British Petrolium Oil Spill

It seems that the cause for the BP oil leak was discovered. BBC news reports that the blowout preventer (BOP) had fail to act be cause of a hydraulic leak and faulty battery.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8679090.stm

From a PR standpoint I feel as though BP is doing the right thing their website has daily updates of how the company is helping to contain and clean up the oil.

http://www.bp.com/extendedsectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=40&contentId=7061813

The best thing to do in these situations is keep the flow of information open to the public because once you stop talking about whats happening people begin to suspect your guilty of something. This will cost BP lots of money but they could take a hint from the Tylenol poisining and realize that it is a worthy investment.

Connan TBS

I can't tell you how upset I am about the way NBC handled the Leno/Coco disaster. From what I understand when Leno and Connan were renegotiating their contracts they didn't want to lose either of them so they tried this crazy solution where they moved leno up and connan took the spot. I think most people can agree that Connan's show was not given the proper amount of time to adjust to the new audience and Leno proved himself to be a hack.

When Connan was booted I thought for sure he would find a home on another major network. When I heard Connan was going to TBS I almost fell out of my chair. I can't believe he would do that.

However crazy it sounds I can understand the logic. At TBS he'll be able to expand on some of his more risque skits like masturbating bear. Also I think he see's the trend of viewers moving to more specialized channels like FX, Comedy Central, and TBS.

But it would still take alot for TBS to gain the same credibility as the Late show or the Tonight show.

LOST Series finale!!

I am so excited about the LOST series finale coming up may 23. I have been following it since the first season. The thing I love about LOST the most is that I've watched almost every episode with my cousin.

I didn't grow up around my extended family so when I came here I was happy to create a ritual that would involve getting to know them better. For the past 6 years my cousins and I have theorized and speculated about the origin of the island and the fate of its visitors.

Here is my final projection as to whats going to happen.

Jack is the chosen candidate but will refuse it for the opportunity to return everyone to their life, thus destroying the island.

Locke/MIB will escape the island in Locke's body but with no supernatural abilities.

Sawyer will die when hurley, kate, jack, miles, ben, pilot, and alpert try to leave the island.

Desmond will be the chosen one in the end, or have some role in creating a new light/island.

If anyone wants to challenge my theories I'm taking bets now.

The Move from Hell!

Because of unforeseen circumstances I had to move DURING finals week and everything that could go wrong did. I have been living on my own for several years now but this is the first move I've ever had to do on my own.

May 1st was on a Saturday and we were suppose to move in early on Wednesday of course nothing in the apartment that was supposed to be done like cleaning and painting had been, so we had to move both our apartments in one day.

My new roommate and I thought we would be saving money by hiring a rental truck and moving everything ourselves. unfortunately we underestimated how many things we had and ended up keeping the truck longer and paying for people to unload the truck in our new apartment in Hoboken.

We were doing all this while cable-vision came and installed TV/internet and the cleaning people were cleaning.

for the past couple of days I have been living out of boxes and preparing presentations and papers in a cluttered room. I look forward to the end of this semester so I can finish unpacked and take a long deserved nap.

PR Stunts

Taco Bell: I feel like the stunt that works for a company like Taco Bell works because they have the flexibility of not having to take themselves seriously. Had it been a company like Merrill Lynch, it would have made them sound like pranksters and no one would trust them or their service.

ProShade: I like the fact that they used humor to get the journalists to write about them. Even if their offer wasn't serious, the situation was humorous enough to catch the attention of the journalists. This ad's success is due almost completely to its ridiculous claims.

GoldenPalace.com: This company got off light because they only spent $28,000 and received international press. It is interesting to note that the lower the expectations of your company, the more outlandish stunts you can execute. I think this company was smart to pick a religious object because religious people don't support their business from the start.

Burger King: I view the Burger King stunt as a failure because it did not attract the same amount of attention that the Taco Bell stunt did. Had they actually manufactured left-handed burgers it may have been different but it seems that calling it an April Fools prank is a cop out.

SonicYoga.com: I like the idea of attaching important names to yourself if you are a small business. I think Fields got lucky because the premise of his pitch was inherently interesting which made it easier for bigger publications to take notice of.

DC Comics: I remember when this comic came out. My and my brother waited all day at the comic book store for The Death of Superman. I even bought two because I figured the value would appreciate over time as a collector's item. The next month when I returned to the comic book store to see The Return of Superman, I remember feeling dooped. I never read another DC comic book again.

Maui Beverages: I recognize the importance to reinvent yourself as a brand. If there is no reason to be serious, then why be serious? I think having a lighthearted atmosphere in the company when you have a lighthearted product yields positive results. It attracts employees and gets you noticed in the newspapers.

Del Monte Foods: I think it is always smart to donate or perpetuate any kind of charity. Meow Mix is clever for tying their product with pet adoption. However, I wonder how much this stunt costs to produce. I would attach some non-profits to pick up the leg work in the adoption agencies.

Half.com: I don’t understand the mentality of town’s like this. I can’t see the benefit of renaming a town beyond the immediate monetary reward. Had half.com promised to make their base of operations in Halfway, Oregon it would make more sense bring jobs and expand the town’s economy. So when I heard about companies doing this I see it as a pretty obvious stunt and dismiss the companies’ creditability.

Pokershare.com and casinoshare.com: This stunt seems like a good way to combine two idea that don’t have anything to do with one another. Using current events to

Art gallery

My girlfriend for a long time is finishing up her degree at Pratt institute in Brooklyn. To be honest I've never cared for art that much and still consider myself far from artistically savvy. But recent my girlfriend had her senior thesis show which is an art show that each student has to do in order to graduate. the show is the culmination of all four years of work and the student are judged. there is no way to fail its mostly for critique. I took my friend from Montclair State (a fellow comm major) and immediatly realized we were out of place.
The converstations at this college were very different than the parties or event held at Montclair. As I started looking at the art work (knowing all the hard work that went into it) I begn to appreciate the photograph for more than their subject matter. In fact I began to notice intentional influences from the photographer like composition and scale.
After this experience I think I will look forward to going to more art shows with my girl.

Fishing!

One of the things I miss the most about summer is the chance to fish. last summer my friend took me out on a party boat in Point Pleasant and it was probably the funnest thing I did all summer. There is something about being out in the middle of no where that is really relaxing.
I had been fishing before in Spain but did not enjoy it. But I guess I only like deep sea fishing because you actually catch fish in the past I have gone pier and lake fishing and that is boring because you sit at one spot for hours in the sun with little to no chance of catching any fish.
When you go on a party boat they take you to fishing traps called wrecks andy our almost garunteed to catch something. Admittidly there is less skill involved but at least its more active than drinking beer all day in your chair.
On my last trip, when I dropped my first lure into the water I caught an 17 in. Cod! my first Cod fish, but the captain made me throw him back because the minimum to keep is 19 in.
My buddies and I ended up catching enough for the three of us to have for dinner. It was a succesful trip and look forward to doing it alot more this summer.

Dead Poet Immortality

When I first moved to New Jersey the only friends I had lived in the city. We started going to this bar in the Upper West Side called Dead Poet. It was a dive bar with a former undergrad crowd. however, it real appeal was the opportunity to get your name on the wall and achieve immortality (at least until a natural disaster destorys the place).
In order to get your name and hometown up on the wall you have to drink 100 pints of guiness (nonconsecutivley). If you drink 500 pints you get a plaque with a little description about yourself and if you drink 1,000 pints you get a bigger plaque, bio and your photo on the wall.
Most of my friends who live in Manhattan got 100 pints in a couple of months. It took me, with a Jersey handicap two years. but this spring I finally made it up there.
I gotta say I know its just a stupid gimmick, but I really had some good memories drinking those pints with friends. Now that I have 100 pints under my belt. It was a good opportunity to reflect on how far I've come in my time in New Jersey and look forward to 400 more. ;-)

Mike Woods golf master

After seven or eight years of not playing golf, inspired by the warm weather, I decided to take it up again. The first time I went onto the driving range I was surprised how much my body remembered and it was almost like riding a bike.....almost. starting out I could make 1 out of 10 platable shots. But, every other day after class, a buddy and I would go to the driving range and hit a couple of buckets of balls trying to improve our game.
I must admit I thought I was doing pretty well. I was starting to hit straighter and my confidence was up, I was ready to take the course!
Then an opportunity came up when a classmate was able to get three of us including herself into the golf course she worked at for free! I couldn't wait and invited another friend who mentioned he played in highschool.
The big day arrived and the four of us got our tee time. on the first drive my one experienced friend cracked the ball so hard he drove the green on a par 3. shocked my friend nudged me forward to go next. I had never been more nervous in my life. The official and the people after us were staring at me to go. After a couple of practice swings I decided it was now or never. when I hit the ball it sounded like I made good contact, unfortunatly it went straight into the trees only 20 yards ahead of me.
The whole day went like this and I eventualy hit 50 over par. It became clear that I would need many more days at the driving range before I could hold my own on the golf course.

Little Kids Rock project

Working with the Little Kids Rock foundations has been one of the most rewarding projects I've ever worked on in class. I wish most of our grade came from that project since I dedicated so much of my time to making sure it happened succesfully.
I never realized how much one could learn from practical experience but I feel this is the only way to learn PR.
what I found most challenging about this project was staying organized and on top of dates. We had everything set up with class one concerts ahead of time so we didn't realize until close to the concert date how much more work we had to do.
What I found the most surprising was my ability to make media calls and get donations. Once I had my sales pitch down and spoke with confidence about the importance of our Non-Profit, I recieved a better response.

Do I pay attention to media outlets?

yeah, i occaionaly skimmed the op/ed section of several publications but in the end I dont lend them much credence. Its pretty obvious that most media outlets are serving a someone's agenda which is why I tend to steer clear.
For example, the main reason I watch Fox news is not because I agree with their political affialiantion but because I like to see the how someone who agrees with Fox news feels about a current event. After watching several media outlets I then make my own judment about what happened.
This trend that 24-hour news cycles has created is a dangerous one to the uncritical viewer. I've tried to have discussion with members of both ends of the spectrum and alot of their justifications for their opinions comes from quotes news sources.

ABC vs Cablevision

I liken the standoff between ABC and Cablevision to two drag racers racing to the edge of a cliff. Eventually, someone has to give. In this case it was ABC but I dont think it was because of the negative PR generated by Cablevision.
The decisions these companies are making are on such a different level than we can understand, looking in from the outside its easy to draw the conclusion that ABC buckled under the pressure of Cablevision. But ABC, which is owned by Disney is a major conglomerate and have to think about the many different financial impacts conceding to Cablevision's demand might mean to parent and sister companies in the Disney family. From what I can tell it seems as though nothing more than posturing and negotiation tactics.
The only leverage I could see Cablevision having against ABC is in areas where only Cablevision is offered. Not being inside the company I couldn't tell you. But I do know that cable tv and internet in New Jersey is a competative market, one in which the consumer wins.

What scares me most about working with the media

I'm usually pretty comfortable talking with strangers and consider myself a master at small talk. I pride myself on being able to discuss the weather with anyone anywhere. But when it came time to talk to strangers on a professional level, I admit, I was a little nervous.

My biggest fear what not know what I was talking about. I felt as though the person on the other end of the phone could see right through my pitch and was just waiting for a pause in the sentence to berate me for waisting their time.

My biggest mistake came while making media calls to promote our group project event. I had written out my little speech before hand an rehearsed it outloud several times to be comfortable with the words. I wrote it for my first call the Bergen Record. The problem came with my second call to the Clifton Journal in the speech I had prepared earlier I had specified the Bergen record so when I was leaving a voicemail for the Clifton Journal I had called them the Bergen record. Needless to say I felt mortified after realizing my mistake and did no expect or recieve a call back from them.

Nestle Hotline

I think this is a clever and inexpensive way for a brand to gain recognition, it also illustrates the importance of PR. Nestle is a brand that has been around forever and I'm sure they probably have excelent customer satisfaction results. But what does a company like nestle do when thier sales begin to stagnate? There is no real way to improve on the product without taking significant risks. The run a PR campaign like this one to bring brand awareness to customers that probably love their product but have just forgotten that they do.
This story also highlights the power of facebook because I'm sure nestle created a fan page for themselve maybe a couple thousand joined. But the real power of facebook comes from its friend of friends. Like the author of this post said, they saw it on a friends status and were not necessarily part of Nestle's fan page.

Bad Pitch Blog

This is a blog that seems like its better for you to know about it than for it to know about you. This blog seems like a good place for a newcomer to familiarize themselves with the inner workings of the PR industry before falling victim to some of the pitfalls that one mis-step may bring.

I tend to be of the belief that one mistake should mean the end of your career. I dont think its fair that a person featured on one of these blogs should have their career ruined because they made a mistake. I would argue that a person who has been through the public humiliation of being featured in one of these blogs is more likely to never make a mistake again than someone who hasn't messed up yet.

I've always been told, "its not what you did to mess up its what you do when your given a second chance."

Kevin Smith ejected from a Southwest Flight

I wonder if Southwest, or any airline for that matter, has been able to succesfuly impliment that policy succesfully. I can't imagine a scenario were a larger person struggles down an isle, spend a good 30 minutes bumping into his/her fellow passengers to put their carry-ons away, finally sits down only to be told that their to fat to ride. Imagine the walk of shame that has to take place, of course the passenger will throw a fit. Its not about denial its about saving face.
From a PR standpoint there is much southwest and other airlines could do to preserve the dignitiy of their larger passengers.
There should be a measurement process before boarding that could be done with dignity to determine if the passenger is overweight. Also, if they knew Smith needed two seats (since he had purchased two on an earlier flight) they shouldn't have allowed him to board a flight with only one standby seat available.
Also, lets keep this situation in context Kevin smith still recieves positive attention from this incident since it fits his self-depricating humor.

Rolling Rock advertising on the moon!

The most outlandish PR stunt I can remember was when Rolling Rock claimed they were going to project their logo onto the surface of the moon so that people on earth can bask in the greenish hue that is the rolling rock logo. I saw a billboard for this stunt on 78w right before the Holland tunnel in Jersey City and admit that the advertisement intrigued me enough to look online for more information about this stunt.
As the date for the "moonvertisment" neared the frequency of radio spots and internet chatter went up about the stunt. People, including myself, were intriguide to see if this would actually happen and what it could mean to the future of advertisement.
I think the stunt still had a positive effect because when I was with a friend at the liquor store deciding which beer to buy, the topic of "moonvertisement" came up and we ended up buying Rolling Rock to see what all the fuss was about.

New app for my droid!

I just found this new app for my phone called blogaway! Im really excited about it because this means i can blog straight from the events i attend! Supposedly you are able to post photos and update geotags. Im on the train back from NY Penn, somewhere in the spooky reeds of the meadowlands. Lets see if the geo tagging works.

Location : Harrison, NJ 07029,

Has Twitter peaked?

CNN.com has posted an article by Doug Gross posing the question of whether or not Twitter has peaked. Gross quotes usage numbers from comScore which show that Twitter's numbers have recently slumped. Does the dip in Twitter's usage numbers mean the fall of Twitter? I don't think so.
The best way for new technologies, such as Twitter, to cement their ways into our daily lives is for them to be useful. The momen Twitter becomes an irrelevant way for corporation to make money it will go the wayside. Which is why Twitter is in a critical moment in its branding. So far Twitter has gotten by on its novelty and its wearing off.
The future of Twitter depends of its ability to expand its customer base in a similar fashion that Facebook had done when they opened membership to the public. When Facebook was exclusivley for College students all you could do is make groups and post pictures. Now Facebook serves many more functions and thats where its sucess lies. Not only is it a way for college students to organize study groups but family's can reconnect, companies can advertise, and non-profit organizations can create PR for free.

My Introduction

Hello world! My name is Michael and I'm excited to embark on my new adventure of blogging. I've been assigned to create a blog in my PR writing class and can honestly say that I am excited at the prospect of sharing different aspects of my life with you. I am a communications major with a public relations concentration and hope to post my opinions about some of my different interests. I enjoy traveling and dinning but also have strong opinions about Music, TV, and Movies. I hope that after reading my posts you may find some similarities between my interests and yours. I expect that this blogging adventure will help me to hone my critical writing skills and tastes in popular culture.