Communications links for Oct. 28th

1. Oh, no. If you’re in media relations or have to deal with a crisis, don’t do this. Or else you will end up having to do this.

2. Ever worry that you’re not saying the right thing to the right audience? Take some comfort from knowing that even the mega-buck marketers in Hollywood can’t figure it out sometimes.

3. More proof that you must learn how new communications tools like text messaging impact the way you reach your audience: More Adventures in Emergency Text-Messaging from the New York Times. Young people are not tuning into radio or television to hear breaking news – they are tuning into their friends and instant news tools. More on the tactics being used on campus during a crisis here.

Media Relations in an online world

The New York Times features the relationship between the Drudge Report and political campaigns – and reports on a new co-dependency between Drudge and Hillary Clinton. This is a terrific look inside how media relations works in today’s online-driven news.

Key Quote:

Aides in both parties acknowledge working harder than ever to get favorable coverage for their candidates — or unfavorable coverage of competitors — onto the Drudge Report’s home page, knowing that television producers, radio talk show hosts and newspaper reporters view it as a bulletin board for the latest news and gossip. Because of the sheer number of people who look at it and because of the attention it gets from the media, what appears on Drudge can, for a few minutes or an entire day, drive what appears elsewhere, making it, “a force in the political news cycle for both the press and the campaigns,” said David Chalian, the political director at ABC News.

Edelman on the changing nature of P.R.

Public Relations guru Richard Edelman says P.R. now stands for “Public Relationships.” Everyone in the communications field should view this presentation and ask themselves what they and their companies are doing to adapt to this revolution created by social technologies.

“Effective communications should evolve, from controlled messaging towards conversational collaboration…By aspiring to big ideas and helping to change the reality not simply the perception, we move along the continuum from Talk to Action.”

Facebook in life

A friend of mine just posted she was single on Facebook. Why I wondered (out loud, or as out loud as sending her a message on Facebook can be). She said it was an official announcement — sort of letting the world know hew new available status.

I think this is the communications genius of Facebook — it’s a vehicle for announcements to your key audience. I am shocked to say I have gotten bigger news than someone has kicked their most recent dating partner to the curb. Babies (oh yes congrats to JK2), engagements, separations, new jobs. Oh and it is the way to offer birthday greetings in the modern world.

The next question is — how do we harness this for targeted campaigns?