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What We Think

"Off The Record": What it is supposed to mean and whether it still works

9/12/2016

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This morning, Mic published a follow-up article on lack of diversity onstage at last week's Apple iPhone 7 event, resulting from an "off the record" conversation. This article brings up some very interesting debates in the PR world around the whole concept of "off the record" conversations.

Any basic Media Training 101 session should explain the differences between "on the record", "off the record", "on background" and other scenarios related to speaking with members of the press. (also see NYU's Journalist Ethics Handbook, points #4-10) Here are a few key takeaways that everyone should learn from this morning's situation:
  • Work with your PR team to understand what you are trying to get out of the exchange with a reporter -- e.g. are you trying to land a feature story? work with them to correct a story? educate them on how you fit into their original story or beat? Regardless, your PR team should provide you with guidance on what type of conversation you should be having with the reporter. 
  • Both the company spokespeople and reporters should have a clear understanding of what type of conversation will be had in advance of it actually taking place. Your PR team should have a chat with the reporter prior to the interview to make sure everyone is on the same page and then pre-brief you on the format of the interview, talking points and if the interview is on the record. 
  • Unless told otherwise ALWAYS assume that the conversation is "on the record". It is better to err on the side of caution than have to backtrack after the words are already out there.
  • Never try to take the conversation off the record in the middle of the interview. Reporters get irked by the change in formality and format and may even toss out your whole interview as a result. 
  • Don't start an email "off the record" and then go straight into the details. The reporter never agreed to going "off the record" so has every right to use your responses. If you have to correspond via email, have your PR team reach out to the reporter and get the "off the record" OK first and let them serve as your liaison. 
  • Leverage your PR team. They are there to provide guidance and serve as the first line of defense for the company. If a story needs to be corrected, they should be managing it (and usually via phone).
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Do surprises and embargoes still work?

9/8/2016

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In case you were living under a rock yesterday, you probably already know about the Apple event that happened yesterday in San Francisco. A new iPhone and Apple Watch were announced along with AirPods and a new mobile OS and a few other things. But unlike Apple events from years' past, there were no surprises. At all. 

In fact, Mashable published a piece this morning about this exact concern: if Apple can't keep secrets, who can?

So many PR programs still rely heavily on pre-briefings, embargoes and keeping the details of the announcement under wraps until the very last minute, when the press release and blog posts go live along with a flood of press stories all publishing at the exact same time. While this tactic should remain in your PR tool belt, it shouldn't necessarily be the only way you approach garnering coverage around a company announcement or product launch. 

We live in a "24/7 breaking news-wins and 'normal' business hours don't apply" world where you can keep very few things a secret for long, particularly if it is connected a well-known brand or public company. We need to rethink how we launch products and share news with reporters and the rest of the world.

Launch events, press releases, blog posts, social media, pre-briefings and embargoes still have their place. But we need to find additional avenues. And many of those approaches will be unique to your company, the industry in which you are a part of, your target audiences and the media that play in your world. 

Let's start thinking outside the box. 
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How Apple’s Event Flat Lined and Why Nobody Is Talking About It

3/22/2016

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Unless you were living under a rock, Apple hosted their regular March product event yesterday. The products were straight-forward and there was no “just one more thing…” The event just came and went. Reporters covered the news, some live blogged but most of the news had come out in the weeks prior to the event.

The curious thing is that with so many Apple fanboys out there, particularly in reporting circles, why weren’t more of them publishing critical post-event analysis? They simply broke or reported on the pre-event claims, attended the event, covered the news and moved on with their day.

It could be a variety of reasons (check all that apply).
  • Reporters are overworked and they just needed to check the box without overthinking things and overanalyzing.
  • The bar was set too high in the first place and Apple is just resetting expectations.
  • Until the next big thing that shakes up the industry like the original iPhone, people just aren’t going to care.
One thing we do know: the tight-lipped super-secretive, earth-shattering era of Apple events is officially over.

That era has slowly petered out since Tim Cook took the reins in August 2011. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing at all. But it certainly shows a complete 180 in the product, business and communications strategy from the company’s previous regime.
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    ROAMings

    Welcome to ROAMings, a compilation of thoughts and musings about the PR and media industries. This is an opportunity to discuss the “here and now” of the industry, interesting events or case studies, pivotal moments that affect how we approach PR, etc. It isn’t about brand loyalties or preferences -- and we will not be publishing self-promotional materials or talk about our clients in this setting -- but how those brands, individuals and events are leveraging (or in some cases abandoning) PR.

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