The PR review: 2013

There’s been a lot for PRs to deal with this year. Facing the good (world’s first tweeting badger), the bad (tasteless 9/11 tweets) and the ugly (horsemeat anyone?), they’ve worked around the clock to keep their brands in the news for the right reasons.

To recognise those who have put their clients before them, here’s a run-down of my very own Prime Time PR Award winners this year:

How did they do that?
Winner: UN Women
UN Women turned to Ogilvy to promote the dangers of gender inequality by taking over the world’s most popular search engine. Using predictive text, people were shown common attitudes to women to highlight the issue of discrimination.

Finalists:
1) Selfridges gives customers the silent treatment
2) Holiday Inn transforms into horror hotel for DVD launch

Better luck next time
Winner: Coca-Cola
If you open a bottle of Vitamin Water today, you’re sure of a big surprise – because you could be insulted. Blake Loates was offended by the ‘retard’ message under the bottle cap, especially because her sister has cerebral palsy and autism.

Finalists:
1) London Duck Tours’ sinking ship
2) Cineworld loses its manners

Worth every penny
Winner: Aflac
Insurance company Aflac brought its mascot to life when it let a real duck roam the streets of New York, including the subway. What’s ironic is that this campaign got meaty results by spending pence rather than pounds.

Finalists:
1) KitKat gives customers the (extra) finger
2) Twilight hotline assists heartbroken teens

So, that’s 2013. But what does next year have in store?

I asked PR and marketing specialists for their industry predictions for the coming year.

Jo Chappel, head of insight and creativity at Fever PR, has identified ‘faction’ as a future trend: “Stories that flirt between fact and fiction that intrigue and entertain consumers.”

But, Marketing Chap thinks: “More and more money will be poured into marketing technology producing more and more of the same results as always.”

I think brands will prioritise personalised content. No more blanket e-newsletters, generic tweets and products. Running forward with Coca-Cola’s personalised bottles, companies will work to reward loyalty with tailored messages. Just leave the insults out of it.

So, there you have it. The big 2013/14 review. Share the love Prime Timers, have a happy New Year and I’ll see you in January.

Is London Duck Tours headed for a watery grave?

It’s been a good week for ducks. Or rather, it had been before London Duck Tours’ bus-boat caught on fire in the Thames this afternoon, leaving passengers to jump overboard.

Now I’ve seen those bus-boats poodling around the capital and I can’t say I’d jump at the chance to take a ride. While the brand might call this experience ‘fun, quirky and different’, I think it’s more ‘rusty, risky and darn scary’.

I know what you’re thinking and you’re right, it doesn’t matter what I have to say. But the truth is, London Duck Tours hasn’t said anything. No updates have been posted on Twitter, Facebook or the website. So by doing nothing, the business has exposed itself as unprofessional, unreliable and untrustworthy. Three traits nobody wants to mix with.

After a similar company had its water licence revoked last month, following a sinking in Liverpool, I’m starting to think that all the PR in the world couldn’t keep this brand’s reputation afloat.

However, if I was to pushed to come up with a strategy, this is what I’d do:

1. It’s too late to apologise
But London Duck Tours has got to do it anyway. This situation cannot get any better unless the business admits fault and takes full responsibility for the accident. This apology, directed at the brave passengers, needs to be sent to all the journalists and bloggers who have covered the story – along with details of who they can speak to for more information. Trust me, they’ll expect it.

2. The show’s over
I’d recommend cancelling all tours for the next few weeks. Certainly before customers cancel on the duck. Rather than attract attention by continuing business, and people waiting in the wings to shout about your next mistake, I’d use this time to rebuild trust with the public.

3. Buy new equipment
This is the time that City Cruises and Thames Clippers will be showing off their attributes, such as safety, so come back to your customers with a clear message: new equipment. Ideally London Duck Tours should also work with a VIP and take them out for a spin to attract interest.

Arranging a photo-call up and down the river, so everyone can see the duck is back, would be good but, better still, the team could brand the boat with a hashtag to track what people have to say about the re-launch.

After that, you’re on your own! What would you suggest for this sitting duck?

X-rated car advert gets tongues wagging

It’s a brand’s worst nightmare – an advert appears in print complete with a big mistake. No, not an incorrect spelling or wrong call to action. Either of those could easily be resolved with the help of a PR agency. Car hire firm Enterprise has had to deal with something much worse: an advert in the Pembrokeshire Herald, published last week, suggested that the firm offers inappropriate sex acts for customers. See the advert here.

To add insult to injury, the advert went hand-in-hand with the company’s Twitter launch. Although, this might be its saving grace. When the incident was spotted yesterday, Enterprise only had 61 followers – all of which were told that the service is ‘not offered at any of its branches.’

Twenty-four hours later that number has only risen by 13 – and the brand has responded to everyone that commented offering its single crisis-management message.

Of course, it’s not like the age old saying ‘if a tree falls in a forest and no-one’s there does it make a sound?’ Customers – existing and potential – are likely to hear about this via social networks or friends (the Mirror has already published the story too) But, when it comes to Twitter, I think people are less likely to get involved if they don’t think they can directly link with the brand. After all, that’s one big reason we make comments online isn’t it? To humiliate, complain or praise companies that we’re engaging with. The fact that few people knew about Enterprise’s Twitter page at that time has curbed the majority of comments.

I think the brand handled the process well. Although, I’d have suggested that they tailored their responses to show personality and a sense of humour. After all, the advert is clearly a joke.

At the time of writing this, I asked the Pembrokeshire Herald what its thoughts were and whether the error was from their side. According to reports they maintain the artwork was tampered with after it’d been signed off – and other brands were affected.

Surely, Enterprise will want an apology from the team if it was the paper’s fault – not to mention free advertising space to overright the problem.

However it progresses, this faux pas has certainly worked in Enterprise’s favour – in terms of PR and talkability. After reading this article how many hire car companies can you really think of?