The making of a PR disaster

One of the trendiest cause-marketing thrusts at the moment is assisting past or present US military personnel. It’s nearly impossible to go through a day without seeing someone’s efforts to find veterans a job, build a one a home or raise money to show our support and appreciation.

The efforts are so prevalent it was surprising to see a national company pick a public fight with a dying veteran … a fight it didn’t need.

Recently, Vietnam War veteran Jerry Meekins bought a ticket on Spirit Airlines to visit his daughter. But before he could take the trip, he learned the cancer he was fighting was terminal and his doctor would not allow him to make the visit. What unfolded next was a PR disaster that played out on newscasts, blogs and social media platforms for more than two weeks.

Spirit Airlines refused Jerry’s request for a refund. The carrier insisted they had a policy against refunds and that Jerry should have purchased traveler’s insurance.

“Our reservations are non-refundable, which means we do not issue refunds and we are not going to issue Mr. Meekins a refund. We receive many requests for refunds every day for similar situations, and it wouldn’t be fair to bend policy for one and not all.”

What followed was a tsunami of bad publicity and an organized boycott of Spirit. Six million veterans took up Jerry’s cause and did a pretty good job casting Spirit in a bad light. 

After weeks of negative media coverage, Ben Baldanza, the airline’s CEO, waved the white flag and waived the policy. Jerry got his refund, and Spirit Airlines made further amends with veterans groups by contributing $5,000 to Wounded Warriors.

In the end, both parties got what they wanted: Jerry, his refund and Spirit, an end to the public beating they were taking.

We can take a couple of lessons from this mess.

First, have your finger on the pulse of public sentiment. The high regard we give our veterans is not a state secret. You’re probably not going fare well in the court of public opinion by picking an unnecessary fight with a dying veteran. 

Second, rules are written to create process and order; be flexible enough to break one to do the right thing.

Have you been in a similar situation? How has your organization handled it?

Beat the Heat

PR was listed as one of the top 10 most stressful careers a few months ago. After reading about this distinguished honor for my chosen field, I felt a sense of relief: Someone had recognized that the job of a PR pro never ends. You’re only as good as your last success, and you’re never really finished. It’s a game of occasionally coming up for air during the continual pursuit of more.

I thought of this while watching the Indiana Pacers vs. the Miami Heat in the NBA playoffs and seeing the “Beat the Heat” message plastered around town. In PR, the heat is always on.

The good news is that there are solutions to beat the heat. Clients always want more and are always applying pressure, as they should. They expect and want the best, and they hire PR pros to do the best work possible for them.

Don't we expect the same when we hire a plumber to fix the sink or an electrician to fix the furnace? The biggest difference between the Pacers, that plumber and a PR pro is that when the former wins the championship or fixes the sink, they’re done. In PR, when you win or fix the problem, you have to wake up the next day and keep winning and fixing. 

So, in the spirit of the playoffs, here are my top five PR tips to “Beat the Heat.” 

1. Always sleep with one eye open. Never celebrate, but enjoy by continuing the pursuit.

2. Keep looking over your shoulder. Don't become complacent; always be looking for that next opportunity for your client, and get creative.

3. Be at the right place at the right time. If your client needs you, be there. Guess what? Your client needs you, so be there anyway.

4. Be proactive, not reactive. Agencies are famous for getting clients to hire them and then taking their foot off the gas. Don't do that. It's unfair and wrong.

5. Say thank you. Be grateful for the opportunities your clients give you, and let them know you appreciate them by exceeding their expectations. Results, like truths, trump everything.

Whether it’s summer, fall, winter or spring … the heat is always on for PR pros.

What animals teach us about public relations—and life

I love animals. There’s just no way around it. I credit my first dog, an impossibly sweet golden retriever named Cheyenne, for being the catalyst of this love affair. Since then, I have had the pleasure of meeting countless dogs, cats, horses and yes, even a pig, that have taught me much about life and left me a better person for having known them.

They’ve also left me a better PR pro. Here’s what these special creatures unknowingly have taught me about my job:

1) Creative communication. As you well know (and to my dismay), animals can’t talk. That means we must come up with creative ways to convey our intended message. Whether it’s a loving pat on the head, the subtle jerk of a leash or a designated oral cue, we must be intentional and thoughtful about the ways we communicate with animals to make sure our message doesn’t get convoluted or misconstrued.

Sound familiar? As PR professionals, we deal with clients who are physically capable of speech, and yet the communication between both parties may be strained and difficult to understand at times. It’s important to hone our skills as communicators and, in some cases, find creative ways to make sure our message reaches the client intact. (Just don’t whistle at them or pat them on the head.)

2) Patience. Accidents happen. If you’ve ever had a pet, you can imagine the types of accidents I’m referring to without me going into much detail. When unexpected life moments happen, it’s essential for pet owners to keep a cool head. Obedience school stresses the importance of this mantra: “You did a bad thing, but that doesn’t make you a bad pet.”

A similar mentality can be applied to the workplace. We deal with people who make mistakes or do things badly, but that doesn’t necessarily make them bad people. Whether a crisis arises with a client, a co-worker or a particularly frustrating project, patience is key.

3) Attention to detail. The best pet owners are detail-oriented. They pay attention to their pet’s behavior and notice when it changes. They keep an eye on the water bowl, refilling it when necessary. They track vaccine due dates on their calendars. This attention to detail leads to an improved quality of life for your pet and fewer headaches for you, the owner.

In the same way, being detail-oriented at work can help us catch mistakes before they’re made, which makes for a happier client and, again, fewer headaches for you.

4) Thick skin. In the pet realm, we call it unconditional love. In the world of PR, we call it being thick-skinned. Whichever language you prefer, the bottom line is the same: To be successful, we must be able to withstand criticism and not easily be offended (even when your dog chooses someone else’s lap to lay on).

5) Relationships. Animal lovers genuinely enjoy the act of building relationships. The very core nature of the public relations industry tells us that a successful PR pro must feel the same way. Effective relationships are mutually beneficial. They must be built on an understood trust in each other and an understood commitment to each other.

What’s one thing your pet has taught you?

Punctuation counts!

In our fast-paced world of emailing, texting and tweeting, it’s been clear for some time that the use of punctuation in these forums has fallen by the wayside.

I know it’s not always easy to add that extra exclamation point (!) to a text when you’re flying down the interstate at 85 mph (sorry, Oprah, I didn’t sign the pledge).

But when you’re on the receiving-end of a text or email, especially from someone you don’t know particularly well, the tone of the message can be interpreted in a variety of ways due to punctuation, or the lack thereof.

A client recently asked me a question that required a fairly detailed response. His response to my response was an email that read:

thanks

Short, simple and to the point. But how am I to interpret this response? Lowercase “t” and no punctuation: Does that mean thanks, that is a satisfactory answer or thanks, that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard?

Is he being curt, petulant or short with me? Or is this an incredible display of gratitude from a busy person who is juggling dozens of important things at the moment?

What if this had been his response: 

Thanks!

I might interpret this to mean wow, that is exactly what I was hoping to hear; you just made my day! And I’m happy for a moment, until I start second-guessing my interpretation. Was he truly enthusiastic, or was there an understood … a lot! at the end, which would totally change the tone of the response? Thanks a lot … you just ruined my day!

Then there’s this version:

Thanks …

What’s up with the ellipsis? Is this to imply some kind of intentional hesitation or omission?  Thanks ... if I needed a lame answer, I would have asked my dog!

Of course, these just may be the rambling thoughts of an aging person who was raised by English teachers and is still trying to adapt to our modern ways of communicating. But then again, Elaine from Seinfeld actually broke up with a guy over punctuation, if I’m remembering correctly.

By the way, don’t text and drive. Seriously… !

Client email etiquette: Learn from my mistakes

As a PR account executive, I communicate with several clients daily, usually about project details or deadlines. In a perfect world, I’d always hit my deadlines and I would know every detail from A to Z on every project.

Right?

In reality, deadlines shift, projects change and clients change their minds. At some point, the original plan can turn to mush. How do I recover?

Step 1: Stay calm.

Step 2: Respond to the client as soon as possible.

Step 3: Be mindful of what you say.

Speaking from experience, I’ve always been pretty good at steps 1 and 2, and for the most part, I’ve done a fine job at articulating my thoughts to my clients. I generally take pride in my written communication.

But, there have been a few times when the wrong words regretfully have come out of my mouth – more specifically, my fingers.

To provide you with this educational – and slightly entertaining – lesson of what not to say to a client when things don’t go as planned, I’m going to show you my three email mistakes and offer ways to improve.

Lesson 1: Don’t let one client know you’re spending time on another client.

I believe my email went something along the lines of, “Sorry I am just now getting this to you. I had some other client work to finish.”

Seriously, Jen? If I re-read that from the client’s perspective, a red flag would have gone up immediately. Clients know you work in an agency with other business to handle, but never let them think they are anything but your top priority.

A better response would look something like, “Here is the final draft of the media plan. After working with your changes and suggestions, I feel confident with the final product.”

Lesson 2: Try to be as exact as possible with deadlines.

Professionals inside and outside the PR industry try to buy themselves times by setting vague deadlines. For example, I once said, “I’ll get this to you by next week.”

Again, if I slowed down to re-read that email, I would realize it means nothing to the client. Further emphasizing the point that we must make each client feel like a priority, setting a firm deadline (e.g., Monday by 3 p.m.) gives the client a sense of ownership of the time and money he/she has invested in you and your work. 

A better response would look something like, “Thank you for your edits. It looks like there are a few significant changes I will have to make to the document. I’ll take time over the next two days to focus on this project and provide you with a revised draft by 3 p.m. on Thursday.”

Lesson 3: Never let the client believe you don’t know what you’re doing.

One of the perks of working in an agency with many talented professionals is that I always have a sounding board if I don’t know something or am unsure about a process. I realize that I will be learning something new about this ever-changing industry until I die, but for me to say to a client “I’m concerned about the lack of direction I have for this project” is just unacceptable.

This makes the client think you’re either not experienced enough to work on a project or you’re too lazy to be resourceful and seek guidance. A more comforting response would look something like, “I’ll use my team here to discuss ways we can move forward with this project.”

All of my mistakes took place over email, which, in hindsight, should have helped me catch those errors. But when we get caught up in the mix of urgent requests, confusing project scopes and creeping deadlines, our brains might be in a strange place – and our fingers too eager to hit “send.”

Always take a deep breath to re-read your emails from a client standpoint. And if you remember anything from my experiences, remember to make each client feel as if they’re your only client.