Good writing requires a simplified message. When you master the art of simplification, you are not only proving your intelligence but you are proving your ability to build relationships. Isn’t that what Public Relations is all about?
When you engage in a conversation with someone, the last thing you want to do is grab a Webster’s Dictionary and decode the message the person is trying to send (unless you enjoy the art of complex conversation). You want to feel connected and you want to be engaged. This is impossible when the message is filled with fancy words and confusing jargon; both of which distort the message and create a barrier between you and your intended audience.
Complicated language is often used to flaunt intelligence, intimidate or impress an audience; however, the audience will be impressed with a simple message. For this reason, audience analysis is important for clear communication. Messages should match the characteristics of an intended audience in content and structure.
In the previous clip, attorneys Franklin and Bash seem to have a clear understanding of their audience. They are aware of the complications legal jargon can create so they make an attempt to clarify and build a relationship by simplifying the message for a general audience. They also seem to know when and where the use of “legalese” is most effective.
Clear communication begins with a simple message and (hopefully) ends with the creation of a relationship. In short, know your audience and always remember to KISS(Keep It Simple Stupid:-).
Oct 15, 2011
ONLY CLEAN HANDS MAKE CLEAR WRITING
Honesty is not only the best policy. It is the only policy for success in strategic communications. If you write straight from the heart, you’ll find that the rest of the job takes care of itself.
“Clean hands” is actually the title of an important legal doctrine. Its definition is as follows, according to www.businessdictionary.com.
“ Legal principle that the party petitioning for equity and judicial action must itself be free of inequitable or fraudulent dealings.”
I feel the same concept applies to writers. In other words, an author must abstain from deficient writing, just like a plaintiff must refrain from unlawful conduct. If not, they both lose believability.
This connects with Joy Bergmann’s Clear Writing Workshop. Building muscular text, with lively verbs and fit sentences, comes easier if you are being genuine. That’s because integrity eliminates the need for flimsy material. My journalism days bear out that belief.
I worked for 10 years as a community newspaper reporter for Passaic Valley Today Newspapers inWoodland Park , NJ Woodland Park in southern Passaic County.
Remember that your audience will raise its eyebrows at any holes in your content. Readers will wonder why the writer neglected a relevant point. They will ask “Was it due to lack of attention? Was it writer inexperience? Or was it a dishonest author? Such doubts will undermine your reputation as a writer.
It is true that Internet blogging is freer than journalism. You get to air your opinion as opposed to covering an event. You choose the topics of interest to explore. And you can express a lot more creativity.
Unlike reporting, you can reveal you prefer something over something else. You are not bound by the straitjacket of attributing statements with “said”. You don’t have to use a standard font for articles, captions, and headlines. And there’s no editor telling you to gut your article for an 11th hour advertisement, or to make room for another story.
Even so, non-journalistic authors will find strength with factual backup. This especially holds true when discussing a popular topic or controversial issue. Clean hands are the essence of wholesome writing. Grounding your blog on solid information works well because your thread of your text has a thought pattern to follow.
If you know what you’re talking about, then you have a compass to direct the path of your prose. If you don’t, then you will be struggling. How can you choose the most apt words if you don’t know, or won’t acknowledge, what is best to say. That reduces your credibility, and your audience’s trust in you.
One example is last year’s British Petroleum’s (BP) public relation campaign about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in theGulf of Mexico . One of the BP’s gaffes was its fluid story on the spill flow rate. The corporation issued different figures on how many thousands of barrels of crude per day were leaking. The changing statements only underscored that BP did not truly know the tamount. Admitting that right of way would have helped the company’s PR department gain the skeptical public’s trust.
And who can forget former New York Times writer Jason Blair? He wrote many stories with plagiarism, invented quotes, and fictional interviews. His lack of authenticity forced him to fill in the blanks with falsehoods, which readers inevitably spotted. Blair’s freewheeling at The New York Times killed his career and hurt the daily paper’s name. The scandal marked a low point in the Times’ 150-year plus history.
I can sum it up with my takeoff on a well-known proverb. The road to sell is paved with good intentions. Over history, many people have tried fly-by-night writing tactics. They think they can succeed in convincing an audience with unconvincing language. Exaggeration, fabrication, haziness, and ostentation may appeal to some writers because they are convenient. Those sins come with a high price.
Dirty writing sullies both author and publication and turns off the audience. That is why clear writing requires clean hands. Without that, the pen, although mightier than the sword, becomes a double edged blade that wounds many people.
“Clean hands” is actually the title of an important legal doctrine. Its definition is as follows, according to www.businessdictionary.com.
“ Legal principle that the party petitioning for equity and judicial action must itself be free of inequitable or fraudulent dealings.”
I feel the same concept applies to writers. In other words, an author must abstain from deficient writing, just like a plaintiff must refrain from unlawful conduct. If not, they both lose believability.
This connects with Joy Bergmann’s Clear Writing Workshop. Building muscular text, with lively verbs and fit sentences, comes easier if you are being genuine. That’s because integrity eliminates the need for flimsy material. My journalism days bear out that belief.
I worked for 10 years as a community newspaper reporter for Passaic Valley Today Newspapers in
Remember that your audience will raise its eyebrows at any holes in your content. Readers will wonder why the writer neglected a relevant point. They will ask “Was it due to lack of attention? Was it writer inexperience? Or was it a dishonest author? Such doubts will undermine your reputation as a writer.
It is true that Internet blogging is freer than journalism. You get to air your opinion as opposed to covering an event. You choose the topics of interest to explore. And you can express a lot more creativity.
Unlike reporting, you can reveal you prefer something over something else. You are not bound by the straitjacket of attributing statements with “said”. You don’t have to use a standard font for articles, captions, and headlines. And there’s no editor telling you to gut your article for an 11th hour advertisement, or to make room for another story.
Even so, non-journalistic authors will find strength with factual backup. This especially holds true when discussing a popular topic or controversial issue. Clean hands are the essence of wholesome writing. Grounding your blog on solid information works well because your thread of your text has a thought pattern to follow.
If you know what you’re talking about, then you have a compass to direct the path of your prose. If you don’t, then you will be struggling. How can you choose the most apt words if you don’t know, or won’t acknowledge, what is best to say. That reduces your credibility, and your audience’s trust in you.
One example is last year’s British Petroleum’s (BP) public relation campaign about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the
And who can forget former New York Times writer Jason Blair? He wrote many stories with plagiarism, invented quotes, and fictional interviews. His lack of authenticity forced him to fill in the blanks with falsehoods, which readers inevitably spotted. Blair’s freewheeling at The New York Times killed his career and hurt the daily paper’s name. The scandal marked a low point in the Times’ 150-year plus history.
I can sum it up with my takeoff on a well-known proverb. The road to sell is paved with good intentions. Over history, many people have tried fly-by-night writing tactics. They think they can succeed in convincing an audience with unconvincing language. Exaggeration, fabrication, haziness, and ostentation may appeal to some writers because they are convenient. Those sins come with a high price.
Dirty writing sullies both author and publication and turns off the audience. That is why clear writing requires clean hands. Without that, the pen, although mightier than the sword, becomes a double edged blade that wounds many people.
Oct 11, 2011
The Honor Code of Web Copy
Joy and I had a debriefing after The Clear Writing Workshop last night, and we agreed on three things:
- Wimba's audio functionality is annoying.
- You're a talented group (which will make the entire course even better).
- Sonia is hilarious!
Now, if Assignment 2 is going to be a valuable exercise, you all have to agree to the Honor Code. I didn't get pushback on "turning on the webcam," so my guess is that you'll all agree. (Please sign on the dotted line.)
This is Assignment Two.
Spend the next day or so thinking about your former employer. Consider every possible element that comes to mind, everything from the brand and the office space to target audiences and product offerings. No stone should be left unturned in your mind.
Those three words are critical: in your mind. And this is where the Honor Code comes in. Don't look at the existing web site.
Your objective here is to think carefully about the business. Draw upon your own employee experience, and challenge yourself to create a vivid company picture and clearly tell the story.
Now, create the homepage web copy. How you do this is completely up to you. The only guideline is that this is a writing assignment, not a design assignment. Copy is defined as everything, including headlines, body copy, navigation, etc.
Next, create the page often called "About Us."
That's it. Assignment Two comprises two parts: (1) Homepage web copy and (2) "About Us" page web copy. And of course, the writing will be lean, muscular and flab-free. Tight. Crisp. Polished.
I've posted digital writing resources in the Week Two Lesson Module (PRFandP section). Otherwise, you're good to go. Reach out if you have any questions.
Oct 10, 2011
The New 'It" Drink - Coconut Water
Have you fallen into the Coconut water craze? I’ve become a huge fan of the hydrating beverage! After all the buzz surrounding the drink in recent months, I finally decided to try it when I couldn’t get rid of a hangover. Needless to say, it worked and I’ve coined it the best “hangover cure” so far.
This post is not to glorify drinking, but I enjoy the occasional nights out on the town with my friends or boyfriend. I’m not in college anymore, so my days of being able to party are dwindling away – as my boyfriend and I say , “ we are getting too old to go out drinking all night because our bodies shut down the next day”. Then I found coconut water!
Lets be honest – coconut water is not targeted for partygoers. However, I know quite a few people who use it as a hangover cure. So, who are companies like Zico targeting? Originally, I figured active women (especially mothers) would be the biggest target audience. However, after researching the beverage, specifically the brand “Zico”, I learned that athletes are the target audience.
The Zico website says “As a company, we’re on a mission to tell the world that Mother Nature made a better sports drink, ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water. We’re athletes. We drink ZICO daily (lots of it!), know it works and want to help others make the switch to ZICO too.”
I’ve had coconut water after a yoga class and while it re-hydrated me, I never thought of it as a sports drink. Ill stick to drinking Zico coconut water the morning after a dirty martini or two fights my body. Would it be so bad to mention the beverage as a hangover cure? Would it hurt or help the top coconut water brands?
Au Bon Wha cha ma call it ?
I've been there on numerous occasions, since there's one right in the building I work in. Yet, anytime someone asks what I might have for lunch I'll only say, "the sandwich place downstairs", or "Au Bon whatever it's called".
Recently, I sent a tweet into cyber space asking, "How DO you pronounce Au Bon Pain??". A friend, who happens to speak French, responded with, "Say it with me, Oh-Bon-Pan!". Now, I would have never remembered this exchange if it weren't for a twitter response from an Au Bon Pain representative thanking my friend for the proper phonetic spelling. I'll admit, I still don't pronounce it correctly. My rendition sounds more like a physical therapy clinic than a sandwich place. And naming a company in another language other than the native tongue is a whole other issue. I wonder now, how did sending a response to us affect me as a customer? If it did, it was on a psychological level because it didn't make me eat there more often or even say the company name right.
Now, Twitter is a very current and, (forgive me for the word Im about to use), cool platform. It's also very informal. Just imagine getting a letter in the mail thanking you for a phonetic spelling. That would seem... desperate. Perhaps the tweet was meant to simply be a positive customer exchange and nothing more. What do you think?
Also, I think it's interesting that throughout this blog post, I had to continuously edit my sentences because I kept referring to the "representative" as a "she". I quite obviously have never met this person, yet I instantly assume the person is female. "She" tweeted me, "she" thanked my friend. All very interesting thoughts stemming from a simple tweet. And still, all this Au Bon Pain talk has not even made me hungry.
Oct 9, 2011
Rainbows....and Rainbros!
While I was doing my grocery shopping yesterday morning (and asking myself why I always go on weekends-ugh!), I found the subject of my first post on PRFandP. One People’s magazine and two packs of gum later, I finally got to the cash register. The best part in the story, my eyes were caught by this little red bag of funky, tasty and colourful candies with a label saying The Original…have you guess my subject of this week’s post?
This tinny pack of joy called Skittles was enough to send me back to my high school years when I could eat I-don’t-know-how-many bags a week! It also made me remember one of the most outstanding social media campaign: Have you experienced the rainbow? Numerous bloggers, social media sites and media have covered the new campaign and yet, no one is able to say if the nonsense thematic used is good, bad... or strange! Whether you visit the Skittlespage’s Channel on You Tube or watch their bizarre 30 seconds clips posted on their famous Facebook page, you will be forced to engage with the brand and more likely, you will remember it.
And what about their audience…in fact, who exactly are they targeting? I have myself experienced the rainbow and despite of the confusion feeling (!!) I got watching and playing with their clips, the key is here: I experienced and I played! Their prominent digital and viral marketing strategies are impressive; they create an experience for their audience using interactivity and originality. Website, Blog site, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, everything has aligned to produce a colossal buzz and a tremendous amount of people’s reactions that you can read online, it is all over! From my opinion: whatever it is, whatever you think about it, whether it is stupid or genius, you will be talking about it without a doubt. This is probably why they have reached, up until now, more than 19 millions fans on Facebook... this kind of interaction on the web community is a remarkable achievement for everyone’s favorite candy company!!
Will you be able to resist....or will you be the next Rainbro?
Ask What You Can Do For Your Audience
Don’t ask what your audience can do for you. Ask what you can do for your audience.
Yes. I admit I patterned this blog post lead after John F. Kennedy’s saying about service to one’s country. So what? I like that beginning for three reasons: 1. It sounds noble. 2. It calls upon people to aid other people. 3. It does a world of good for public relations, or should I say, strategic communications.The last point was hammered home in the last public relations course I took at NYU’s
We spent much time writing and rewriting public relations pieces. We did class critiques of homework assignments, and talked about public relations strategies. We all learned to avoid typing self-serving pitches.
Prof. Brickman repeatedly mentioned a catchphrase for effective public relations: “Start with a problem.” In other words, addressing an audience about remedying someone’s difficulty, or assisting someone in need, carries more appeal than focusing on your desire to sell.
That approach made a day and night difference in my Advanced Public Relations pieces. No longer were my pitches centered on my class project client, a commercial gas company sales manager, trying to increasing sales. They were now about my client’s extra efforts to put the customer first. Come to think of it, that made much more sense. People rather hear about someone helping someone, instead of someone trying to drum up business.
After all, selling oxygen and nitrogen cylinders to doctors, and helium to retail stores does not make curiosity-piquing copy. A better angle is how having a relief driver system enabled my client to make an emergency delivery to a dilemma facing dentist. The doctor had run out of oxygen with a patient in the chair. One hour later, the dentist received a fresh cylinder, and was able to resume doing oral surgery.
Likewise, a piece about the sales manager’s envisioned future of his company will not generate that much buzz. It’s simply too egocentric. What about a feature about the sales manager launching a corporation-sponsored drive to benefit local volunteer groups? That definitely something an audience would rather hear about.
Doing good things for other people makes good publicity. It casts your client, his company, and your public relations agency in a good light. It corresponds to the notion of recreation capital mentioned in the first chapter of Reputation Management by John Doorley and Helio Fred Garcia.
As stated on page five, “Reputation adds value to the actual worth of a company.” One way to burnish a reputation is to earn good mentions from people you have helped. That’s why asking what you can do for your audience trumps asking what your audience can do for you.
-Tom Boud, PRFandP
Tough Crowd: How to Sell a Product to a Skeptical Audience
I must admit, I am not a fan of commercial advertising. I get frustrated when Benson and Stabler have stumbled upon a new lead only to be interrupted by 2-3 minutes of advertisements telling me how great something is and how I should go out and buy it (Law & Order: SVU junkies, I know you feel my pain). For one, don’t tell me to go out and buy something that claims to cure, eliminate or improve me or my “condition(s).” The only prescription I need comes from my own physician. If he doesn’t give it to me, chances are I don’t need it. Two, don’t tell me to go out and buy something just because “Celebrity X” uses it. Unless “Celebrity X” is cutting me a check, I am not interested. I guess I am one of those individuals that claims to be unmoved by those savvy media tactics. However, on the rare occasion that I am moved to buy a product or even consider a purchase, I don’t want the flowery details—I want the cold hard facts. I want complete honesty. I want to feel as though I am capable of forming my own decision and acting on my own will.
Occasionally a commercial comes along for skeptics like me. For example, in the 90’s Michael Jordan was at the height of his game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships while winning the hearts of many with his prolific scoring and slam dunks that were out of this world. Every kid wanted to be “like Mike” and every adult was in awe of this man’s somewhat supernatural abilities.
The commercial is great for the skeptical audience. Although Michael Jordan is “Celebrity X” in this case, Nike decided to use the persona of an average guy (Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon) to ask “His Airness” how he has the ability to do those incredible things on the court. Rather than give complete credit to Nike and their shoes for his phenomenal talent, Michael Jordan is honest and direct in the commercial, leaving the average guy to make his own assumption and coin a phrase that many remember to this day: “It’s gotta be the shoes!” What the average guy does with this new information is completely up to him and ultimately, the decision is completely up to the audience.
Skeptics know that it is NOT the shoes, but the man IN the shoes. We skeptics are pretty hard to crack, but it is admirable that Nike managed to deliver a message that was fairly open for interpretation. To this day I have never owned a pair of Air Jordans (I prefer my Chuck Taylors), but this commercial made me consider making the purchase, which is a success in my opinion. Just because the audience may not rush out and buy the product does not mean its media efforts have been completely overlooked. I enjoy the fact that the media acknowledges that I do have a brain that seems to function on its own!
Occasionally a commercial comes along for skeptics like me. For example, in the 90’s Michael Jordan was at the height of his game. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championships while winning the hearts of many with his prolific scoring and slam dunks that were out of this world. Every kid wanted to be “like Mike” and every adult was in awe of this man’s somewhat supernatural abilities.
The commercial is great for the skeptical audience. Although Michael Jordan is “Celebrity X” in this case, Nike decided to use the persona of an average guy (Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon) to ask “His Airness” how he has the ability to do those incredible things on the court. Rather than give complete credit to Nike and their shoes for his phenomenal talent, Michael Jordan is honest and direct in the commercial, leaving the average guy to make his own assumption and coin a phrase that many remember to this day: “It’s gotta be the shoes!” What the average guy does with this new information is completely up to him and ultimately, the decision is completely up to the audience.
Skeptics know that it is NOT the shoes, but the man IN the shoes. We skeptics are pretty hard to crack, but it is admirable that Nike managed to deliver a message that was fairly open for interpretation. To this day I have never owned a pair of Air Jordans (I prefer my Chuck Taylors), but this commercial made me consider making the purchase, which is a success in my opinion. Just because the audience may not rush out and buy the product does not mean its media efforts have been completely overlooked. I enjoy the fact that the media acknowledges that I do have a brain that seems to function on its own!
From Bernays to Solis
Watching the videos that Eric posted on Edward Bernays and Brian Solis really got the wheels turning in my head! As I'm scouring the racks of the Saks outlet, or some consignment boutique in NYC, feverishly looking for some cool new shirt or boots that would look better than the tons of stuff I already have in my closet, my subconscious is telling me I'm brainwashed, but I keep shopping for hours.
And it all ties back to Edward Bernays and WWI! It's even more interesting that he's Sigmund Freud's nephew, so my obsession with shopping stems from good ol' psychoanalysis. Bernays was aptly named "The father of public relations" in his obituary. Through propoganda, he created a world image of Woodrow Wilson as a peacemaker and a fighter for the people, and he figured if he could do that in times of war, he could do that in times of peace.
Bernays managed to convince women to start smoking by showing young, rich debutantes smoking "Torches of Freedom", evoking feelings of independence and power. What a great name for a cancer stick! I don't smoke and that name makes me want to light one up. So thank you Mr. Bernays, we are now in a consumerism society where our desires overshadow our needs.
Our digital society is a new way for public relations to flourish. I liked the video where Brian Solis interviewed John Battelle. Battelle talked about how we need to step back from everything we've built digitally and look at where we're going in the next thirty years. He says we're creating our own stress with technology and we need to focus on taking control over our identities in the digital world.
From Bernays' spin to spin the original spin, to the new pr shifting away from spin and "keeping it real" as Eric said in the first class, at the end of the day, people in public relations have been trying to make sure the right information gets to the right people. How we go about this keeps evolving and changing, and rightfully so.
And it all ties back to Edward Bernays and WWI! It's even more interesting that he's Sigmund Freud's nephew, so my obsession with shopping stems from good ol' psychoanalysis. Bernays was aptly named "The father of public relations" in his obituary. Through propoganda, he created a world image of Woodrow Wilson as a peacemaker and a fighter for the people, and he figured if he could do that in times of war, he could do that in times of peace.
Bernays managed to convince women to start smoking by showing young, rich debutantes smoking "Torches of Freedom", evoking feelings of independence and power. What a great name for a cancer stick! I don't smoke and that name makes me want to light one up. So thank you Mr. Bernays, we are now in a consumerism society where our desires overshadow our needs.
Our digital society is a new way for public relations to flourish. I liked the video where Brian Solis interviewed John Battelle. Battelle talked about how we need to step back from everything we've built digitally and look at where we're going in the next thirty years. He says we're creating our own stress with technology and we need to focus on taking control over our identities in the digital world.
From Bernays' spin to spin the original spin, to the new pr shifting away from spin and "keeping it real" as Eric said in the first class, at the end of the day, people in public relations have been trying to make sure the right information gets to the right people. How we go about this keeps evolving and changing, and rightfully so.
Commercial Tactics
After reading both Sonia and Nicole's blog posts as well as Eric's comments I started thinking about target audiences and the different tactics that are used to reach them. Do tactics like nostalgic recollection really work? Can advertisements be proven successful within their target audiences? What tactics work best?
Now, I must admit - I am a real sucker for commercials that tug on my heart strings and make me feel all warm and fuzzy, so I quite enjoy the nostalgic recollection commercials below.
Nostalgic Recollection:
Nostalgic recollection commercials try to reach to their audiences by reenacting experiences that they can relate to. Both Tim Horton's and Pampers try to evoke nostalgic feelings in their customers through both imagery and music and hope to conjure up similar memories from their personal past.
Tim Horton's Coffee (I am a Canadian Girl) and Pampers:
Tim Horton's positions is positioned as being a family company, therefore the audience is families. Do these commercials really make you want to drink Tim Horton's coffee? I will admit, the first watched this commercial, I cried. I also found myself thinking back on times I shared with my family. I did not however, find myself wanting a coffee. Does that mean that the commercial did not work? Was this tactic successful?
Pampers is targeting new mother's and families through their commercial. Again, both music and imagery play a large part in the nostalgic recollection. By trying to evoke memories of babies and children within their audience, Pampers shows that they can relate to their clientele. I am not a parent at this point in my life, so I obviously did not want to buy diapers. For anyone who does have children, does this commercial make you want to buy Pampers diapers over another brand?
Nostalgic recollection is one tactic that is used when your target audience is families and mothers. When targeting men however, the tactic changes quite drastically.
‘This Could Be You’
When targeting men, companies must use different marketing tactics in order to reach and relate to their audience. Would nostalgic recollection commercials work when the target audience is men? A popular way to reach an audience of men is the ‘this could be you’ tactic. By creating an image of the ultimate man, companies try to reach their audience by showing them characteristic that are often desired by men.
Old Spice and Dos Equis:
Old Spice uses a tactic that is very different from the nostalgic recollection that was seen in both the Pampers and Tim Horton’s commercials. They also have a completely different target audience, men. By using a 'this could be you' strategy, Old Spice creates the ultimate man that presumably the target audience wants to be. Does this tactic work?
Dos Equis uses a similar 'this could be you' tactic in their Most Interesting Man in the World campaign. By showing their audience The Most Interesting Man in the World, is Dos Equis suggesting that customers who drink their beer are similar to that man? Does this tactic really work?
Overall, I find myself curious as to what the purpose of commercials really is: to increase sales? Promote their brand and intrinsic messaging within their target audience?
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