I love Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org). I’m a chronic combo computer user and TV watcher. When I’m watching Planet Earth on Discovery and they name a deep-sea fish I’ve never seen before and I’m curious about it, I go to Wikipedia. When I’m watching the Mavericks (my team) and the Trail Blazers play and I want to know where someone played in college—if he did at all—I go to Wikipedia. When I’m watching Family Guy and they make a comical reference to a pop culture figure I don’t know about, I go to Wikipedia. It is my quick reference guide to everything in this cyber world of long, loud and annoying Flash Web site intros.

 So, here is the question: Can we, as brand enthusiasts, use this tool to create fact-based, neutral articles for clients that follow Wikipedia’s guidelines of citing third-party sources and proving “notability?” If we can do this, can the fruit of our time be a useful tool in media?

I believe the answer to both of these questions is an emphatic “yes.” Because the site becomes newsworthy if someone writes libelous words on a public figure’s page, we know that people widely accept Wikipedia as a source of information. (The growing number of over 3,200,000 articles in English is also a clue to this.)

Recent college graduates like me who had to write a fair amount of papers can tell you that professors always reminded us: “Wikipedia is not a source.” This is true. Anytime you pull information from Wikipedia, you should be cautious because it could’ve been your five-year-old nephew that last edited the page. However, professors never seemed to mention that well-written Wikipedia articles are full of sources. Well-written articles are supported by references to third-party sources like newspapers (or their Web sites), books, etc.

 Newly added Wikipedia articles will undergo a series of checks to see if they’re capable of being true sources of accurate information. Namely, users check to see if new articles meet the “notability guideline,” remain neutral and reference reliable third-party sources. Articles that do not meet these conditions (especially notability) and a few other criteria will be tagged and could be subject to being merged, redirected or even deleted.

 However, we may run into trouble trying to establish the notability of our clients/brands. For instance, I have started a grand total of one Wikipedia page. The page is about a 2010 Louisville mayoral candidate. Even though this man has run for a United States Senate seat and been voted for by over 200,000 people, the article about him has been tagged for notability questioning. This is likely due to the surplus of information I provided about him that is relatively difficult (let me rephrase… likely impossible) to cite using third-party sources.

 But, now we know what it takes. Citing news articles, news clips, books, etc., for information about your client/brand will make your potential Wikipedia page stick. If your client is not getting much publicity, it’s good to know that public relations is always free and can assist in this effort, whether it’s an innovative press conference to announce big news, a charity canned food/clothing drive in a struggling neighborhood or a local celebrity golf scramble backed by your brand.

Once your client is gaining press, continue writing a neutral article with the fact-based information, posting it and inserting links on other necessary pages. For instance, you would make sure “Ford Mustang” links appeared somewhere in the articles for pony car, V8 engine, Ford Motor Company and Flat Rock, Michigan.

Once your article is posted, your work is continuous. Keep in mind that these pages can be updated by anyone and new information should be added as it becomes public. Monitor the page for misuse and false information. (The easiest thing to do is look at the bottom of the page for the date/time it was last edited to see if any changes have been made, then go from there.) Recognize that it’s not all flowers and cupcakes as bad news will be edited into your client’s page as well. However, maintaining or saving face for your client may come down to crisis management in serious situations, or a simple press release in minor situations. Deleting the information on Wikipedia, obviously, will not suffice.

 Once your page is established, you can be confident knowing that when someone Googles your client, the client’s Web site should be the first result and the Wikipedia page will not be far behind. Or, know that computer-in-hand TV watchers like me will be looking to your page for information at a high rate. Either way, you have just taken advantage of a free tool that seems to have taken a back seat to the Facebooks, Twitters, YouTubes, Flickrs, Diggs and Bloggers of the world. 

Raise your hand if you think it was an example of how a Super Bowl spot is still a smart investment.

Guess what?

It wasn’t a Super Bowl commercial. As Barbara Lippert noted on AdWeek, the spot actually first aired the day after the Super Bowl, during American Idol, LOST and the Olympic coverage.  Which, granted, is still a sizable media buy, but also considerably less than a Super Bowl spot.

What I found fascinating, though, was this:

And the agency bought some keywords on search sites to attract people who, in the Super Bowl afterglow, were looking online for funny commercials.

So in essence, the agency used paid search to convince people they saw what they didn’t see.

While the visual sleight of hand in the spot itself is impressive, to a web geek like me, this search marketing smoke and mirrors is equally interesting.

It wouldn’t have worked if the content itself–the spot–hadn’t been intrinsically compelling.  But let’s say you had online video specialists like Rhett and Link create a similarly engaging spot (as they did for a local business in my hometown last week.)

Let’s say you had a budget for keyword search to own “funny commercials” keyphrases for your business’ geographic area for a week.

You could, in theory, do your own version of this “piggyback Super Bowl play.”

Maybe I’m crazy.  What do you think?

 Have you heard about the latest do-dad from XYZ Corp.?  It has many great features, including blah, blah, blah.  This is seriously the most exciting product to come along since the iPhone. 

 I know you’ll want to do a feature on this product, because it is that awesome.   Actually, it’s so good that you will probably want to put it on the cover of the magazine and make it a 3,000-word article instead of 500 words. 

 Here’s the link to the product website: www.dodadsbyxyz.com.  All of the information you’ll need for the feature story is there, so there’s no need to get in touch with me.

Can’t wait to see the article!

Signed, Clueless PR Professional”

Whether we’d like to admit it or not, we’ve all made some pitches that are similar to Clueless PR Professional.  It never hurts to brush up on your pitching skills, so here’s a short list of tips that might be helpful. 

 1.  Make it personal. No one wants to feel like they’re receiving the same e-mail that 1,000 other journalists are getting.

2.  Don’t oversell your client.  Provide the facts in an honest (and concise) way. 

3.  Journalists hate when you suggest writing a feature story.  So don’t do it.  If they’re interested, believe me, they’ll let you know.

4.  Make yourself accessible to the media and provide necessary information for the product/service in the e-mail.

This may sound like common sense, but it’s always good to be reminded every once in awhile.

“Can you give me directions to your heart?  I seemed to have lost myself in your eyes.”

“I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away!”

There’s little proof to show that pick-up lines actually work at attracting men and women, yet many people still insist on using them.  The thing about pick-up lines is that they seem, well, phony.

Many journalists have this same complaint about public relations professionals.

Pitches that show a lack of understanding of the publication or media outlet’s target audience (for example, pitching the latest junk food to a magazine that specializes in vegan food) get tossed quickly.

Pick-up artists often play a “numbers” game—talk to as many people as they can, and odds are they will find someone who’s interested.   Journalists want to feel “special,” meaning they don’t want to be part of a 10,000 person e-mail blast, particularly if the product or service you’re pitching doesn’t relate to what they do.

So before you make a pitch, do your research.  Include the journalist’s name in the pitch.  If you know of a particular section of their publication that your product or service would be perfect for, say it.  And for goodness sake, don’t ask them if they’re tired because they’ve been running through your mind all night.

When I wake up to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s “Hey, Hey What Can I Do?” I know that I’m in for a great learning experience.  It’s been a little over nine months since I received my bachelor’s degree and as we’re all aware, it’s a tough job market for everyone, let alone recent college graduates.  Fortunately, I was offered an internship with Doe-Anderson, and I knew that it was simply an opportunity that could not be passed up. 

 When I interviewed for this internship, my potential advisors made it clear that I would not be “asked to make coffee.”  One thing I did not want to do when I graduated was stop learning, so I was happy to hear this.  Though I’m only in my third week, this has very been true. The internship is structured to where I will spend a few weeks in each department: public relations (my forte in college), account services and media. Of course, in the hectic environment of the advertising world, sometimes my abilities are needed in more than one area on a given day.

 For instance, yesterday I was asked to research a client’s competitors in the Ohio Valley region.  Then I attended a meeting where we discussed a challenging communications brief given to us by another client. In about ten minutes, I’m going to my group’s first brainstorming session on how we’re going to approach fulfilling this brief, and I look forward to hearing the ideas that will be presented, as well as developing my own.

 As an intern, it’s hard not to be shy in meetings around grown professionals who have been doing their jobs as long as I’ve had a pulse.  But I’ve been taking advantage of the position I’m in and have been picking people’s brains about their jobs and backgrounds, and listening to their advice.  It’s comforting to know that they were once in your position and understand what you’re going through.

 My plan – by the time my internship is finished at Doe – is to decide how I want my professional career to develop.  I also want to demonstrate to potential employers that I’m ready to fill a position on their team.  Making the transition from college to the real world hasn’t been easy, and it will be all that much sweeter when I succeed.

Do you know specifically what the reputation of your company is worth?  A silly question, perhaps, but Toyota is in the midst of finding out what the answer is for them.  The automaker’s “unintended acceleration” nightmare is costing the company an enormous amount of money not only in lost sales and undermined customer loyalty, but also the hard, tangible costs of everything from replacement parts and dealer installation time to extensive advertising and public relations counsel.

 Eventually, the company will be able to look back and tally up a grand total of everything spent directly on the gas-pedal problem.  It will be a very large number.  And they will consider every nickel a good investment toward repairing their reputation.

 Beyond money, however, two other factors are critical for Toyota to regain its credibility: great customer service, and time.

 With millions of Toyota owners descending upon local dealerships for their replacement accelerator assemblies, each encounter is an opportunity for Toyota to shine – or to stumble.  If dealers can consistently make each customer feel as if he or she is the most important person they’ve seen during the recall, they will take giant strides toward reviving consumer confidence.  And as Doe-Anderson consistently preaches, turning those customers into engaged, vocal brand enthusiasts is the best investment a company can make.

 Still, it’s going to take time for Toyota to complete its recovery.  Clients often want a quick, effective public relations strategy to address a problem and emerge on the other side, none the worse for wear.  Doing and saying the right things quickly is, indeed, a critical part of the solution, but then the company must gradually earn back the trust of its audiences by remaining consistent, over time, in delivering on its promises.

In a sense, this crisis of reputation can be seen as a tremendous opportunity for Toyota.  If the company can get through a business catastrophe of this magnitude by responding honestly, quickly, effectively, and humbly – and avoid further problems for the foreseeable future – the company may ultimately win the public’s admiration and respect at an even more meaningful level than before.

The PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando is a great place to introduce new products in the golf industry.  Since 1993, I’ve been making the trek to Orlando as the PR representative for Hillerich & Bradsby, the company that owns PowerBilt Golf and Bionic Gloves (and another brand you’ve probably heard of – Louisville Slugger). 

Some 800 media members attend.  This means anyone with a new gizmo or gadget in the golf industry is holding a news conference and assembling press kits. 

This year, the organizers of the show are urging the PR folks to go green.  Don’t print press releases and put them in glossy folders, they plead.  Instead, they’re asking everyone to post news online.  They even provide a Web site for all news releases.  

While it may be environmentally responsible to chuck the printed news release, it’s not strategic.  Not yet, anyway.  Reporters still need to a way to instantly read news -friendly info about your company’s innovative products.  

At the same time, here are some measures we’ve taken to be greener.  First of all, we’ve cut the number press kits we assemble.  We take advantage of the online pressroom, plus we’re providing more electronic press kits on CDs.  While CDs are not ideal, they’re more economical than thumb drives.  

We no longer print letterhead and folders.  All images are incorporated into the MSWord (or PDF) file and printed on an as needed basis.  We buy stock folders from the local office-supply store, as many as we need, and uses rub-down logos to give the folders a professional look.  This way, we’re only buying 100 or 200 folders, instead of quantities needed for a press run, such as 1,000 or 2,000 or more.  The same is true for letterhead.  And who hasn’t tossed outdated folders and letterhead at some point? 

We’ve also gotten better at communicating electronically in advance of the show.  All notifications of news conferences, plus early distribution of news releases are done via e-mail.  The days of the 3D mailers seem to be gone.

Over the years, I’ve seen the press room at the PGA Show grow significantly.  The amount of pure trash that fills the space has become significant.  Yes, we need to be greener in how we announce news.  But it’s not quite time to completely kill the printed press release.

We offer three types of internships:  interactive, creative and client services.  Our client services interns rotate through the account services, public relations and media departments during their time at the agency.  The program is a great way for students and recent graduates to explore several different paths of the industry and see firsthand how an ad agency works. 

Doe prides itself on treating our interns like entry-level employees, which means we have them do real work, like assisting with media placements, writing press releases, interacting with clients and performing competitive research. 

So if you’re interested in spending the summer with us, it’s best to apply early.  The first step is to check out our website and see if the program is a good fit for you.  And we love it when candidates apply directly to the site.  Good luck!

Bill Schelling, who’s in charge of the print production department at Doe, was given the award at last week’s shindig. He got another surprise when Bob Allison, the award’s namesake, personally presented the plaque to him. Bob, who served as the agency’s president for twenty years, actually hired Bill back in 1988.

The award was first presented to Bob in 1993, the year he retired. Every year since, the award has been presented to a Doe-Anderson employee whose “enterprise, zeal and enthusiasm most contributes to creating a positive culture and spirit at the agency.” However, Bob has not been able to attend the party and award presentation since ’93, so his appearance this year was special.

And Bob had some kind words to say about the newest honoree.

“Bill is one of the most diligent, reliable persons I’ve ever hired,” he said. “It’s been wonderful to see the stability and leadership he’s brought to the agency and the ad community in Louisville.”

Past winners of the Robert S. Allison Award include:

2008 Julie Ice
2007 Michelle Morlan
2006 David Bonner
2005 John McCall
2004 Shane Regala & Jenny Seigle
2003 Don Reibert
2002 Phil Payne
2001 Terrie Wright
2000 Bill Bossier & Kirk Hilbrecht
1999 Henrietta Pepper
1998 Jim Ensign
1997 Todd Spencer
1996 Michael Littman
1995 Dan Burgess
1994 Ann Coffey
1993 Robert Allison

Bob Allison and Todd Spencer present Bill Schelling with the Robert S. Allison Award at the agency's annual holiday party.

No matter how Woods handles the situation, he will be chastised.  The damage has been done, his brand has been tarnished. He’s remained silent for the most part, which few PR professionals would advise.  He did release a vague statement several days after reports surfaced about “the other women.”  But many felt it was too little, too late.

Woods should have done all that he could to attempt to control the message from the get go.  PR practitioners have a saying– “If you mess up, ‘fess up.”  If he is guilty of these “transgressions,” the golfer should have put out a statement immediately.  No need to go into the sordid details, but something that states the facts and apologizes to his family, friends and fans. If he had done this, Woods’ image would have been better off and perhaps the story wouldn’t continue to spiral out-of-control as it has.  After all, the best person to talk about you is YOU. 

Everyone seems to have an opinion on this story, so what’s yours?