I haven’t celebrated a PR Winner of the Week in several, several weeks, but this story could not go unnoticed. In fact, if you had told me this brand would be one of my PR winners, well, I wouldn’t have predicted that. But, congratulations to McDonald’s in Oklahoma, owned by Tim Rich and his wife.
I heard the story on K-LOVE, a national Christian radio station. A McDonald’s owned by Tim Rich is closed for renovations. This happens often, and typically employees either find new jobs or go without pay while the business is closed. However, Rich and his wife came up with a better plan. The Riches set aside $120,000 and told employees they would continue to be paid if they gave back to their community. Read more from CNBC.
I’ve got to say it. I’m not a fan of McDonald’s. Not because I think the brand brainwashes me and my children and makes us overweight. Actually, I tend to think I’m in control of what I eat and I also teach my children to make healthy eating choices. In fact, I think my daughter has been to McDonald’s fewer than five times and she’s turning three this month. She has never asked me to take her to McDonald’s. That being said, I don’t typically choose McDonald’s because I think their food is mostly unhealthy and I don’t feel very good after I eat it. To be fair, we don’t eat much fast food at all. (So when we do, french fries and sweet tea are a must-have treat.)
While it’s hard to advertise McDonald’s to me (i.e. get me to purchase its food), it is still possible for McDonald’s to use PR techniques on me (i.e. get me to have a relationship with its brand.) You see, while I may not choose its food, I do choose its play areas. McDonald’s restaurants make excellent rest stops when traveling with children. So, the brand does win in getting me to think positively about it.
And to the Riches and their McDonald’s in Oklahoma, congratulations, you are my PR Winner of the Week. Since hearing your story, I’ve been thinking maybe I should use paid time off to volunteer each year. After saving my vacation and sick days for two maternity leaves, I feel like I have an abundance of time available to me, and now I am praying how I may put it to good use. Have you ever noticed you can’t spell Good without God? I just noticed that.
What volunteer opportunities would you pursue in your community using paid time off?
I was typing an email this morning to my husband’s cousin, and I wasn’t exactly sure how to end it. As one of my favorite people in the whole world and someone in my extended family, I do love her. But closing an email with “love” doesn’t seem to be something my husband’s family uses often (or ever?) So, while with my family I would normally say “Love” or something similar, I wasn’t exactly sure how to end it. But I knew it had to be something stellar. After all, she sent me some snail mail recently addressed to, “The Fabulous, Beautiful Kandi.”
“Websearcher” definitely had some great suggestions, especially for the professional world. I find “Best Regards” (and my friend @VanaeShope agreed) to be a favorite for business emails, especially ones sent to international clients. It’s fairly neutral, and I always try to be wary of how things will be taken by other cultures. And most often, I use “Thank you” in business emails.
But back to my dilemma this morning. How did I solve it? I went with “YOU are the beautiful, fabulous one!” She truly is.
What unique phrases do you use to close your emails?
In the days before the Internet and email, some peoples’ biggest problem was having a thought, speaking it, and then wishing they could take it back. In those days, while others could repeat what you said, there was no permanent documentation that you had said something embarrassing or otherwise damaging to your reputation.
And then came the Internet. The new pattern: Think it … type it … hit send. I would have thought that somewhere between “type it” and “hit send” folks would take two seconds to take a breath and think about what they’ve typed before sharing it. Yet, it almost seems as if the disease has worsened. We write and send emails in haste when we should write them, let them sit, and then re-read them before we hit send. Or, wait until we have cooled off before even drafting the email. And that’s the beauty of email. You can get your thoughts out immediately and then pause to be sure you want to permanently document what you are about to say. Let’s be honest, in today’s times of archiving, mirroring and everything else, it’s nearly impossible to fully delete what we share over the Internet.
Now social media is playing an even bigger role in peoples’ inability to censor themselves. Apparently, the drive to share all of ones thoughts with the rest of the listening world is much stronger than the need to use a little discretion. I recently read Jeff Bulla’s blog entry, “11 Ways to Lose Your Job on Facebook,” and I am surprised that even though use of the Internet has been widely popular for about 20 years (giving us about 20 years worth of examples for blog posts on this topic), people are still not using caution when posting to sites such as Facebook or sending emails.
Even so, here are a few of my tips for using discretion with the Internet:
1. If you wouldn’t print it in the newspaper or in a magazine, you shouldn’t post it on the Internet. Why? Because even though you may protect your accounts, it is still likely that it could be read by an audience larger than if you did actually print it in the newspaper. And, as mentioned above, it’s just as permanent. Maybe more so.
2. Take a moment to consider if the time of day you are posting is appropriate. Is there anyone who could read your post who knows you should be doing something besides spending time on Twitter or Facebook (like your boss)?
3. Take a moment to consider if anyone could read your post whom you do not wish to share the information with. You may not be friends with your boss on Facebook, but you may be friends with a co-worker who is friends with your boss. If your co-worker comments on your post, your boss will likely be able to read what you posted. Also, take a moment to consider what you post on a friend’s wall. For example, if you work in a doctor’s office, you probably don’t want to post on a friend’s wall, “Hey, I noticed you have an appointment with Dr. So and So tomorrow.” (This is a fictitious example.) This is a violation of HIPAA and you could lose your job. And possibly lose your friend if your friend didn’t want to share that he had a doctor’s appointment.
4. Pause long enough to re-read (maybe even aloud) what you are about to post after you type it. I have typed many status updates into Facebook only to backspace when I realize I don’t really want mass people to know what I am about to say. If there are a few people I still want to share the information with, I opt for Facebook’s email feature or a text message. And if the information is really sensitive, I use the phone to make a phone call or two. There are just some things that shouldn’t be put in writing because you never know when software may glitch, you may be hacked, or a site such as Facebook will decide it owns your data.
All of this brings me to say that while it would be nice if we could separate our personal and professional lives, it’s an unreasonable expectation in these times of using social media. If you share yourself publicly (Facebook may offer some privacy protection, but really, it’s still sharing in a fairly public way), then it’s fairly unreasonable to expect that a) your boss won’t find out and b) your boss can’t use it in determining if you are a fit employee. In fact, by the very nature of the word private, I don’t think it has any place in the term social media.
Do you have a personal experience you wish to share involving a social media faux pas?
When a brand has a great product that I can’t live without, I consider it a KandiKreatives PR Winner. Strip away the advertising, the relationship building, the customer service – when you strip it all away, if you don’t have a great product, your customers are still on the open market. Here’s the trick – I have to know your product is out there to try it.
Growing up, I did not know the meaning of product loyalty. I couldn’t afford to understand the concept. Since my mom struggled to make ends meet, I made sure I had few needs and just used whatever she happened to buy – which changed each time she went to the store.
When I was on my own for the first time, I still could not afford product loyalty. Though I had discovered a few brands of makeup, soap or shampoo I liked, I could rarely afford to buy them with any consistency. I certainly did not get my hair cut with any consistency. I would go maybe twice a year and always to a different salon – anything from Ross the Boss to Wal-Mart (I know, I know.)
And then I met my husband.
The whole world of product loyalty suddenly opened up to me. Talk about a gender role reversal, my husband loves to shop. And he understands that paying more is not only worth it, but may actually save money in the long run because quality tends to last longer (ok, except for haircuts, but you just can’t put a price tag on feeling beautiful.)
Burt’s Bees
The first brand I became addicted to was Burt’s Bees products. As a redhead, I am a chapstick fiend, and I have found that Burt’s Bees really is the best. But my loyalty does not end with chapstick, I also use the Orange Essence Facial Wash and the Carrot Nutritive Day Cream. And when I used toner, I was an avid fan of the tomato-based toner. One time, when I had run out of toner, I couldn’t find the toner at any Burt’s Bees retailers, so I stopped by a “natural” women’s products boutique. Surely they would have it, right? When I asked the sales person if she had Burt’s Bees products, she let me know that they did not carry products that you could also purchase at a local hardware store. Understandable, I said, however, this particular product is not so easy to find. Then I asked her if she had anything comparable that I may want to try from her store. You’re gonna love this part. She actually told me that since she was unfamiliar with Burt’s Bees products, she wasn’t sure if she would have anything I would like, that I had beautiful skin so the products obviously worked well for me, and good luck. Talk about strengthening my loyalty to Burt’s Bees and any store that sells the products. Too bad I still couldn’t find the toner. So, after research on using toner, I decided to delete it from my daily regimen.
Natural Aveda Salon and Spa
I have also found a hairstylist at Natural Aveda Salon and Spa that I am 100 percent loyal to. Not only do I go only to him but I also go with somewhat regularity. Besides the fact that he makes my hair look fabulous (I would never suggest to him how to cut my hair, I just let him have free rein), he brings me good luck. The first time I went to him, my husband proposed two days later. When I needed to get my hair cut for the wedding (I had a short engagement), my husband suggested I go back to him because I knew he would do a good job. So, after my second visit, I was married. After a visit a little more than a year later, I got a long-awaited job interview, and then I found out I was pregnant.
Bare Escentuals
The third thing I am now faithful to is makeup. One night I came home from a girlie event and found my husband watching an infomercial for Bare Escentuals (did I mention reversed gender roles?) A few days later, my first starter kit arrived in the mail. The makeup is light on my face, better at hiding facial flaws than any concealer I’ve ever used, and has actually improved my complexion (and I never wash my face before bed.)
Fekkai Glossing
And the latest product I am shouting about from the rooftops is Fekkai Glossing shampoo, conditioner and glossing cream. I tried, I tried so hard to love the shampoo and conditioner from Aveda that my hair guy uses on my hair (I love the products when he washes my hair). But even though I used Aveda at home for nearly three years, my hair never felt salon fresh when I used it. I can’t remember exactly when, but I was at Bath and Body Works and was given a free sample of Fekkai Glossing shampoo and cream. I placed it in my shower planning to try it “someday,” and then forgot about it. A couple of weeks ago (and probably nine months after receiving the sample), I finally tried it. And for the first time, even though I am overdue for a haircut, my hair felt salon fresh. It was a humid day and I had zero frizz. I purchased the set: the shampoo, conditioner and cream. (They also offer a shine mist.) After using it for two weeks, I must say, though expensive, I have never been less frustrated over my hair. Thank you Frederic Fekkai.
PR Pros: The Next Step
To the PR pros out there, I must say, free samples still go a long way. And to companies in the health and beauty business, I want to recommend an idea that I used during my ninth grade civics class advertising campaign: include a travel size of your product with a full-size purchase. Better yet, include a sample or travel size of a complimentary product, like a sample conditioner with the shampoo purchase. In an era when people traveling by plane must take travel sizes on flights, what better way to build a little product loyalty?
What products do you love? How did you discover them? PR pros want to know.
When I was in middle and high school, studies regarding the effects of watching too much tv revolved around attention span issues. Today, microblogging (ahem, Twitter)Â is considered a tool designed for folks with short attention spans. Give me lots of news, give it to me fast, and then let me move on.
Today, I discovered StatusNet, “the WordPress of microblogging,” according to TechCrunch.com. My first thought was, great too many short attention spans are degrading writing and leading to mass microblogs. Just what the Internet needed. And then I thought about my own blog. I haven’t exactly been a faithful blogger. In fact, I have several draft ideas in queue, but I can’t stay focused long enough to write a decent entry before I realize my idea is old news. (Is that an effect of my short attention span or an issue with the super-fast information highway?)
Giving this microblogging business one more second of thought before moving on, I realized why I think the service StatusNet offers will be a big hit for social media. It actually ties right in with one of my blog entries that hadn’t moved beyond the brainstorming stage yet.
When I was working on my undergraduate degree in mass communications as an aspiring public relations pro, my professors often asked why we wanted to work in PR. While my answer was that I liked the variety it offered, from writing to event planning to creating publications, my classmates often answered that they enjoyed working with “the public.” Wrong. Ten years ago public relations didn’t exactly involve working with the public. It was more about managing your public, or more specifically, managing your image within your publics. PR was a one-way relationship. You spoke, the public listened.
If I taught a PR class today and one of my students said she wanted to be a PR pro because she enjoyed working with the public, I would say she is in the right profession. From the Internet, to blogging, and now microblogging, PR has become a conversation between you and your publics. While you still manage your image, you don’t manage your publics. Instead, you work with your publics and they assist you in managing your image.
So, true, while a boom in microblogs may signal mass destruction in attention spans, I think it’s the next step for PR pros. Corporate blogs are just one more way for a company to talk a lot about “me” and hear a little bit from you (in the form of a comment.) Using a microblog will not only even the playing field, it also will create a conversation between you and your target publics – not the mass public.
Is a KandiKreatives microblog coming soon? Stay tuned.
Is my attention span at risk? Well, considering a tweet by @markraganceo turned into research, brainstorming, a blog entry, and several future tweets, I think I will keep “focus” in my vocabulary.
I was sitting on the couch in my pajamas on New Year’s Eve watching the Vols get whipped and laughing at the Chick-Fil-A cows when a commercial came on that seemed so familiar, I thought it was de ja vu. Someone was eating fast food and had experienced dramatic weight loss. Are you picturing Jared? Then let me introduce you to Christine, the new face of Taco Bell‘s drive-thru diet which advertises you can lose weight by ordering items off the Fresco menu.
When I recovered from the de ja vu experience, my next thought was gross. Maybe you can eat fast food and lose weight, but get real, fast food diets are not healthy. So I complained … to my husband … who was a victim of being the only person sitting in the room.
Two days later I was at a comedy show being entertained by Karen Fitzgerald when I found myself laughing at her bit on the Taco Bell diet. And then the lightbulb flashed. Taco Bell is a PR Winner. The company’s ad campaign is a 100% gimmick targeted to women on the go, and I disagree with it.
Yet, it’s stirred a national conversation. See what was reported by ABC News.
So, Taco Bell, while I think your food should be an occasional treat (hey, just because I’m not a fan of the concept of fast food doesn’t mean I don’t like the food) instead of a daily food staple, I do think you are a PR Winner. You got my attention, you made me emotional, and I am one of the people talking about it. Well done.
Two weeks ago, I had a triumphant victory over my Canon Digital Rebel XT. I learned to shoot photos in manual mode. Determined, I dressed my daughter in her new red dress, set my camera to take an optimal photo in the living room, and began chasing my daughter around the house snapping photos (while trying to stop her from putting the lens cap back on the camera.) I wanted a picture for a Christmas card.
I downloaded the photos to my laptop and found the perfect shot – my daughter hugging her teddy bear. I visited the Photo Center on walgreens.com and began searching for an appropriate Christmas card design (which was no easy task, most of the designs do not say “Merry Christmas” these days.)
Saturday, I picked up my photos, and to my horror, they were bright red – except for my daughter’s red hair, which looked bright orange.
This is when I learned two lessons. The first is that for printing photos, you should first calibrate your computer monitor and then you should calibrate Adobe Photoshop to your computer monitor, otherwise your photos may print differently than they looked on the monitor. The next thing I learned is that the Walgreens Photo Center has an exceptional customer service policy.
With several people waiting in line, the young woman working in the photo shop took the time to try to color correct my photo. Then, she reprinted my card and didn’t charge me any additional money, even though the Kool-Aid-colored photo was my fault. This is Walgreens policy: 100% satisfaction guaranteed. See it on their Web site.
Congratulations, Walgreens Photo Center. Your are my PR Winner of the Week for your outstanding customer service policy and the excellent service provided by your employees.
Taking pictures in manual mode: check.
My next challenge: mastering monitor color calibration.
The cup sitting next to my desk (far enough from my computer to be out of the danger zone) is filled with ice and water, my beverage of choice. Dr. Pepper was my favorite soft drink throughout grade school and college, but today that prized status is wide open to competition. I still find the occasional Dr. Pepper to be a pleasant surprise to my taste buds, but as I only indulge every couple of years, I would hardly call that product loyalty.
Digital twin? I thought. Cool! I have heard everyone has a twin somewhere in the world, and Coke Zero has developed an application, available through Facebook, to help you find her (or him.) I had to try the application immediately. Here were my results (close, except for the eyes): http://bit.ly/6ZvINU.
Coke Zero, you have my attention.
It has been four days since I first used the facial profiler (yes, I will experiment again.) I still have not tasted the beverage, but that has more to do with the fact that I have been unofficially soft-drink free for days, even weeks now. But will I try Coke Zero? You bet. Maybe. I prefer drinks that do not use artificial sweeteners. But to the Coke brand, you are on my mind. Oh, and the Coke Zero commercial about suing yourself, that was hilarious!
Congratulations, Coke Zero, you are my PR Winner of the week. And as soon as I break my soft-drink fast, a Coke will be in my cup.
I like to talk about my favorite brands. I’ve been known to do it for free. That’s why I’m promoting the Just Say No to Pay Per Tweets on Twitter campaign.
Sure, it would be nice if Chick-fil-A (I’m a fan on Facebook) or Lenny’s (@knoxvillelennys)Â or Mimis Cafe (@mimis_cafe) or New Balance Shoes or any other brand I’ve mentioned for free would offer me a few bucks, but that defeats not only my intent but also the purpose of branding and great public relations. Implementing great public relations is my day job. Talking about brands I catch in the act of a great campaign is what I do for fun. (You would not be the first person to call me a geek.)
The formula to get me talking about your brand is simple. It reverts back to the earliest form of public relations: provide a quality product or service with good customer service at a reasonable price.
From being closed on Sundays to the Chick-fil-A cows, Chick-fil-A’s entire concept revolves around first-class PR.
Chick-fil-A has great (Christian) values, and the company does not compromise these values to make a few extra dollars. The fast food chain serves a great product, including the best french fries. Period. It does not serve any beef. The chain is closed on Sundays. Chick-fil-A is one-of-a-kind.
When I eat fast food (approximately six times a year) I always choose Chick-fil-A. The food is tasty and the sweet tea is sweet and fresh-brewed. Each Sunday on my way to church, I pass the restaurant and think, “Chick-fil-A sounds good, too bad it’s closed today.” So, when I need to choose a fast food restaurant any other day of the week, Chick-fil-A is already on my mind. On my last vacation, my travel plan incorporated rest stops only at Chick-fil-A.
The Chick-fil-A cows and the “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign are brilliant. Every time my husband sees a group of three cows, he says, “Look! It’s the Chick-fil-A cows.” We live in the country, so this actually happens quite a bit.
I am not a fan of billboards because they distract me when I am driving. Luckily, my husband does most of the driving, and it gives me the opportunity to see the latest Chick-fil-A billboards posted along I-40 in Knoxville. I look forward to these billboards. I crack up when I read the jokes on chicken, and I really love the misspelled words.
Congratulations, Chick-fil-A, you are my first PR Winner of the Week. You are a branding role model. I love the 12 Days of Christmas billboard, and I look forward to tasting your Peppermint Chocolate Chip milkshake!
I haven’t celebrated a PR Winner of the Week in several, several weeks, but this story could not go unnoticed. In fact, if you had told me this brand would be one of my PR winners, well, I wouldn’t have predicted that. But, congratulations to McDonald’s in Oklahoma, owned by Tim Rich and his wife.![[del.icio.us]](http://www.kandikreatives.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
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