After Jimmy Choo for H&M, Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s… introducing nightmare for Target!

When discussing that lack of planning can lead to a tragedy, I couldn’t stop thinking about the launch of Missoni for Target’s collection... has anyone heard about it?!

I can certainly call myself a “fashionista” but furthermore, I am passionate of how the fashion industry works. That’s why I couldn't help talking about this launch when I first read the press release. Not so much because I was interested by the items but mostly because, from a business point-of-view, these partnerships are part of amazing growth strategies for retailers.

How can H&M build on its brand image by successfully introducing more than 10 guest-designer collaborations featuring big names like Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor & Rolf, Madonna and Jimmy Choo? It is simple: Offering fashion and quality at the best price using high-end designers who create cheaper versions of their fashion for lower-end stores.

Since 2004, many retailers followed H&M’s strategy, including Target. Surprisingly, this is not the giant retailer's first partnership with a designer... but this time, what went wrong? The tactics used to create a buzz about the collection were unquestionably good. The promotion on traditional and social media platforms was a success, announcing the limited-time offerings to spur impulse buys by creating a sense of urgency for shoppers. Ahead of the launch, Target also opened a temporary store in Manhattan at the start of New York Fashion Week. But the colorful shop, which spanned six city blocks, was supposed to stay open for three days, but end up closing after six hours because items sold out.

From my point-of-view, Target experienced a big lack of planning. They have underestimated the popularity of the launch which would have been easy to prepare with a test-market or simply by looking at social platforms online. Customers were angry and it is not something a big name retailer like Target wants in digital ages. The bad execution including the poor replenishment, the lack of inventory in stores and online, and the website crashes could possibly have harmed the retailer. This is not even counting how the company reacted, from a PR perspective, about the thousands and thousands of items found on Ebay, only an hour after Missoni’s first item sold.

Were you one of these angry customers? How would you react to their next launch? Well, personally I would stay in-line only for H&M due to my high satisfaction with them and my lovely pair of Jimmy Choos! Oh, and talking about H&M, Versace’s collection will be in store this November!

What a Pitch!

*This post contains language not normally used in a classroom.  However, I think it’s important for getting the message across.  I’ve replaced curse words with asterisks to avoid offending.

Bradlink Communications sent a PR pitch earlier this month to a blogger that called the wrong kind of attention to their company after an employee accidentally replied to all on an email.  And she was more than happy to blog about it. 

Their pitch was falling on deaf ears because the PR rep failed to check the relevancy of the blogs it was pitching to.  When the blogger responded with her standard “who cares” response (her response is here: http://thebloggess.com/heres-a-picture-of-wil-wheaton-collating-papers/ ), the PR rep called the blogger a F***ing B**** via email to his coworkers...  But he replied to ALL.  Including the blogger.  WHOOPS.  We'll get to that.  

The blogger has a personal blog called The Bloggess.  It’s full of random things, as personal blogs are, and often refers to poor PR pitches and her dislike for celebrity spokespersons.  Ironically, the firm pitched a stocking line to her worn by Kourtney Kardashian.  They tried to sell the angle that they were perfect for teaching kids their ABC’s (stay with me here) because the stockings have letters on them.  Personally, I learned my ABC’s with a combo of Sesame Street and Mrs. Epstein (go PS 148!). I know it's not to be taken literally, but it's just... desperate.  Exploitative even, since she is a famous mother and the product has nothing to do with children.  Their pitch also included grammatical errors.   

Actual email:  

Teaching Mason the ABC’s is as Easy as 1-2-3!” 

Our favorite celebrity mom Kourtney Kardashian is proving that fashion doesn’t have to stop on the streets, but instead showing that “education is chic.” And what better way to teach your little one the ABC’s than by wearing this season’s hottest accessory, House of Holland for Pretty Polly hosiery. 

The Kardashian’s once again show they are right on trend, and this is on Mommy’s are all going to want to follow.

 What the what?  That last line does not make sense!  Maybe they should pitch to a translation company?  

                                                      **Warning - Hideous Tights Ahead**

The Bloggess responded with the standard response she sends to anyone who tries to use her for publicity.  While it’s not sweet and sugar coated, it is her equivalent of “get lost”.  The tone is consistent with the rest of her blog, written in a very tongue-in-cheek way.  Anyone who READS her blog would know this.  Also, this standard response is found at the top right hand side of her page, it’s very public.  Since Bradlink Communications did not find it important to know who they were pitching to, they took her response personal and sent a biting response.  They made it seem like they were doing her a favor by even pitching to her.  Not a way to win friends:

Hi there,
That wasn’t very nice. We send certain pitches out to people so they have the chance of getting more hits on their page. We’ll make note of this email in moving forward and remember if we have any advertising opportunities with any of our clients not to go through you.  Best of luck to you.

Best,
Erica

Here's the juicy part.  Jose, VP of Bradlink Communications, was on this email above and he decided to respond to his colleagues, only he hit “REPLY TO ALL”...  accidentally sending the email to the blogger.  

from JOSE

What a f***ing b****!

Big mistake.  

from THE BLOGGESS

Hi. This is sort of why “reply all” doesn’t usually work well for
companies. Unless, of course, you decided that “What a F***ing B****” was
a great response from a public relations company. Personally, I preferred
the “Best of luck to you” one, which was much more honest and cutting,
while still being professional.

If you’ve read my blog you would know that a great deal of my blog deals
with the importance of public relations companies doing research before
sending form letters to bloggers. Specifically, I’m very vocal about
ridiculous pitches involving celebrities using products. So much so that
I made that actual Wil Wheaton collating paper page to combat this very
sort of thing in a quick and painless way. My blog has nothing to do with
fashion, the Kardashians or pantyhose…none of which I understand, to be
honest. Plus, you’ve sent me this form letter TWICE today. I only point
this out so you can delete this *ahem*  F****ing B****” from all of the
mailing lists you have me on, rather than just one.

Also, I apologize if you were offended by my email. Honestly, I’ve been
sending that thing out to PR people for the last year and this is the
first time I didn’t have someone respond with either a laugh, or with a
simple “No problem. We’ll remove you from the list.” In fact, many PR
companies have turned this entire thing around and sent really hysterical
exchanges to me, which I’ve used to promote their great work in
understanding (and working with) the unique personalities of the very
bloggers they’re trying to reach out to. Just a thought.

Hugs,
Jenny (aka “F***ing B****”)

I like it.  But of course someone always wants the last word.  

from JOSE

I get it and I was out of line by saying that however you put way too much effort
into your approach. A simple "I don't cover this, no thanks" or "Please remove"
would suffice. To go out of your way to be snarky and rude is a little
inappropriate. Again, I should've been less harsh – but I also feel like your email
was rude and unprofessional as well. We will do a better job to research who we are
pitching but maybe you should be flattered that you are even viewed relevant enough
to be pitched at all instead of alienated PR firms and PR people – who are actually
the livelihood of any journalists business. Don't be offended, you started the
cursing game so maybe we should all just laugh it off and plan not to work together
in the future.

So many things wrong here. 

1. Know your audience. 

Just because a celebrity wears alphabet tights, does not mean marketing it to mothers is sensible.  It’s not.  It’s stupid.  Unless they’re control top.  And no one cares that Kourtney Kardashian is your favorite mommy.  It’s about potential buyers, not you. 

2. Know your client. 

What does Pretty Polly stand for as a company?  Are they big on education?  If not, steer clear of word play that's as lazy as Bradlink's research.

3. Know your English. 

Even your rebuttal should have proper grammar.  You don’t get a pass for poor English because you’re mad.  And NEVER USE PROFANITY.  There are no exceptions. 

 

You can't win them all

After reading Shayla’s blog post, I could not stop thinking about how different audiences react to different campaigns, commercials and products.

As Shayla pointed out, the cute cuddly mascots behind our favorite childhood cereals have caused a negative link between their product and childhood obesity. While children have grown to love Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam and Count Chocula, others might see them as a contributing factor towards childhood obesity.

Shayla’s example made be realize that, no matter the company, product or campaign - you can’t win them all.

During the 2011 Super Bowl, Groupon purchased it’s first television ad space to launch it’s campaign, Save the Money. This campaign was themed around idea of saving something endangered. Throughout the evening, Groupon aired three commercials, two of which were quite funny and featured big name celebrities. For example, Elizabeth Hurley’s commercial discussed the negative effects of rapid deforestation in the Brazilian rainforest:  

Not all of their ads went over so well. The most talked about and controversial Groupon ad featured Timothy Hutton, who distastefully discussed the social and political issues in Tibet. 

As PR professionals, it is our job to develop a strategy and implement tactics that will not only achieve our client’s objective, but also cause the least amount of backlash. Winning your target audience over might result in losing another. It is important to remember that in this day and age, media is one of the most power tools we have. Use it wisely! 

Objectives, Strategy and Tactics in Angry Birds

After class last week, I decided to unwind with a glass of wine and a game of Angry Birds. Is anyone else addicted to this game?





It was during this game that I thought about objectives, strategies and tactics. Almost everything you do in life, including every game has these three components, so what would they be for Angry Birds?

In the game of Angry Birds, you fling these birds in the air with your finger, using a sling, to kill pigs that are sitting on the ground. The birds are angry because the pigs stole their eggs, so they're trying to kill the pigs. The person playing the game is the birds.

Objectives
• Kill the pigs who stole your eggs.
• Get the golden eggs.


Strategy
• Aerial strikes with a boomerang, using your finger.


Tactics
• Use different types of birds to kill the pigs. Each bird in Angry Birds has different stengths. Red birds are good for distance attacks, yellow birds are good for attacks that require focus and strength. Blue birds are good for killing multiple pigs at once. Bomb birds blow up and are good for destroying wood and metal that's hiding a pig. Boomerang birds are good for killing from side angles. Big red birds are powerful and good for destroying metal and wood as well.

• Attack using different angles. Killing the pigs requires accuracy. Use low and high angles depending on where the pig is on the screen, and whether the pig is exposed or not. Use these angles to hit tnt that can blow pigs up. Use the angles to split or weaken wood and metal that a pig is hiding under.

• Kill the pigs in a certain order using the best bird for each attack. If you use a bomb bird to kill one pig that is exposed, but you have four pigs hiding under wood and metal beams, that is a waste. Use the strongest pigs to get through wood an metal beams, then kill the pigs off with the weaker birds, once the pigs are exposed.


This game, with it's squealing pigs and angry sqauwking birds, is addictive!! Maybe this will help other addicts get through Angry Birds, which challenges you to use different strategies and tactics to kill those darn piggies!

I love it when a plan comes together

       “I love it when a plan comes together.”

        That phrase is instantly recognizable to fans of the 1980’s series, The A-Team.  Col. Smith liked mentioning that sentence whenever his squad invented a way to overcome trouble or the bad guys. Usually, Smith said his signature one-liner after the team quickly conceived some multi-step strategy to achieve victory.    

     I like “I love it when a plan comes together” for two reasons: it is inspiring, and it goes to the essence of public relations.

        The October 17th PRF&P lesson underlined the importance of good public relations planning. I found that 2:24 minute class useful. It hammered home the nuts and bolts of winning strategic communications campaigns. I’m sure this lesson made clear sailing for PRF&P students who drifted at sea about public relation plans.

       Monday’s lesson provided a framework for any strategic communications cause to achieve success. A thought out plan ensures that all necessary steps are covered. Missing just one will hamper, or even doom, the best intentioned public relations effort. One weakness is a plan with a dull goal. 

      I think it really helps to define one’s niche. There’s nothing like a product or service that stands out, or can’t be easily obtained elsewhere. Few things are more advantageous than promoting something that can be found or done few places else.

    For example, let’s say your PR client was NYU’s School of Continuing And Professional Studies (SCPS). The objective was to boost enrollment. Wouldn’t one strong selling point be highlighting SCPS’ numerous foreign language offerings?

 After all, how many other institutions teach hard to find tongues such as Persian, Norwegian, Greek, and Korean?   That alone will serve to attract more students to SCPS, especially in worldly New York City.  

    For all “PRF&Pers, we need to ask ourselves, “What edge can we give to our public relations pitches and plans? What different can we help introduce to the public? How can we best convey the right message to the right people? How can we get our clients to stand above the competition?

   Answering those questions well will pay off well. You, your client, and your audience  will all love it when a plan comes together.  And, perhaps, your public relations group will earn the name “A-Team.”

They’re Grrreat (but the government doesn’t think so)!

Tony the Tiger. Toucan Sam. Snap, Crackle and Pop. These are the cartoon images I have grown to love. I remember walking (well, probably running or skipping) down the cereal aisle to grab a box of the sugary goodness without hesitation or fear. I was oblivious to the unhealthiness contained inside and frankly, I didn’t care. My primary concern was which colorful box had the best prize or featured the most loveable character.

Now, imagine walking (or running or skipping—whatever you prefer) down the same cereal aisle without Sugar Bear’s smiling face or the fierce fangs of Count Chocula. Frightening isn’t it? Well, the government has the tendency to do that to people.

The government continues to develop strategies and tactics to eliminate childhood obesity. In an effort to curb junk food marketing to children, the government suggests pulling cartoon characters from cereal boxes. Voluntary health guidelines developed earlier this year set maximum levels of fat, sugars and sodium; requesting food companies not to market foods that go beyond such parameters to children ages 2 through 17. The guidelines apply to many media venues, including advertisements on television, in stores and on the Internet, in an effort to reduce rising child obesity levels.

According to www.letsmove.org, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. I get it. Kids are fat these days--there is no way around it. It makes no sense for a five year old to weigh as much as I do. The government is simply looking out for the best interest of America’s children who are not nearly as active as they should or could be. But why should I have to suffer because Carol Brady can’t tell little Cindy or Bobby no? Why should I have to lose a fragment of my childhood shopping experience just because Bobby is three years old and weighs 200 pounds?

I know it’s selfish, but it’s not fair. It’s up to the parents to set the overall standard of health in their household. It is also the parent’s responsibility to tell their children to put the video games aside and find something fun to do outside!

Maybe I am making way too much out of this but if the government pulls the plug on Tony the Tiger, I will be heartbroken. I believe in the government’s objective and overall strategy but they should definitely reconsider some of their tactics. How else will I know how grrreat something is without the help of a talking tiger or his Kellogg cartoon friends?

Beyond the Comfort Zone

I'm musing over life outside the comfort zone and how it feels. My answer: Painful – but embrace that mental pain right? It will make you grow.

I know a few of us were slightly overwhelmed on the last call over the final assessment. Things got a little quite in the online classroom there for a while.

So I wanted to share something that’s been at the forefront of my mind, aside from “oh cr*p, where do I start?”

Rebels. They have a different way of doing things. One of my favorites is Tim Ferriss. Tim is a master of loopholes, working smarter and simply, a productivity guru. His book “The 4-Hour Work Week” first introduced me to Pareto’s Law which dictates that 80% of your desired outcomes are the result of 20% of your activities or inputs. This can be interpreted as: there are only few things that are really important and it seems the key is identifying that significant 20-percent.

Could we use this principal in our approach to tackling a PR plan? Say for instance, always having the Big Picture in focus - that 80% (or more) reap factor? Would this help eliminate distractions and highlight the important deliverables at each point in our timelime?

And could we use it to identify tactics that are “best – fit” for our clients (those 20% of social media campaigns producing 80% or more measurable results)?

Tim also introduced me to Parkinson’s Law which dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion…..

Confused Much?

Tim clarifies this point so elegantly that I would like to share it with you all:

“It’s the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials. If I give you a week to complete the same task, its six days of making a mountain out of a molehill. If I give you two months, God forbid, it becomes a mental monster. The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus”.

So perhaps, as it directly relates to PR, assignment work and life in general - a good piece of advice is this:

“Identify mission-critical tasks and set aggressive start and end times for their completion”.

Or simply: Deadlines create focus (I think I remember you saying this too Eric?)

Working Smarter has been a common thread in our discussions on this blog, so if someone’s point of view or personal methodology has had a lasting impression on you, do share – I would love to hear about it.