Monday, December 21, 2009
VERITAS: FUMBLE - CHERRY F-BOMBS
VERITAS: FUMBLE - OBAMA GRADES HIMSELF
I know what he was trying to do, but U.S. President Barack Obama committed a rare communications Fumble during his otherwise flawless visit with Oprah Winfrey at the White House which aired last Sunday night. Oprah asked how he thought he was doing so far, as president. Obama replied that he feels he deserves “a solid B plus” and that if he can get his health insurance legislation passed it would even tip him into an A minus. By picking a grade, Obama was then able to rationalize it by pointing to his achievements to date despite being hit with the sharp, deep recession just as he was taking power. I’m sure he felt he was creating an opportunity to reiterate his messages about progress. I say he had that opportunity anyway, by the very nature of the question – but the Fumble was in letting himself get walled in by Oprah’s design (not that she’s anything less than a full-on Obama supporter and hardly a challenging interviewer for him). But by picking a grade, he identified a new sidebar for others – and his critics in particular – to debate. Is he marking himself too high? Too low? What’s he saying? Does he get it? You’re usually damned if you do, when given rigid parameters by an interviewer: “on a scale of 1 to 10 …” It makes for an easy headline and lead on the story, and rarely does the interviewee any favours. The best approach is usually to “leave the numbers for others to decide” and then bridge immediately to your key positioning – as Obama should have done.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - ASHLEY MADISON NEEDS NO ADS
A reminder, given some of the subject matter here, that we make our calls purely on the communications and not on the underlying issue itself. Right then. I wanted to comment on this one last week, and fortunately it kept rolling right on into this one: Ashley Madison, the online dating outfit aimed directly at married people, approached the TTC about ad-wrapping several streetcars with the company’s logo and slogan line – “Life is short; have an affair.” The potential for the ad campaign got significant media play, driven largely by the debate about whether it was an appropriate campaign for a public agency to take on. Then the TTC rejected it, and that got even more coverage. Then Ashley Madison said they’re going to sue and … yep, another round of headlines and reiteration of the whole thing – including another printing of the artist’s concept of what the streetcars would look like. Whatever the proposed ad budget was is irrelevant – the earned media mileage Ashley Madison got out of the whole controversy was staggering. Touchdown.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - LULULEMON RUNS RINGS AROUND VANOC
This week's perspective from Orli Giroux Namian
Earlier this week, Lululemon launched a new collection of athletic gear branded “Cool Sporting Event That Takes Place in British Columbia Between 2009 and 2011 Edition.” Suffice it to say, the Vancouver Olympic Committee’s (VANOC) officially-branded knickers are in a twist. Even though VANOC admitted that Lululemon was acting within the letter of the law, the Committee still had some stern words: “We expected better sportsmanship from a local Canadian company than to produce a clothing line that attempts to profit from the Games but doesn't support the Games or the success of the Canadian Olympic team.” Sure they were pushing the envelope, but Lululemon’s unveiling of its athletic apparel was done with the full knowledge that it hadn’t overtly broken any Olympic branding and marketing rules. “We went through a litany of things you cannot say and started throwing out a bunch of things we felt we could say that were respectful of the rules and regulations.” The brainstormers behind this clever campaign had no doubt anticipated the PR potential of a VANOC response to the provocatively branded gear. VANOC’s strong reaction was directly responsible for propelling the new gear into headline news, garnering the very best kind of marketing boost for Lululemon - the free kind. This is not to take anything away from VANOC and the important role it plays in protecting Olympic symbols and officially licensed gear that supports Canadian athletes and the Games. That said, VANOC would have been well advised to turn the other cheek because as Canadian women know already, nobody does cheek(s) like Lululemon. Touchdown.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - MORE TURBULENCE FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES
We all have bad days. The reasons vary: getting some terrible news, getting stuck in traffic when you’re already late, having a heated argument with a loved one. It happens. Last week, it seems, an American Airlines flight attendant was having a really bad day and her actions took the airline on yet another rough PR ride. John Reed of California was travelling in First Class when, by all accounts, the flight attendant went nuts after he asked for a glass of orange juice. Viral blog posts by witnesses recounted the interaction as follows: “'This must be your first time in first class,’ she said. He asked what she meant by that. He told her he was actually on the flight that made him Executive Platinum for the 10th year in a row. She said, 'You obviously don’t know how this works.’” Later, she handed him a federal warning saying that he could be jailed for interfering with a crew member’s duties. He was greeted by authorities when he landed. The viral blog posts were picked up by the media and consumer travel web sites. I should note that this is the same airline which faced public backlash after firing one of its web designers for responding to a customer complaint. Rather than take the OJ incident as an opportunity to do something right, the airline did too little too late. It took more than a week for the airline to issue an apology and the following statement “As to the flight attendant in question, American has taken specific action related to that employee.” They would not elaborate. When you’ve spent a lot of time in hot water, it’s crucial that you seize opportunities to cool public perception. Competitor, Delta Airlines did just that, offering elite status to everyone on the ill-fated American Airlines flight. A true testament to the quote: ‘When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.’ Or in this case, some OJ.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - WIND MOBILE'S FIRST GUST OF COMMUNICATION
This week's perspective from Ed Lee:
Today’s touchdown is brought to you courtesy of our two friends “customer centrism” and “integration”. Whenever a new player joins a mature market, they have two choices. One, play by the existing rules and hope to beat out the established players that way, or two, to disrupt the market and focus on something no one is or has done. Wind Mobile is clearly choosing the disruptive path in the wireless market. After announcing the new brand, but no products, the company set up a virtual “soapbox” to allow disgruntled Canadian wireless customers to air their grievances. Through this massive online focus group, the company has been able to develop and refine its products to be incredibly customer centric. Whether or not input from Canadians had any impact on the final product is irrelevant – from a communications perspective, Wind can give the impression of being intune with and listening to the voice of the consumer. Touchdown! For the two-point conversion, Wind followed this up with a brilliant “hello world” creative ad which ran in the Globe and Mail (Canada’s pre-eminent national daily) containing the comments which most align with Wind’s policy and product – thanking those people by name who contributed to the soapbox discussion. Never mind the fact that “lailapalooza” or “cmisty” will likely not be the type to read the Globe and see the creative, the message comes over loud and clear to everyone – we listen to and value your opinion. This piece of integration was a fantastic play from a newcomer who needs to be disruptive in order to win in this market place.
Monday, December 14, 2009
VERITAS TOUCHDOWN - FACEBOOK ANNOUCEMENT SCORES RARE TOUCHDOWN
This week's perspective from Ed Lee:
When you have a community of 350m users worldwide, 14m of whom are in Canada, it is almost impossible to make a change to your site or regulations without getting a portion of the population riled up. Every time the social network Facebook has made changes in the past, they have spurred a widespread backlash – users joining the “bring back the old news feed” group is a favourite example. So while Facebook has racked up scores of fumbles in the past, we had to award the company a Touchdown this week, in a week when the site made some serious structural changes to the way it handles the privacy of its users. Far from being the walled garden it started out as, Facebook has now set each user’s default setting to “public”. In a bid to counteract the inevitable backlash and user confusion, Facebook ensured that each user saw a message from Mark Zuckerberg when they logged into the site. The message was clear, concise and laid out each step needed for the user to protect their own privacy online. While Facebook Fumble lends itself to alliteration, we have to break convention and award a Touchdown. For more on the new privacy policies, their implications to you as a user and what they mean to communicators with corporate presences on Facebook, my colleague Sean McDonald has this enlightening.
VERITAS TOUCHDOWN: MR. SQUIGGLES KNOWS HIS CRISIS MANAGEMENT
On the other side of this story, Cepia, the small
VERITAS FUMBLE: NOT SO GOOD GUIDE
California-based consumer product testing and rating group Good Guide tried to run the wildly popular hamster toy “Mr. Squiggles” off his fuzzy little feet this week, when it issued a consumer alert claiming that the little rodent had above-legal-limit amounts of toxic chemicals in his nose and fur. Citing
VERITAS TOUCHDOWN - NATYCZYK CLIMBS DOWN
Clearly. Honestly. Forthrightly. When you’ve got to hit the rewind button in the media, that’s the only way to do it, and that’s exactly what the nation’s Chief of Defence Staff did this week. General Walter Natynczyk had to reverse gears on previous statements about what did or didn’t happen to Afghan detainees handed over by Canada to Afghan forces. "After reviewing this new information I want to correct my statement ... (in fact) the individual who was beaten by the Afghan police was in fact in Canadian custody and then the ANP took control of him," he said. "The moment I saw this report this morning I realized that the information I provided yesterday was incorrect and I am responsible for that." Setting aside the ongoing semantical debate about definitions of “torture,” what the General has done is proactively update the media with new information and, in the process, has reinforced his credibility despite the on-the-surface contradictory nature of his statements. Tough spot; good call.
VERITAS TOUCHDOWN - OBAMA AND THE ELEPHANT
VERITAS FUMBLE: THE EVIL CAROLYN
Friday, December 4, 2009
VERITAS: FUMBLE - TIGER DRIVES INTO THE ROUGH
VERITAS: PUNT - OBAMA DOES WHAT HE CAN ON AFGHANISTAN TIMING
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - VIRGIN MOBILE SLITHERS OUT OF CRISIS
VERITAS: FUMBLE - IN-GAME TWITTERING
Friday, November 27, 2009
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - LEAFS GM PRAISES NEWLY "OUT" SON
Brian Burke is the President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. His son Brendan is a former goalie and holds a staff position with the highly regarded University of Miami (Ohio) hockey team, currently ranked first in the NCAA. The hockey world – long a bastion of machismo – hasn’t had an openly gay figure within it, until now. Brendan Burke disclosed his homosexuality in an interview with ESPN.com this week, and it has attracted a lot of attention for both son and, here in Toronto, for father as well. Brian Burke, a quintessential hockey tough guy, has responded with nothing but loving and supportive comments for his boy. “I just wish every parent could experience having a child like him,” he said, who recognizes the trail-blazing position that both he and his son are now in. “I've got six kids, I drive a truck, I own a shotgun and I chew tobacco, so sure, this adds a different dimension,” he said. “This isn't about me and it isn't about the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. It's about a young man who has done something that takes a lot of courage. But if my acceptance can turn into more acceptance on the part of other people, that's great.” Brian Burke understands that his position in the sports world has given him a chance to send a very strong message with respect to this family development, and he has done so with clarity and class. Brendan’s boss had been similarly supportive in his public comments, and the younger Burke has also been impressive in his communications: “Imagine if I was in the opposite situation, with a family that wouldn't accept me, working for a sports team where I knew I couldn't come out because I'd be fired or ostracized,” Brendan told ESPN.com. “People in that situation deserve to know that they can feel safe, that sports isn't all homophobic and that there are plenty of people in sports who accept people for who they are.” Sure, it’s hockey, but it’s still Touchdowns all around.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - FORMER IDOL BLAZES OWN TRAIL
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - THE MUPPETS ARE BACK!!
OK, time to break the thread here … well, except maybe for Beaker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Anyway, the single most forwarded viral video clip I’ve been bombarded with in a loooong time is that of the Muppets doing a brilliant take on the Queen classic “Bohemian Rhapsody.” If you haven’t yet seen it, pull your mouse out from whatever rock it has been trapped under, and get thee over to YouTube. I didn’t know anything about it until it started popping up on Facebook and everywhere, but that’s what makes it viral – turns out that Disney, who bought the Muppet franchise a few years ago, released the clip to coincide with the 18th anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death this week. But the company’s broader PR motive is to put some fresh life into a brand that hasn’t been up to much over the past number of years, to the point where there is now a cohort of little kids who have no idea who Animal, Miss Piggy, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew or even Gonzo The Great are. This oughta go a long way toward fixing that … MAMA!!
VERITAS: FUMBLE -CRIB CRISIS
When crisis hits, it can be tempting to run and hide or to become defensive. How you deal with a crisis can make or break your company’s reputation. That’s the challenge B.C.’s Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc. was faced with this week as it became the centre of the largest crib recall in Canadian and U.S. history. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the voluntary recall of 2.1 million of the company's drop-side cribs, saying that more than 100 injuries and four infant deaths had been linked to the products. Health Canada issued a similar warning. The news sent parents scrambling, crashing the company’s website and jamming the phone lines for hours. Stork Craft’s President and CEO, Jim Moore, responded by shifting the blame to caregivers, telling reporters that the deaths were a result of improper use, "We do have to tell people these cribs are safe, if you follow the assembly instructions correctly and heed the warnings.” Not only did he essentially absolve his company of any blame, he did not express any concern or sympathy for panicked parents. Empathy is a powerful yet often overlooked communications tool in a crisis situation. By expressing genuine concern, Stork Craft could have established a human connection with the people affected who might have been a bit more understanding about the situation. Instead, the company is now facing a long list of class-action lawsuits and a Veritas Fumble.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - MS SOCIETY RECOVERS FAST AND TAKES LEADERSHIP POSITION
A great story appeared in the Globe and Mail last Saturday with a complementary documentary on CTV’s W-FIVE that heralded research done in Italy by Dr. Paolo Zamboni that, in the words of the Globe, “could well turn what we know about Multiple Sclerosis on its head.” In Canada, with one of the world’s highest rates of MS, it is very exciting news and the story was full of some wonderfully positive anecdotes about patients who have been treated successfully. And where was the MS Society of Canada on this? When initially asked about it they said, “many questions remain about how and when this phenomenon might play a role in nervous system damage seen in MS, and at the present time there is insufficient evidence to suggest that this phenomenon is the cause of MS,” which seems to be the equivalent of saying we’re not interested. However, it’s what followed that, in the view of TD&F, gives them a Touchdown. On Monday, they not only praised the “encouraging results” but put their money where their mouth is and issued an invitation for research proposals to get the evidence needed to validate it. It was a rapid response from an agency not necessarily known for speed and it was consistent with their earlier comments that there is insufficient evidence at this point in time. By championing new research, the move actually positions them in a leadership role.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - ONLINE PROPOSAL WARMS HEARTS
When normal people propose to their loved ones, it is usually a case of getting down on one knee, revealing the rock and then hopefully popping the champagne. But when social media-ite Justin Johnson proposed to his fiancé Marissa, he had a special idea in mind. Helped by his friends at the blogging service tumblr, he created what’s known in the online ad world as a “takeover” where every user's admin page was reconfigured to host a charming video proposal. She said yes but a “technical glitch” prevented her message back from being displayed, leading in turn to a slew of messages to Marissa instructing her to “visit tumblr and say YES”. The proposal garnered more than 9,000 messages of support along with the cynical gazes of other online commentators. As one said “Happiness is a pill hard swallowed by the unhappy.” However, in this inaugural Special Teams piece, I give Justin and tumblr a Touchdown. Justin, for having the guts to put his heart on his sleeve and communicate his feelings not just to his soon-to-be wife but to the world; and to tumblr for finding a really wonderful feel good story to test a new ad format on. Undoubtedly we’ll see this being rolled out by tumblr as a formal offering for advertisers and, with a success story like this, who could turn them down? For more, on the story and the inevitable technical glitches check out New Tee Vee.
Friday, November 20, 2009
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - GOING ROGUE, YOU BETCHA

If it seemed like Sarah Palin was everywhere you looked this week, it’s because she was. It was like Palin-Palooza with her new book “Going Rogue: an American Life” in virtually every media format from news to entertainment news, late night talk to drive time radio chatter. It felt more like a Harry Potter release than the launch of a political autobiography. While the book appears to be all about exacting revenge on those who wronged her during her failed Vice Presidential bid, the book launch itself was far more pop culture than politics - as evidenced by her leaving Sean Hannity of FOX News and Conservative talk radio king Rush Limbaugh waiting for interviews until after she sat down with “those liberal media types” Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey. As Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Centre for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University put it, "this 'second-wave Palinism' seems a lot less likely to be aiming toward the White House than toward her own television show". Her interview with Oprah has been described as a “talk-show marriage made in ratings heaven” and when Regis and Kelly observed that it served as an example of how America can accommodate different points of view (to wild applause from their New York studio audience) it was obvious the launch strategy worked. Through all of it, Palin followed the rules by staying true to her brand and sticking to that “aw-shucks” style she tried to ride to the White House last year. What didn’t work at the polls made for some great daytime TV and then subsequent news content around the globe, including her reference to Katie Couric (whose infamous campaign interview with Palin suggested she didn’t read a newspaper) as “the perky one” and her assessment of media reports about her family as “bull-crap.” For Americans, it seems not having to worry about whether she’ll be Commander in Chief makes it a lot easier to enjoy her. This week the number of fans on her Palin Facebook page broke the million member mark and bookstores can’t keep up with demand for “Going Rogue.” As Mitch Potter reported in the Toronto Star, even though polling would suggest she doesn’t have a chance at the White House, as a candidate for celebrity, Palin has won. By a landslide.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - EMAIL FUMBLE BRINGS LEGAL TROUBLE TO SILICON VALLEY GOLDEN BOY
News this week that eBay, the online auction site, had sold the Web phone call company, Skype, back to its founders also uncovered a cautionary tale in online privacy. During the protracted sale process, Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, now running the online TV venture Joost, found themselves bidding against a consortium of venture capital funds, led by Index Ventures for their creation. Nothing new in that but the lead VC firm was proposing former Cisco executive Mike Volpi as the chairman and CEO of Skype, should they be successful in their acquisition. So what’s the problem? That Mike Volpi was the acting CEO of Joost – in effect, bidding for his potential employers against his existing employers! We can’t comment on the legal play but what we can call out is the communications fumble of Volpi using his work email address to conduct negotiations with Index Ventures and providing critical intelligence and unbounded criticism against his employers. As both communicators and consumers, we get lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to using email, thinking it is secure and that only the recipient can read it but in truth, email is far more like a postcard than a sealed letter. Almost anyone can read your email if they really want to. So what does this tell us? Never use your work email for anything other than work and always think about how your emails will seem if they are uncovered and published (with or without context) or used in court filings, as they are now.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - PATIENCE WITH CALGARY PARKING AUTHORITY EXPIRES

A clip from Global TV Calgary caught my eye this week. It asked, “How do you call a news conference to cut rates, and end up making a whole city furious?” The Calgary Parking Authority did just that when its General Manager, Dale Fraser, called a news conference (to the surprise of City Council) to announce rate reductions in key downtown parking zones. While the move might seem like a PR home run, it quickly turned into an unmitigated disaster when savvy reporters took the opportunity at the newser to question Fraser about budget documents released the day before. Those documents outlined a number of proposed revenue generators for the CPA – including extending hours for metered parking, and charging for parking on Sundays and holidays – to recoup the shortfall the rate reductions would cause. Council officials quickly took an opposing stance, the resulting media coverage was less than flattering, and the public outcry was immediate – plunging the CPA into damage control mode. All in all, it was an ugly, ugly fumble. Regardless of the logic behind the proposed changes, trying to spin part of the package into a good news story and expecting that the remaining goods will go unnoticed is a dangerous strategy. No matter how lovely the lipstick, if it’s on a pig…well…you get my point.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - DALTON DAYS REDUX
VERITAS: FUMBLE - FRENCH FOOTBALLER ADDS INSULT TO INJURY FOR IRELAND
VERITAS: FIRST DOWN - MACKAY REFUTES TORTURE ALLEGATIONS
Friday, October 23, 2009
FUMBLE - FASHIONISTA FAKES SICKNESS AND REINFORCES PAST MISTAKES
This week's Team Huddle compiled by Lisa An
Toronto’s Fashion Week, officially known as LG Fashion Week, is wrapping up this Saturday but the antics of Robin Kay, president of the Fashion Design Council of Canada, the organization which hosts Fashion Week, will likely live on. For those who need a quick refresher on last year’s events, Kay delivered a rambling, incoherent speech while inebriated prior to the start of a fashion show and had to be escorted off the stage. Her behaviour was denounced by the Toronto fashion community with some calling for her resignation. Despite the furor she continues to head the Fashion Council as its leader with no worse for wear (excuse the pun). But that may change given the unflattering feature printed in last Saturday’s issue of the Toronto Star. Kay was clearly unprepared for the interview as she awkwardly avoided questions about last year’s controversy claiming she was too “sick” to directly answer questions and provided an unvarnished look at how she interacts with her “minions.” The article noted that she tried to make up for the disastrous interview by inviting the reporter to speak with her a second time but was still portrayed as being uncomfortable with the one-on-one interaction. My colleagues unanimously awarded Kay a Fumble for obvious reasons: she was clearly unwilling to accept accountability for last year’s events when she should have addressed it head-on. What’s worse is she actually read an answer off a piece of paper in response to last year’s incident, key messages that were obviously prepared by a staff person for the interview. She also gave the impression that she was feigning her illness to avoid the tough questions – the reporter noted that as he left the interview, he could see through the windows that she was “waving her arms animatedly” while conducting a meeting. But in addition to Kay’s Fumble, my colleagues felt that her media team deserved penalties as well. It was clear from the feature that Kay was uncomfortable and unready for the media. She should have been counseled to avoid any interviews and instead have third-parties speak in her stead, suggesting that she’s dedicating to correcting past mistakes and turning a new lead. Instead, what resulted is an entertaining read, but a profile that is a disservice to Kay who is trying to dispel the image as a demanding, drunken diva and another step towards her demise. Need media coaching advice? Contact the Veritas team for help.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - A-ROD TALKS WITH HIS BAT
Ah, October. It’s time for the Fall Classic. Lord knows I have Fumbled New York Yankee’s franchise third baseman Alex Rodriguez enough for his communications plays over the years (steroids, Madonna, you name it), but the time has come not only to pat him on the back, but to demonstrate an important and little discussed communications tool. Namely, situations where your actions speak louder than words. Veteran Toronto Star baseball columnist Dave Perkins wrote a good piece this week suggesting that as the World Series looms, pitchers should consider intentionally walking A-Rod, given how hot he has been at the plate. I mean, as of Thursday, Rodriguez had an on-base percentage of .469 (getting on base almost half the time) and a slugging percentage of 1.000. He had 11 runs batted in during seven post-season games as of TDF press time. This is the same superstar who has folded like a cheap tent in so many Major League Baseball playoff series in the past, and has been widely ridiculed by fans and the vicious New York baseball press. After a single, double, walk and his fifth home run of the playoffs Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Perkins noted: “He (Rodriguez) took one look at the horde of notepads before the Yankees’ workout and declined comment, but others spoke about him – usually shaking their heads in a good way.” A-Rod, given his past communications strikeout tendency with the media, is wise to decline comment, let his play on the baseball field speak for itself, and allow his manager and teammates to characterize his performance. There are times when your organization needs to send a message by your actions, and let stakeholders deliver your message. This was a ‘less-is-more’ Touchdown, a rare one for A-Rod.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - NO SPECULATION ON 'DALTON DAYS'
It doesn’t seem that long ago that the then-NDP government of Bob Rae set a record Ontario deficit of more than $12 billion – meaning the difference between how much money the province collected compared to how much it spent in 1992 was bigger than in any year in the province’s history. Well, this week it was announced that the Ontario deficit will exceed forecasts and come in at $24.7 billion. That’s a lot of money. Finance Minister Dwight Duncan rightly referred to some “difficult decisions” that loom ahead for the province, as they have in recent months for many U.S. state governments, including California. Premier Dalton McGuinty was asked by media whether he’s considering a return to the so-called “Rae Days,” the then-premier’s attempt to avoid massive and widespread civil service layoffs by asking public sector staff to take unpaid time off (even if it violated existing union contracts). It was a great example of an instance where any speculation at all by McGuinty would have led to enormous headlines. Nor was it a time to rule anything ‘in’ or ‘out.’ The trick for the Premier was to stay in the “here and now” and only discuss the facts and the process as he knows it right now. “I don't know,” he told reporters. “We’ve all got our own particular approaches obviously. I’ll let people judge, but what I would say is that… the next several months will be very important as we come up to our own particular approach to this.” There are definitely communications reasons why McGuinty has been a successful political leader in the media capital of Canada, and that was a good example.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - HOSPITAL SHUTS DOWN ISSUE FAST
A woman turns up at the hospital ER with her seven year-old son who has suffered a head injury. She was told by a Telehealth operator to take the boy to the hospital, despite the fact that they are in Canada from Mexico seeking refugee status and had an expired health coverage certificate (a new one was in the works from Ottawa). Trouble is, the ER clerk refused to let the boy be seen without payment up front, to the tune of $650. The woman ended up plodding through the rain to a walk-in clinic with her boy and his two brothers. When Brenda Aurajo-Morales’ story came to the attention of the Toronto Star, Humber River Regional Hospital suddenly had a major issue management problem on its hands. But through swift and decisive action, coupled with strong communications right from the top, what was still a less-than-stellar story for the hospital suddenly had a new lead. “Clerk fired after boy, 7, sent from ER” was the headline. "This is a one-time incident and does not represent Humber River as an organization," CEO Reuben Devlin told the Star, calling the incident “disturbing.” “We serve one of the most diverse communities. It's reflected among our staff and we see it as our strength. We do not accept this. This is not part of our value,” Devlin said. That’s pretty unequivocal, and exactly the kind of value statement the CEO needed to be making under the circumstances. I’m not saying firing someone anytime there’s a problem is a magic solution – every issues management situation is different – but the fact that the hospital’s quick action and on-message reaction was so clear meant that this story was reduced to a black eye rather than a critical body blow for the organization.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - CTV'S STRATEGIC SPECULATION
Bill Walker is giving Premier Dalton McGuinty a Touchdown in the space opposite for not speculating this week … I’m giving the same to CTV for doing the exact opposite. Contradictory? Only if you fail to recognize that for every rule there is an exception, and this one demonstrates it. The general rule is that spontaneous speculation about “what if?” scenarios is usually a recipe for disaster. The exception is when that speculation is deliberate and strategic – usually in the form of the highly-effective “doomsday scenario.” CTV and the other major broadcasters are continuing their outstanding PR offensive against the cable companies, complaining that the cable giants take their broadcast signals for free and then sell them to subscribers as part of their cable packages, making huge profits as a result. For their part, the cable companies say their unsubsidized investment in cable system infrastructure has led to increased viewership and, as a direct result, higher ad rates for the broadcasters. But back to CTV specifically, who, during an editorial board meeting with the Toronto Sun (editorial boards are an excellent communications tactic to highlight and explain positioning on an issue), said that “there is an absolute real risk 10 (CTV) stations in Ontario could be shut down” unless the cable companies start paying for their broadcast programming. It’s a hypothetical situation in the one sense – but also a clear and present danger in CTV’s view – and by deliberately postulating that scenario, they are amplifying their message in powerful and tangible terms.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - BLAIR ADMITS 'BIAS'
The above headline is the same one which topped the Toronto Sun story following Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair’s town hall session hosted by the Jamaican-Canadian Association this week. Normally that might seem like a bad thing, for a person in such a position of authority to confess to having experienced less than objective judgment on the job. However, I think that when it’s done appropriately and to the right degree, it can be smart communications for a leader to admit to human foibles as Blair did. By stating what is a universal truth – that no one is perfect – an authority figure can do much to humanize their image and connect more effectively with the masses, without undermining their credibility in the process. “It is terribly important that we be self-aware, that we recognize the effect that bias can have on our decision-making, that we think about it, we catch ourselves, and we be better,” Blair said. Obama is great at this kind of thing – so is the chief.
Friday, October 16, 2009
VERITAS: FUMBLE - WRONG ROUTE FOR THE TTC
This week the TTC began enforcement of a stricter etiquette bylaw that includes a significant hike in the fines TTC special constables can hand out and a lengthened list of fineable offences. These include blocking doorways, lying down on seats and holding subway doors open as the chimes sound. The increased fines were approved earlier this year, followed by a grace period during which the TTC had planned to educate riders about the upcoming bylaw change. Media coverage of the new enforcement and feedback from the team here at Veritas this week has clearly shown very low awareness of the bylaw changes. As a result, public feedback in the online comments section of various articles have people screaming human rights violations. TTC spokesperson Kevin Carrington admitted this week that most TTC riders are not aware that their actions break transit laws, yet claimed ‘emphasis on educating riders first’. But there is no mention of the new bylaw anywhere on the TTC website’s homepage – a lost opportunity. A dig into the TTC website reveals a posting of the actual legal bylaw, which (at more than 3,000 words) is too much legalese to be an effective communications tool. Where the TTC took the wrong turn was in failing to provide the tangible, fact-based evidence that proves etiquette offences cost time and money. Cleaning seats, repairing jammed doorways and delaying service all come with a cost to riders. Earlier and ongoing communications about the costs and how they translate to fare hikes would have provided riders with a greater sense of responsibility and accountability, instead of leaving the door open to a debate on civility. There is applause for making inroads towards better bylaw enforcement, but Veritas calls a Fumble on this communications play for the lack of a strategic and proactive education campaign.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - CONSERVATIVE LOGO ON GOVENMENT FUNDING CHEQUE
Conservative MP Gerald Keddy poses for a photo op in Chester, Nova Scotia, with a proverbial giant cheque representing funding from a federal infrastructure program to renovate the local arena. In the upper left corner was a large Conservative Party of Canada logo. Party logo on public money. A bad and obvious mistake – but a worse communications Fumble, in that it plays right into the hands of critics who want to accuse the federal Tories of porkbarrelling such funding into Conservative ridings. Yikes.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - NOBEL JUDGES BREAK TRADITIONAL SILENCE
When those who normally don’t speak to the media suddenly do, their communications impact is automatically high. So I thought it was the right call indeed for several of the Nobel committee judges who awarded U.S. President Barack Obama his highly controversial Peace Prize to break their traditional silence and defend their decision. “We simply disagree” with those who consider Obama undeserving, said committee chair Thorbjorn Jagland. “He got the prize for what he has done,” noting that Obama’s outreach to the Muslim world and his scaling-down of a Bush-era proposal for a missile defense system in Europe “have contributed to – I wouldn’t say a safer world – but a world with less tension.” Critics will continue to toss barbs at Obama and the Nobel committee, but by uncharacteristically speaking out to defend their choice, I give the judges a Touchdown.
VERITAS: FIELD GOAL - MAMMOLITI SPICES UP MAYORAL RACE
Amid the continuing speculation surrounding the possible mayoral aspirations of high-profile Torontonians John Tory and George Smitherman came the definite declaration this week by city councillor Georgio Mammoliti that he will be throwing his hat into the ring. “I think the city needs change – drastic change, not just mediocre change,” he told the National Post, and then underlined his point with some extremely colourful cases in point, including calls for a Toronto casino, a new city lottery and the regulation and taxing of prostitution. “As mayor I want to think outside the box,” he said. Apparently so. While his bold and controversial proposals were instant headlines in the making, I can’t in good conscience call this a communications Touchdown. Sure, he got loads of ink and airtime, and defined himself as the “drastic change” candidate, but his ideas don’t seem to hold up to scrutiny for very long. The city has jurisdiction in none of the areas mentioned. Mammoliti simply says he believes the powers that be would acquiesce if he got elected mayor and could muster council support for his plans. “I’m throwing an idea out there. I haven’t explored it yet,” he said, referring specifically to the idea of a waterfront casino to be built on new land infilled as a result of some sort of subway construction. It’s great to get lots of attention for your ideas, but if they ultimately come off as less than credible, are you really sending the right message? I’m going to saw off at calling this one a Field Goal.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - WESTERN STYLE TAKEDOWN
Another university, our very own University of Western Ontario (UWO) failed in a communications play this week after the violent arrest of a student was widely viewed on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17mj553jzhM). Pictures don’t lie. And if you watch the video, you see a half dozen campus police at times wailing away on a young man with batons, at other times kneeing him repeatedly. When asked to explain it, spokespersons for the campus police and the university could only say that people who watch the video cannot possibly understand what was going on. Again, really? I think anyone who watches the video will know exactly what was going on. Gitta Kulczycki, a spokeperson for the school, said: “The view of the video itself is somewhat disturbing without knowing the context of the full situation.” The problem was that nobody went on to explain the context. The head of campus police, Elgin Austen, told media that his officers were trying to subdue the student being arrested and “keep other people around safe,” yet on the video there are no other students even remotely near the arrest – in fact the hallway is empty. Austen also said that people watching the video “may not understand what the officers were actually doing.” The communications lesson? We don’t believe it’s ever wise to tell people they shouldn’t believe what they’re seeing. Unless we’re talking about a magic trick. If UWO officials were going to make the case that something else was going on here, they needed to be clear about what that was. If they couldn’t be, they would have been better off to say the arrest was under review.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - UNIVERSITY FEARS LETTERMAN
Talk show host David Letterman’s admission of past affairs with some of his staff members has certainly made for much entertainment news fodder. So it goes without saying that anybody who pops up with a reasonably (some would say even remotely) interesting comment on Letterman is going to make news. That’s great for some communicators in terms of “piggybacking” on a story to promote a product or cause. But one has to seriously wonder why Quinnipiac University, 90 minutes north of New York in Hamden, Conn., needed to weigh in on this and what it had to gain. The school, consistently ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of America’s best, warned that it will crack down on the management of its internship program in the event of the Letterman revelations. “Due to recent circumstances we will have a discussion with those in charge of placing our interns at the David Letterman show in the future,” the school said, in comments widely reported this week. “We will diligently oversee this internship program to ensure that our interns are out of harm’s way.” Really? They have time to be concerned about that? Perhaps it was a piggyback attempt to raise brand awareness of the school name. But it just seemed dumb, which isn’t the best communications play for a post-secondary institution.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
VERITAS: FUMBLE - GWEN THE HOMELESS DOLL
Mattel subsidiary American Girl has been weathering the tumultuous launch of its latest doll, Gwen. American Girl is an extremely popular product that has cultivated an very devoted consumer base. Dolls are sold for $95, each with its own back-story, and American Girl offers a huge variety of accessories for its dolls. In this case, Gwen’s back-story has sparked controversy: Gwen’s family has fallen on tough times, like many families in the past year, having gone through parental separation and subsequently losing their home and living out of their car. After finding refuge in a homeless shelter, Gwen and her family are able to establish themselves in an apartment. New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser called Mattel’s strategy and execution into question, going so far as to say that Mattel was engaging in ‘political indoctrination.’ From there, opinions from all corners of the internet have emerged. Homeless advocacy blogs (i.e Change.org), parenting blogs (Parentdish, Dadomatic)and consumer focused blogs (Consumerist Blog) have all made their case about the appropriateness of Gwen’s back-story and Mattel’s approach. The Veritas team has discussed this and are giving Mattel a Fumble. Without making any judgments about their choice of back- story, the Fumble stems from the fact that Mattel didn’t provide any context to its consumer or media audience in advance of the launch. Consumers, parents and housing advocates were all left to interpret Mattel’s intentions as they saw fit. With a high price point and little mention of charitable contributions made from profits, Mattel was left open to being called insensitive, and was perceived as profiteering from a very real and sensitive issue. Although Mattel eventually (and reactively) issued a release with HomeAid America to explain their actions, they had already lost the opportunity to participate in the discussion that had taken off without them.
TOUCHDOWN - HARPER'S SURPRISE PERFORMANCE
“I just need someone to love” sang the Prime Minister, with a hint of a grin, in the midst of his surprise performance of “A Little Help From My Friends” with legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma last weekend in Ottawa. Seeing Stephen Harper, who took so much flak for his comments about artists and swanky galas, turn up at a swanky arts gala as a performer himself was as counter-intuitive as it was unexpected. And that, combined with his nervous but pretty fine performance, made it downright endearing. The clip was forwarded here, there and everywhere … and “good on him” was the general reaction, even from many decidedly non-supporters. A great bit of brand management.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - LOCAL TV STATIONS LAUNCH INTEGRATED BARRAGE
It’s war between the cable companies and the TV operations – and local stations in particular – who produce so much of the content they carry. We’ve been hearing about this issue for a while, with some ads previously in play and a fair amount of media coverage around recent CRTC hearings on the “fee for carriage” issue, as it’s known. At issue is a call for compensation by TV outlets for the local news and other programming they generate, which is in turn made available by the cable companies as part of their offerings. The TV folks say with the collapse in ad revenues with which they’ve been hit, the free programming ride has to end for the cable operators, pointing to the recent demise of a Brandon, Manitoba TV station and noting that 20-30 other local outlets across the country are also on shaky financial ground. To amp up their message, the TV operators held a mass news conference Thursday at CTV’s Queen Street HQ, supplementing their argument with the release of new commercials plus the capper – a music video by Dave Carroll. He’s the Nova Scotia singer-songwriter who recently rocketed to viral fame after his internet video “United Breaks Guitars” became an online sensation. Getting media coverage for an issue which directly impacts media is obviously not among the greatest of challenges, but by supplementing the issue talk with the integrated paid ads AND the buzz-worthy music video (already making the social media rounds), it’s a Touchdown.
VERITAS: FUMBLE -LEAFS COACH BATTLES MEDIA
Damien Cox’s Toronto Star blog The Spin on Sports (http://thestar.blogs.com/thespin/) is really a must read for the true sports fan. And it demonstrates the major shifts which have taken place – and continue to occur – in the media landscape. He doesn’t just write, but posts video entries. He had a telling item this week about Toronto Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson, who in his second season behind the Leafs bench he described as “increasingly resentful of the fact fans and media alike have many questions about his hockey club and aren’t afraid to vocalize them. He doesn’t like positive coverage of his team or negative coverage.” Cox cited positive stories about new Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavvson, which Wilson “ridiculed,” as well as negative stories about goalie Vesa Toskala, which Wilson called “grossly unfair.” Cox went on to argue that Wilson basically wants the media to publish his words verbatim with no added commentary. He went on to urge the coach to read former New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre’s book (and it is a great read, by the way) which demonstrates how to handle intense media scrutiny and still win championships. “It’s hard to feel good about yourself when you’re always being questioned,” Cox quoted Wilson as complaining to media. The lesson? Don’t go to war with people who buy ink (or write blogs) by the barrel. Media will have the last word. Yes, they can criticize you. That’s their job. You are the public figure. It doesn’t mean you can, in turn, criticize the job the media is doing. You can, of course, but it will turn out very badly. Better to be honest, try to help them do their jobs and meet their deadlines, and work to mend media relationships that might be damaged. It’s the only way to move forward.
VERITAS: FUMBLE - JOSEPH USES HEATED LANGUAGE
Former CFL outstanding player Kerry Joseph, the Toronto Argonaut quarterback, probably has a right to be frustrated about how his season has unfolded. After being traded to Toronto from Saskatchewan last season, Joseph has lost his starting job to Cody Pickett, who in turn has struggled and was replaced by Joseph in the second half of a loss to Montreal. Add in the fact that the Argos have the worst record in the CFL and you have a recipe for just the kind of quote Joseph provided media when he described his Argo season as a “fiasco.” The problem is that using such loaded words or phrases takes the temperature up several notches, often higher than you as a communicator intended. Joseph was being asked about the fact that he hasn’t been informed by the Argos coach whether he’d get a chance to start the team’s next game. The result? An attention-grabbing headline in the Toronto Star that said: “Time with Argonauts ‘a fiasco,’ says Joseph.” It’s a sweeping statement. It tends to preclude any kind of positive resolution to the situation, never mind how his coach (undecided about giving Joseph another chance at the starting job) might react. The only time it makes sense to use such loaded language is when you plan to do it deliberately, you have war-gamed out the results in advance, and discussed it with your team in advance. To do it on the spur of the moment, out of frustration, is almost always a Fumble.
VERITAS: TOUCHDOWN - JAYS GM WON'T SPECULATE
If you want to see a great example of how to stay in the “here and now” and address only the facts as you know them in the present tense, Google news coverage of Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, who was appointed last weekend to lead the team. In particular, veteran sportswriter Robert MacLeod reported in the Globe and Mail on Wednesday a story that attempted to probe the newly-minted GM on some of the changes he might make to the Blue Jays staff. Anthopoulos didn’t take the bait on any actual speculation, demonstrating an important skill in dealing with the media. “We’re doing our jobs looking from top to bottom, talking to people, seeing how we might improve,” he said. Importantly, he indicated that he’d need time to conduct his review and might be in a position to make some of his plans clearer by the end of this year’s World Series. It’s a great lesson for all communicators. All Anthopoulos can say with certainty is what he knows today – the process he has started right now. He was smart not to prejudge the outcome, or make comments that implied his mind was already made up. And yet he gave the media an indication that answers would be forthcoming, even offering up a rough timeline. It’s all about staying in the “here and now” and only speaking to facts as you know them at the moment you are being interviewed. Anthopoulous did a great job in a press conference and several one-on-one interviews. He’s off to a strong start.