Get everything out in the open, no big secrets.
Once your company is in the news for a major crisis, people are going to dig for follow up stories. If you hide information, people are going to find out and it will do even more damage to the company’s reputation than if you had just shared the information from the get go. Also, if your company shares the information first, you can explain the situation and shed the most positive light on the situation. When companies withhold the details, people are naturally inclined to assume the worst. Again, not good.

Plan ahead.
In college, we did a case study on BP’s oil spill and the basic principles apply here as well. From my point of view, it looks like the Costa Concordia crew and Carnival Cruise Lines did not have an effective crisis communications plan in place. The company has not made their statements readily available and easy to find. After a quick search, this was the only press release I could find, which was dated six days after the incident.

Be proactive.
If you know that there are issues or controversies within your organization that could lead to a crisis, have a well thought out plan (that is understood by your internal team) and perhaps even suggest that the organization make changes to avoid a crisis all together.

I am interested to see how the rest of this crisis plays out. What kind of crisis communications advice do you give to clients, either before or after disaster has struck?

Take, for example, our holiday party this year. Before we departed for a long break, we gathered for a celebration of the great year we had. Because we were fortunate enough to have family and friends join us for a night of food, drink and dance, we wanted to make sure we were still productive with our time – as PR professionals often do. In the fast-changing world of PR, we don’t have a minute to spare so we have to make them all count. With that in mind, we collected Toys for Tots donations at the door and delivered all leftovers from our meal to the Salvation Army for lunch the next day.

I feel grateful to work at a company that has such a strong belief in giving back. Too often do we get sucked into the craziness of work, and forget to come up for air. I hope that 2012 will bring even more charitable activities here at Matter, but in the meantime, these were my favorite highlights of 2011:

Care Packages for Marines: My amazing coworkers put together 11 boxes of goodies for my brother and his platoon who were deployed in Afghanistan.

Jeanne Geiger Walk Against Violence: Matter made a financial donation for this cause and participated in a 5k walk around Newburyport to raise awareness of domestic violence.

What do you do to balance out work? Any cool social-good opportunities you think we should look in to?

Let’s face it, a PR person throwing up her hand in protest when a CEO comes up with a crazy idea to split up the company and raise prices without adding value (*cough cough, I have a Netflix stuck in my throat) might not keep the CEO from pulling the trigger, but a good PR person would have to have a response in mind, right? Unfortunately, no matter how much a PR person prepares, something unexpected could happen, and like the article says, how you react is more important than how to avoid bad things happening.

The article rightly discusses an example of an insider trading scandal that could have been much, much worse than it ended up, simply because the firm reacted the right way. While it was traditionally a secretive and close-to-the-vest organization, it adapted to the problem at hand, demonstrated some transparency and avoided a very bad PR backlash.

It will be interesting to see what horrific PR goofs 2012 will bring. Hopefully CEO’s and celebs have taken note of the fumbles of others and will consult their PR reps before making any big moves.

Santa Claus — the large man with the snowy-white beard in a red suit that lives at the North Pole — is the result of two efforts to meet two distinct needs. The success in each resulted in a character with near global recognition and centuries of staying power.

The archetype of a solstice visitor bringing good cheer (in various forms and with various names) sprouted to help dispel the gloom of winter in the near arctic regions of western Europe. Some versions were children, some were religious, some were gift-givers. The need was not global agreement, but making the bleakest part of the year a bit more hopeful. You might call it a stretch to say Santa was a PR stunt, but none other than Martin Luther (who knew how to create a stir with the written word) co-opted the local and increasingly secular St. Nicholas traditions, celebrated earlier in December, to draw more attention to the feast that marked Jesus’ birth.

The beginnings of Santa Claus were grass roots, word of mouth, owned by the community and earned propagation by sharing value with the audience. It was passing ownership of ideas that enriched everyone. That sounds a lot like PR. As the stories ran into each other — particularly in America, where many traditions from around the world met and mingled — the stories adapted and the versions that best met the goal of keeping up holiday cheer continued.

Coca Cola had a different goal. The drink sold well in the summer when people were looking for refreshment, but in the colder weather, a hot cocoa sounded a whole lot more inviting. The company found its perfect seasonal counterpart in another white and red icon of good cheer. By investing heavily in tying its brand to a similarly bright and rosy Santa, the brand created a globally recognized version of the jolly old elf.

The advertising goal, connecting a product to the holiday season, required everyone to have the same associations with the season — a brute force tactic for a brute force need. A “Father Christmas” in his green robe (as was tradition in the British Isles) wouldn’t do because it was off-brand. Imagine Santa in an all-white robe. I can’t do it, but it’s certainly not less appropriate for a seasonal character that arrives with the snow. That’s how effective advertising can be in forcing an image into our collective heads.

So, as you consider your goals for 2012, consider Santa Claus regardless of the holidays you celebrate, and how you can best get your ideas spread around the world.

Armed with as many bags of Chick-fil-a as my arms could carry I walked into the WGST/GNN newsroom with my mentor and subtly greyer News Director Matt Cook and on the surface little had changed in the room since I had anchored and reported there a decade earlier. The news desks, carpet and news booth were frozen in time from the days when I’d open a newscast with the time and temperature, but the second I closed my eyes a different story unfolded. In that half second I noticed that the scanner noise that still haunts my dreams was gone and the room was exceptionally quite. The acrid smell of the running cart eraser could not penetrate the smell of chicken and biscuits because it just wasn’t there.

In the News Directors office I listened to him tell me that they didn’t need scanners anymore because the Twitter newsfeed from surrounding police, fire and EMS had principally replaced the need for them. The AP was important, but following other reporters and anchors on Facebook and Twitter also ensured that they had every morsel of information that the competition did.

The news staff of close to 25 people was now a meager six, two of them part-time. There was little opportunity for anchors to do interviews as each of them were cranking out newscasts for at least  three  or four stations scattered around the southeast.  The few times they reported live from the field, they employed 4G technology for crystal clear transmission back to the studio instead of using a giant bag phone or bringing a giant Yagi antenna with them.

The  former clutter of noise that used to fill that room was now replaced with digital white noise. Sans the bags filled with buttery biscuit goodness, how would a Public Relations professional cut through these new barriers? After we discussed ways to better use social media and technology to get on the radar of editors and reporters, one of the news anchors of the station poked his head in and thanked me repeatedly for making the effort of bringing food in and listening to him rant.  He went on about how everyone wanted something from him and it was nice that I would just introduce myself and want to get to know him.

I left the Building of Death with a most valuable piece of information that I will resolve to employ in 2012. Not the new social media channels for outreach (though important), but the reminder that in this New Year I can’t just ask and take from reporters and anchors (friends or otherwise). That as with any relationship there needs to be give with the take. I need to make time to chat and get to know those I work with before I can expect to take of their time. This sounds like a “duh” moment, but when you are juggling multiple projects with multiple clients and reporters are juggling multiple stories for multiple media outlets it is easy to let these simple, personal gestures disappear.

You may have heard by now that the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) recently launched an initiative to “modernize the definition of public relations and increase its value.” The initiative, aptly named ‘Public Relations Defined,’ aims to re-define public relations with input from those of us in the industry.

As it turns out, PRSA last formally updated its definition of public relations in 1982. More recently, a new definition was proposed but never officially adopted:

Public Relations is the professional discipline that ethically fosters mutually beneficial relationships among social entities.

Pretty vague, if you ask me.

I’m not sure the heart and soul of PR has changed dramatically over the years, but the ways we communicate and execute successful campaigns sure have evolved. And with ever-changing technology, social media and the 24-hour news cycle, that evolution is continuing at a rapid pace. Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites not only provide new ways to communicate with reporters, consumers and other audiences and stakeholders, but their effective use is nearly required. Video news releases are in; faxed press releases are out. Public relations is now mobile, social, visual. It’s out of the box.

So, how do we incorporate all that public relations is and all that we do as public relations professionals into one clear and concise definition? Will the industry come up with a definition that will finally help us answer that nagging question about what do for a living? (Please, before I head home for the holidays and face the masses would be great!) Last week, PRSA released a “snapshot” of what the Public Relations Defined initiative has gathered so far. You can find the list of top words generated from the submissions here. Front-runners include, “organization,” “public,” “communication” and “relationships.”

What would you add? How do you define public relations? If you want to contribute your two cents to PRSA, today is the last day to submit ideas at PRDefinition.PRSA.org. Otherwise, stay tuned to the PRSA website next week, when the draft definitions will be published and voting begins.

This is a serious reason why, despite the perceived importance of all communications flowing in and out of our mobile devices – and public relations is a business that thrives on the exchange of information, checking these tools while driving isn’t logical.

While significantly less life-threatening, here’s another good example of chaos that has resulted from checking a phone while driving:

I traveled to New York today for meetings in the afternoon and evening. I have a PMDA board meeting tomorrow – one that I’m very much looking forward to – and scheduled meetings around it as I typically do. Unfortunately, I had some hiccups getting to the city – and my very bad habit of checking my phone while driving is to blame.

 Driving from our office in Newburyport, I checked my phone at the precise time I was supposed to bear left on Route 95 South and accidentally took the exit on the right side for Route 128 North. At first blush, that’s really not a big deal. I should have easily been able to take the first exit and head back toward the airport. However, that turnaround activity took five minutes – a crucial five minutes when weather patterns threaten the airways and Delta Shuttle flights are being cancelled with good regularity.

 Here’s how things went at the airport once I arrived: naturally, I missed the 9:30 AM by less than five minutes. Then the 10:30 and 11:30 AM flights were cancelled. I arrived in New York late. (Like, very late.) I had to reschedule my afternoon appointment to the evening, and the evening appointment to even later in the night.  All of this unnecessary scheduling ridiculousness and a really long day spent trying to get to New York – all due to the fact that I had to check my phone at the 128 North/95 South split.

I’m certain that what I was reading at the time was important and meaningful in some way, but I’m equally certain it would have been just as important if I read it at the airport when I arrived.  While I’ve learned my lesson, I suspect I’ll see someone at the airport today with that same pained expression.  Oh well…

Today, I’m sending out dozens of holiday packages filled with my clients’ product samples. The power of touch can be extremely powerful, especially when if you’re looking to get your client into a holiday gift-guide.

If you’re planning to send out holiday mailers this season, here are a few tips to ensure you’ll get the most out of every shipped package:

• Know your targets – do your research ahead of time to make sure that each recipient is the right fit for your clients’ brand or product
• Plan ahead – if you know that who your targeting writes their gift-guide in late November, make sure they receive their samples ahead of time so that they have plenty of time to review and / or compare to other products
• Stay in touch – your mailer shouldn’t end with the package delivery. Following-up with your target is crucial to ensuring coverage for your client. This will help the writer with any questions that he or she may have

These are just a few tips to help you plan your holiday mailing. What has proved successful for you or your clients?

One company that really caught my eye was Matter Communications. From the start, I knew there was something really special about Matter and I wanted to learn more about it. I decided to start applying for a position and even though I didn’t realize it at the time, through that process I learned a lot about PR. Below are three PR lessons I learned when eagerly courting Matter for a PR position.

1. Think targeted

I was sure to use LinkedIn and other online resources to find the right hiring manager and the correct contact information for positions at Matter. I didn’t send a mass email addressed, “To Whom It May Concern.”

When applying for a job and in PR, it’s all about finding the right contact. Anyone can use Google to find the email address of the News Desk or Managing Editor and send out a mass mail merge. The key is to set yourself apart. Put in the extra few minutes to do your research and find the most appropriate contact for what you are pitching. It will save you tons of time in the long run.

2. Let them know you are paying attention

Every week, I scanned for mentions of Matter in the news and new client updates to then turn this information around and highlight it in my cover letters in hopes of grabbing someone’s attention.

Like applying for a job, it’s important to be in the know and fully aware of who you are pitching. Scan. Read. Scan. You can’t expect to impact or be a part of industry news if you don’t know what is going on. Sign up for alerts, join social media communities and pick up the newspaper once in a while.

3. Be persistent

After I sent in the resumes, I would place a slew of follow up phone calls to Matter, hoping that each one might be The One that would open the doors and change my life forever.

Similar to following up on job applications, it is important to be persistent in PR. When pitching it is imperative to follow through with phone calls and make that personal connection. You never know if that next call turns out to be The One.

Overall, I’m glad that the years pursing Matter and keeping them top on my radar finally paid off. It has been a whirlwind adventure but I’m learning tons and loving every minute of it.

I was invited over to a friend’s place to watch the Patriots game surrounded with good company and good food.  Among all the chatty adults was an adorable toddler not more than 3-years-old making the rounds with all the guests.  He had a beaming smile and was very well-behaved.

Of course, kids will be kids, and even though the Pats were on their way to a victory over the Jets, the boy could care less about the score and was too busy occupying himself with none other than the popular Angry Birds game, the mobile app game developed by Rovio where players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures.

It occurred to me as I watched him focus on that game that at 3-years-old, this little boy was being kept entertained completely by technology.  His attention was being held captive by the sights and sounds of the worldwide web and through mobile phone applications.   Then it dawned on me.   The toys and games I played with when I was a little kid have been outdated and made obsolete.   Consider me ancient!

But what was worse, I further thought, is that the technology available to kids today has destroyed their creativity and imaginations.  When I was a kid, I transformed an old refrigerator box into a house for my dolls and I to have tea parties in!  When I was a kid, I flew around my back yard with a towel tied around my neck pretending to be Supergirl!  When I was a kid, I didn’t have iPhone game apps or the internet to tell me how to be creative or teach me how to play.  My imagination was my babysitter, not Angry Birds!

Then something else happened.  The little boy put Angry Birds down and started to flap his arms up and down as he tiptoed around the house in circles while whistling.  The little boy was pretending to be one of the Angry Birds in the game.  He was, dare I say, using his imagination to create his own game inspired by the iPad he was just tinkering with.

And just like that, my theory that technology is plotting to kill kids’ imaginations was disproved and upstaged by an adorable, make believe Angry Bird with a beaming smile.  Imaginations of kids today have not been replaced by technology.  Rather, technology has only offered a plethora of venues for kids to come up with great new ideas for their own make believe worlds.

So what does any of this have to do with PR?  Today’s PR professional is not your father’s PR professional.  Our typewriters have been replaced by laptops.  Our fax machines have been replaced by emails.  Our landlines have been replaced by cell phones.  Technology has clearly changed the way we conduct business just like it has changed the way kids come up with their make believe games.

But no matter what fancy bells and whistles are thrown onto our desks, PR professionals still rely on our own creative ingenuities when crafting the perfect pitch or brainstorming the perfect branding strategy for our clients, just like how the little boy still relied on his own imagination when turning himself into an Angry Bird. Technology has changed the PR industry, but without our creative imaginations there would be no PR industry.