Free webinar: How the new FTC regulations affect online promotions

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released new guidelines last year that could impact your social media work depending on the type of organization/business you work for or represent. PR pros Brian Solis and Sarah Evans are teaming up with Ted Murphy, principle at IZEA, and Mary Engle, the associate director at the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, for the webinar panel, “FTC Regulations and Me,” this Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. CST.

The event is free.

See details and register at Sarah Evans' blog.

Meet SA's Newest News Anchor

Local CBS affiliate, KENS5, introduced its newest news team member, Jeff Vaughn, on January 11 with his first on-air newscast. Much was made of the new anchor joining the team, as he replaced long-time on-air personality Chris Marrou. Jeff has inserted himself firmly into the San Antonio community, visiting favorite local restaurants with his wife and getting a quick education on San Antonio politics, traffic and weather.

Social Media Breakfast San Antonio has invited Jeff to speak at the February breakfast due to his early and consistent involvement in social media. Jeff can be found on Twitter at @JeffVaughn, on Facebook at his public Fan Page, and on his personal site, Jeff Vaughn Media.

Jeff will speak about how social media has changed the way his industry works. He says social media is changing the landscape of news delivery in so many ways. Journalists are now using avenues like Twitter and Facebook as sources for stories, but there also is another layer. Whereas before the relationship you had with a reporter was based on watching , listening or reading - it's now become a two-way conversation. Reporters are interacting directly with their audience, and it's having a significant impact on the development of the story as well as on how the audience interprets it. To quote a Twitter friend of mine, "News is no longer at 5, 6, and 10, IT'S NOW. "

What: February Social Media Breakfast San Antonio with Jeff Vaughn, KENS5 Weekday Evening Anchor
When: Wednesday, February 17, 2010; networking 7:30 a.m.; presentation at 8 a.m.
Where: Absolutely Everything Catering, 3915 San Pedro 78212
Who: Anyone intested in social media and local/national news delivery
How: Go to the Social Media Breakfast SA Invite to register for the breakfast

Sonic are you out there?

As my Twitter followers and Facebook friends know, over the last few weeks I have been posting photos and updates about the taxes charged on soft drinks at Sonic, my favorite source of Coca-Cola. Since they make the best in town, I frequent different locations when I'm out and about. One day, I noticed a difference in the taxes I was being charged. And not a little difference. In some locations, the tax on a medium drink is one cent. In other locations, it's a whopping 12 cents.

I have two theories about why this may be the case. One was suggested by one of my Twitter followers that the difference is due to the various tax rates of the municipalities in the San Antonio area. And the one-cent tax was not technically located in San Antonio.

My other theory is that managers of local Sonics may be confused about which specific tax codes apply to certain foods and other products. I don't know that. I'm not a tax expert. But 12 cents for a $1.49 coke is a heck of a lot.

Strangely, with all my tweets and posts and Twitpics, I haven't heard anything from Sonic. I have mentioned their name quite frequently, and others have responded to my tweets and we've had dialogues online about it. But Sonic isn't there.

At a professional development session over a year ago, I happened to meet a couple of the PR folk from Sonic. They seemed to be on top of things. But if they were monitoring online conversations at all over the last two months, they would have noticed San Antonio.

Granted, I have not created any kind of crisis for Sonic. In fact, if anybody deserves criticism, it could be the taxing entities of San Antonio and area towns. But Sonic has certainly missed an opportunity.

One of the best pay-offs to companies who use social media is the chance to engage with their fans and to support their fans to be brand ambassadors. But Sonic missed the boat. They missed an opportunity to engage with fans here and to build their customer base. So this leaves me with the question: Sonic are you out there?

Now about your broken straw supplier…

They're Counting Web Site Hits? Really? - Sooo last decade

There are lots of ways to measure the effectiveness of your web site. But I still can't believe what I read in the San Antonio Business Journal recently. There was a great article on on the front page about some new web interprise. It was a local community good news story. And the author is a writer I like to read. But as I was reading along in this case, I was amazed to see that he actually printed as evidence of success somebody's hit account. Hits? Really?


Now as a reader, I have to ask whether it was the Business Journal who used the term "hits" to describe the web site measure or if the "hits" number is what they were given by the interviewee. If it was what the reporter was given, you'd think a good journalist would have questioned it.

The term "hit" is absolutely meaningless. You cannot compare web sites based on hits. That's like asking a guy who's bragging about his diet how many times he chews each bite. I mean, really.

The more appropriate measures for web site success to start with are visits and user sessions, among tons of others. Granted, we did use the term hits in the old days of the web. But that was because it was the only number the IT folk would give us. But we are smarter now. Aren't we?

2010 TPRA Silver Spur/ Best of Texas Awards

The following is reprinted from TPRA materials (but I still mean it).

Get Your Award Entry in by January 21
It’s time to get really serious about entering the Texas Public Relations Association's 2010 Silver Spur/Best of Texas Awards Competition. It’s also not too late to volunteer to judge this outstanding competition.

The last call deadline (with a $50/entry late fee) is 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21.

Go to www.tpra.com for complete information on preparing and submitting contest entries. Or contact Julie B. Fix, APR, TPRA contest manager, at awards@tpra.com or 713-419-8494.

Nominate a PR Pro for an Award
Do you know a PR professional, business or member of the news media deserving of special recognition?

TPRA is seeking nominations for our special awards, honoring individuals and companies for outstanding contributions to the public relations profession. The award recipients will be recognized during the Leadership Day & Gala on March 5 in Austin.

To submit a nomination in one or more categories, send your nomination by noon January 29 along with supporting information to Scott White at scottwhite@bizcompr.com.

Categories include:
Golden Spur Award - Recognizing a TPRA member for a minimum of 10 years for long-lasting contributions to TPRA and the PR profession.

Outstanding Texas PR Practitioner Award - Recognizing a PR professional for outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the profession.

Alan Scott Rising Star Award - Recognizing a PR professional and TPRA member for at least three years who has demonstrated potential for leadership and outstanding contributions to the profession.

New Member Achievement Award - Recognizing a PR professional who has been a TPRA member for one to three year for significant contributions to the TPRA.

Silver Spur Media Award - Recognizing contributions by a print or broadcast reporter, photographer, editor or producer or a print or broadcast outlet to a public affairs, public education or community relations program that benefited the community.

Lone Star Award - Recognizing a company that places a high priority on public relations and values the function as a key management strategy and the PR practitioners it employs as major contributors to the organization's success.

Deadline for Your Nominations is Noon, January 29.

You Be the Judge
If you’d like to volunteer as a judge, we’ll judge entries from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22 and again from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 23 at the Texas State University Round Rock Education Center in Round Rock. We are still in need of at least 10 people for both Friday and Saturday, so please contact Julie at jbfix@att.net or call her at the above number if you’re available or if you’d like more information before making up your mind. (Julie will tell you that judging a contest is the best way to improve your own contest entries in the future.)

The 2010 Silver Spur/Best of Texas Awards is sponsored by TPRA and the Austin, Central Texas, Dallas, Greater Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio PRSA Chapters.

Silver Spur/Best of Texas Award winners will be honored at the Annual Silver Spur/Best of Texas Awards Banquet Friday, March 5 held in conjunction with the Texas Public Relations Association's Leadership Conference. (See www.tpra.com for details.)

Twitter is far more than Newly-created “Twilebrities”

Once again, Hollywood takes over and turns something innovative into trite navel-gazing. A recent article in Vanity Fair examines the phenomenon of a handful of (coincidentally) females who are so popular on Twitter that a new moniker has been coined for them: Twilebrity. They have one thing in common: a career thread, in that they are all practicing in the area of public relations, marketing or journalism. The story oozes about how their daily lives are dominated by Twitter and is peppered with examples of their tweets and how important their rankings have become based on the number of followers each has accumulated.

The story is amusing, and is further evidence of how popularity dominates today’s lifestyles. But what is really bothersome about the Vanity Fair piece is the complete lack of reporting about the social good which has been derived from many social initiatives, particularly on Twitter.

Case in point: Twestival. A grassroots event held over 4 days in February, with a goal of raising money for clean water in Ethiopia. The result, from the Twestival Web site:

The 2009 Twestival brought together 202 cities around the world for one cause. Clean and safe drinking water. Led by organizer Amanda Rose, an astonishing $250,000 was raised - 100% of that money going directly to the projects. charity: water staff flew to Ethiopia weeks later to drill the first well, and connect the Twitter community with the people they served.

The group even used social media when they went to Ethiopia to drill the wells for clean water, posting four videos on the effort. Before this world-wide social media effort, the women of the Ethiopian village which benefitted from the Twitter-initiated event had to walk 4 hours for clean water.

Second case: The Iran Elections of last June, catalogued on Twitter as #IranElections. As the world watched Iran struggle with the most controversial elections in recent history, the awareness and empathy created through social media outlets is undeniable. Iranians had an outlet to communicate which was not dominated by a single entity; they could communicate with the outside world and we with them. A timeline created by Mashable aggregates hundreds of areas where photos, Tweets, definitions and videos were posted. The post starts with the elections and tracks the flow of information through the protest and unrest period after the event.

To say that Twitter is just about celebrity and OMG (Oh, my God) moments is to undermine the serious communications tool it has become for people across the world to help one another achieve goals by exchanging 140 character messages. Some Twitter initiatives are as simple as finding an alternative route home in heavy traffic or a restaurant recommendation. Conversely, others are as gut-wrenching as recent efforts to find missing persons or providing clean water and fair elections in countries that don’t have them. None of these will have a Twilebrity and for that, Twitter users everywhere are grateful.

Get a Peek of Jim Forsyth Speaking on How Radio Can Dominate in a Shrinking Print World

Here's a video from our PRSA San Antonio luncheon this week (see "Why Radio will Survive the Media Shake-out of our Decade" post).

Why Radio will Survive the Media Shake-out of our Decade

Jim Forsyth, News Director at WOAI Radio, appeared earlier this week at the monthly PRSA San Antonio Professional Development Luncheon to talk about the new wave in radio. But who cares about radio?

In an era where we are rapidly watching newspapers and their traditional model of newsgathering go away, Forsyth believes radio is poised for continued success, despite the fact that pundits and media watchers have been predicting its demise for nearly 50 years.

Well, guess what? Subscription and Internet Radio is not only NOT killing local audiences, it is enhancing and expanding them. This was the message Forsyth delivered to his audience of 50 local public relations pros.

He called radio a “fast frigate” and compared the medium to the “big battleships” that are television stations. Radio reporters have always been nimble and able to gather stories “where the grass grows” while television has often distanced itself from its audiences with large sets and capital intensive news gathering methods.

He categorize radio as the ultimate tool for multi-taskers because it goes with you –in your car – and you can tune in while you are doing other things – the backyard barbecue or hanging in the house. “We live in a busy word and people don’t have time to make an appointment to watch 30 minutes of news.”

He credited radio’s current success with audience to controversial talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh who has given new live to the call-in medium. In fact, Forsyth widely credits Limbaugh and others like him for elevating the status of the AM dial in the past ten years.

While many mediums are searching for a new business model and in fact, this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the New York Times was scheduled to preview a new reading gadget, Forsyth pointed to the Comcast model in which cable subscribers get free show downloads from the Internet.

While many thing of radio as low budget, Forsyth was very proud of the fact that his station delivers 4 hours of news each morning with only 7 people. One alarming trend in radio which Forsyth said is already spreading among media markets is the new “hub and spoke” philosophy, not unlike the way airlines route you around the country, by using their hub airports to drive you to a spoke destination.

Here’s an example: their San Antonio-based radio station is now producing and delivering news for sister stations in Waco, Brownsville and Wichita, Kansas. He also shared an example of the Los Angeles affiliate now gathering news for their Minneapolis partner.

Jim paid the audience a huge compliment saying that there are few cities in America who have such a plethora of professional PR Practitioners (thanks, Jim!), but said that this aggregating multiple markets-worth of news will have huge implications for gathering and reporting news. San Antonio PR pros are lucky that the news gathering is happening here and not being “shipped overseas.”

PRSA National Rolls out New Web Site

Haven’t been to the PRSA National organization’s Web site lately? You will be surprised at what the new site has to offer. The look and feel is fresh, logical and organized. The color palette is fun and engaging. The front page aggregates the latest news and events in a quick timeline, but additional resources are organized by three categories: Learning, Intelligence and Network.

The Learning section gives you additional menus for conferences, awards and other in-person and online opportunities. The Intelligence section pulls together all the abstracts from the association’s publications as well as case studies and research. The Network section has the member directory, chapter listings, firm listings and other tools to find members. I took the new member tools for a spin. Specifically, I reviewed the new “My PRSA” section, which allows you to develop a more comprehensive profile on yourself, including listing your social media addresses, uploading photos and checking in on your discussion groups. A great new feature is called “My Directory.” Search the existing member directory and tag members to build them into your own personalized database. I pulled everyone from our chapter’s board to this list rather than creating my own list this year.

The new Web site also features more articles, more case studies and numerous resources for professionals in all industries, and at every level of professional practice. Check it out and let the PRSA National team know what you think—they have lots more to add to the new place in 2010.

Examples of PR/Marketing Strategies Using Social Media

Sometimes, it helps to see case studies of how others are doing things. For some reason today, I've come across several articles and blog posts that point you to some examples of how organizations have used social media as a communications strategy. Take a look!

"10 Social Media Campaigns that Rock! Learn How to do the Same!" ThoughtPick blog (June 8, 2009)

"iPhone Apps Put Brands in Hands," list of the successful brands and apps that best fulfill the promise of utility -- as well as some prominent missed opportunities, by Brian Morrissey (Nov 30, 2009)

"Twitter Success Stories," report details how 11 innovative businesses and associations use Twitter to improve their marketing and business objectives. (2009) [PDF]

"26 Social Media Marketing Examples in Detail," by Lisa Braziel (September 09, 2008; dated but useful)

Helpful Tool Created Jeremiah Owyang on the Eight Stages Of Listening

The decision to use social media at the organizational or corporate level requires looking at the culture of the organization itself. Are you ready to be in real conversation with your customers or partners? Are you ready to listen?

Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter Group has developed a web strategy matrix that he calls "The Eight Stages Of Listening." I like it because -- like most things in life -- it's not an all-or-nothing approach. Take a look and see where your organization is in the matrix. It's a good tool as we set goals for 2010.

What's ahead for PR? – Congrats to For Immediate Release's 500th Podcast!

I know I have recommended to you on this blog that you listen to the For Immediate Release podcast, hosted by Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson. And I still do. It is an excellent podcast that is currently an hour twice a week. I know that sounds like a lot to listen to. But frankly there is that much happening in public relations – or as Shell and Neville put it, at the intersection of communications and technology. Each podcast is packed with information, case studies, resources, reports and data that you can use in your practice. It's excellent free professional development.

So why am I bringing it up again? Well, something special is happening with FIR tomorrow. FIR will be posting its 500th episode. Did you get that? They’ve done this show twice a week 500 times!

Shel and Neville have invited listeners to share what we think they will be reporting on during the next 500 episodes. So I thought I’d share some of my predictions and see what you would add.

1. Shel and Neville will be talking about the use of 3D avatars online across platforms. The 3D virtual web will no longer be limited to special programs like Second Life and gaming programs. It will become part of the natural course of our use of the web. I have confidence in this prediction because Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, when they were on a stage together, predicted this as well.

2. I also think that nanotechnology will be the poking its head into the communication world. I have no idea in what way (if I did I’d be talking to a stockbroker right now). I just think it's going to be something we will paying attention to.

3. And of course, during the next 500 episodes there will be talk about new (misguided) studies showing that the latest communication tool is a “drain on worker productivity.”

What do you think?

Finding The Perfect Definition

Today I attended the PRSA National Assembly as a delegate for the San Antonio chapter. The national organization was attempting a massive rewrite of the organization’s Bylaws, a task that has preoccupied the group for nearly 2 years.

While I was honored to attend and vote on behalf of the chapter, there are a number of things about attending an assembly of this nature that are extremely frustrating. Early in the process, we debated the merits of how to select board and directors, how the nominating committee should be comprised and other details that were mostly about housekeeping and governance.

Surprisingly, many of these items were contentious to a significant number of chapters, sections and districts.

No single item was more contentious than the basics of defining who should be allowed membership in the organization. Article III, Amendment 109, in which the organization was attempting to add the words “and communications” to every reference in the Bylaws, was the most hotly contested of all.

Semantics underpinned every aspect of the discussion, with repeated references to the concept of “expanding the definition of who can come into the tent” and many speakers spoke for and against who and what we should be called, what our job titles currently reflect. One speaker even quoted a textbook definition as part of the argument for striking the more encompassing definition.

What was disturbing about the discussion is that many speakers in favor of the amendment had a “sky is falling” approach to any changes which would expand the definition of public relations. Those who opposed felt that they already had a more encompassing definition of what they do and wanted the amendment to reflect that diversity. What delegates didn’t really consider is one of the keys to membership in the organization in the first place is that 50% of a members’ activities be focused on public relations. (Already part of the bylaws and not considered at all today).

In the end, the group voted 151-117 to keep the definition of public relations pure. This was a victory for some and a great loss for others.

Next year, I think I will propose an amendment at the assembly in which we debate the validity of including the word “society” into our name.

Apply for Free PR Counseling for San Antonio Non-Profits

There are just a few more days left before the application deadline. Non-profit organizations in the San Antonio area can submit an application to participate in our chapter's annual Giving the Gift of Guidance luncheon (on Dec. 3). Every year, PRSA, which is made up of public relations professionals, invites non-profits to send up to two representatives to its December meeting. Each non-profit will be matched with a group of PRSA members who will spend the entire luncheon consulting with the non-profit to develop a basic public relations plan. The Gift of Guidance program is absolutely free. It’s PRSA’s way of supporting charities and other organizations who contribute so much to our community. The non-profit representatives are also PRSA’s guests for lunch.

The deadline for applications is Friday, November 6. Applications may be sent to Trisha Box at tbox@gvtc.com.

More info on the new FTC rules regarding blogger relations

The Council of Public Relations Firms has a list of "10 Things PR firms Should Be Doing in Response to FTC Changes."

Also, the Inside PR podcast has a discussion about the new FTC rules and implications. Listen to episode 174 (October 14, 2009).

PRSA Responds to FTC's New Rules for Blog-Marketing

The following is a bulletin just sent to PRSA members from Michael Cherenson, APR, PRSA chair (who visited our chapter last year). He presents a clear analysis of the new FTC guidelines.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued final changes to its Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. While advisory in nature, the new guidelines will reset standards of behavior that public relations, marketing and advertising professionals should adopt to avoid violating underlying laws against unfair competition and false advertising.

The guide changes, as set out in the FTC's notice, make three key departures from previous guidance that could impact public relations practice:

• The FTC advises that "endorsers" as well as advertisers can be held liable for false or unsubstantiated claims or for failing to disclose material connections between the parties.
• The guides no longer offer the "safe harbor" whereby testimonials can be qualified by a "results may vary" disclaimer.
• Regarding endorsements, the guides specify that celebrities should disclose relationships with advertisers.

While the FTC will approach each potential violation on a case-by-case basis, the new guidelines will impact how professionals should approach some common practice scenarios. Here are some applications of the guidelines: 

• Bloggers who receive cash or in-kind payment (including free products or services for review) are deemed endorsers and so must disclose material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.
• Any firm that engages bloggers by paying them outright to create or influence editorial content or by supplying goods or services to them at no cost may be liable if the blogger does not disclose the relationship.
• Advertisements or promotions that feature a consumer who conveys his or her experience with a product or service as "typical" should clearly disclose what results consumers can generally expect or specify how the results were unique to the individual circumstances.
• If research is cited in an advertisement or promotion, any sponsorship of the research by the client or the marketer should be clearly disclosed.
• Celebrities who make endorsements outside the context of traditional ads, such as on talk shows or in social media, should disclose any relationship with the advertiser or marketer.

From an ethics perspective, the new guidelines parallel key transparency principles in the PRSA Code of Ethics, as well as Professional Standards Advisory PS-9 condemning "pay for play" practices. However, for practitioners, the guidelines go beyond ethics to recommended practice to avoid legal liability. While the ethics are clear, the triggers and nature of adequate disclosure are not fixed. As I recommended in a recent PRSAY blog post, thorough understanding and self-regulation can help public relations professionals avoid legal repercussions.

 

While the guidelines are advisory in nature, failure to comply increases the risk of professionals finding themselves in violation of the law. Moreover, non-compliance can result in a communication from the FTC warning professionals against the potential offending action. If that warning is not heeded, it may be followed by a cease-and-desist order. Intentional violation of that order may result in referral to FTC enforcement, which may include civil monetary penalties.

  There has been information circulating publicly on the new guidelines that is confusing and conflicting. With this notice, PRSA hopes to bring members up to date on the facts as currently understood. This information is based on FTC documents and an in-depth conversation with a Commission staff attorney. Going forward, PRSA will continue to provide you with information, clarification, case studies and interpretations as they unfold.
 
Best regards,
Michael Cherenson, APR