Unique Internship Opportunity Available in the Nation’s Capitol

January 6th, 2013

We are looking for an intern who is a dynamic communicator capable of managing multiple projects for a variety of clients from different industries. Our clients range from aviation, financial serves, to architecture and online education.

It’s a New Year and a new Congress with great opportunities available for this intern – from media outreach, social media engagement, lobbying, and press kit development to research and new business collaboration. Candidate needs to prioritize and meet deadlines in a 10 to 15 hour weekly schedule. A stipend of $10/hour is provided. A college degree in communications, political science, business, or equivalent experience is preferred.

For consideration, please send a resume, cover letter, and a writing sample to klanham@macstrategies.com

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Posted in Uncategorized

Scott Sobel Offers PR Lessons Learned from the Initial Secrecy Surrounding Hillary Clinton’s Medical Condition

January 3rd, 2013

Scott Sobel, President, Media & Communications Strategies, Inc. had the opportunity to share his thoughts about the PR lessons that can be learned from Hillary Clinton’s recent illness. His piece can be seen in Bulldog Reporter, the leading source of PR views, news and tools. Scott is a former corporate public relations practitioner and major market and TV network investigative journalist with a Media Psychology MA from Touro University Worldwide.

The text of the full story is below. You can also read it online HERE.

Initial Secrecy Surrounding Hillary Clinton’s Medical Condition Holds PR Lessons for Practitioners and Journalists, Bulldog Reporter

By Scott Sobel, MA, Media Psychology; President, Media & Communications Strategies

January 2, 2013

 

I just fielded a call from a frustrated State Department beat reporter at a major news services about government spokespersons not immediately releasing every bit of information concerning Secretary Clinton’s medical condition. The call to me for comment came a few hours before a clear announcement that Clinton would fully recover from a blood clot in her head. The reporter wondered why the government was apparently holding back? The conversation with the beat reporter carries media relations lessons for both reporters and those of us who are spokespersons.

 

The reporter’s job, of course, is to press hard for every bit of information and the reporter had the sense “State” was holding back. The implication was the spokespersons for Mrs. Clinton were doing the public a disservice. I disagreed.

 

I explained to the reporter that the government spokespersons were actually doing a responsible job by not succumbing to pressure and feeding speculative fires. Once the reporter heard what I believed were reasonable actions on the part of the spokespersons, the reporter calmed down and took a more balanced approach to the story. The overriding lesson here are 1) that a PR practitioner who calmly and logically explains reasons for actions and 2) understands a journalist’s needs 3) avoids conflict, 4) reduces the likelihood of a negative story and 5) builds credibility and a positive relationship.

 

Here’s a summation of my interview with the reporter:

 

All the stakeholders including journalists and the general public need to take a look at the reports about Mrs. Clinton’s condition through the eyes of others. It’s understood that reporters need to fill their news hole and, of course, break stories but consider what hangs in the balance.

 

The Secretary’s health and ability to represent the US and lead State have incredibly important implications and it is not at all irresponsible for spokespersons to be cautious initially and not completely transparent about her condition. Of course, Mrs. Clinton could also be a future Presidential candidate! You don’t want to make a communication mistake based on a premature statement that could impact any of those factors.

 

I further explained to the reporter that spokespersons absolutely do need to tell the truth as they know it and not mislead. It is much better to say, for instance, “we can’t answer some specific questions now because doctors are in the investigation and treatment phase,” as opposed to misdirection or an outright lie which will undermine the credibility of State and indeed the US government when final facts eventually are revealed. Look what happened at Benghazi … a very, very apt comparison in this case.

 

So what is acceptable? I thought any of the following statements were legitimate and should satisfy a reporter’s needs unless Mrs. Clinton was actually in grave jeopardy (which, as it turns out, she reportedly isn’t). Spokespersons can say that Clinton is getting the best medical care and, rather than fueling speculation, “we will report more specifics about her condition when we can. As for now, Mrs. Clinton, is recovering, doctors are investigating further and the duties of State are not in jeopardy as there is a system in place that deals with all contingencies (including staff illness) and decision-making.”

 

A government spokesperson should add information about all of the support sent to Mrs. Clinton from her famous family, colleagues and even heads of state. It is always good to personalize the folks or organization you represent.

 

A polite reminder to the journalist – the speculation surrounding Mrs. Clinton’s condition or the condition of anyone who is a leader does have cascading implications and must be handled very carefully and honestly. Think about the drama and results that surrounded the illness and eventual death of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

 

Speculation about Jobs health affected stock, employee morale, competitors’ actions, consumer reaction to the Apple product and more. I asked the reporter to consider how Mrs. Clinton’s health correspondingly affects US reputation, foreign policy and international business despite her imminent resignation from her post.

 

Final thoughts. Relationship building and conversation between a PR practitioner and beat journalists before there are emergencies are great investments and will undoubtedly result in better coverage for you and your stakeholders. Getting to know the reporters and letting them know about your concerns and humanizing you and your job will definitely pay dividends.

 

 

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Posted in Communications, Crisis PR, Hillary Clinton, Public Relations, Social Media, Touro University Worldwide

Scott Sobel, President of Media & Communications Strategies, Comments on the Public’s Reaction to Hillary Clinton’s Health Issues

January 2nd, 2013

What is privacy these days to a public figure? Gone are the days when these individuals could keep their physical ailments under rap. It is amazing to think there was a time when public figures such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt could even hide the fact he was in a wheelchair. True, in almost all photographs he is seen sitting, but he is in a chair to give the illusion that his polio poliomyelitis was less than it was. In today’s world, these photographic tricks don’t work the way they used to and individuals such as Hillary Clinton find their medical problems on Wikipedia before they have even had a chance to call all their loved ones.

Scott Sobel, President of Media & Communications Strategies, recently was interviewed by Nicole Gaouette of Bloomberg to comment on a story about the media and public reaction to Hillary Clinton’s recent hospitalization. An excerpt of the story with Sobel’s comments can be read below:

Clinton Expected to Make Full Recovery from Blood Clot, Bloomberg
January 2, 2012

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was found to have a blood clot in a vein that runs between her brain and her skull, her doctors said today in a statement. Clinton has suffered no neurological damage or stroke, is in good spirits and is expected to make a full recovery, Dr. Lisa Bardack of the Mt. Kisco Medical Group and Dr. Gigi El- Bayoumi of George Washington University said in the statement released by the State Department.

Clinton’s hospitalization in New York City yesterday fueled rumors about her health, highlighting the issues raised by a public figure’s private health challenges. The secretary, named yesterday as the most admired woman in the U.S. in a poll by Gallup Inc., has been called a potential 2016 presidential candidate, heightening scrutiny of her condition.

“Her situation has remarkable, complex implications for politics and business around the world, and the process of government in the United States,” said Scott Sobel, president of Media & Communications Strategies based in Washington. “Her immediate and long-term condition is really important for a number of stakeholders, even — and it’s a very, very long list — of other countries.”

An administration official who has been monitoring Clinton’s progress said that at no point has she been incapacitated. The period when Clinton was least able to work was when she had the stomach virus, according to the official, who asked not to be identified discussing her health.

Throughout, Clinton has been keeping in regular touch with senior leadership at the State Department and the White House, according to the department.

The absence of detailed information on her condition until the latest report from Clinton’s physicians left an information vacuum. Speculation filled media from the Daily Beast website to the tabloid National Enquirer, whose cover screamed “Hillary Clinton Brain Cancer Drama!” Assistant Secretary of State Philippe Reines called the Enquirer report “absolute nonsense.”

The administration official said Clinton’s media team has tried to be forthright, issuing seven statements in the three and a half weeks the secretary has been ill, every time there has been a shift in her condition. The continued rumors might be driven in part by the intense public and media interest in Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, the official said. There are times when anything the Clintons do creates a rabid media environment, the official said.

Crisis management experts such as Sobel see no problem in the way Clinton’s team has responded. Sobel points to “everybody’s hunger to find out what’s going on, especially the media. They’ve got to fill that news hole.”

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Posted in Communications, Public Relations, Social Media, Uncategorized

PR Disasters: A Year in Review and What Could Have Been Done

December 13th, 2012

 

Business Insider recently published an article about the biggest PR Disasters of 2012, which left a lot of us wondering – What could have been done differently? The first, and obvious answer, is that the companies involved in these scandals would go back and retract their actions completely, yet in some cases, there were ways to contain or solve a problem before disaster struck.

 

One of the examples that the Business Insider article highlighted was retailers that chased in by offering specials during Hurricane Sandy. American Apparel offered a 20 percent off sale to customers if they typed “SANDYSALE” in the online checkout, stating that they created the sale “in case you’re bored during the storm.” Gap issued a similar sale tweet, but later apologized to customers after they took to Twitter. What both companies should have done is turned the online sales into an opportunity to help Hurricane Sandy Victims. Instead of saying “in case you’re bored,” a great PR strategy would have been to say:

 

Safe at home? Help those who aren’t. Enjoy our online sale today where a percentage of your purchase will go to help those in need.


This would increase sale volume but also show the corporation’s desire to help those in need.

 

An example of a company that actually did help those in need was Rusty’s Auto Salvage. They provided car owners affected by Hurricane Sandy the chance to recover maximum value for their cars. Car owners that were looking to salvage their cars could contact Rusty’s in order for a tow truck to come to the car owner’s location and then tow away the damaged car.  In addition to giving owners much needed money for their vehicles, Rusty’s Auto Salvage also set up a program where it donated money to Hurricane Sandy relief for each damaged car it purchased.

 

Another recent scandal was the George Washington University’s (GWU) admission to the inflation of grades of incoming freshman, which subsequently led to their removal as being ranked on the U.S. News & World Report’s annual best universities. According to a Huffington Post article, President Knapp of GWU stated “We were surprised by the decision of U.S. News to remove George Washington’s numerical ranking rather than to correct it in light of our disclosure. U.S. News data about GW is still available on the U.S. News website. We regret the error and have put safeguards in place to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.”

 

What would we have advised President Knapp to do? Apologize immediately, remove anyone who was involved in inflating the data, and offer to hire a team to reassess admissions data immediately. Reassessing the data could have helped GWU; they would most likely be lowered on U.S. News & World Report’s ranking, but not completely removed. Instead, GWU only said they were going to take measures to prevent something like this from happening this in the future. This may offer some comfort to future applicants, but it doesn’t change the fact that GWU now has a senior class heading into a precarious job market from an unranked university and hundreds of thousands of angry alumni who want to understand why their alma mater is being trashed in the press.  GW should be doing everything they can do to point to the successes of their alumni, while simultaneously focusing on future potential applicants. After all, it was Confucius who said “Study the past if you would define the future.”

 

Wishing everyone a happy and disaster-free 2013.

 

 

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Posted in Brand and Reputation Management, Communications, Crisis PR, Public Relations, Social Media

Excerpts from US News and World Report Story about Petraeus Scandal

November 26th, 2012

 

Jill Kelley Retains High Profile Crisis Manager, Despite Reportedly Being in Debt

By Elizabeth Flock

November 21, 2012

The scandal that began on Nov. 9 after CIA Director David Petraeus admitted an extramarital affair with his biographer continues to unfold this week, as those involved retain powerful lawyers, crisis managers and other experts needed to fix their potentially damaged reputations.

Among the most intriguing personalities of those involved appears to be Jill Kelley, the socialite and unpaid social liaison to MacDill Air Force Base whose E-Mails with Gen. John Allen may threaten his career. It was Kelley’s complaint to the FBI about threatening E-Mails from Petraeus’s biographer, Paula Broadwell, that kicked off the investigation.

Kelley reportedly lives a lavish lifestyle in Tampa, Fla., yet is deeply in debt. USA Today reports that she faces a number of lawsuits for credit card debts and foreclosures, many of which remain unresolved. E-Mails obtained by ABC News suggest Kelley may have tried to make up some of that debt, having eagerly tried to secure a multi-billion dollar Korean business deal earlier this year. The deal never went through.

Yet Kelley has just hired Abbe D. Lowell, a prominent Washington white-collar defense lawyer, the same lawyer who defended former North Carolina Senator John Edwards during his own extramarital scandal.

But it is unclear how Kelley could afford both Lowell and Smith, a crisis manager. Regions Bank reportedly brought a $1.8 million foreclosure lawsuit against Kelley and her husband in 2010, the same year Bank of America sued them.

Scott Sobel, president of the public relations and crisis management firm Media and Communications Strategies, suggests a possibility for how Kelly is able to afford both services. Sobel says lawyers and crisis managers known for this kind of work often work out a special deal with the client.

“They will take these cases on contingency, or they may be countersuing, or they may take it on in the hope and realization that their profile will be increased,” he says. “It’s an advertising investment.”

Sobel also states that the information not yet revealed may end up being the most salient to the case. “It’s the proverbial ‘devil in the details,’” he says.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2012/11/21/jill-kelley-retains-high-profile-crisis-manager-despite-reportedly-being-in-debt

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Posted in Brand and Reputation Management, Communications, Crisis PR, Public Relations

Scott Sobel Quoted in U.S. News & World Report About Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) Prostitution Allegations

November 8th, 2012

Scott Sobel told the U.S. News & World Report that more investigation needs to occur into the alleged prostitution scandal involving Sen. Bob Menendez if it is actually be true. Otherwise such allegations have no staying power and cannot imperil the reputation of national politicians such as Menendez.

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Posted in Crisis PR

Q&A with Scott Sobel, President of Media & Communications Strategies

October 15th, 2012

Scott Sobel, President of Media & Communications Strategies, recently sat down with a reporter from Political Fiber to answer questions about propaganda in the media today. Scott has an extensive background in national and international crisis, litigation, government, corporate, and news media communications and has dealt with the issue of propaganda in the media many times.  He also draws on his Masters in Media & Communications Psychology from Touro University Worldwide for these kinds of comments. Below are some of his thoughts about propaganda in the media today.

1) How would you define propaganda? What goals do propaganda media hope to accomplish?

Propaganda is a communications campaign that provides compelling and emotional persuasion supporting one side of a story and a call to action.

 

2) In the past propaganda was used to influence people toward a common cause or idea, but is it still alive and used today?

Propaganda is not only still alive in well it is also an expanding technique to keep pace with the burgeoning new and social media options. It should be noted that propaganda can be used to support any idea or cause – it is a tool that is neutral while its goals are totally subjective.

 

3) What is the difference between media and propaganda and at what point do they intertwine?

Media is an all-encompassing term these days that refers to different kinds of communication mediums and communicators. Propaganda is a neutral term but “hot” strategy/tactic which can be used by all media in all mediums to support subjective opinions and calls to action.

 

4) What role does media play into global politics? Where is the line between informational media and propaganda media?

Propaganda and media are totally interwoven in all politics and they have been since the first human stood upright and argued for others to take action without literally using a club or violence to force that compliance. You might call propaganda a “media club.” The term comes from a Vatican phrase in the 1600′s describing campaigns to preach Catholicism to the unconverted. I believe it is translated as, “Propagation of the faith.”

 

5) Flyers, pamphlets and government sanctioned films aren’t as widely used as they were in the past, so what could be the current mediums for propaganda today?

All mediums are used for propaganda purposes and of course electronic media is the “propaganda weapon of choice” in the modern age.

 

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Posted in Communications, Crisis PR, Social Media, Touro University Worldwide

Have Social Media Platforms Become A Venue For Lying?

October 5th, 2012

How to Stay Honest In the Ever-Changing Digital World

There was a time when people had to wait days, possibly even weeks, for news to reach their doorstep; today that’s not case. The minute news breaks, it is all over the internet for anyone to see. But perhaps more alarming, is that anyone can become a journalist or editor in today’s viral world. The world of blogs and Wikipedia has allowed internet users to not only express their stories and opinions, but also for them to brand themselves as “experts”. Although the Internet has opened the door for numerous technological advances, it has also opened an even greater door for disparity and misleading news.

 

Mark Schaefer of Business Grow gave the perfect case study on this in his article last month. He writes:

 

“One of the biggest ironies of the social web is that almost any post you read will pontificate about the need for authenticity. I heard a guru guy speak about this last week. Authenticity. Authenticity. Authenticity. Yet [the guru’s] Twitter avatar photo is 10 years old. At least. His blog is covered with badges about this list or that list he is starring on. Most powerful Twitter this or that.  Some of the lists are made up by his friends. Some of them are made up by him. Most of his blog opinions are simply repeated quotes from the other gurus that he has commandeered as his own.”

 

What does this mean for us communications professionals? It means that we have to be honest and truthful regarding any information we put out on the web for clients. A report done by Trendwatch.com announced that, “With 92 per cent of global consumers saying they trust ‘earned media’ (word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends and family), above all other forms of advertising, businesses must find ways to ‘organic’ connect with consumers to be successful.” If you are wondering what earned media is, Crowd Science defines earned media, or free media, as publicity gained through non-advertising promotional efforts – so things like press releases, PR reps calling up journalists and placing stories with news outlets. Sharing your earned media on your clients’ social media pages is a great way to repurpose content and keep your viral page fresh, and it also it is beneficial in showcasing your skills as a PR professional.

 

Beyond posting new and relevant content, also make sure you are engaging with your viral followers and answering their questions. Offering fans and followers surveys is another way to find out how you can be better a resource to them and be completely transparent about areas you feel you can improve on. Anyone can label themselves an “expert,” but it is up to the individual communications professionals to be “sources” by making sure they are placing truthful content and responding to questions in a timely manner.

Posted in Communications, Crisis PR, Public Relations, Social Media, Uncategorized

Social Media Isn’t the Easy Answer for Pleasing Clients

September 27th, 2012

How the Facebook “Fake” Likes May be Hurting Your Client

We have all seen it before – the Facebook Fan page that goes from having 10 fans to 10,000 overnight and subsequent announcements about the overwhelming success of the page. This may seem like an overwhelming achievement but don’t go patting yourself on your back too quickly. Back in August, CNN reported that Facebook announced “plans for improvements to its site integrity systems.” This week Facebook announced to TechCrunch that they were “cracking the proverbial whip on Facebook brand pages that were unnaturally stacking up the likes on their brand page.” Products, celebrities, and computer gaming fan pages saw thousands of fake fans removed from their pages, and that’s only the beginning. Facebook is starting to take action against all the fake user accounts that have been created solely for product promotion, and my bet is they won’t be the only social media platform to take action.

So what does this mean for PR companies and the social media pages they run? It could mean anything from loss of fans to a removal of the page altogether if it seems like too many fans are fake accounts.

But never fear; there is a way to avoid this and it goes back to the rules of social media and communications engagement 101. Viral platforms were built to create a venue for open conversation between a product/individual and their consumers/fans. In order to build your fan base, you need to be the one leading this conversation and making contact with individuals who actually are interested in what you have to say. You also have a responsibility to your fans and your client to keep your page from becoming static. This can be done by continuing to post relevant content, creating online competitions, and engaging with fans on an individual level by personal mentions and re-shares. Social media isn’t an easy answer, but it is a very worthwhile one for keeping consumers interested if you work hard to do so.

 

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Posted in Communications, Crisis PR, Public Relations, Social Media

Communication Tactics Used to Appeal to the Human Brain

September 13th, 2012

Old movies and comfort food have a lot in common. Both trigger security and predictability centers in the deep brain and make us feel satisfied, safe and secure. We watch an old movie, know that we have enjoyed it many times before and feel happy. Psychologists point to the Limbic System in the brain as the place where basic primal behaviors are triggered including safety and danger. Old movies connect with that center of the brain and are also filtered through our cognitive areas of the frontal cortex that interacts with the limbic brain.

Media programers and even producers and script writers know this reaction and connection and use it to get viewership. Even old music, certain kinds of clothes and smells conjure up this feeling of happiness and security for the same reasons. Political strategists, crisis managers, product commercial creators, etc. also use these triggers and techniques. Wonder why TV commercial producers will use a 60′s or 70′s song to help sell certain products to Baby Boomers? Wonder why the movie “The Big Chill” was and is so successful? Wonder no longer there are physical and psychological reasons for that media success. You “Heard it Through the Grapevine,” right here.

Scott Sobel is the president of Media & Communications Strategies, Inc., a world-wide crisis and reputation management public relations firm based in Washington, DC. Scott is a former major market and TV news network level journalist and hold a a Masters degree in Media & Communications Psychology from Touro University Worldwide (www.TUW.edu)

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Posted in Communications

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