Kevin Gaydosh, APR

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Sorry, this column is not about the final novel in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series. It’s about the speed of communication, its impact and what that means for us as Public Relations professionals.  And rather than a fictional novel written in 2004, this column refers to actual non-fictional events that were written this month. 

But first, some back-story set up.  Some of you know that I served as Hampton Roads PRSA chapter president once before, in 1994—18 years ago.  During that time (this is where I begin to sound like my father) we didn't have The Internet.  We didn't have email.  Hardly anyone had cell phones, not a personal one anyway.  None of the personal communication equipment we had could be considered “smart.”  We had “beepers” that went off and flashed a message much shorter than 140 characters.  Then we ran to a pay phone (what’s that?) to return the call.  How quaint! 

I share this not for pity’s sake or fishing for a compliment, but to provide some perspective.

Flash-forward to today, February 2012.  A respected benevolent organization – so influential it convinced 32 pro football teams to wear pink for a month – announces a new policy.  The news generates an immediate (and intense) but divergent public reaction.  Millions of dollars flow this way and that.  Thousands of messages crisscross the Internet via social media and personal telecom spectrums, not to mention throughout the new and legacy media channels.  Eventually there is a policy reversal, followed by more money, messages and media traffic. Then the reputation reconstruction of a chastened mega brand begins.  Total time-frame: 4 days.   

This column is not about politics and doesn’t stray into a national debate.  I won’t try to examine the strategy or tactics of either side or to Monday morning quarterback the actions of either group.  (Although wouldn’t that be a fascinating subject for a future case study?) Actually, the inspiration for this column could just as easily have been a revered football coach at a major university or the fall of a government in the Middle East.

My message is simply to marvel at the SPEED at which communication flows today compared to 18 years ago.  More tsunami than glacier, yet the communication waves of today move the same sizable boulders of human events.

1. Recognize a teachable moment for your managers, leaders or CEOs: not even in their heyday did the Big 3 Networks carry the impact of today’s diffused news sources.  What once took weeks, months and sometimes years to affect change now happens in days and hours. 
2. No brand is above the physics of the irresistible force of influence that is today’s social media.
3. And finally, take a moment for yourself and measure these events against your personal career arch.  Pause and reflect about our industry and the role professional communicators play in today’s incredibly small, wired world.   

By the way, 18 years ago, you would have received this newsletter in printed form through the postal mail.  But to really impress you, we could have faxed it to you.

Read an excellent Washington Post article on this subject by Lena H. Sun and Sarah Kliff, originally published Feb. 4, 2012.  Warning: it contains “rebuild trust” and “PR fiasco” in the headline.) http://tinyurl.com/6onjcj5.

Balancing Act: Managing the Many Roles Required of Today's PR Professionals

Michael Allen, Director of Public Affairs, Virginia Automobile Dealers Association

Join us as Michael Allen shares his techniques and approaches to what many PR professionals face every day: juggling those (sometimes conflicting) responsibilities and priorities. If you work for a non-profit, municipal government, or other entity that must serve several audiences (internal, external) this is a luncheon you won't want to miss.

Michael Allen is the Director of Public Affairs for the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA) which represents Virginia’s franchised new-car and new-truck dealers, with more than 560 dealerships holding domestic and import franchises.   He is responsible for VADA’s public relations and communications, including marketing.   In addition to representing Virginia dealers in their interaction with automobile manufacturers, VADA represents dealers before the Virginia General Assembly, works with regulatory agencies, manages an educational partnership with the Virginia Department of Education, oversees an Educational Foundation, and operates training and service programs to improve dealership business operations, sales, and service practices. 

A native of Virginia, Allen earned a B.S. in Finance from Virginia Tech and is a former United States Marine Corps Combat Correspondent and Public Affairs practitioner.  Among his numerous other certifications and continuing education achievements, Allen is a member of the Public Relations Society of America—Richmond Chapter, and the American Society of Association executives.  

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Town Center City Club
222 Central Park Ave. #230
Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Member & Military Rates
$35.00 Networking, lunch and program
$30.00 Early bird rate before February 24

Guest Rates
$45.00 Networking, Lunch and Program
$40.00 Early bird rate before February 24

Register Today! 

Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA)
Formed in 1943, dealer members of VADA sell nearly one million vehicles annually, including more than 480,000 new vehicles and over 500,000 used vehicles, accounting for more than 20% of the Commonwealth’s retail sales.   VADA’s annual revenues exceed $16 Million.

New Member Spotlight

Erin Zabel
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia

Congratulations to Our Chapter Members!

xTuple, the leading provider of commercial open source business management software for growing companies, hired Missy Schmidt as director of marketing, effective February 1, 2012. Missy serves on the board of directors of the Hampton Roads chapter of PRSA and was previously vice president of strategic communication and marketing for the Hampton Roads Partnership.

Headquartered in the “innovation corridor” of downtown Norfolk, Va., xTuple integrates all critical functional areas in one system: sales, accounting, and operations– including customer and supplier management, inventory control, manufacturing and distribution. As a commercial open source company, xTuple works with a global community of over 25,000 professional users. xTuple gives customers the ability to tailor solutions to meet their needs with multi-platform support for Mac, Windows and Linux. For more information, please visit the company web site at www.xtuple.com or the community web site at www.xtuple.org.

Email me Missy@xTuple.com  
Friend me Facebook.com/Missy.Schmidt
Follow me Twitter.com/Missy_Schmidt
Connect me Linkedin.com/in/MissySchmidt
Follow us @xTuple || Global leader in open source business management software #ERP #CRM #accounting

David Brandt has accepted the position of Director of Communications with ECPI University. David's responsibilities include issue management, internal communications, media/community relations for all ECPI campuses in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, as well as video production, management of the University's speakers' bureau and serving as the editor of the quarterly newsletter.

Contact David at dbrandt@ecpi.edu.  

Each year, the Pinnacle Awards recognize the best public relations practices and tactics in the Hampton Roads region.  For 2012, the submission deadline will be in early March – exact dates to follow – with the Pinnacle Award ceremony held in May.  Be on the lookout for the official Call for Entries invitation arriving soon; in the meantime, it’s not too early to being planning which PR project you’d like to submit.

In addition, two individuals will be recognized for their professional achievements: Public Relations Professional of the Year and Rising Star.  Recipients of these two individual awards will also be honored at the Pinnacle Awards event.

The Professional of the Year Award honors a current member of the Hampton Roads, Virginia Chapter of PRSA who has worked in the public relations field for five years or more and who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and chapter contributions

The Rising Star Award honors a current member of the Hampton Roads Chapter of PRSA who has worked in the public relations field for less than five years and who has demonstrated a commitment to the field of public relations and an aptitude for leadership through his or her involvement in, and contributions to, the chapter.

There are two main categories for the Pinnacle competition: 1) Public Relations Tactics and 2) Public Relations Programs. Entries are divided by budget - $3,500 and above and $3,499 and below.  Programs or projects must have been produced or conducted at least in part during 2011.

CATEGORIES:

1. 1.      Newsletters
2. 2.      Brochures, Pamphlets, booklets or other small publications
3. 3.      Annual Reports
4. 4.      Interactive/Audiovisual Communications
5. 5.      Social Media
6. 6.      Creative Tactics
7. 7.      Press Kits/Media Kits

An independent panel of public relations professionals from a reciprocal PRSA chapter will judge entries based on factual material and documentation. Entries will be judged individually against the stated criteria, not against other entries in the competition.

The Pinnacle Awards are open to both PRSA members and non-members.  Respond to the Call for Entries invitation or check the chapter website for more details, category descriptions, specific deadlines and entry fee information.

PRSA Richmond is pleased to host the 65^thAnnual Virginia Public Relations Awards – recognizing the most creative and effective communications programs, tactics and professionals from 2011. Lauded as one of the top public relations honors in Virginia, this year’s awards program and dinner will be held Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at The Jefferson Hotel.

PRSA Richmond members will receive a Call for Entries award entry packet in the mail. Anyone may also download the Call for Entries packet at prsarichmond.org.

To request additional hard copies, contact Catherine Gryp at cgryp@CRT-tanaka.com.

Here are some more details about the Virginia Public Relations Awards:

Important Dates
Final Deadline for Award Entries: Friday, February 24, 2012 by 5 p.m.
Virginia Public Relations Awards Dinner: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia 

Commonwealth and Capital Awards
This year, the 2012 Virginia Public Relations Awards will again recognize public relations programs and tactics with proven success in research, planning, execution and evaluation with the Commonwealth Awards and the Capital Awards. One Commonwealth Award winner and one Capital Award winner will be recognized as “Best in Show” honorees. 

Thomas Jefferson and Rising Star Awards
PRSA will honor two public relations professionals – one seasoned professional with the esteemed Thomas Jefferson Award and one outstanding newcomer to the profession with the Rising Star Award.

Are you aware of an individual deserving of one of these prestigious awards? Please nominate them (or self-nominate) by February 24. There is no nomination fee for the Thomas Jefferson and Rising Star Awards. 

Volunteers
The awards committee seeks volunteers to help plan and staff the Virginia Public Relations Awards ceremony. PRSA members looking for a way to get involved should contact Beth Monroe at bethm@lewisginter.org.

“Diversity is not about how we differ. Diversity is about embracing one another's uniqueness.”  --Ola Joseph

What’s your definition of diversity?  Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.” 

I’m Deidre Harmon, PRSAHR’s Diversity Chair for 2012 and I want to get your input to make this the best year for diversity in the chapter’s history!  Would you like to join me in organizing joint programs or events with other area organizations, sharing insightful articles or inspiring stories, or anything else that belongs in the discussion?  Well, if you’d like to be a part of the Diversity Committee, or if you just have ideas or suggestions, please contact me at deidre.harmon@norfolk.gov or call 664-6730. 

By the way, since February is celebrated as Black History Month, how about checking out your Black History knowledge by taking a fun quiz – http://www.blackhistorypeoplequiz.com/.

Do you ever feel handcuffed to your blinking blackberry light? With the invention of smart phones we have become 24-hour email monsters virtually attached to our inboxes. But is the constant emailing hindering our productivity?

David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, 2011 PRSA-HR Conference Keynote Speaker, provides his insight to breaking free from email prison in his new e-book "The Definitive Guide to Taming the Email Monster." 

The e-book is a short, but insightful read, and definitely worth sharing with your management team.

David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, is both a student and teacher of effective communication. He is one of America's foremost authorities on communication inside organizations.

David is Founder and CEO of The Grossman Group (www.yourthoughtpartner.com), an award-winning Chicago-based communications consultancy focusing on organizational consulting, strategic leadership development and internal communications. The Grossman Group's client roster includes Fortune 500 clients such as Accor, Boeing, Cisco Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, Heinz, Intel, LifeScan, Lilly, Lockheed Martin, McDonald's, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation and Virgin Atlantic.