Joe Paterno clearly viewed himself as a super-set of the Penn State brand, larger than life and the institution he served, unassailable. In his arrogant, tone-deaf retirement announcement he admonished the University’s Trustees: “At this moment the Board of Trustees should not spend a single minute discussing my status. They have far more important matters to address. I want to make this as easy for them as I possibly can.”

The University, which for decades had encouraged the development of Paterno’s brand as a proxy for the institution’s, finally took action. But it was too little, too late – for those boys, for the administration, for the students and alums, perhaps for Penn State.

Of course Penn State isn’t the only organization to ignore the risk of letting its brand ambassador’s power eclipse its core brand. Many consumer brands have been bitten by endorsements – think of Nike and Tiger Woods, Michael Vick and Nike, Michael Jordan and Coca-Cola, and Britney Spears and Pepsi.

While many of the examples above deal with consumer brands, tech companies are not immune. Many hire community managers or social media experts to mediate interactions between users and the company. Community managers are powerful people. They may serve as brand ambassadors, but they also have an investment in maintaining their personal brands. Check the Twitter feeds of community managers and nine times out of 10 you’ll see the individual’s name, not the company they work for. It’s a risk, and an opportunity lost, for the organization, and a diminution of its brand.

Brands are a huge responsibility. They are the lens through which prospects, customers and employees see an organization. They need to be built carefully and maintained scrupulously. To surrender an organization’s brand to a brand ambassador or other proxy is to be blind to risk, and to surrender responsibility.

Share on Facebook

Technorati Tags: brand ambassadors, community managers, Joe Paterno's retirement announcement, Penn State

Share/Save

Voting with a Smartphone – Did you vote on Election Day? A Mashable writer suggested that many people don’t vote because voting is inconvenient. There’s the time limit, the specific locations as to where you can vote – all these things can often be roadblocks and the reasoning behind people not voting. He suggests the idea that smartphones could change all that. With all the apps available, a secure application could be created allowing people to vote directly from their mobile device. With people now being able to purchase things via their smartphones, why not vote?

Disney’s Deal with YouTube – Disney and YouTube have put together a deal to produce co-branded video content. Disney is trying to attract a bigger audience by teaming up with the video giant. On the other hand, YouTube is trying to better their reputation with parents by teaming up with this family-friendly company. Is this a good move for both players? Will we see more companies trying to partner with YouTube?

Social media: Every Channel Doesn’t Need to be Tapped – An article in PRWeek discusses how when it comes to social media, don’t jump in blindly. Companies need to be strategic as to which forms of social channels they decide to join – and have a plan as to what their ultimate goal is. Having a twitter account that isn’t geared towards your target audience is not going to help your presence. Being on Facebook, but not having any information about your company isn’t going to grow your “like”ers. When it comes to social media, brands need to be smart.

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week we chose the Disney/YouTube deal as the story that comes out on top. This deal makes perfect sense for both parties, bettering the images of both parties. Disney needs to expand their audience and seem “cooler,” whereas YouTube wants to better its sometimes explicit image with parents concerned about what their children are viewing.

Who do you think should have won?

Share on Facebook

Technorati Tags: Disney and YouTube deal, How to use Social Media, Voting via Smartphone

Share/Save

What it takes to be a PR Star – An article in PRWeek talks about how nowadays, PR is much more than junior level staff being used just to write a release, distribute it on the wire, create lists, etc. With social media and other channels brands are on, it’s important that PR firms nurture all the staff to have a more complex and broad understanding of their jobs and what needs to get done.

Microsoft ‘Accidentally’ Gets Rid of Google Chrome – There was a problem with Microsoft’s antivirus software, Microsoft Security Essentials, alerting users that there was a bug on their computer. This ‘bug’ was in fact, not a bug at all – it was Google Chrome. Users were finding that when the bug was reported and removed, Microsoft actually was getting rid of the whole Chrome file. Coincidence?

The Death of Steve Jobs – Chairman and co-founder of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs passed away Wednesday at the young age of 56. While some people had their qualms about his bluntness when it came to employees, their ideas and his vision on how a business should work, there is no doubt that he is one of the biggest visionaries of our time. Some are wondering whether or not Apple can survive without Jobs. If Apple is smart it will keep the founders visions, ethics and policies to continue moving forward.

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week, Steve Jobs won with a unanimous vote. Not only has he impacted all of our lives with the technology he’s produced, but he’s also been the biggest story of the week, if not the month or year to come.

Do you agree?

Share on Facebook

Technorati Tags: Apple, How to be a PR star, Microsoft Deleting Google Chrome, PR, Steve Jobs

Share/Save

Big Y Ditching Tech for Human Interaction – A recent study shows that more and more people are opting not to check-out at the self check-out line at the grocery store and instead go to the cashier. A study from the Food Marketing Institute has found that only 16 percent of shoppers use these self check-out lanes and now Big Y has recently announced they are ‘bagging’ these lanes. With a society so addicted to technology, this surprises me. Will people start calling their friends and family rather than taking more time to text them? Will we see other trends where people prefer human interaction rather than tech?

Neiman Marcus’ Foursquare Campaign – Neiman Marcus is launching a campaign on Foursquare to promote its annual shoe and handbag event – hiding 15 Nancy Gonzalez clutches at 15 of its 41 stores. When a customer checks-in on Foursquare, they will be told whether they are in close range of the hidden clutch and where to find it. The first to find the clutch wins. In total, Neiman Marcus will be giving away 56 clutches because they will also be picking at random lucky winners who checked in. Do campaigns like this help promote the Neiman Marcus brand? Will we be seeing more companies do campaigns like this?

What’s up with Facebook? – Everyone has been up in arms with Facebook’s recent changes to people’s feeds and profile page. However, Facebook will be changing once again with the launch of Timelines and Open Graph. Timelines will pull everything you’ve ever posted (or what people have posted on your wall) all into in e-scrapbook that people can easily browse through once on your profile page. Open Graph has customizable actions and gestures that will allow applications to post things you are doing online – and offline, depending on the application. Is this going to far?

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week, Neiman Marcus’ Foursquare campaign won. Noting that a younger demographic isn’t normally their target audience, the use of Foursquare to bring in new customers is a great campaign. While Tony and Justin aren’t normally into clutches, everyone appreciated the creative aspects of this campaign – and agreed it makes the Neiman Marcus brand look more favorable to consumers.

Who do you think should have won?

Share on Facebook

Technorati Tags: Facebook and privacy, Facebook's Open Graph, Facebook's Timelines, Foursquare camaigns, Neiman Marcus, self checkouts

Share/Save

The announcement of Facebook’s new layout has arrived and there seems to be split emotion for its religious users. The Facebook network is home to over 800 million people. To put that number into perspective, according to the Census Bureau the United States has an estimated population of about 311 million; not even half of the Facebook party. But, numbers aren’t what I am here to discuss, rather the negativity and uproar from Facebook users over the sudden change in layout of the network. Even more specifically, the relevance of information on the new “Timeline” application and the time it will take to sift through and edit ‘feeds.’

The way that the new “Timeline” works, is simple. A majority of information a user has posted, from the day they signed on until the present date, will be displayed. Each story that Facebook deems ‘relevant’ will be placed in chronological order based on a system that the Facebook team has come up with. Therefore, users, if they choose to, have to re-edit their pages, keeping or throwing away wanted or unwanted posts and pictures that have emerged in their timeline.

To be honest, in the time that people spend contemplating breaking their computers out of frustration of these recent network changes, they could easily become accustom to the new format. While privacy seems to be the popular topic of dissatisfaction for users with the new page, each individual can agree or not agree to the applications that correspond to the new Facebook. It is understandable that people are angered by the recent update, but Facebook is following their core values by creating a network that people can sign into and share exactly who they are with the world.

As an avid Facebook user, myself, I know that I may not need all of the new gadgets and buttons that are being added, so I will not agree to them. But, I haven’t forgotten the reason I made the leap into the social networking world in the first place and how new it was to me. I must have spent hours trying to learn how it works, but in the end I was able to connect with family and friends in a way that was completely foreign to me prior to Facebooks existence. Now it is second nature to me and I love it.

The change is happening whether we like it or not. If Facebook is important enough that you may be stressing over network alterations, just take a minute to try out the new page. Learn it, dissect it and give it a chance, then make your decision.

Share on Facebook

Technorati Tags: changes in social media, Facebook Changes, Facebook Timelines

Share/Save

T-Mobile and Radio Shack Break-up – T-Mobile devices will no longer be available at Radio Shack locations after an apparent “breach in contract.” Radio Shack will now be teaming up with Verizon Wireless come September 15th. While most brands, people… entities, attempt to make their split amicable and PR-friendly, this duo seems to be doing the opposite.

Social Media & Education- While social media isn’t completely embraced in the classroom, certain schools across the nation are incorporating social media and mobile devices into their curriculum. The theory behind this is that these new ways of participating are encouraging kids to pay attention, making them aware of what they post and who their audience is. A principal from NJ said that kids are coming into the classroom bored and disconnected and social media is a way to get the students’ attentions.

Man gets 4 years for Stalking on Facebook – A man is currently getting 4 years in prison for stalking women on Facebook, figuring out their email passwords and sending explicit pictures of the women – which he found by trolling their email folders. This brings up the bigger issue of making sure your private information isn’t available to everyone on Facebook or other social networks. While social networks are often thought as places to connect with friends – odd people are lurking on them as well.

Now it’s time for the PRobecast PR Power Ranking – which is when we go around the room and pick the story that we think ranks the highest PR-wise – meaning any aspects of PR could be the reasoning behind the pick. Is it the story itself, good data that was used, what’s getting the most pickup, was it a good PR move the company made, etc.

This week social media in the classroom won because like it or not, kids are online and using technology more and more. There is no way to stop it – so why not embrace it and integrate education into their use of it?

What do you think?