Justin Timberlake Gives Back

While in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee last week, pop singer-turned indie movie actor Justin Timberlake, donated $100,000 each to the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Foundation. Aside from this wonderfully charitable act of kindness, this example shows just how every good deed in a celebrity's life goes well publicized. Many journalists and photographers were at the Rock 'n' Soul Museum in Memphis on Thursday, March 20th, to see Justin and his Mother present the checks to the Executive Director and Board Chairman of the Museum and the President of the Memphis Music Foundation, all pictured above. Timberlake said in a very well publicized statement, "Music education and keeping the legacy of Memphis Music alive has always been important to me. That is why I will always continue to support my hometown the same way they have always supported me."

This good deed by Timberlake puts him in the public eye for something very positive as well as promoting his new independent film, The Open Road, all at the same time. The timing of this event could not be anymore perfect for team Timberlake PR, the coverage has gained the film an exciting anticipatory buzz during production.

Pilots (and airline) Packing Heat

US Airways is in the middle of a huge PR crisis because of an incident involving a pilot with a gun on board Flight 1536 this last Saturday. The pilot had the concealed handgun in the cockpit as part of a new program that trains pilots to carry handguns on board flights. The Federal Flight Deck Officer Program (FFDO) has been implemented by the Transportation Security Administration. A TSA spokesperson made a statement on Sunday assuring the safety of the aircraft and its passengers. The TSA is not questioning the pilot's ability to carry the gun because he was last re qualified for FFDO program in November.  

This story has been printed in nearly all major news publications including this link from CNN. Unfortunately for US Airways, this means that many of their publics heard about the incident via the media. Passengers, potential customers, US Airways employees, and many other publics were more than likely unaware of the FFDO program before this incident. This is potentially dangerous information to those passengers/customers that are sensitive to matters concerning concealed hand guns. Those who are anti-gun may choose not to fly the airline in the future. Also, many pro-gun fliers may feel more safe carrying on their own concealed handguns as part of their constitutional right. If they are trained by an equally safety conscious program as the FFDO, shouldn't they have just as much of a right to "protect" themselves? This slippery slope argument can go on forever. The point is: there are many reasons US Airways could potentially lose customers because of this incident. 

There is no explanation or apology on the US Airways News/Press Release site. The only statement regarding the incident was the one from the spokesperson of the TSA. It was only given when the news station WCNC contacted them the day following the incident. It would be wise for PR purposes to release a statement explaining the program in more detail to the many publics involved. All other airlines who are implementing this plan should consider preparing a statement in the event of a similar situation. Doing so would ensure a smooth landing in a PR crisis. 

Be Kind to Your Behind

Recently the widely-known brand Cottonelle launched a new national campaign. The slogan for the campaign is "Be Kind to Your Behind." The theme behind it is to create awareness and discussion about "cottonelle" becoming a luxury choice. The launch was yesterday, March 20, in New York where there was a bus designed to imitate the brand mascot (a labrador retriever). The bus included comfort and product stations. The launch was led by actress, Judy Greer, a lab puppy and fitness expert Ary Nunez, who demonstrated exercises and relaxation techniques, along with a team of massage therapists. The goal over the next year is to target regional experts for Philidelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. In addition to this media relations effort, Cottonelle also launched a sweepstakes on their homepage website, www.cottonelle.com/sweepstakes.aspx, where site visitors who pledge to be "kind to their behinds" can have the chance to win a vacation. "This campaign is about challenging consumers to think in a new way," said Mark Worden, Cottonelle brand manager, whose target demographic is generally women 25 and older. "We want to talk about an area that's been overlooked for too long."

There are advertisements as well that you may recognize that are put on by this campaign as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxr6TWAl1Bw

The PR effort is announcing a new campaign. They do this through the launch of the bus/mobile campaign and website sweepstakes. To declare whether or not the campaign/pr effort was effective is something that only time will tell. The campaign was just launched yesterday. I find this to be a very odd and unimportant campaign, personally, but results will soon be observable. I don't believe that through the given information that the effort will be effective because a bus can only be at one place at one time, so the target audience and reach is very very limited. To better implement their strategy of the bus, I think they could make several of them and launch them in several cities as opposed to just New York. As far as the website is concerned, how are people supposed to know to go there? Therefore, I do not think the PR for the launch of the campaign is going to be effective.

Association leads to Assimilation?

According to recent reports, association may lead to assimilation. Academy Award winner Will Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith are in the news once again, this time, the focus is on religion. In the caption above, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are seen sitting by actor Tom Cruise and wife, Katie Holmes Feb.21.
Will Smith denies the allegations of being a scientologist, stating, ""You don't have to be Jewish to be a friend of Steven Spielberg. You don't have to be a Muslim to be a friend of Muhammad Ali. And you don't have to be a Scientologist to be a friend of Tom Cruise.”
According to Smith, as quoted in the New York Daily News, he leads a Christian household where he himself “is a student of all religions.” Radar Magazine reported that these well-known actors are an essential part of the church’s attempts to target the African-American audience in efforts to gain more diverse members.
The updates we hear about celebrities are not from sales people or advertisements. In many cases, it begins with a journalist’s observation. The journalist who relayed this information is considered a knowledgeable source to the public. Therefore, he/she is trusted by many. News travels fast through outlets such as the press, television and radio.
This is a prime example of how media relations work. However, the main source of news is still word of mouth. As we can see, one person’s opinion about a celebrity can affect a large audience. In this case, because Will Smith has been seen with Tom Cruise at a celebrity function, it is automatically assumed by the press that he is indeed a “new convert.” For Will Smith’s public relation’s team, this may not be considered positive media coverage. Despite this fact, it is what it is: Celebrity News.

MARCH MADNESS

For all you basketball fans; this is your month to show your real spirit towards your teams. This month is March Madness. "IHSA's March Madness is the premier high school sporting event in the nation." (www.marchmadness.com) March Madness was born in the great state of Illinois. The yearly tournament of high school boys basketball teams, sponsored by the Illinois High School Association, grew from a small invitational affair in 1908 to a statewide institution with over 900 schools competing by the late 1930's.The IHSA tournaments continued to grow and develop. In 1963, the tournament moved to the huge new Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois and fans witnessed the most famous finish in history, when Chicago Carver beat Centralia on a last-second shot by a substitute named Anthony Smedley.

Today's March Madness is different from the way it used to be portrayed. Nowadays an "Elite Eight" of teams advances to the state finals, but there are four tournaments — a Class A (small school) and Class AA (large school) version for both boys and s, played in Peoria and Normal. "The Happening," a thrilling contest featuring the state's best three-point shooters and dunkers, is now a part of these tournaments as well. And starting in 1996, the "March Madness Experience," an exhibition hall full of fun, games, and good times, has allowed fans of Illinois high school basketball to join in the exciting action.

It is a great opportunity to join this crazy pool, because these fees of "March Madness" and "America's Original March Madness" are used to fund college scholarships for Illinois high school boys and s. What is meant by "joining the pool" is that if you really think you know the sport of basketball and know the teams that can play it you are allowed to register and vote for the team you think has the most potential at the end. According to the Dallas Morning News, "March Madness phenomenon sweeps the world of NCAA Basketball, people from all around the world are signing up for a chance to win a BIG Prize".So what are you waiting for? Sign up, and help yourself while helping others in the great state of Illinois this month by tagging up with March Madness!!!

Radiohead

The band Radiohead is at it again attempting to revamp the music industry. They were in the spotlight earlier this year for making their latest album, In Rainbows, up for digital download, allowing fans to set the price for their album. This really did change the way people thought about albums and buying music. Although not many other artists have followed suit, they have set the stage for change in the industry.

Now Radiohead, is taking it a step further by allowing fans to create their newest video, from any track on In Rainbows. Fans then get to vote for the best video who will win $10,000 to produce a full length video. The fans then dictate what the next video is; giving the fans control over the cost of the album and videos as well.

So is Radiohead trying to change the industry or are they just letting their fans make their next video to keep them in the news? I think its a mixture of the two. They are trying to give the fans what they want: control over the price of music and control over the next video. However, I don't think they were blind to the fact that these radically different appraoches of selling albums would generate so much publicity. In the end they are trying to get their music out and promote an album. Smart move Radiohead!

Hilary Clinton on SNL

Hilary Clinton appeared on Saturday Night Live this past weekend in efforts to get more public attention.  She has recently been down in the polls and has felt the need to boost her like appeal.  Because of a recent debate that turned sour she felt blamed some of the scrutiny on an unfair press conference.  She urged supporters to watch the recent stint on SNL in order to show the public that she has a lighter side.  "People are starting to say, 'Hey, you know, we've hot two candidates.  We've been a little more focused on one than the other in terms of asking hard questions.  Let's start looking at both of them.  the voters of this country deserve to have a real elections."' Hilary said.  She is trying to find new places to take her campaign appeal as she also appeared on Comedy Central last week.