Five things Old Spice reminds digital PR people
This past week, we witnessed one of the most popular viral campaign’s in history. Old Spice and their new advertising gem, Isaiah Mustafa, have turned a lot of heads and set a new precedent for future viral ad campaigns. You may have noticed that every popular social network. news aggregator or Twitter feed was talking about the Old Spice guy and the humorous videos he was in that responded to various Twitter replies. People were posting these videos on what it seemed like every network. The video below was by far my favorite:
The best part about the campaign is that Old Spice knew exactly when to quit, on a high note of course, which sometimes is hard to determine. This well orchestrated and executed plan was developed by Old Spice’s agency, Wieden + Kennedy. Read Write Web had a great blog post covering how the agency executed this campaign.
But, I think as digital PR and social media strategists start dissecting the Old Spice campaign, they’ll begin to understand that this campaign was very basic. As Iain Tait, Global Interactive Creative Director at Wieden, said, “In a way there’s nothing magical that we’ve done here. We just brought a character to life using the social channels we all [social media geeks] use every day.” If you think about it, Ian is absolutely correct.
The reason for my blog post, is to uncover five things all digital PR and social media strategists should be reminded by from this historical campaign. These fundamentals are basics we may take for granted, like the air we breath in this industry, but I think they are important and the reasons for Old Spice’s recent success.
- Content, content and content - We all know one of the most fundamental things to driving traffic, creating links and potential new sales is content. Whether it’s breaking news about your company or competitor, industry trends, professional advice or some unrelated topic that gets picked up. Content is what I like to call the bait, which attracts new visitors and generates exposure for your company. In this case, Old Spice decided to create and distribute content in real-time, in the form of short HD commercials seen on Youtube. It was astonishing they reached close to 6 million views and 22,500 comments with their content.
- All channels of social media are important – When social media strategists for this campaign were releasing these videos and trying to get as much exposure as possible, they attacked nearly every network and posted and shared their videos. They even used 4chan, an aggregator I had never heard of till this campaign started being covered. This just goes to show you that every network can become a gem for your content. But, since the nature of the commercials appealed to such a board target, this strategy was most appropriate. I guess what I’m trying to say is picking and choosing the right network to broadcast your content is as important as the content itself.
- Personalization is a key factor to driving attention – You may have noticed by watching a few videos of Isaiah, that they were first humorous and second personal. Even though he was directing his witty comments to a specific Twitter user, you felt as if he was talking and addressing you. Old Spice crafted their videos, as if the 5.9 million that viewed them, felt a connection with Isaiah. Maybe this is why so many people shared their videos so rapidly and without hesitation.
- Capitalizing on your client’s strengths – Instead of trying to change something or add something that doesn’t reflect Old Spice’s brand, Wieden + Kennedy capitalized on what Old Spice already had, Isaiah. They capitalized at the right moment and seized the opportunity of something that was right in front of their eyes. I’m sure they did some research on consumer reactions/attitudes, which showed Isaiah and Old Spice had a positive correlation between him and the brand.
- KISS IT - (Keep it simple stupid) This may be the most obvious, but sometimes we forget this simp
le phrase. Old Spice and their agency did exactly this, they kept it simple. They created short and funny HD videos, uploaded them on Youtube, and integrated them in high traffic networks in order to earn exposure. Youtube was probably the best choice because of the simplicity they allow their users to share videos online. In addition, realizing the short attention span their target market has when it comes to online videos, they created videos no longer than a minute, some even 30 seconds in length.
Although Old Spice opened up the doors for new innovative marketing, that I’m sure we will see again very soon, they really didn’t do anything new. Yes, the whole real-time response commercials to Twitter questions was a great idea, but if you think about it, they stuck to the fundamentals. The idea was genuinely new, however the foundations and principles have always been the same. Maybe that is exactly what we forget sometimes as social media strategists? Maybe we forget to stick to the basics when building exposure and campaigns to our brand’s or client.
My guess is that Domino’s new “Show us your pizza” campaign will be highly praised by social media strategists for their high customer involvement, yet simplistic marketing idea. What do you think?
How PR practices can help change BP’s perception
Lets take a step back and examine a severe global public relations crisis unfolding infront of our eyes. I’m talking about BP’s contiously spreading oil spill in our Gulf Coast. The whole world is yearning to see and hear developments, while reporters are secoudaring on executives every move. But first, take a minute and think about the first words that come to mind when you hear “BP.”
Most likely you start heavily associated this company with greed, corruption, stupidity, lack of integrity or moral etc. Namely associations that draw negatives about the company, which intale your perception about the company. Your perception is something that has a huge influence on the way you live your life. It is the emotional association we as individuals create between objects around us and the knowledge we obtain about them, but of course, you already knew that. As public relations practitioners we help clients create this perception in the mind of a consumer, usually a positive direction toward a company or brand.
However, what happens when a company messes up? How do public relations practitioners help influence or realign this perception, so that we are all satisfied on some level? It’s hard work, but as public relations partitioners it is what we live for!
But, before I move on, I must clarify something. I am a recent graduate with a Public Relations degree, so the next observations and opinions I bring up are in no way expert advice. My goal is to present to you several steps BP could implement or philiosphies it needs to utilize to possibly turn their perception around. Please be aware I am basing this off class discussions, my own analysis, and prinicples I believe every executive should implement on a daily basis. I believe with these strategies and principles BP has the opportunity to change their reputation while teaching how important public relations is to a company’s bottom line.
So to get started, what should have BP done differently?
- Be honest – BP’s crisis is one that involves so many parties, including our environment. They need to be honest with everyone about their plans to stop the spill, exactly how many barrels are being deposited, and what effects are directly and indirectly resulting from their mishap. Having a proactive rather than a reactive approach will make
it appear that BP genuinely cares that it messed up and they are genuinely trying to use all its resources possible to stop the spill. - Pick one spokesperson to speak to the media – BP has been juggling with different stories on what to tell and not tell the media. This issue has gone so out of control that the New York Times had an article about BP’s need to control what their CEO is saying. At one moment, Tony Hayward was reported saying, “I’d like my life back.” In a crisis like this, BP needs to have one or a few people addressing the media daily and with one voice. Their spokesman or woman needsbe in cohesion with the company’s philosophy and address the media promptly with updates and events.
- Stop talking about dividends – I understand as being a publicly traded company, you have a great deal of pressure toaddress the needs and expectations of your investors. But, when dealing with such a mishap as BP has caused, dividends should be the last thing on anyone’s mind, in my opinion. In fact, it has been reported by MSNBC that BP will be paying out $2.63 billion in dividends to its shareholders on June 21st. Nothing yells greed and irresponsibility than that! I don’t think BP understands the example they are making for future executives and MBAs eager to run multi-billion dollar corporations. I bet you and I can list tons of ways that money could be used to help fix this problem. Especially some out of work fisherman that need that help right now.
- Don’t run manipulative advertising – Recently, BP starting running this ad, which to me appears like a poor excuse for an apology. Although, I understand Tony Hayward is trying to reassure me BP is doing all it can to bring things back to normal. But, I continually lose focus of this after coming across articles in the NYT about limiting reporter access and other such problems. The ad makes it seem BP treats Americans as uninformed citizens, who believe everything is perfect in the Gulf. It would have been beneficial for BP to create ads interviewing workers helping with the spill or an explanation of what happened and what is being done to stop the spill. This premature apology is exactly what BP doesn’t need, especially since the oil is still gushing into the Gulf.
- Stop lying – There maybe one thing worse than cheating, and to me that is blatantly lying. Americans hate lairs and are quick to pick up when someone is telling us a bold face lie. All we ask for is the honest truth. BP is only hurting their perception not helping it. This principle goes hand in hand with my first point, which I hold near and dear to my heart.
BP’s “strategic” public relations approach to this devastating disaster in the Gulf, reminds me of what we saw in Alaska and Exxon Valdez. Although I must note, they have taken more efforts than Exxon ever did to reassure us they are working on this problem. Honestly, what we see in front of our eyes is an example of greed overpowering common sense and the willingness “to do the right thing.” I’ve put this phrase in quotes because the right thing is always different to everyone.
It will be interesting to see how this story unfolds, because BP has tons of work to do in the next decade to recover, if they can, their perception of the company. I hope with this disaster, they approach their public relations in a different manner and maybe their philosophy of the company.
Seven tips for young PR pros, from a pro
Last semester (Fall 2009) I had, in my opinion, one of the best public relations professors at UT, Terry Hemeyer. Hemeyer has been around the block and knows what he is talking about, so when he speaks everyone listens, especially when you have him for three straight hours. But, on the first day of class he shared with us seven qualities every person entering the public relations field today needs to have. Here is what he said:
1) You need to know how to network and build face-to-face relationships.
2) You need to be able to work in a team.
3) You need to be able to write well.
4) You need to be able to solve and analyze problems.
5) You need to be able to weigh through the crap and figure out what is important and what is not.
6) You need to be well read.
7) You need to be able to fail fast. – Understand when a project is not going well and make necessary adjustments to meet your objectives.
Although I would add these:
- Understand basic HTML, because digital PR is growing at a rapid rate.
- Understand the right social media tools for a client and which ones would make the best fit.
- Be able to multi-task.
- Take initiative and volunteer for special side projects.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially to those people who are experienced in the industry.
What do you public relations pros think? I’m sure I am missing some stuff.
Mark McGwire – Thoughts from a young PR mind
A few weeks ago, former Major League Baseball player and current hitting coach for the St.Louis Cardinals, Mark McGwire officially admitted to us that he took steroids throughout his baseball career (shocker!). While many of us could care less about his apology or that he took steroids during an era in baseball when everyone else was doing it, I asked myself, why would he come out now and admit he used steroids? Get it off his shoulder? Because he is a honest man? Future Hall of Fame entrance?
It has been almost five years since he made an appearance in Congress. Are baseball fans and sports writers going to take to heart what he said, or is it just water under the bridge? (Obviously a bridge that is not leading him anywhere near the Hall of Fame)
Although, McGwire’s situation makes for a good lesson in public relations: never be slow to respond during a crisis. From my first PR class at UT, crisis management has always been a topic of importance. In my opinion, crisis management is what separates public relations from any other marketing department. It is the plan of action we put together when a company has some sort of misfortune brought to them or simply when the company screws up. Crisis management is especially important to professional athletes that need help when their image gets tarnished. It is our value to a company, among countless other things public relations practitioners bring to the table. I remember one of my professors saying about a crisis, “The first 24 hours are the most important. It is what you do in these 24 hours that dictates public perception through the rest of the crisis.” McGwire is five years too late and to be honest this probably will not get him into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But, I think it was a nice try.
Another thing to note, that during his interview he said, “I did this for health reasons. I didn’t do this because I needed strength. I’ve always been able to hit home runs.” Ummmmm what? You mean to tell me that a drug tested to increase a person’s strength magically would not help you? In my opinion, this one statement completely negated his apology. If you’re going to admit to using steroids then just go all the way and quit defending yourself. What’s done is done and you have to move on from here.
We’ve seen many athletes get caught for behavior we don’t agree with for a public figure. Although some remarks we make are hypocritical to our own daily lives, but our society has brought immense responsibility to those with enormous paychecks. It’s interesting to note that if McGwire admitted all this five years ago, many of us would have a different perception of him now. He really should have taken a page from Kobe’s, A-Rod’s, or Pettitte’s book because these men are definite future Hall of Famers, even with their misfortune.
What do you think about McGwire’s recent confession?
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