On December 5th, in the Review section of The Globe and Mail, TV critic John Doyle wrote the following:
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm, the weirdest, nastiest comedy of all time, is coming to Showcase in February.
‘Showcase recently sent me a preview tape, accompanied by a pair of slippers, a bag of Sour Grapes candies and a coffee mug. That’s cute but stupid, and a total waste of money by Alliance Atlantis. Without the slippers and candy, I’d still have told you about it. I get mail from readers who are confused by scheduling changes on Alliance Atlantis channels and they ask me to help. Maybe the company could spend more on responding to viewers and less on ridiculous gifts.’
This is not the first time Doyle has railed against such freebies, and it won’t be the last. I spoke with Doyle just before he wrote the above.
‘I think it’s outrageous that money is being spent on this dumb stuff by the broadcasters, and I also think it’s outrageous that a lot of journalists take it,’ Doyle says. ‘They see it as one of the perks of the job – to get shirts and hats and toys. As far as I’m concerned, we’re supposed to be journalists.’
He notes that American television networks are the worst offenders.
‘The dumbest thing I ever got was a $50 bill that came with a show called Gutterball Alley, a fairly fleecy show on the comedy network. On the show they give out $50 to people if they’ll take off their clothes or something, so they sent me $50. I guess they thought it was cute and funny and guaranteed to bring my attention to the show, and to some extent it worked because I did write about it – or did write about getting the $50 – but it was a pain in the ass because I had to go and get a $50 money order and send it to the food bank, as is my policy.’
Toronto Star movie critic Peter Howell has also had some bad PR experiences.
‘In my previous incarnation as a rock critic, I used to receive the weirdest stuff. Top of that list was a box of broken glass that was Fed Exed to me from L.A., to promote a solo album from Pink Floyd’s keyboardist Rick Wright that was titled Broken Glass (I think). When I opened the box, chunks of glass fell all over my lap, and I cut myself picking up all the shards.
‘Another really dumb promotion was when somebody sent me an order of fish and chips to promote a concert by the band Phish. By the time it got to me, it was stone cold and reeking of stale vinegar. I heaved the whole stinking mess straight into the trash.’
But some things work
In hostile territory like this, what’s a PR practitioner to do?
Lisa Bednarski, director of Cohn & Wolfe’s consumer marketing practice in Toronto, takes these kinds of comments with a grain of salt.
‘I often read articles where the media will say they don’t like to get premiums or incentives, but what I find interesting is that I know they get stacks and stacks of media kits every day and that quite often, the more clever the invite or the press release, the more they will respond. It’s a fine line between respecting those wishes, and meeting the needs of a client who wants to get noticed.’
‘The reality of marketing consumer products and services is that there often isn’t a hard news angle so we need to find some fun ways to break through the clutter,’ she hastens to add.
Nancy Croituro, president of Toronto’s GCI Group, agrees.
‘We’re always looking for something that’s going to break through the clutter, but it can’t be clutter, and it has to be relevant.’
She cites the launch of a new Starbucks drink this summer as an example of a useful, attention-getting press package.
‘Journalists are always getting stuff about new products and new drinks. So how do you get their attention? For Starbucks, we wanted to encourage them to try the product so they would be able to write about it or review it. We packed the product and the press release in a miniature mock milk carton. It just looked a little different, and as a result we got great coverage. Would we have gotten the coverage if we hadn’t done that? Maybe. But there’re a lot of new products out there.’
Bednarski cites another recent example that got results. To announce the launch of the new Lady Speed Stick Clean Glide last summer, Cohn & Wolfe invited journalists to an event to prove the central proposal of the product – no more white streaks on clothing. Invitations to the event were printed on what looked like a washing instructions card, attached to a black t-shirt with arrows pointing to various spots saying ‘tired of white residue?’
‘We got numerous calls from media saying that they got our invite, they loved it and thought it was great.’
Bednarski points out a second benefit of good packaging: getting remembered. ‘The real work comes from pitching the journalist on the phone. That’s where the talent comes from, and you still need that. But the premium is often what’s memorable to the writers.’
Mia Wedgebury, senior partner and co-founder of Ottawa’s High Road Communications, advocates a different tactic: sending something useful as well as relevant.
‘Reporters do come in and talk about things that they’ve received that haven’t been all that useful. They’ve given an example where they’ll get one part of something and have to go to the event to get the other part. That’s an annoyance and that’s where it looks like the premium is trying to pull you into the event. Our strategy is to have the news drive it, and tie it in with something that’s useful, and it’s very strategic on that level.’
The most recent example at High Road was for a June announcement about a research study called Lingo Online by MSN.ca. The study, which looked at the use of new words online, had all the makings of an ‘interesting, online culture trend story targeted to a consumer audience.’ The invite to a press conference contained information about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and the emergence of language. Attached was a candy jar full of chocolate letters.
‘I’m sure that reporters get a lot of stuff that they don’t keep, but I think candy is pretty useful. I have a jar now on my desk and people come by all the time to grab a chocolate. We had really good feedback based on it, and what it did was tie in the message to the final story.’
Even Doyle at the Globe professes the usefulness of some swag. To launch a program called Crank Yankers, The Comedy Network sent him a little foam telephone that, when squeezed, makes the phone ring. Doyle uses it to get rid of pesky callers who think he’s got another line to attend to.
You’ve got to be relevant
The bottom line is that if it’s not relevant to the job at hand, journalists just aren’t interested. Especially when they face the hassle of returning the product, or donating it to a local charity. The Star’s Howell recounts his latest dilemna.
‘Just yesterday I had to call a publicist to ask her to please not send me an expensive basket of chocolates/food or bottles of wine.
‘In previous years, she’s sent Geoff [Pevere, also a movie critic with the Star] and me fairly ostentatious ‘gifts,’ which presents us with a problem. If we send them back, we look churlish and petty. If we keep them, we look ‘bought’. In cases such as this, I make a big display of opening the baskets right in the middle of the Entertainment department, and giving away the contents to all the envious Entertainment, Life, Sports and City people around me.
‘But I’d really rather not have this problem. The Star has a very clear ethics policy, which is to not accept anything of value. I figure T-shirts are OK, since most of them disintegrate after two washings anyway, but expensive hooded garments or jackets are not. I send them back to the sender, with a note explaining company policy.’
What would journalists prefer to receive?
‘Believe it or not, a decent press kit,’ says Howell. ‘Too many publicists now are simply referring me to their Web sites, where I can download a 40-page booklet of stuff, about 35 pages more than I need. This means clicking open links, adjusting Acrobat files and then waiting while the printer coughs out a 40-page document. Quite the chore if you have to do this on deadline, when all you really wanted to do was check the names of cast members.
‘The only positive trend lately has been these new DVD-sized promo books that a couple of the studios are sending out. The booklet is pocket-sized, and fits into a regular DVD box, along with a disc of photos that my editor can use. Now that’s what I call smart publicity.’
