Category Archives: PR & Story Telling

The Truth in Advertising…and PR…and Sales…

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

Most marketers have heard the phrase ‘Truth in Advertising’ and there’s even a spoof on YouTube about the lack thereof.  But, what about Truth in PR…and Sales?

After speaking to students at Carnegie Mellon University on marketing and public relations, I was surprised that many of their questions focused on whether or not telling the truth in the media was a sound strategy.

As our parents and kindergarten teachers taught us, the obvious moral answer is ‘Yes.’  However, it is also the practical approach.

First, with regard to media and public relations, telling the truth is essential.  You can pick your favorite media gaffe that resulted from a public figure being less than truthful.  The Media will find and report contradictions and in the internet age, the story can potentially reach the masses within minutes.

Journalists have been taught to ‘get the story, get it first and get it right’ throughout their educational and career experiences.  They have both the instincts and the training to tirelessly pursue what they believe to be the truth.  If you hide behind a ‘no comment’ or offer a less than truthful response, you will be perceived negatively when the reporter eventually does break the story…and someone will.

With regard to Truth in Sales, think about how you feel when you are the prospect and a salesperson goes on and on about the amazing things his or her product can do.  You probably wish that they would shut up and listen to what you are saying so you can tell them what you want.  Salespeople are often trained to use various ‘closing techniques.’  The problem with these so called ‘techniques’ is that they usually question the intelligence of the prospect and end up being a waste of time for everyone involved.

Selling is more about the basics, the equivalent of blocking and tackling in football. Salespeople need to listen to the prospect, ask probing questions and needs match appropriately based on the strengths of their product or service. Admit the weaknesses of your product early because the prospect will usually know or figure out that your product isn’t perfect. Focus on the true strengths of your product, service or company and leave the hyperbole to your competitors.

Truth in Advertising does exist and the winning companies adhere to it.  Truth in PR must exist or you and your company will lose credibility.  Truth in Sales will help you stand out from the competition and ultimately lead to more business for your company.

Don’t Take the High Octane Road: 7 Ways to Embarrass Yourself When Leaving

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

#1: When faced with a difficult, potentially controversial decision, avoid bold statements.

“I’ve bought in and sold out to Tulsa. My wife told me if I leave Tulsa it will be alone.”
—Todd Graham prior to leaving Tulsa to be the University of Pittsburgh’s head football coach.

Making career decisions isn’t easy. You have to weigh personal and professional issues and make a choice. If you are considering a move, why make an emphatic statement about staying where you are? It’s unwise at best, duplicitous at worst.

#2: Minimize hackneyed clichés and press conference lingo.

“I’m a family guy. This is the first job I’ve ever taken that has benefitted my wife.”
—Todd Graham after leaving Pitt to become head football coach at Arizona State University.

When people leave one position for another, they often cite “family reasons.” We’re trained to be skeptical and wonder what the real story is. If it truly is to make your spouse happy, refer to #1.

# 3: Stay away from inflammatory public criticism of others, especially if you have a history of doing the same thing.

“They’re nothing but mercenaries.”
—Todd Graham commenting on three coaches who left Pitt to join Coach Rich Rodriquez’ staff at the University of Arizona.

Dramatic statements criticizing others don’t do much good, particularly if you end up guilty of what you criticized them for.

#4: Temper the hype. Focus on goals and targets instead.

“We’re a no huddle football team. Fast tempo, high octane. We’ll be the most explosive team in the country.”
—Todd Graham at press conference upon becoming Pitt head football coach.

“What’s our offense going to look like? Well, obviously our offense is going to be high octane, it’s going to be quick striking, explosive. Our whole deal is about explosive plays.”
—Todd Graham at press conference upon becoming Arizona State head football coach.

#5: Deliver difficult news in person and treat people with respect.

Pitt’s players learned their coach was leaving via a text that Graham asked his director of football operations to forward to them. I don’t care how old you are or how much you like texting. You do not deliver serious, personal news via text.

He emailed his resignation to Athletic Director Steve Peterson. If you are leaving an organization, do so with dignity. Respect your superiors whether you like them or not. Don’t resign via email.

#6: If you preach something, at least try to live up to your words.

“The number one goal of our program is to produce men of character and of integrity. Men that have giving hearts.”
—Todd Graham at press conference upon becoming Pitt head football coach.

#7: Passion is good. Using the same script time and again, not so much.

“It’s an honor for me to be at Pitt. Tony Dorsett, Dan Marino, Mike Ditka, Mark May. All the great players and the great tradition of Pitt football. I want to give all the respect to Coach Wannstedt, Coach Bennett and the class of 2010.”

“It’s such an honor for me to be taking over the program that the legend Frank Kush built…it also would be remiss for me not to talk about Coach Erickson and the 2011 Sun Devils. He’s going to be a Hall of Fame coach…How about let’s play it like Pat Tillman and Terrell Suggs…like Jake Plummer and Danny White…”
—Todd Graham at his first press conferences at Pitt and Arizona State.

When you make the difficult decision to move on, avoid these pitfalls and take the high road instead.

Take a trip down memory lane with Todd Graham via the links below:

Graham Leaving Rice for Tulsa

Initial Story about Graham’s Hiring at Pitt

Pitt Acceptance Press Conference

Local ASU News Stations React to Graham’s Hiring

eBay Campaign Sells Two Points

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

When you think of eBay do you think of online auctions?

A lot of people do.

The company has strong name recognition and an image as an auction website. eBay is working to change that narrow perception because the majority of items sold are actually new and the company wants to be known as an e-commerce innovator.

With that in mind, eBay has embarked on its first major marketing campaign in years by focusing on mobile shopping and the ability to buy new products at the site.

eBay jumped into the mobile shopping game in 2008 as the first company to offer an iPhone app through Apple’s App Store. In the last three years,  eBay’s apps have been downloaded more than 50 million times leading to $2 billion in goods purchased from the site. And, the majority of those products were new items.

eBay’s campaign includes TV commercials and other ads showcasing how people can shop on its site anytime, anywhere for anything.

Key messaging includes:

“When it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay.”

“Buy it now, Buy it New.”

http://www.ebayinc.com/campaign#

The messaging tackles both of the company’s goals:

Promote the mobile purchase and change people’s mindsets so they think of buying new instead of just old stuff on eBay.

Well done.

Unfortunately, Not a “Man” Among Boys

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

My first ever blog post way back in 2007 referenced Terrelle Pryor’s athletic prowess as a high school football star. He seemed like a man among boys back then. This week, we continue to learn that he acts like a selfish, spoiled boy rather than a man.

As the stories continue to break about the Ohio State football mess that led to the “resignation” of coach Jim Tressel, we hear more about Pryor’s narcissistic behavior. Investigators are looking into whether Pryor received preferential treatment from a used car dealer responsible for supplying the team with dozens of vehicles. Pryor himself allegedly drove eight different cars during his three years with the Buckeyes.

Pryor and four teammates have already been suspended for the first five games of the upcoming season following a number of improprieties, which include taking money and tattoos from a local parlor owner indicted for federal drug trafficking. The players were also guilty of receiving cash and other gifts for autographs and equipment.

Tressel stepped down following 10 years with Ohio State following the revelation that he was aware of his team’s transgressions but did not notify anyone at the school or the NCAA for nearly a year.

Gene Collier’s latest column in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette calls out the adults who are NOW finally outraged with the behavior of Pryor and other Ohio State players.

There’s obviously plenty of blame to go around. Tressel, Ohio State’s administrators, tattoo parlor owners, Pryor’s mentors, and fans who turn their head while the win total increases.

But ultimately, individual responsibility matters the most. Pryor chose to act like a selfish little boy rather than a mature adult. No Man Among Boys, that’s for sure.

Real Messaging Earns Real Respect

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

Terrell Suggs did something unusual in his post game interview after his Baltimore Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Divisional Playoff game.

Suggs spoke in real terms instead of media speak.  He answered questions truthfully and pointed out what he and his teammates should and could have done rather than blaming others or avoiding the real issues.

We are so used to the fake, predictable responses that it’s actually surprising when an interview features more than the same old talking points. The message means more when it is real and at least somewhat honest.

Sure, you have to be thoughtful in the interviews and you can’t say anything that becomes bulletin board material.  But you can be a real person with real answers that provide some real insight.

If more athletes and coaches would follow Suggs’ lead, their messages would resonate more and they would earn more respect from the masses.

Pitt Makes Plenty of PR Mistakes

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

The University of Pittsburgh football coaching mess has featured plenty of PR missteps.

The saga began after Pitt’s football team finished a disappointing 7-5 season filled with poor performances and questionable coaching.

On December 7th, Athletic Director Steve Pederson announced that head football coach Dave Wannstedt was gone and the search for a new leader would begin. Officially, Wannstedt resigned and had a brief emotional press conference to say goodbye with a number of his players standing behind him.

After a quick search process, Pederson announced the hiring of Mike Haywood, most recently head coach at Miami of Ohio, on December 16th.

Haywood was arrested December 31st in South Bend, Indiana on domestic violence charges.  Pitt officials seemed to have no choice but to fire the new coach and did so on January 1st.

From a PR perspective, the whole situation has been a nightmare for Pitt.

With coaching (or senior level executive) changes, there is often room for debate on the decision.  However,  the process followed by Pederson was what really led to bad PR and negative word of mouth.

His comments immediately after the move about Wannstedt were of limited to no value, unnecessary and came across as somewhat insecure and petty.

Then, Pederson and Chancellor Mark Nordenberg left the decision to coach the bowl game up to Wannstedt.  This is simply unwise on many levels.  Leadership requires making tough yet compassionate decisions.  It makes sense for Pederson to have offered Wannstedt the chance to coach the team in the bowl game.  But he should have asked for his decision immediately and the announcement–either way–should have been made at the initial press conference.

Instead, the ambiguity of who would be coaching the next game gave Wannstedt the opportunity to manipulate the situation to his liking which he did.

After Haywood’s dismissal, Wannstedt decided to have a press conference, standing in front of the university’s corporate logo, during which he announced that he would not be coaching the game because he did not want to be a distraction and wanted to keep the focus on the players.  Right.  Keep the focus away from yourself by calling a press conference to say you won’t be coaching the game to keep the focus off of yourself.  It’s almost comical and both Wannstedt and the university look bad from a perception standpoint.

Wannstedt is free to do whatever he chooses with respect to coaching the near meaningless bowl game (ironically the only story tied to the game is the coaching saga!).  However, the university was not required to allow him to have what appears to be an official press conference as part of the university.  The university’s image and brand are owned and must be managed by the university.

Back to Pederson…Pitt’s A.D. also did not interview Penn State Assistant Coach and de facto head coach during the arduous (right…) search process of 8 days despite a recommendation from the Rooney’s, owners of the Steelers who serve as Pitt’s landlord for the football program.

Again, an unwise move from a PR perspective.  Why not interview someone who is qualified and has a track record of success recruiting in Pitt’s primary target areas?

Joe Paterno, one of the best at PR for about forty years even though he and his supporters try to rationalize that he’s not a promoter and not like all those other coaches (right…), is the only one who made a bold PR statement.  JoePa’s endorsement of Bradley gives him the chance to say he’s supporting one of his coaches while also possibly removing a potential successor and threat to his son Jay.

Joe amazingly keeps on keepin’ on while Pitt fans have to wonder what’s next for Pederson, Nordenberg and the whole football program.

Carroll’s Reputation Still Takes Hit Despite PR Efforts

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

Whether you completely believe Pete Carroll or not, the Seattle Seahawks head football coach has been disciplined in his messaging since leaving the University of Southern California to return to the National Football League.

The charismatic coach had to deal with a media onslaught beginning June 10th after the NCAA levied its punishment on USC’s football program for violations that occurred on Carroll’s watch.  USC was hit with a two year bowl ban and a loss of scholarships due to former Heisman Trophy winning running back Reggie Bush allegedly accepting money and gifts from an agent hoping to represent him.

In interview after interview the past couple of months, Carroll has consistently and clearly conveyed his side of the story.  He talks about how USC had a large compliance department to ensure NCAA regulations were met.  He takes the time to discuss issues such as Bush having a new vehicle while still a student athlete.  He explains his return to the NFL just prior to the NCAA’s punishment as part of his yearning to succeed as a professional coach after two past NFL stints ended with less than stellar results.

His passion and enthusiasm are readily apparent and he appears comfortable during the interviews.  He’s smooth but not too smooth and you kind of want to believe him…unless you are a UCLA or Notre Dame alumnus.

Carroll also tactfully focuses on some of  the key messages of his new book, “Win Forever: Live, Work and Play Like a Champion” without coming across as a schlocky book peddler.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is it’s still difficult to accept Carroll’s explanations.  It does seem like he’s convinced himself that his talking points are true and his decisions were made in the best interests of his players and team.  But it’s probably not enough to convince most people, football fans or not, that his actions were all on the up and up.

From a communications and PR standpoint, he handled the situation well and battled through the toughest media cycle in the days and weeks following the NCAA’s announcement of USC’s sanctions. But in the image game, his reputation has been tarnished despite a sound PR strategy and tactical implementation.  We often talk about how the truth is the key to any PR strategy.  Unfortunately, Carroll’s story seems just a little off.

As a result, a lot of people might end up thinking that in the game of life, Carroll didn’t “live, work and play like a champion” during those glory years at USC.

Steve Jobs’ Explanation Makes Perfect Sense, Right?

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

Amazing News! Apple CEO Steve Jobs says phones aren’t perfect!

Here’s the quote from today’s press conference about the iPhone 4′s reception problems:
“You know, we’re not perfect. We know that, you know that. And phones aren’t perfect either.”

Wow. That’s really simple and makes so much sense that I’m going to use that with clients:

“You know, MASSolutions isn’t perfect. We know that, you know that. Sales, PR and Marketing Strategies aren’t perfect either.”

Somehow I don’t think I’ll get away with it…but I’ll let you know.


Five Good Reasons Why “The Decision” Went Bad

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

Solutions to help you grow…

Now that Lebron James has made his prime time “Decision,” we can move on to the next over-hyped, manufactured media event.

From a PR standpoint, the former Cleveland Cavalier and now member of the Miami Heat made a bunch of glaring mistakes and found a way to drive his popularity down significantly. Here are five good reasons why the whole thing went bad:
  • Try not to talk about how much you did for the team and city you just jilted with your decision to leave. James kept saying he’s done so much for the city and the team, which is true. However, it was simply inappropriate to mention it during the “Decision” spectacle.
  • Never, ever, ever go third person on us. Dave Mastovich is telling Lebron James that Dave Mastovich thinks that Lebron James didn’t do what was best for Lebron James by talking in third person. Dave Mastovich thinks that Dave Mastovich shouldn’t say Dave Mastovich in his blogs because going third person is stupid for Dave Mastovich, Lebron James and any other person.
  • When using the Boys & Girls Clubs as a back drop to hopefully score some goodwill points, incorporate the kids a little bit. And, while you’re at it, splurge for a nicer banner for them too.
  • If you know the owner of the team you’ve played for the past seven years–your hometown team–has bitterness tendencies, maybe call him before your announcement so he doesn’t have to hear about the breakup along with millions of others on national television. Man, talk about getting “Jetered”–even Mariah Carey wasn’t treated that bad.
  • When you decide to have a ridiculous show to announce your decision, at least pretend you are comfortable with it. Lebron looked like he either wasn’t completely sure of himself or had gas. All the more reason to maybe just announce the move like every other major free agent has in the past 30 years.

And for those guys on the pre-decision show who said something about The Heat now having the top two players in the NBA, you better check with that guy in L.A. I’m guessing he’d rank things a little bit differently. He also has at least five good reasons why.

David M. Mastovich, MBA, is the president of Massolutions, a Pittsburgh based Strategic Marketing firm that focuses on improving the bottom line for client companies through creative marketing, selling, messaging and customer experience enhancement.


Kelloggs Not Immune To Oversight

Posted on by Dave Mastovich

So Rice Crispies actually do not “help support your child’s immunity” as claimed in the Kellogg Company ads.Wow, a tasty cereal doesn’t act like a wonder vaccine? Stunning.

The Federal Trade Commission did some fact checking about assertions made in Rice Crispies’ ads and the government agency didn’t like what they found.As a result, the FTC has enacted new restrictions under a settlement written last year regarding health claims the company made about its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal.

According to a Wall Street Journal story, Kellogg is barred from making claims about the benefits to cognitive health, process or function provided by any cereal or morning food or snack unless the claims are true and substantiated by the FTC.

You have a good product. Why not focus on that instead of making false claims that your target audiences would most likely ignore anyway?The kids eating the cereal could care less about immunizations and the Moms who make most of the food purchases probably laughed off the claims as hyperbole.

Here’s a link to the WSJ story with all the details…love the headline too.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703340904575284701223216466.html?mod=rss_media_marketing