The Dangers of Mail Merging

Have you ever received an email from a professional organization. university or anonymous individual that contained your first name in the greeting line? Recently, I learned the necessary (but very dangerous) tool that makes this type of mass email possible: mail merging.

Essentially, the mail merge uses an existing excel database (often compiled by PR people) and sends out a crafted email based on the individuals title, location or even set of interests. In the right person’s hands, this can become a devastating weapon, and heres why:

1. Tens of hours go into compiling these databases. They may range from simple name/title/location spread sheets to entire databases on personal interests and past activities. Using these personality measures, an organization can market specific emails to you. Scientific research has proven that subconcious branding has a lasting effect on our purchase decisions. Researchers in a recent study determined that even when subjects claimed they preferred the taste of Pepsi over Coke in a taste challenge, fMRI results showed stronger attachment to the Coke brand– proof of the power of marketing.

2. Mail merging offers the ability to seem personable, and people love feeling like they are important enough to have a message crafted specifically for them.

3. Mail merging is one step away from spam. For a business, this spells danger. There are several websites (example: blacklist.com) that can have your company blacklisted if someone complains about you sending them spam material.

For these reasons, mail merging is a tool that must be used responsibly. An active attempt should be made to remove anybody from the mailing list who wishes not to receive any more mail. As PR professionals we command the most powerful weapon in the world, language. We have a social responsibilty to use it appropriately.

PR=Butane to my creative spark

This is a competitive business. As the voice of our organization, the PR professional’s career relies on alot of talents: we have to be mind readers (anticipate media inquiries), authors, journalists, even accountants (budgeting). We must be great at so many things that, by definition, we must trump others in doing so. Indeed, in no other position is a “sample work” so necessary yet so non-existant. Despite this besting business, there is no concrete example of good PR.

Perhaps this is why the PR textbook is so scarce (Note: good money to be made in the Canadian market if you can tackle this feat). However, this is also why I love what I do. For a kid who grew up dreaming up comic book characters and writing epic tales (I have evidence dating back to grade 3) in my spare time, there are few jobs that offer the creativity that this profession does.

Even the few templates that do exist– media releases, communication plans, etc– are not written in stone. Our pitches are to editors, corporate folk and government officials– these people see unanimity in everything that is submitted to them. Straying from the path a little could get you recognized.

It is our duty as speakers, writers and spokespeople to attract attention. Wave those arms and kick up a ruckus. Try standing out and see if it doesn’t land you your next big break.

Face to Face Communication

I am now in my fourth week of my internship at Juice Inc. Since my introduction to the science of branding back in first semester (my formal introduction, that is) I have become undeniably attached to the idea of a personal brand. Perhaps it is my attraction to the different, the unique, that has fostered this attachement. I knew from the moment the word branding was attached with this notion that I have been attracted to my entire life that any company I chose to work for must have a fresh corporate culture. Luckily, I have found my place at Juice.

My unswerving loyalty (or stubbornness– call it what you want) to facebook avoidance stems from one absolute truth: As a communications professional, I cannot buy into a website that is destroying our societies most crucial form of communication, face to face conversation. Granted, blog spots like wordpress and professional networking websites like linkedin and myragan– all of which I belong to– are doing much the same thing. I suppose I have been able to avoid dissonance by telling myself that these endeavours are in the name of ‘professional development.’

At Juice, we strive to “change the way the world does conversation.” It is undeniable that the way the world does conversation IS being changed by web 2.0– for the worse. At no point in history has it been so easy to reach someone instantaneously; and so difficult to speak with them face to face. The benefits of face to face conversation are plenty:

- Increased trust

- Mental/hormonal stimulation that lead to a deeper sense of connection

- Non-verbal cues being read= less chance of confusion and misunderstanding

Try it. Put down that phone, close that lap top and break the finger that gives the next facebook poke. It’s time to start seeing eachother speak.

The Social Media News Release

With the emergence of social media in PR and the ever-increasing dependence on long-range networking via blogs, forums, and email, practitioners are looking at new ways to approach traditional PR methods. Some of these approaches include podcasts and webinars, both proven efficient tools in this small but dispersed community of communication professionals. One new controversial approach to traditional PR has been the redevelopment of the media release. For several years now, proponents of social media have been pushing for a social media news release. A staple in the PR professionals duties, many feel the traditional media release is outdated and unable to survive the new technological and economical pressures that media is faced with today.

There are many benefits to the social media news release. First, and most important I think, is the speed with which such a document can be communicated. Email is more accessible than telephone or fax. Also a key feature of such a document is the ability to link users to additional information on the topic. No longer is there the need for wasteful backgrounders and fact sheets. Memebers of the media can be directly linked to company websites, videos, podcasts and contact emails directly through the document itself. In short, the social media news release offers what great PR professionals aspire to achieve in their writing: concise, accurate and informative material.

Ofcourse, what makes this document controversial is that it also has some shortcomings. Mainly, the PR community has yet to establish a universal template for such a document. SHIFT communications was the first to develop a social media news release template, and while it is widely regarded as a forerunner in the race, it is far from an industry standard. Tom Foremski, the man responsible for the development of this template, notes that while “we have podcasts, vidcasts, a multitude of media at our disposal… press/news releases rarely have more than one link in them.” The neccessity for such a tool is there, says Foremski, though he notes the biggest problem with its acceptance is the inability of competing firms and practitioners to agree on a standard format.

Other professionals in the field are sitting on the fence. Brian Solis, CEO of FutureWorks, believes that social media news releases can complement the tradtional kind. What this form of news release stands to offer is the “socialization” of the news release; it’s “about connecting content across social networks and the people looking for it.”

As PR establishes itself among other “legitimate” professions, there is an ever-increasing need for the development of industry standards. It becomes difficult to influence the outside world of our professional status when we are unable to agree within our own realm. Indeed, tools like the social media news release stand to strengthen the link between journalism and PR. In an age of downsizing and efficiency, the need for quick access to information has never been so high. I encourage the new PR professional to consider revolutionary new ideas like this. We are the catalyst for change.

Putting on a Face

Cooking has always been a passion of mine. It’s in my blood– both my parents are great cooks, encouraging exploration in food from an age where most children won’t eat anything that isn’t sugar-coated. Some of my earliest memories are of my Grandma’s kitchen, memories that are still conjured everytime I smell traditional Portuguese dishes like Bacalhau a bras (salt cod and potatoes). There was a time when I seriously contemplated applying to culinary school rather than university.

I’ve been in the post-secondary realm now for 5 years, and in that time I’ve been fortunate enough to maintain a job at a local steakhouse. I’ve risen in the ranks, from a naive salad tender to a lead prep position. It’s been a great job through a time of great transition, and it provides an excellent example of a problem– rather, a difference– that I have in character: I cannot put on a face.

Allow me to explain. In a restaurant, there are two types of employees, back of house and front of house. Back of house includes cooks, expeditors, salad tenders and dishwashers. These are the people in the background, the ones responsible for that perfectly cooked medium-rare slapped down infront of you. The front of house employees, on the other hand, are responsible for greeting and serving the guests. These include bartenders, hosts, bussers and servers. Everybody knows that in this business, with the exception of executive chefs, the real money is in serving. It is not unusual for servers to clear $150-$200 cash on a busy night. That is why when I was offered a serving position, friends and colleagues alike called me crazy for turning it down.

A server is not unlike what I’m told a PR professional is supposed to be. Charming, conversational and charismatic– all the qualities that people tell me I have. There is a catch, though. The server is expected to maintain these qualities regardless of the way the guest treats them. Served with a courteous smile, even if I’m being cursed at and disrespected. And this is where I stray.

I have never been able to put on that face. That mask that maintains its composure infront of a person who lies, disrespects and/or has no regard for me beyond their personal motives. I know the world is inherently selfish, but there is that irremovable part of me that demands something from everybody I interact with.

The PR world promises to test my fatal flaw. I’ve bitten my tongue once already. Benjamin Disraeli once wrote that “man is only truly great when he acts from the passions.” I urge the new breed of PR professional, my classmates of whom so many are destined for great things, to step out from behind the mask. There is no longer room for the old, plastic PR professional.

Breaking the agency shackles

It’s an exciting and frustrating time for PR students. Indeed, for many of us, the internship opportunity that this program provides is the sole reason for a year of dedication to a program that has promised much and delivered little. There are 3 programs of this kind in the GTA alone, each sending out grads for internship positions. The choices are vast in a field that offers so much variety that its debate as a “profession” continues to rage. So why is it that the majority of students are in combat for the same spot? It boils down to a six letter word that has ingrained itself in the psyche of the PR student like a brain amoeba: AGENCY.

A misconception is filtering through the public relations post-grad community. Somewhere in our early careers as PR students, we were assured that the best place to start in this business is working for an agency. The benefits were clear: higher than average pay climb, a variety of clients and the possibility to ultra-network. The portfolio samples that such a variety of projects would provide is also beneficial to the junior PR professional. So what’s my beef with the world of agency?

I have always enjoyed the fruits of underdog status. In university, I often found myself arguing position papers that could be considered academic suicide. It just so happens that in the agency debate, my attitudes and beliefs match my desire to stray from the pack. I am one of a small handful of students in my program that shows no interest in agency work, and here’s why:

1.  No Friday beer cart service in the world can distract me from the fact that I have to clock my time every 15 minutes.

2. Agency corporate culture is defined by, and changes with, the client.

3. I left newspaper clipping back with the grade 5 collage.

4. 300452660– my post-grad student number; 031179350– my University student number. I’ve been a number for the past 5 years. I don’t want to be a number anymore.

I look around and see my colleagues struggling to find an internship in a crowded field, being coralled into a pen. Ever wonder what’s beyond that fence?

Putting the “brand” in Brandon

Up until this year, I had been surrounded by a force that went unnamed. It governed– indeed, it continues to govern– every waking moment of my existence. As PR professionals, this force determines the angle of our pitchs and the slant of our writing. I suspect that much of the population, however, continues to live hypnotized, unaware. This force is brand.

In one of my first business classes this year, we did an exercise where we listed the names of every company  we’d come into contact with since we woke up. This was a 10:30 class and my list already had over 30 items! Everything, from your clothing to the cereal you eat, is delivering a message. These messages are propelled through the subconcious to do more than just sell a product– they ingrain logo’s, colours, personal and public perceptions. The brand is a psychological ghost, a phantom child of the company and its public.

A new generation of communication professionals are applying the concept of the brand to the individual. Reputation, networking, connections– these are everything in a business where word of mouth costs nothing but can buy legitimacy and credit, if its positive. A variety of outlets are provided to us today that make brand building easier than ever. Professional associations like CPRS and IABC, internship opportunities and social media outlets are all  weapons which we, as PR ninjas, should wield.

These weapons are not without their dangers, though. Social media, in particular, poses problems to the brand-conscious. Anyone who know’s me well knows my views on Facebook. I am the only one of my friends without an account. Despite its communication conveniences, in Facebook I see information that is far too personalized to be sharing in open space. I also happen to have that crazy old school mentality that the most effective and efficient communication is done face to face. The real reason why I avoid this site, however, is that I am anti-blog.

I’m aware of the contradiction. I was worried even typing it. Would my blog, in an effort to preserve its kind, spontaneously combust? This blog, like any other communication project, has objectives. First, it’s an assignment and its creation is neccessary for a passing grade. Beyond that, though, is the opportunity to do something that no other blogger (ughh) has done– spawn the anti-blog blog.

Why PR ninja?

When I was about six or seven, my father took me out on Hallowe’en for my trick or treat rounds. This was the coldest Hallowe’en on record and I remember with incredible detail the difficulty I had maneuvering around the countless ghouls and vampires in my layered Teenage Mutant Ninja Turle costume ( I was not a fan of the Ninja Turtles– I was a fanatic). My little sister, clad in her princess gown, followed behind eagerly until we hit the infamous haunted house on 14 Glenbrook Street. This man was known to delight in scaring the wits out of little children and the elaborate lengths to which he went to decorate his house flaunted this reputation. As I dragged her through the clouds of dry ice and strobe light flashes, my eyes focused on a life-size gorilla sitting on a lawn chair on the front step. In the gorilla’s grasp was a bucket full of candy. I climbed the porch steps until I was standing infront of this great ape. As I reached into his treasure chest of treats, the ape stood and let out a giant “Roar!”– hoards of children from as far as the end of the street jumped in fright. What this man disguised as an ape did not know was that this Ninja Turtle was as authentic as could be; right down to the numchucks which I swung into his groin without hesitation.

It wasn’t until this year that I looked back at that story as one of my earliest memories of crisis management. Admittedly, a crisis in the professional communications world may not be solved with such brute force, but I use this story to illustrate the future of the communications practitioner. A term I coin the “public relations ninja.” In order to understand this new breed of professional, a brief understanding of the ninja is in order.

The ninja, as a symbol, has enjoyed success in contemporary pop culture. Although an  object of parody in cartoons and television skits, the role of the ninja in feudal Japan was a serious one. Primarily assassins and spies, ninjas were often used by feuding rulers as an instrument to create social chaos and uprising. This is how the ninja adopted the reputation of having no allegiance or loyalty, despite belonging to a warrior class with rules and codes similar to the samurai.

In many respects, public relations professionals are not unlike the ninja. We too are instruments of a larger power– a power that has traded in its kimono for a business suit and a tie, its warlord title for CEO or President. As communications specialists we are sometimes seen interchangably as sneaky or evasive by the public in our statements to the media. Lastly, and most instrumental to our professions future, we are the masters of many arts. Media relations, event planning, speech training, web design, corporate communication, and social media– our job entails so many aspects that we are also as misunderstood by the public as the ninja.

Where does the future of public relations stand? Corporations are already beginning to see the value of communications. As business models and mathematical measurements become applied to our practice, the results of effective communications are being legitimized in real dollar figures. The future of this business begins with its graduates– the public relations ninjas, the masters of many arts.