Friday, December 30, 2005

Top TV Ads of the Year

Joseph Jaffe, blogger and author of Life After the 30-Second Spot, posted his best and worst TV spots of the year from an interview he did with NPR. Several of those made the rounds in our office and will look familiar to many of you.

It may reveal my own bias as a soccer fanatic, but I would add FC USA from Nike to the list of best spots. On the other hand, it might not just be me. It was also judged to be a Best Spot by ADWEEK.

What are your best or worst TV ads of the year?

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Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Can a crisis boost your reputation?

At Recycled Glue we've been blogging about reputation and crisis communications a lot lately. Could the two be releated? Sure, the proper handling of a crisis can save a company from disaster, but can it actually improve their reputation?

  Apparently, it can. An article in the December 5 issue of PRWEEK about Delahaye's Media Index of Corporate Reputation reveleadlogoDelahaye that Wal-Mart moved into the top spot due to the positive coverage they received from their response to Hurricane Katrina. According to the release from Delahaye, Wal-Mart’s efficient response to hurricane Katrina generated large volumes of positive media coverage as the company delivered emergency relief to affected employees and citizens.

For those with experience in crisis communications, this does not come as a surprise. The PR Crisis Bible references a study from the Henley Centre, which found that when the consumer receives good service from a company and is happy with the goods provided, loyalty stands typically at 60 percent. If, however, something goes badly wrong and the company deals courteously and effectively with the problem, loyalty can rise to as high as 90 percent. Wal-Mart is merely the latest example.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Southwest stays aloft

Last Thursday, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 skidded off the runway at Chicago Midway Airport and onto Central and 55th Avenue, killing a 6-year-old boy. The death is a real tragedy and represents a crisis for the airline, one that could significantly damage their reputation if not handled correctly.

 Southwest I was aware of the accident that night, but didn't spend much time reading about it until Sunday, when I opened the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Page 3 of the Business Section had two articles about the crash, which wasn't surprising, but what was especially interesting was their content. The headline of the first story read "Fatal crash a Southwest First" and the subhead was "For past 35 years, airline has been one of the safest." The first two paragraphs of the story were about the accident, but it wasn't discussed again until after seven full paragraphs about their exemplary safety record.

The second article was titled "CEO leads quick response to accident." The opening paragraph read: Even though Thursday's incident at Midway Airport marked Southwest Airlines' first fatal accident in its 35-year history, the company offered a coordinated, polished response.

It was that response that led to the two stories in my newspaper, which, even though they were about a tragedy that involved the company, were largely positive in their tone. They clearly benefited from their reputation prior to the accident, but they were also helped by a response that did all the right things:

  • The first confirmation was quick
  • They promised cooperation with the NTSB and the FAA
  • They set up a toll-free number for family and friends of the passengers
  • The CEO expressed condolences for the accident
  • They promised to release further information as it became available

They also didn't ignore the Internet. In a Google search for Southwest Airlines, the company comes up #1 with this link: Information about Southwest Airlines Flight 1248. A link from the home page takes visitors to a list of the company's press releases on the incident, the first of which was released on PR Newswire less than four hours after it happened.

Indeed, the company is receiving praise for their response from crisis communications managers. All this came despite not having a single death in their previous 35 year history. Sometime over that 35 years, Southwest was faced with a choice: do we want to prepare for the worst-case scenario before it happens or react once it does? They chose the former and the benefit to their reputation will be immeasurable.

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Thursday, December 1, 2005

Be Careful How You Sell Out

A few days ago, my colleague posted an obituary for Paul McCartney's reputation, which sprung U2from  McCartney's decision to shill for Lexus. Sure there was some financial gain for the ex-Beatle, but at what cost to his personal brand?

If only Paul had talked to U2 before his decision to partner with a car company, for the Irish rockers have shown the way to become ubiquitous without "selling out." A recent article in the New York Times makes the case that U2 has stood the test of time partly because of their music, but mostly because the are one of the smartest multimillion-dollar, multinational media companies around.

Indeed, they are. The article, entitled Media Age Business Tips From U2, has one tip that would have been useful to McCartney before the deal was inked with Lexus: "Be Careful How You Sell Out." Under that headline, David Carr writes:

U2 has been offered as much as $25 million to allow a song to be used in a car commercial. No dice. They traded brands, not money, with Apple. Bob Dylan may wander around in a Victoria's Secret ad and The Who will rent "My Generation" to anybody with the wherewithal, but the only thing U2's music sells is U2. Just because it will fold and go in someone's pocket - The New Yorker publishing ads illustrated by its cartoonists comes to mind - does not mean it will be beneficial over the long haul.

The article is full of useful advice for everyone, not just musicians. I especially enjoyed their advice on embracing technology. But the bottom line is this: it's not enough to simply make a good product (in U2's case, their music). You have to pay attention to every part of your brand. If you do, the payoff can be enormous. At the end of the article Carr states, "Bono can command his audience to do anything." Can McCartney say the same? Can he even get them to buy a Lexus?