Corporate Eye

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Bridget Wright

Bridget Wright

Viacom – The Mrs. Kravitz of the Internet

Remember Mrs. Kravitz, the nosey neighbor from the 60s television show, Betwitched? If there was anything going on in the Stevens’ household, you can bet Mrs. Kravitz knew about it!

Privacy issues on the Internet have long been a debatable topic for quite a while. Users take great offense to being “Big Brothered” and having their viewing and purchasing habits scrutinized under watchful, bullying eyes.

In a consumer-angering move, Viacom sued Google-owned YouTube to the sum of $1 billion dollars for the right to access their customer’s information regarding their viewing habits and IP addresses. Needless to say, this move got quite a few people upset enough that some are taking action. What’s even scarier is that Viacom feels that they have a right to this information, without having even gotten permission from the users. They want to “see” what the viewers are viewing and from what ISP address they are viewing it from. Consumer’s privacy issues will possibly be compromised and every move we make will be noted by the great Viacom.

Mrs. Kravitz is watching. 

So, how does Viacom feel about being called names like bully, or watchdogs or worse, meanies? In their defense, they noted on their website the details of what they will be extrapolating from the information derived from the YouTube files:

A recent discovery order by the Federal Court hearing the case of Viacom v. YouTube has triggered concern about what information will be disclosed by Google and YouTube and how it will be used. Viacom has not asked for and will not be obtaining any personally identifiable information of any YouTube user. The personally identifiable information that YouTube collects from its users will be stripped from the data before it is transferred to Viacom. Viacom will use the data exclusively for the purpose of proving our case against You Tube and Google.

Viacom has been in discussions with Google to develop a framework to share this data. We are committed to a process that will not only comply with the Court’s confidentiality order, but that will also meet our commitment to the strongest possible internet privacy protections.

It is unfortunate that we have been compelled to go to court to protect Viacom’s rights and the rights of the artists who work with and depend on us. YouTube and Google have put us in this position by continuing to defend their illegal and irresponsible conduct and by profiting from copyright infringement, when they could be implementing the safe and legal user generated content experience they promise.

Viacom states that they will only use the information to prove their case of copyright infringement against YouTube, and for nothing else. It is likely that people are not upset about the idea that they (Viacom) wants to protect their material, but that they are accessing files and then will “dispose” of the private, intrusive information portion. Likely not. Viacom has somehow successfully tainted their name in the communications industry and to the average consumer as being nosey – Mrs. Kravitz’s style.

“By seeking to make carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications, Viacom’s complaint threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression,” Google said in answer to Viacom’s March 13 suit.

This change will drastically affect the way consumers view the entertainment media. They will hesitate before they download or participate in surveys. They will think twice before they upload materials onto certain web portals. Finally, they will always wonder if someone, somewhere is watching their every move, noting their most intimate written thought or images or looking out at you through their stadium-sized computer monitors.

Yes, someone will be watching. And you’ll only wish that it were Mrs. Kravitz.
 

 

Kissing and Ketchup Don’t Mix

Heinz’s Controversial Ad (video)

At least, that’s what the American Family Association had to say about a Heinz ad that was featured in the UK. It seems that the ad featured a homosexual family with a homosexual couple sharing a kiss as the male part of the union left for work. The AFA Christian group lodged several complaints that had the computer systems bogged down for hours at the Heinz headquarters. They were greatly offended and asked for not only the immediate removal of the ad but also for an apology to customers. Was this a good idea gone bad?

It seems that perhaps Heinz smeared it’s good name with the folks at the American Family Association, but quickly offered an apology with promises to never run the ad again. It’s almost like a little kid who got caught raiding the cookie jar – that unbelievably wide-eyed look as if they didn’t notice that anyone was looking. Is the apology too little too late, or was this a strategic effort to increase their sales? The ad featured a new product line that Heinz is introducing, so perhaps they wanted as much exposure for this new product as they could get. Although the ad has not run in any US outlets, the Christian group’s ties and interests ran deep enough that the UK media for Heinz took note. What were they thinking?

The media has ties to several varied special interest groups who want to get their message out and sensitize certain niche audiences. They use several media outlets to achieve this, including television, radio and print materials. They approach their message from certain angles and usually settle on one that will create buzz and get them lots of attention. While everyone doesn’t always agree or think the same on certain issues, the media has a financial need to cater to what their customers want and what the majority of their customers are seeking. This doesn’t always fare too well with the general population, as is the case in this news story, but being aligned with proper or “right” thinking isn’t always what the media seeks to do. Since right thinking is definitely relative thinking, it would stand to reason that they felt “right” in their choice to make and run this ad in its context.

Heinz will definitely garner attention from this use of advertising. How can they not? Whether they get new customers, lose faithful ones or just get a chuckle from it, they have definitely received attention. If nothing else, folks will want to try this new product just to see if it was really good enough for Heinz to put themselves on the firing line like they did. And, if it was worth it, perhaps other companies will take note and start producing “edgy” ads in an effort to reach customers. All in all, this was definitely a strategic move made by a company who carries a household name with their product alignment. Time will tell whether or not it was worth it.

Ketchup anyone?
 

Watch What You Say: Words Mean Things

The saying. “words mean things” goes beyond the general idea of the simple dictionary meaning of words. Words carry weight, intent, meaning and attitude. The “way” words are spoken are just as important as the words that are chosen. When choosing what words to use, in what context and to what audiences, media outlets should be careful in selecting words that can enlighten, entertain or even harm their readers.

The media has a huge responsibility when reporting the news, although they may often think that they do not. The public and private sectors rely somewhat heavily on what the media has to report, how they report it, what new evidence that they have found regarding products or even what the latest corporate hush-hush gossip is all about. The bottom line is although people are responsible for what they choose to believe, the media is responsible for reporting accurate and genuine facts. [Read more…] about Watch What You Say: Words Mean Things

Focusing on Standing Out

Corporations that cater to the every day consumer are always looking for business-smart ways to stand out and become more noticeable. They may choose to do this by offering a product or service that is so amazing that it creates a consumer buzz. Or, maybe they choose to stand out by offering massive savings on their product or service just to get new customers and keep the old ones. Whichever route they choose, the end goal is to make their name a possible household name for consumers. They want to be sure to stand out.

Think about this: Have you ever asked for a “Coke” in a restaurant instead of asking for a soft drink? Or maybe your kids have asked for “Corn Flakes” before when they really want a bowl of cereal. Name recognition like this is what most companies dream of having happen with their merchandise. They want to have you come to their product when you think of the name. They want to stand out.

In this age of Internet-savvy consumers, there is still competition for customer dollars when it comes to Internet search engines, keywords and rankings. Everyone wants to get to the stop, stay at the top and have consumers refer to them over and over again when it comes to their product or service. Creating a consumer buzz about a company’s merchandise takes careful planning, strategic marketing and perhaps even an outstanding product, although not always. However, in some instances, the product alone is not necessarily what attracts the consumer. Rather, in some cases it is the choices that are offered to consumers that keep them coming back for more. Wondering what and how? When consumers are presented with choices on how they can spend their consumer dollars, they feel more in control, more open. They like deciding which way to spend their dollars on broader choices rather than being given a couple of choices and then told which way to spend.

The buzz that companies want to create with consumers is getting them to talk about their experiences and to share those experiences with someone else. Most companies have achieved that goal when it comes to certain aspects of their company. Take for instance the movie rental company, Netflix. Netflix offers their customers multiple choices on a myriad of available movies to choose from for their viewing preferences. Netflix boasts a library of over 100,000 movies in stock. All genres are available for most every consumer’s taste and style choices. It is conceivable that almost every type of customer can be satisfied with the movies made available through Netflix. Compare this freedom of choice to the traditional brick-and-mortar companies like Lou’s Movie Rental or the Movie Gallery and you will notice a marked difference. You will see that these chain movie houses offer incredibly limited choices that can send customers leaving the store shaking their head in disappointment, or worst, settling for any available movie on the shelf. The business model that Netflix has and the way that they market to the public is what has made them so instantly famous and almost a household name. Also, don’t forget the added convenience that Netflix offers by bringing your selected movies right to your front door. That also makes it very hard to compete with them in customer satisfaction.

Customers that seek specific products want to be able to find what they need without feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. Limited choices can do this and can help businesses to lose customers. Companies like Netflix and those that cater to the every day consumer are diligent in their efforts to offer choices, and varied choices, to the consumer and keep their dollars coming back. Instead of the customer settling, they have control over their decision. Netflix and those that follow that type of business model are strong in consumer relations and can look forward to profitable relationships. When large corporations make their services readily available to the average consumer, they are establishing a solid customer base that spawns loyalty, faithfulness and the coveted word-of-mouth advertising that so many companies simply dream about.

News Evolution

Opinions and News Converging Into One Source

The Internet has opened a myriad of sources where news can be delivered. People access their in-boxes daily to find out what the latest business news is, what the economy is doing, which way the real estate market and gas prices are leaning and even what the latest Britney Spears gossip is! The search for the news is unquenchable and consumers are finding more and more creative ways to satisfy their editorial thirst.

There are so many ways that one can absorb the news that there is not necessarily a “right” way or a “wrong” way to get current events. With so many venues available for sharing, it is not uncommon to receive news via Internet, radio, print and even in public forums.

News and Expectations

Fine journalism warrants that the reader will be enlightened and possibly even take action after having absorbed, digested and pondered on the food for thought by the writer. Effective news sharing dictates that information is shared that is not readily available or even easily attainable and which will be informative to the reader. Quality is of the utmost importance since many rely heavily on the printed word to get their fix of news happenings. Facts outweigh opinions, but opinions give the reader entertainment. But where does that fine line end between opinion…and entertainment?

The media has a large responsibility to play in how news is received and perceived by the masses. Even in light of our current political climate, news is slanted for or against the candidate of choice in hopes that this will sway the reader and give the candidate an advantage. This method actually does work on some, however, those who are skilled in the techniques of the news media know that it can be a deceptive technique and should be looked at very closely

Accurate Assessments

In order to fairly judge news sources and scrutinize media publicity, all one has to do is to analyze the source from which their news is derived. This would give a person a complete understanding of what the underlying motive is (if any) and whether or not the source can be trusted. Does that mean we should more readily trust a source from the New York Times than we should from a local, low-circulated news press? Absolutely not.

Analyzing media sources for accuracy and journalistic ethics requires us to simply look at the history of the source, the quotes or information that it offers and compare it against what others sources are saying. For instance, if several media outlets cite the same source for the same information, it is usually an outlet that can be trusted as well as its source. Likewise, a news outlet who claims that they have the “spoof” story is almost always one that has incorrect facts, questionable information and stories that cannot be confirmed. Although there are journalists who can get the first-hand story account, they have been in the business for a while and have developed relationships and a reputation in the industry for having the edge on their journalistic approaches.

The media is responsible for shaping much of what consumers view as news and what they form their individual opinions on. This is a power that no one can deny that they do have nor can they really rival it when it comes to delivering news that is accurate and emotional. The media desires to sway the opinions of the reader and will do almost anything to have the story go in the direction that benefits them the most. Aside from unethical practices, media outlets can make the news say just about anything they want it to. Shading and coloring the facts are considered harmless if the outcome is positive to all involved. But, just because no one is hurt, does that make their responsibility less effective? Or, does that mean it’s just good journalism?

Strategic Advertising in Media Relations

Media relation companies help bring exposure to organizations that have a message and a mission to share with their target audience. They do this by utilizing several approaches to contact advertising by gauging what works best and in what setting(s).

Recently, KCSA, a strategic communications organization, partnered with Tru-Media Technologies to deliver a public relations package that will bring them the exposure that they are seeking for their product – increased sales by the use of Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising. Their joint venture was announced on June 9, 2008 via a Press Release by The Earth Times.

TruMedia Technologies is a provider of digitally automated audience measurement solutions that record the effects of and tracks audience’s responses to out-of-home advertising on digital screens, TV monitors, posters, display windows and in-store product displays.

Their goal is to gauge customers’ response to strategically placed ads and utilize the medium which works best.

Media companies seek to promote organizations through the use of strategic advertising. Whatever proves to be most useful, most successful and can reach the largest and widest audience possible is what they seek. The goal in bringing the most potential customers to a product is met by subtle and strategic ad placement.

There are four types of advertising that are highly effective in customer attraction. They include Print, Radio, Internet and Out-of-Home (OOH) Advertising. Out of these four, while the first three are most popular, the Out-of-Home advertising is the medium that Tru-Media will be utilizing heavily. KCSA will help bring out that fact.

Tru-Media’s goal is to reach a niche-based audience, one that buys emotionally and directly from the effects of their marketing strategy on their decision to buy.

They will gauge the audience’s response to their advertising campaigns and use those results to market to their potential advertisers. If this is done effectively and correctly, the relationship that TruMedia establishes with their advertisers could be a romantic business interlude, lasting for long periods of time. However, for that relationship to be successful, they need the assistance of Public Relations firms like KSCA to bring their service to the forefront.

KCSA will deliver a strategically designed campaign to introduce specific brands, advertising and the advertising activities to TruMedia’s complete range of products and services. TruMedia has hired KCSA with the complete intention of maximizing their voice(s) in the market place. Essentially, the more well-known or commonly-heard their method of advertising is, the more potential customers will want to become a part of their activities. TruMedia has definitely made a crafty move in employing a public relations firm with clout like that of KSCA.