stealing content, no one will ever want to work with you.  There are no benefits to cutting corners in public relations.

With the amount of content online, it’s easier to find content to plagiarize.  That being said, it’s also easier to plagiarize by mistake.  Personally, I was not aware of how many different types of plagiarism there are.  Plagiarism.org created an interesting list ranking 10 different types of plagiarism.

One example from the Plagiarism.org list is the “Re-Tweet,” described as “includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text’s original wording and/or structure.”

I know for a fact I was guilty of this in the past.  I never thought of this as plagiarism, but it makes sense.  The rules are strict, but they have to be, especially in this modern age.

Personally, I try to cite sources as much as possible.  No one is going to dock points for citing too many sources.  Citing sources also increases the credibility of your content.

Of course, you should also make sure the sources you cite are credible themselves.  The Purdue OWL provides a helpful guide to judging the credibility of your source.

Need more tips?  Plagiarism.org has a great step-by-step guide for plagiarism prevention.