news one recently reported a story on republican strategist raynard jackson. in the story they point out that jackson believes white women are helping black men more than black women. according to news one, jackson cites black women's faithful support of President Obama as the primary basis for his position.
while i think this is a pretty ridiculous barometer, i will have to agree with the underlying message that President Obama needs to do better and we (black women and black America) need to hold him (and all our leaders) accountable for doing better. i am doubtful that we will see him change his ways in relation to the policies that impact us before his term is out (doesn't mean we shouldn't try). our political leaders will not take a stand to help black folk alone. no one wants to be seen as an ally to black America.
Customer loyalty, WNBA, Public relations, LGBT, Marketing
I love Anthony Hamilton's song "Her Heart." It is an emotional song where a man admits that he has habitually messed up in his relationship, but the hurt he sees in his lover's eyes helped him turn things around.
The thing I find most beautiful about the song is the man's honesty:
I had a habit of messing up Staying out late and getting drunk I let you down a thousand times Broken promises it´s like I ran away from you My career was my excuse Until I saw you 'bout to drown in your own tears
And as you cried in my arms You woke up my heart And I saw again what I found in you Cuz her heart, her heart wont let me lose her No matter how I try I just can´t say goodbye and lose her
The lesson: At all costs, be honest. Many times public relations professionals are called in to fix problems or are asked to stretch the truth to help a client. Our position should always be one of honesty. We should expect that from our clients and encourage them to be honest at all times.
This is a video from Anthony Hamilton's first trip to South Africa. It's a powerful piece. Pay attention to the honest emotion he gives during his performance of "Her Heart."
Note: This post was started on August 18; however, it was not completed until after the Chris Brown interview with Larry King on CNN.
Last night Chris Brown did an interview with Larry King. The goal, I thought, was to speak publicly for the first time since his sentencing about the incident between him and former girlfriend Rhianna.
A few Sundays ago Michael Vick talked for the first time about his sentence.
Clifford Harris, better known to most as TI or TIP, is currently serving time on federal weapons charges.
People across the world have watched each story unfold and each man take responsibility for their actions. As I watched Michael Vick's 60-Minute interview a few weeks ago and Chris' interview with Larry King last night I couldn't help but to compare their stories from a PR perspective. I thought about how their stories played out in the media and couldn't help but think about who did the best job of apologizing for their transgressions.
So, let's talk about it...
I won't recount each individual's trials, you can do a quick Google search to get acquainted or re-acquainted with their situations. I will say, before I start dissecting their public apologies, that I recognize that each situation is different:
TI's fan base is mostly urban. He hasn't crossed over into the pop realm, which keeps him from having to address the situation like Chris Brown and Michael Vick. One could argue (and I am) that his audience had the potential to understand his situation and the circumstances surrounding it because they are more likely to have personally experienced it or know someone that has experienced it. For that reason, they are more willing to accept his apology and allow him to move on with his life.
Chris Brown and Michael Vick, on the other hand, have crossed over. As a result, they have a wider fan base and their actions actually caused hurt, and in Michael's case death, to people or animals. These two things complicate the way they have to respond to the situation.
With that said, Michael and Chris failed miserably at saying "I'm Sorry." There are several things I find problematic with their public apologies:
They showed no remorse for their actions. Both Chris and Mike seemed to to be motivated by something other than remorse during the interviews. To me, both seemed to be more concerned about their careers than really talking about the situation. In one instance in Michael's interview, he even seemed aggrevated that he had to explain his actions. And Chris didn't want to detail his actions or what caused him to do the things he did to Rhianna. This leads me to the next problem I have with the interviews.
They weren't open or honest. I've talked about the benefit of being transparent. It has worked for many a people (see 2006 post titled "Stop Frontin' and Get Real"), including TI. Take a look at the video below. TI talks openly about the circumstances that lead him to the illegal gun purchase that October night. He explains that he is not trying to excuse his actions, just trying to help people undersatnd why he felt he had to purchase illegal weapons. His approach was honest, sincere and he wasn't afraid to talk about what happened. He didn't claim that he didn't know or remember what happened that night (Chris Brown). He owned up to what happened and accepted responsibility. The most important thing here is that when presented with an opportunity to talk about the situation, TI talked. He was open, honest and no question was off limits.
The lesson. If you agree to do an interview, do the interview. If you aren't willing to be open, honest and transparent, decline and accept that people view you as [insert popular opinion here]. Doing an interview and not answering all the questions is worse than keeping a low-key and waiting until the storm blows over.
Below you will find the Mike's 60-Minute interview;Chris Brown's original apology interview and his Larry King interview; and one of the videos from TI's Road to Redemption series. Take a look for yourself and tell me what you think. Who do you think gave the best apology? Who was really sorry for what they did?
Update on 2010-02-13 17:05 by Brandi N. Williams, APR
And one last thing, please don't bring your mom and lawyer to talk for you when you do your interview if you are over 18.
Update on 2010-02-13 17:34 by Brandi N. Williams, APR
Mike Vick made a 360 on the interview with his BET documentary - The Michael Vick Project. It's everything that I, as a publicist, would have hoped it would be. It is honest, authentic, transparent and teaches a lesson (if you are listening). I am loving the show and looking forward to cheering him on as he moves to new levels!
I am one of the millions of people around the world who are tweeting, and I love it. I love it because I get to know people, have conversations with them and see into their world. Sidenote: I am thinking that I should have been an anthropology or sociology major because I LOVE seeing into people's lives...getting to know what makes them tick...learning why they do the things they do.Twitter allows me to do that.
Twitter is not like many of the the other social networking tools where you have to spend a lot of time developing your profile. Twitter allows you to join and jump in. Let's take a minute to talk about what Twitter is and then how to use it to reach your goals.
What is Twitter?
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140characters displayed on the author's profile page and delivered to the author's subscribers who are known as followers. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow open access. Users can send and receive tweets via the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS) or external applications. Taken from Wikipdedia
Why is Twitter relevant today? Everyone from the girl next door to President Barack Obama is using or has used Twitter for everything from keeping in touch with loved ones to promoting a person, product or service. Twitter has several uses, including:
Promotion
Brand extension
Relationship development
How can I use Twitter to help me? Twitter is a great way to engage and to let people get to know you. One of the biggest faux pas on Twitter is to be someone other than yourself. Twitter is a social medium that allows people to engage, to converse, to build relationships. Think about tweeting as if you are having a conversation with someone. Find interesting people and introduce yourself. Respond to their posts. If you like what you see, encourage others to follow them. CC The PR says it best in her video post on tweeting.
The lesson. Twitter is a great tool for engagement and building relationships, brands and your business. Just make sure you do it the right way. Here are a few other things to consider:
Create your Twitter brand by branding your tweets - Create a brand on Twitter that matches your company, personal or professional (or other) brand. What can people expect from you on Twitter? What do you want people to know you for on Twitter? People know Reverend Run will provide inspirational tweets.You can get computer deals from @DellOutlet, breaking news from @CNNbrk, a good top 10 survey question from @epiphanygirl, and Hollywood gossip (aka follywollyfoolishness) from @necolebitchie and @perezhilton.What will people come to know you for on Twitter?
Don't be self-serving - There is an old saying: "People do business with people they like." I want to get to like you so we can do business. Allow me to get to know YOU, not just your business.
Open up - Twitter is a social medium that allows conversation and engagement. It is a great way to build relationships. Share yourself with your followers. Don't be afraid to share those random thoughts that come into your head...you never know who elsehas the same thoughts.
Think relationships, not numbers - There are two schools of thought on Twitter influence. Some think you have great influence if you have lots of followers. Then there are those that think if you tweet great things the followers and influence will come. I am a believer of the latter. Twitter at its best is about building quality relationships, not amassing a large quantity of followers. If you tweet quality the numbers and your influence will follow. Case and point: We follow Rev Run partly because he is 1/3 of one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time. We continue to tune in each week because he offers us life lessons and inspiration that keeps us moving each and every day. Think about what you can offer your followers and the universe. When you get it right, you will know it. Your followers will increase and so will your influence...and you might gain a friend or a new contract as a result.
Update on 2009-12-20 01:19 by Brandi N. Williams, APR
Thought I'd share with you some other thougts on the best uses of social media - http://freelancefolder.com/5-misuses-of-social-media-that-could-kill-your-freelance-business/comment-page-1/#comment-34903
In a recent interview with ET's Kevin Frazier Tito Jackson was asked if Michael had a group of enablers around him. He responded, "Some people care more about their jobs than they do about people's health."
So, true. Celebrities in particular have to be very discerning when building their team. While I don't think many would point to Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Terrell Owens as a positive example of many things, he did a great job when choosing his PR team.
I've been following Terrell's show since it began a few weeks ago and from the beginning his publicists - Mo and Kita - have had a huge impact on the show. They are always there to offer Terrell advice - even when he doesn't ask for it. I will be the first to admit that they can be a bit annoying, but they are offering the advice from a professional and personal place. And that is key.
When building your team you have to choose people that have a personal interest in you; people that have your back and will tell you the truth at all times.
The lesson. When building your team look for professionals knowledgable in their area of expertise and passionate about you, your organization and the work you are doing. You want someone that is unafraid to call you to the carpet and offer great counsel. Maybe if Michael had used that formula he would still be here today.
I was sitting on a PR panel for PRSSA a few months ago and one of the other panelists said something that still resonates with me:
"You can't communicate your way out of something you have acted your way into."
Why? Because as my mother has always told me, actions speak louder than words.
There are more than enough real stories out there to demonstrate the truth behind both statements. Celebrities like T.I, Mike Vick and Chris Brown are having a hard time repairing their reputations because of their actions. They have each hired PR professionals to run damage control and in some cases it has helped repair some of the damage, but people will not easily (if ever) forget the actions that landed them in trouble.
The truth of the matter is this - it is not the job of PR professionals to help you cover up what you messed up. Many operate on the premise that they can do what they want and they will fix it through an apology, good deed or something else later. It doesn't work for domestic abusers and as we have seen, it doesn't work for celebrities or big-time executives (Enron) either.
The lesson. People believe what they see, not what you say. As PR professionals our job is to help our clients match their actions and words; not cover their actions with words.
Tips to all the clients out there:
The truth is always better than a lie.
You should never lie to the person managing your image (PR Pro) or the person handling your legal issues (attorney).
