[The following post originally appeared in The PR Breakfast Club.]

The media never ceases to amaze me. In my 15 years in the PR business, I am still amazed at the impact news outlets have in influencing its audience. Moreover, it is still quite enlightening to see how the press decides what to cover in their news outlets. I don’t typically cite clients when I’m wearing my PRBC blogger hat on, but I’m making an exception with this one to share firsthand experience on what I’ve learned from rolling out a publicity campaign for a little bake shop in the Philadelphia area called Cupcakes Gourmet.

Our firm came up with the idea of the $55,000 sparkling red velvet cupcake, which features an 8-carat diamond ring on top of the sweet cupcake. Up to this point, it has garnered news coverage in national outlets like CNN, Washington Post, Huffington Post, etc. It was even mentioned on the Today Show. To keep this blog post simple and to avoid making you deaf from tooting our own horn, here are the takeaways from this delicious campaign:

Don’t Set Limits on the Media — When we decided to execute on the idea, we basically said we’d be happy to secure local Philadelphia coverage since it is the market we were trying to hit. It is after all a local cupcakes shop with three stores in the area. As expected, we secured the local news to cover it. What we were surprised by was the interest from outlets outside the Philadelphia-area. When the local CBS in Philly covered the announcement, we never expected CNN to carry the segment. After all, this special offer was only available in-store and not online. Additionally, outlets like the Baltimore Sun and other local media outside Philadelphia covered it. I even saw it air in the local CBS in Austin.

News Releases Still Serve a Purpose — Many experts who I believe have never pitched the media have been preaching the news release is dead. I think what they mean is that news releases that have no news value is dead. And in that sense I agree. I also understand how the news release has evolved to become a vehicle for Internet searches, but issuing out a release over the wire for simply this sake without thinking how editors will perceive it when it hits their email inboxes has had a negative effect for PR people. In this case, we supported the campaign with a wire distribution within the Philadelphia circuit. The end-result was news coverage across multiple markets. And to illustrate that the news release really isn’t dead, every news organization we proactively approached and the ones that simply reached out to us all asked for one thing–”please send me the release.”

Be Creative but Don’t Overcomplicate It — I’ve always believed in keeping things simple when conveying a message. If my 8 year old can’t understand it, then the message is too hard to understand. I’m obviously exaggerating here, but I’m talking about cupcakes not a new technology that has a million specs to analyze. We first thought of having the client make an entirely new cupcake for this campaign with exotic ingredients like edible diamond shavings to highlight that this is a grand cupcake. When the client said it would be too complicated to make, we backed off. To keep it simple, we decided to go with its most popular cupcake flavor – the red velvet – which was also a perfect flavor for Valentine’s Day. With all the competition for Valentine’s Day coverage, a red velvet cupcake alone would have been a snoozer for the press likewise if it were just a diamond ring. Put them together, you get media frenzy.

One Beauty Shot is Worth a Thousand Images — I’m all for having as much multi-media assets available especially when it comes to photos, videos, etc. In this case, we made a conscious decision of sharing one beauty shot to every media outlet that requested it. This ensured that the image used is identifiable and consistent across all platforms especially with a product like this one. If you Google Image Search, you’ll see what I mean. One image said it all. On a side note, we actually instagrammed it (yes, I’m using it as a verb.)

Are you curious to know what happened to the $55,000 sparkling red velvet cupcake? Yes, it sold. And not to a local Philadelphia customer, but to a gentleman in Dallas. He bought it by phone like he was ordering pizza, and it wasn’t for a proposal, but for his wife. He obviously knows how to treat the love of his life. 8-carat diamond ring and red velvet cupcakes were shipped separately.

[Originally posted on The PR Breakfast Club]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! But only if the holiday rush hasn’t crushed you yet. If you’re (still) filled with the spirit of the season, please indulge me by reading this post with a fun, good-natured, Christmas-y attitude. ‘Tis the season to be jolly after all!
So the headline might be a bit of an exaggeration, but don’t fault me, we are all in PR. However, there are things that I do know in PR that I learned from the man in the red suit. So here’s my list of things PR-related that I learned from Santa:

Making a list and checking it twice – Can you imagine if Santa gave a Barbie doll to a child asking for G.I. Joe? Well, in PR, building lists is obviously a critical and tedious task. How many PR pros have been outed by bloggers because of stray pitches arriving in their inbox. If the Big Guy can do it (that’s a reference to Santa and me), so can we. Make sure the elves helping build lists are all aware of this important task, but in the end, the sender is responsible for what gets sent so check it twice or even thrice.

Plan, prepare and deliver – Santa gears up for the gift-giving season each year by planning and preparing months in advance. His planning and preparation ensures that he delivers. In PR, we don’t have months to prepare, and many times, we don’t even have minutes to prepare, but if we have a basic plan that we can go back to each time a crisis or media opportunity arises, we should be able to deliver. Never promise anything to the media that you can’t deliver within their deadline. We can’t all be batting a thousand like St. Nick, but we should try our best to.

Share everything —Have you ever received a cease and desist letter from the North Pole? Santa doesn’t trademark his likeness. In this social media world we live in today, I think it’s better to share images, logos, content, etc. with everyone and anyone who cares. I’m not saying don’t protect your brand image, but strike the right balance between sharing and being overprotective. I always tell clients to make their images, logos, content, etc. available for users.  It would help drive more awareness about their brand.

HO! HO! HO! – Probably the most recognizable words uttered in the world yet if we remove two of the three, it might get you a beating. Santa’s tagline, for a lack of a better term, has become an integral part of his brand. So don’t knock ad agencies if they come up with something witty that we, as PR pros, might find corny. We are all creative in our own way and have a way with words. Some of the ones that immediately come to mind are “Think Different,” “Can You Hear Me Now?,” “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” and “Don’t Leave Home Without It.” I’m sure you can name the brands behind all of these taglines without Googling them.

Big rep – When I say rep, I don’t mean PR rep. To this day, I’m still trying to figure out who reps him and the North Pole. What I mean is his reputation is as wide as his red pantsuit and as big as his black boots (how he gets in through the chimney is beyond me but I did see Santa Clause so I guess that’s likely how). He might be the most recognizable person in the world, more than Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Angelina Jolie combined. How many times has Santa’s name and likeness been dragged in the mud? From bank robbers to street scam artists have taken advantage of his cheerful image, yet we still all love him. It took centuries to build this kind of reputation so inform your clients that building a solid reputation takes time and effort, but worth the investment.

Simply care – Santa is associated with presents and children. And that’s been fantastic for brands that show they care for disadvantaged and needy children. It is the season of giving, but why end there? As PR pros, we are in a position to turn the spirit of the season into a year round effort. I always advise clients to incorporate an ongoing cause-related PR program into their annual plan. It is a great way to give back to the community and build an emotional connection with their audience. The love, goodwill and loyalty a brand receives can’t even be measured.

SPOILER ALERT: DON’T READ BEYOND THIS POINT!!!

In case you didn’t know, Santa Claus isn’t real. Now, don’t cry. The idea, personality, characteristics he represents should help all of us become better PR professionals and human beings.

Btw, if you represent toy companies (like I used to) and have toys to donate for a toy drive for the needy children at Austin Children’s Shelter, please let me know. A local restaurant client is holding a toy drive and you can have a chance to win a “Major Award.”

Have a safe and happy holiday season! Feel free to share what you’ve learned in PR from Santa by commenting on this post. You can follow me @PRFlipside.

Joe Vasquez is the CEO of VASQ PR, a start-up firm he founded in 2010, when he left the lovely holiday lights of New York City for Austin. VASQ PR specializes in developing integrated PR and social media programs for clients in the restaurant, consumer technology, nonprofit and Internet sectors. He shares the same name as the Bishop of Austin and has fielded a few stray calls from parishioners.

[Originally posted on The PR Breakfast Club]

NO CHILDREN ALLOWED: A RECIPE FOR PUBLICITY

By Joseph Vasquez

More than a week ago, the owner of a little restaurant attached to a golf driving range in Pennsylvania, decided to introduce a new policy that it will no longer serve any person under the age of six.

As principal of a PR firm with restaurant clients, I followed this story right from the beginning. From what I observed, the story was initially reported by a local TV news outlet in Pittsburgh on July 8^th. The Associated Press picked it up and reported it the following day. From there, the media frenzy took off.

If this were a legal blog, I’d pontificate about the obvious discrimination against children under six years old. From my understanding, children are not a protected class unlike senior citizens.  Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on your point of view), I do not hold a law degree so I can’t say whether there are legal implications to this restaurant’s policy.

Since this is the PR Breakfast Club, which serves everyone in PR (including the ones who at times act like children—you know who you are!), just let me say that from a PR standpoint, this new restaurant policy was a win. Here are my three reasons why:

1)      PR breeds conversation – From the news coverage and subsequent comments from individuals, there’s no doubt this new policy was talked about.

2)      PR generates media coverage – Mike Vuick, owner of McDain’s restaurant, on CNN said he’s done more than 110 interviews including two in Australia and one in New Zealand—as much as I despise equating media coverage with advertising dollar equivalency—the amount of publicity is definitely in the millions.

3)      PR brings long-term recall – You may forget the nitty-gritty details about this story in the future, but people who’ve seen or read anything about this will remember it for a long time. A similar example would be the airline that was going to charge two coach seats for overweight passengers, you remember that, right?

I’m sure you fine PR folks have other reasons why this is or isn’t a PR win so please feel free to share and let me know what you think @PRFlipside.  However, I do predict that a restaurant that issues a policy not to serve anyone over his/her body mass index will secure publicity too and start a different conversation.

P.S. Personally, as a dad and golfer, I think this new restaurant policy is baseless. Caring and responsible parents are aware and don’t want their child to have a meltdown at any restaurant. My wife and I who are blessed with two adorable boys in the autism spectrum have cut short restaurant visits or taken our child outside when having a meltdown—trust me the food isn’t as delish in the minivan with a wailing child in the backseat. What make this policy quite absurd is this is a restaurant attached to a driving range. The next Tiger Woods could be turned away.

[Originally posted on The PR Breakfast Club]

I don’t mean the hit song by Kelly Clarkson. I mean YOU—the PR pro, publicist, idea peddler, creative genius, whatever you want to call yourself. You’ve got clout and Klout. You are in a position to make a difference.

What I’m talking about here goes beyond securing hundreds of thousands of dollars in media placements for a client (although that would be the icing on the cake). It’s about making a difference in people’s lives by counseling your clients to roll out a cause-related PR campaign. If they haven’t tried it, I believe it’s time that they do.

I’m so psyched about penning this piece on cause-related PR because I’m a big believer in its merits. And I’ve seen it time and time again on how media outlets are much more open to covering your news if it’s tied-in with a reputable charity.  The question is why haven’t you gotten buy in from your client.

Here a four personalinsights on getting your client on board:

Find the right fit – If your client is an alcoholic beverage company, Mothers Against Drunk Driving may not be the appropriate partner. I think you get my point.

Find a partner with a strong grassroots base – There are many organizations out there that boast of millions of supporters, but only a tiny percentage are actually active in promoting its cause. However, there are some organizations that are smaller in total number, but have a majority that are actively getting its message out to the public.  I don’t want to provide examples of the former, but of the latter—Autism Speaks, Soldiers’ Angels, Livestrong, Feeding America and the ASPCA have extremely active supporters. [This is based on personal research and experience partnering with these organizations.]

Let the nonprofit do some of the work – If you’ll be cutting a significant check to a charitable organization, I think the least it could do for your client is help get the word out about your cause-related PR campaign.  Again, if they have an active base, you’ll get the media attention and word of mouth.

Be creative but not complicated – If your client wants to help and has money to donate to a charity, don’t have him simply write a check. Believe me, your client doesn’t need to give away millions of dollars to receive some earned media. For example, one of my clients, Rudy’s Bar-B-Q, a chain of Texas Bar-B-Q restaurants in the Southwest, decided to donate to the local food banks.  Instead of cutting a check, we decided to donate a dollar for every pound of meat sold (yes, they sell barbecued meat by the pound in Texas) and added 50 cents for every new Facebook fan and Twitter follower to split across all food bank partners.  The campaign ran for three days, and in the end, the chain secured heightened awareness and received media coverage in all of its markets. More details here: http://rudys.com/follow2support. It was a simple fundraising campaign that was easy for the media to report on the air, in print and online.

As you start planning 2011, please make sure you add cause-related PR to your PR plan. Make this your New Year’s resolution. To paraphrase a wise marketing dude, Creed Ford IV (@creedford), even if the whole damn thing flops, you would’ve still made a difference in someone’s life.

And that, my friends, is what PR should be about.

*Please follow me @PRFlipside.

Posted on The PR Breakast Club.

Many of you know that one of my favorite pastimes is dining out. It’s obvious when you see the anti-Situation abs that I sport nowadays. [I've been doing a lot of GTL lately though minus the T so I'm expecting to get my washboard abs back.] Sorry, I digress.

In any case, one company that seems to be thriving in this awful economy is Groupon. I don’t have hard facts. My opinion is simply based on word of mouth, social media buzz and earned media coverage that I’ve seen for the company  in the past couple of years. Groupon has transformed the way the average consumer saves by featuring mainly half price deals that change daily. The concept is attractive because it builds anticipation from its users on a daily basis, which I believe is a key factor, in developing any successful social media program. It has also changed the average consumer’s purchasing behavior, but it’s also fueled other companies to follow its business model such as Living Social, Half Off Deals, etc.

For PR pros, its greatest impact can be seen with media outlets in smaller markets. Local TV stations (affiliates of the major networks) and radio networks have jumped on board by offering their own version of Groupon on their web sites. Its their way of making up for the continued decline in advertising sales the past few years. Basically, what happens is a tradeout between one of these media outlets and a local retailer or a chain with a local presence.  The tradeout between the two parties is usually a specific number of gift certificates, which the media outlet will sell on its online store, in return for promotional spots that, at times, even includes interviews with a spokesperson from the retailer. If it’s TV, it could even include a segment that airs in the local morning and evening news. And if the radio and TV personalities have a following on social networks, they’d promote the retailer there too.

The amount of air time one receives is much more than the value of the gift certificates. What does this mean to PR pros? It means the line between dealing with news producers and advertising sales representatives have gotten thinner.  It means that the advertising account executive has control over content that is aired within the confines of a news program. I’m not surprised that this is becoming more common. Both parties have to make money, but where does this leave the PR pro. In my case, I just adapt. My clients, which are in the restaurant business, are happy to get the publicity. Bottom line, it drives traffic and increased sales to their stores. Isn’t that one of the objectives of PR?