My father was all too proud to see that I shared his passion for cars, especially the classics. When I was a kid, he used to take me to a classic car showroom in Gladstone N.J., which housed an impressive collection of rare, vintage sports and race cars. Every imaginable European marque was represented in the collection, and whenever my father asked me if I wanted to go back, I didn’t hesitate. When I was old enough to drive I would make trips on my own, taking care to learn as much as I could about each model from the specific history and ownership of the car, to the designer, all the way down to the original factory equipment. My fascination grew with each trip, and when I went off to college and found myself in need of a job, it was the first place I thought to look. I didn’t actually think I would get the job, but I soldiered on and went anyway. I met with the owner and let him know I would be willing to do just about anything, so long as I could work around these beautiful works of art. He took my number down and said he would call if there was an opening. I never expected a call back.

Lo and behold, a few months later the call came. The owner told me he needed someone to help run errands, detail cars, take care of DMV paperwork and, most importantly, to shuttle cars back and forth between showrooms, repair and restoration shops, dealerships throughout the Tri-state area and long distance road trips to deliver cars to their new homes. Life was complete.

During the time I worked at the showroom I developed a particular fascination with Italian and British sports cars, particularly Jaguar and Ferrari. I drove just about every model Jaguar and Ferrari from the ‘60s through the early ‘90s and became quite familiar with the history behind each example. The Ferrari Dino and Jaguar D-Type were my favorites – just for the record. I listened closely to the way in which my boss would communicate with prospective buyers, spending as much time as necessary to educate them about the subtle nuances of each example. This was no ordinary sell. Emotions play an important role in the purchase of such exquisite automobiles, especially when you’re paying $250K or more for a car. History is everything when buying a classic car and telling the story behind each car was an art in itself. Most would say, however, that these cars literally sell themselves. Although there is some truth in that sentiment, there is a much more powerful element at work here. Brand PR.

Automotive companies like Jaguar and Ferrari have a long history of nurturing emotional connections between the consumer and their brand by promoting a feeling of trust, loyalty and lasting value. Consumers know they are not only purchasing a special car with a long and illustrious history on the racetrack and on the roadways but a commitment to continue to produce the finest cars in the world. Take one drive in either of these particular brands and you will know.

One particular brand that I have been following with great enthusiasm is Tesla Motors. Here is a brand that is breaking away from the proverbial pack and really differentiating itself in the marketplace. No other car company in recent years has tapped into the imaginations of consumers in the same way as Tesla Motors has. The company’s 2010 Roadster has a range of 244 miles, goes from 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds and has a sleek design that offers “performance with a conscience,” according to Tesla. I couldn’t agree more. Tesla’s Model S will debut in 2011 for those looking for a high-performance 4-door sedan with an ever longer 300 mile range. In fact, Tesla recently showed off its all-electric Roadster sports car at the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Lee Hawkins from the Wall Street Journal covered Tesla’s appearance at the show and the company’s “Roadster Road Trip” to get there. Definitely worth the read.

This is a great example of a forward-thinking car company that is tapping into ever-increasing consumer demand for the next generation of high performance automobiles. I can think of many ways that Brand PR would benefit Tesla Motors as they tap into this growing market and will have more thoughts on Tesla as they are certainly one to watch.

It is rumored The New York Times is about to make the move towards a paywall model soon. For an outlet that has been providing free content for years, such a move presents a dilemma. How can you convince millions of readers to start paying for something that used to be available for free? And how do you convince them to stay when so many other news outlets and bloggers are offering news coverage without a paywall?

That’s where the strength of an organization’s brand identity comes in.

Readers pay for The Wall Street Journal because they believe it has something unique to offer. Whether it’s journalistic style, format, specific journalists, subscribers believe The Journal brand offers something of value and so they’re willing to pay.

Smaller outlets that have been forced to rely heavily on syndicated content in light of severe staff cuts will face a tougher time justifying a paywall. However, a paywall isn’t the only possible solution. Other outlets are experimenting with different business models. For example, The Seattle P-I converted to an online-only format last year. A similar model is leveraged to great success by outlets like The Huffington Post and Slate.

As the news landscape grows more competitive, it becomes more important for outlets to differentiate themselves from the crowd.

It’s a fairly common strategy to call out your competitor’s flaws (perceived and/or actual) in a public forum (e.g. Progresso/Campbell’s Soup Wars, AT& T/Verizon’s map dispute, I’m a Mac/PC). Though this strategy often leads to highly publicized, drawn out and costly litigation, it has also yielded improved sales for some companies.

There’s an alternative to the “spitting war” strategy. Here‘s the case study.

Most consumers don’t realize that “fresh, natural” chicken can include products that have been injected or plumped with sodium phosphate, cane juice, corn syrup and other “enhancers.” Our client, Foster Farms, the leading poultry producer on the West Coast, had always differentiated itself as producing truly 100 percent, natural, fresh poultry without any added ingredients. The other guys were injecting their fresh and natural-labeled chicken with salt water, ostensibly for better flavor but in fact adding weight and thus the total cost – and sodium content — to consumers. With labeling loopholes, though, most consumers didn’t know the difference.

Foster Farms had enough, but how do you out your competitors’ deceptive labeling practices and market that without painting yourself defensive and y whiny in the process? The answer – with humor, with award-winning TV advertising and, not least, with effective public relations working on all fronts.

Our job was to help consumers understand what they were getting – or not getting – when they bought fresh chicken. We informed them about an issue they should be concerned about without scare tactics or shock value. Our approach was credible, reasonable and caring rather than pointed or aggressive

The upshot – Consumers remained loyal to the premium Foster Farms brand even in a tough economy. And the campaign, as lauded in an L.A. Times editorial (and reprinted in the Sacramento Bee and other dailies), won praise for its integrity.

“Foster Farms, which developed an entire marketing campaign around the fact that it does not plump its chicken, is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to withhold the “all natural” label from enhanced chicken.

“Although we hate to take sides in corporate competition, we think Foster Farms is right. If anything, its campaign is too tame. It’s tempting to imagine a label that identifies heavily enhanced chicken as “chicken-like product, with X% real chicken.” At the very least, enhanced meats should be conspicuously labeled as such, and the list of added ingredients should appear in larger type. Shoppers should know at a glance what they’re really getting.”

]]> http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/pr-strategy-%e2%80%93-no-%e2%80%9cspitting-wars%e2%80%9d/feed/ 0 Karmina Zafiro http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/celebrity-chefs-become-%e2%80%9cbrands%e2%80%9d-heat-up-cookbook-sales/ http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/celebrity-chefs-become-%e2%80%9cbrands%e2%80%9d-heat-up-cookbook-sales/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:48:00 +0000 Karmina Zafiro http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/celebrity-chefs-become-%e2%80%9cbrands%e2%80%9d-heat-up-cookbook-sales ]]>
The last time I perused my collection of cookbooks, I realized that 90 percent of them were written by Food Network chefs. What is it about the network and the chefs that make me purchase their cookbooks over those authored by lesser-known, yet more qualified, chefs?

The Food Network chefs have friendly and cheerful demeanors and they make me feel like I can master any recipe. I know that some of them never went to culinary school, but that just makes them less intimidating. Most importantly, because I’m familiar with the chefs, I know that I can trust them. For example, I own the entire Barefoot Contessa cookbook series by Ina Garten, my favorite host. Since I watch all of her shows, I know that I love the dishes she prepares and that she simplifies each step as much as possible. Ina Garten’s show on the network has made her into a beloved “brand” to whom millions of home chefs have an emotional connection. Her show provides a venue to constantly promote her products, unlike most cookbook authors. I trust the Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada de Laurentiis brands because I know more about their products than some author I’ve never heard of. Plus, if a particular step is confusing, I can go to the Food Network Web site to replay an episode, rather than risk ruining a meal.

Even though some criticize the concept of televised cooking shows, saying that they’re intimidating and unrealistic, I always learn new cooking techniques and feel inspired to try a variety of recipes. I’m just one of the millions of Food Network fans who share this sentiment; the network “commands more viewers than any of the cable news channels“. The allure of celebrity chefs was noted in The San Francisco Chronicle, which listed “celebrity chefs” 6th among the 10 top trends in dining from the last decade, saying that chefs are “increasingly defined by their television appearances”. So, much like trusting a well-known brand in my supermarket, I rely on the Food Network brand of chefs to ensure my meals come off without a hitch.

Then, I became a mom, and a member of the fastest online shopping demographic. Forget about multiple stores, I was lucky to make it to one. And that quickly evolved from the neighborhood grocery chain to SuperTarget – for the sole reason that I could purchase any household necessity in one place at one time and save my back from carting the babe in a carseat all over town. (Note to retailers: I’ll make the extra trip if your grocery carts’ car seat rests tilt forward as opposed to backward, thereby keeping my baby upright and not upside down, uncomfortable, and hence, wailing like a banshee. And if you have a few carts with built in baby seats – go ahead and splurge on a few more – moms like me will thank you for mitigating parking lot fights over them.)

I recently evolved (or regressed depending on how you look at it) once more. At the urging of another mom, I bit the bullet and outsourced my grocery shopping. I now shop for groceries online and love it. And according to Nielsen, so do 13 million U.S. Internet users. With one keystroke, my groceries are personally selected by a sweet young woman who had the foresight to call me to find out how ripe I wanted my avocados.


How can a self-professed grocery control freak like myself allow a stranger to shop for my food? Simple. Brand PR. I know and trust that the brands I buy are dependable, the same quality whether I’m personally selecting the food or not. Meals are easier to plan, and each week, I can quickly update a previous list and have a week’s worth of groceries waiting for me at my convenience. While I may no longer be the sole gatekeeper to each item finding its way into my refrigerator or pantry, I feel just as confident in the quality of the foods I’m choosing. And while the personal shopper certainly deserves some credit, so do the food brands that consistently exceed consumer expectations for quality and value. I count on them week after week whether I’m the one in the aisle or not.

And this doesn’t mean I’m forgoing my grocery forages altogether. I’m just savoring them as a family outing, rather than just one more draining errand.

Westmont College, a small, private Christian educational institution, suffered significant campus damage in the devastating November 2008 “Santa Barbara Tea Fire.” The day after the fire started, the school recognized the possibility that its students might have caused the disaster; the blogosphere and local community was rife with rumor and speculation. Though the true perpetrators were eventually found to be students from a neighboring school, with no Westmont students involved, in the heat of the initial hours the school needed to respond forthrightly. With time ticking, the urgent demands of police and fire authorities, the looming deadlines of media inquiries, frantic calls from parents and from neighboring residents, Westmont decision makers debated various, often emotional and defensive responses. The protection of students, privacy issues, assessing blame and the need to cooperate and show concern for the community all vied for attention. At the “request” of its insurance company, United Educators, Westmont called upon Fineman PR, previously vetted for these kinds of crises, to assist. Less than 24 hours after the fires began, Fineman PR was engaged and worked with the College through the night and weekend to develop effective communications plans and responses for a range of scenarios and audiences.

Westmont College was prepared the next morning to present itself, cogently, as a community and law enforcement resource for any investigation or for up to date information. College communications had to assume a delicate balance during a time of great loss, intense scrutiny, allegations and suspicion. In the end, Westmont College was acknowledged throughout the community and by the media for its responsible and forthright response.

With professional, experience-based communications, the insurance provider benefitted by minimizing the client institution’s total loss related to reputation, credibility and even legal exposure from misleading, false or clumsy communications. Because of this, the crisis event is less likely to contribute to dropped applications, enrollment and donations. The amount of time the institution is fully involved in its crisis may also be shortened if its communications do not add complications to the original situation.

The issue is also one of quality of service provided. If the insurance company vets the communications firms they wish to use and is confident in those firms’ qualifications and experience, its members are assured of having quick access to quality professional services during a time when members would have limited ability to find a provider themselves. As a crisis unfolds, crucial time delays are encountered as the institution looks for a provider. Also, less experienced providers, selected in a rush, may have limited ability to effect the desired outcome.

]]> http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/insurance-policies-for-crisis-communications-part-2/feed/ 0 Karmina Zafiro http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/insurance-policies-for-crisis-communications-part-i/ http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/insurance-policies-for-crisis-communications-part-i/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:32:00 +0000 Karmina Zafiro http://fprbuzz.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/insurance-policies-for-crisis-communications-part-i ]]> As the year ends, businesses and other organizations that confront volatile issues may want to look to their insurance policies for extended coverage. More and more, insurance companies are offering “public relations” riders to help limit the financial damage that can come from a “reputation” disaster. Insurance companies are not only offering this coverage, but some are going further by selecting trusted and experienced crisis communications firms that, if brought in immediately to provide sensible counsel, could actually limit the potential exposure and damage of a crisis on an organization.

A tragic accident in a rental housing development left the owner/developer and property manager exposed to charges of health and safety violations from some of its tenants. Though those allegations were found ultimately to be untrue, the situation (evolved) began to blossom into what could be viewed as unreasonable and unwarranted demands for accommodations, rent relief, lease abrogation and satisfaction of unrelated, pre-accident grievances. Almost all of these demands were leveraged with the threat and activity to publicize what amounted to rumor and speculation. Further damage from the original accident would then have the potential to arise in the form of a plummeting reputation in the community for that complex and all other developments of the same owner, then mass exodus of tenants, diminished traffic from new potential tenants and political fallout in surrounding communities where the owner wanted to build. As a result of our strategic counsel, the developer and property manager were lauded at the next meeting of the Town Council. At the heart of the matter, of course, our client was committed to doing the right thing.

The owner had an insurance policy rider for just this kind of situation and understood its need for an external communications resource. The company called on my agency, Fineman PR, to help them communicate the facts. We worked with local town officials, law enforcement and fire district officials to communicate the truth of what happened and began an intense program of tenant relations, media relations, community relations and Web communications to help these critical audiences understand that the developer and property manager were intent on going the last mile to help residents. We also worked closely with our client’s law firm to assure our work in the court of public opinion did not create added exposure in the court of law.

As companies look to 2010, my advice would be to take a close look at their insurance policies and understand what the provisions are for crisis communications. Bad news can go global within seconds and when you’re trying to weather a crisis, planning makes all the difference.

Currently, there is so much buzz about what people and organizations are doing when confronted by a crisis.

While every crisis is different, there are some fundamental principles that should serve as a reference on how to get started resolving the challenge. And, while at this point in my career as crisis communications counsel these principles are burned in my mind, I still immediately turn to my list the moment I get a call for help. This was the subject of my agency’s very first blog post, more than a year ago, but with all the year-end interest in this topic, I will repeat it as a guideline for all the new friends I have made on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

We call it a “pantchek” as a memorable acronym, because we believe it is important not to get caught “with your pants down” once all eyes are turned your way.

• Public welfare is first priority

• All bad news out at once/Assemble the facts

• No blame, no speculation, do not repeat the charges

• Tell your side of the story/Take responsibility

• Care and concern

• High-level organization spokesperson

• Ensure that it will not happen again

• Keep separate plan for moving ahead

I believe these fundamentals are a good complement to the interview I did with Bulldog Reporter that was posted today.