Know when to ‘socialise’ and when to keep quiet.

Continuing on from Tailah’s blog about public relations companies treating their social media channels as a flip-of-the-coin advertorial tool, I am predicting that there will be a few more fuck ups to come.

Tailah noted that the exploitation of public holidays specifically with a memorial or reflective purpose behind is an “off limits” for social media advantage.

There are corporations that tend to stay away from social media with good reason but in doing this they are giving off the impression that they are not transparent and have something to hide.

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The company that proudly flies the American flag, is part of the capitalist market that has moved into spreading democracy and profits from war. Their former CEO and US vice-president Dick Cheney has constantly come under scrutiny and suspicion for his personal encouragement of involving the company in the Iraq war.

 

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British Petroleum tens to shy away from social media in fear that something might ‘leak’.

Since the 2010 oils spill in the Gulf of Mexico where 200 million gallons of crude oil leaked into the sea, BP have gone about their advertising and marketing on the down-low.

It not only damaged the wildlife, residents, agriculture and coastline, it damaged itself. With $US40 Billion owed in fines and manslaughter charges for 11 employees, it has taken one of the biggest hits a company who’s product is tangible, that  has ever taken.

 

These are clear examples of why some companies should stay off social media, because it really does them no good at all.

 

– James

 

 

With the increased transparency of organisation that the web has brought to us, the practice of public relations has become one hundred percent more volatile and accountable. PR needs to start talking to us like adults, not infants.

In the days of Web 1.0, the internet was used as an information service, a database of knowledge that was in most cases a one way street (publisher —> user). So the public relations practitioner would distribute the media release and it would be consumed by those who subscribe to it, with total control of the message, easy.

Since the dawn of Web 2.0, public relations has become more of a firefighting than mind-control. With social media ushering a unprecedented medium for the consumer to have an effect of what is being produced, sold and profited from, the PR practitioners job becomes a whole lot more complicated; it is now a two way street.

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The basic but factual stats show that power no longer lies with the company, even though they have the capital, it lies with the user.

Pubic relations in the Web 2.0 era is no longer about lying to customers, it has to be about creating and maintaining relationships where honesty shines though. If an angry customer really wanted to find out something online in order to trash your brand, its not hard.

If a start-up company gains traction and starts to become relatively successful, it is the challenge of the PR practioner to communicate with the consumer with total transparency. You may challenge my view on this saying, surely supplier and financial information stay central, well no actually, there are patents and copyright for that.

Take my two examples of companies doing PR the right and wrong way.

Groupon started as a social media/shopping/deal of the day sort of website. Long story short, they became a little successful, got greedy, treated their loyal following like trash and turned the social side of their empire into a way to spoon feed the masses ONLY what they needed to know.

Bailey Nelson started a successful frames franchise with the point of difference being fashion at affordable and honest prices. Their social interaction is quick, effective and honest. A brilliant use of Web 2.0 PR.

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Standout photo from ‘Murica

This particular photo was taken in downtown Pheonix, Arizona. A friend and I were wondering around, killing time whilst waiting to fly to Chicago. This is some of what we experienced. This is the real America. A swap meet, a man that drove a truck interstate for $2.99 in order to pay off his 80k mortgage, patriotic knife salesmen challenging our gun laws and cold, desolate streets.

But despite these factors, Pheonix was a town that ranked highly in the road trip. It was definitely one place that was essential in any US road trip. It has it all. Desert, cowboys, ghettos’, god-fearing, flag-bearing citizens and modern broken America.my_collage_by_Fuzel

The Sodding Werribee Train…

Having moved back in with my folks and subsequently to the ‘burbs. The effort to commute to civilisation takes a whole lot of extra work. Right now I am sitting across from a girl who is purposely talking louder over the phone about her record label and how her best friend couldn’t fly wither her to the USA and be her manager because she is not a lawyer and cant fly or “some shit”.

The only way I could adequately describe her ‘look’, would be snooki x dirty era Christina Aguilera. She continued to ramble about how a ‘fan’ brought her daughter over to see her and the ‘fan’ didn’t even put in a follow up phone call to say thank you. Snooki said you have one chance with me and that she wont be taking her calls when her track is on Fox (FM).

 

Then when she hung up the phone I thought it couldn’t get any better. She stated to listen to one of her tracks out loud. Granted, it wasn’t that bad and she seemed liked a sweet although out of touch young girl, I hope she see success.

Now I thought that was the end, she then decided to start talking to me and asking me about almost all aspects of my life. I had to be quick on the keyboard so I didn’t draw attention to myself and this title of the blog.

She then got off at Footscray, and in true Werribee train fashion, she was replaced with a almost immediately with  an unshaven and racist, fat man(Im sure he has had a hard life, right?)

Having lived away for almost two years, I discovered I had actually missed the show that has become the “Wezza” line. Between the hours of 11am-4pm and 8pm-1am, the people come out and so do their thoughts.

-J

On Location…

On Friday, just passed, I had the opportunity to head out of the sheltered workshop that is RMIT’s city campus and do some filming in an almost to picturesque beach on the Mornington Peninsula.

The experience was terrific and one that has helped me figure out that I never want to work in an office again. The combination of being outside and documenting a moment in time felt like you were doing real work.

Although it is challenging , tiring and really has the ability to drain your soul, the reward you receive at the end of the filming is great. I also found a new love for editing that I knew nothing of before. It is painstaking and hold true to the old addage ‘the cutting room floor’ but when pieced all together, you feel like you have done something to make sure that that day was just like any other day, it was a day that was documented.

May the Lorde save the Queen…

Just before I start I would like to say that I love award shows because a) they celebrate (sometimes) great music and (occasionally) great film & TV, and b) they live cross to celebrities and get awkwardness back.

So I downloaded the Grammy awards on monday night because it is my favourite award show of them all and I came across an overlooked anomaly, that Lorde totally gave Beyonce (not particularly but not only) the middle finger.

Cigars on ice, Louis (Vuitton) sheets, Gulf stream jets made up the lyrics of her latest sex-power anthem, ‘drunk in love’ but what the fuck?? Isn’t she meant to be an ambassador for every woman?

On the same night, moments earlier in fact, 17 year old wunderkind Lorde belted out the indie-cum-mainstream alt anthem, “Royals” and it felt like a massive F*ck You to hollywood and the lifestyles  of the rich and the famous. “But every song’s like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin’ in the bathroom, Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room,
We don’t care, we’re driving Cadillacs in our dreams” – Royals, Lorde

In an age where $ 2 trillion is shared between the 400 richest Americans and where the minimum wage is  $7.25, the fantasy that the elite are selling is more more away than ever is and it is refreshing that a song that denounces this lavishness can make it around the world and enjoy the most success.

In another surprise I guess Kanye was right, Cause they made us hate ourself and love they wealth

– J