REICH COMMUNICATIONS

Diversion

 

With so much big news grabbing headlines -- the Kavanaugh confirmation, tariffs and trade wars, the Mueller probe, kids held captive at the border... and the latest tweet-of-the-day -- it's easy to get distracted from other happenings in our government that could impact is in way large and small.

For instance, it looks like Congress just quietly approved another tax cut for the super-rich.  While most of us won't feel it directly, the cut means yet less tax money coming into the Treasury, pushing the deficit even higher.  Who pays the interest on that?  Might the government feel the need to fill the gap by borrowing against Social Security or cutting some of those benefits most of us do or will rely on?

And here's something else that's happening right under our noses.  The Environmental Protection Agency continues to have its legs cut out from under it. Regulations that protect our rivers, our air and our national parks are being rolled back in order to make it easier for businesses to exploit resources or maximize profits. 

Profits for business are good, but not totally when they come at a frightening cost to us, our children and future generations.

The latest thing that may be happening as our attention is diverted is a plan to abolish the EPA's Office of the Science Advisor.  The department's function is to counsel the EPA and its Administrator on the scientific and health impact of actions being considered by the EPA. 

The Center for Science and Democracy with the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group, says that "everything from research on chemicals and health to peer-to-peer testing to data analysis would inevitably suffer."  A spokesman for the union that represents some 900 EPA employees calls the move "an attempt to silence voices...to kill career civil servants' input and scientific perspectives on rule-making."

The Administration clearly places little value on science, as evidenced by the president's frequently calling global climate change a Chinese hoax.  Unfortunately, it's not a hoax and many experts say we are very close to a tipping point where the amount of carbon in our atmosphere will unalterably lead to rising temperatures that will set off a climate chain reaction that could -- if not in our lifetime, certainly in our children's lifetime -- make earth unable to sustain human life.

That's a scary picture and it's one from which we can't let our attention be diverted.

 

 

A major source of info for consumers - PR

 

Articles, features and reviews in the media, including in social media, are a major factor in consumers' purchase decisions.  And much of it results from public relations initiatives – good old publicity.

A new study by Audience Audit, reported in Adweek, says news articles, many generated through PR, are considered by 22 percent of people as a source of information about products. 

The most common source of information comes from online searches, at 66 percent. The second-leading source of information, at 62 percent, is paid advertising -- 37 percent from ads in traditionally media and 25 percent from ads online.

Word of mouth from friends (real ones, not online friends) is the third biggest source of information, at 45 percent.  Word of mouth from family members accounts for 46 percent, and the most common source of information comes from online searches, at 66 percent.

The second-leading source of information, at 62 percent, is paid advertising -- 37 percent from ads in traditionally media and 25 percent from ads online.

Ads, of course, can be costly, especially in print and on TV, while public relations is a relative bargain.  It should usually be a part of a company's marketing mix.

Summer's Over

Happy Fall.

"The truth emerges"

"The truth emerges."

 

Bob Woodward, talking about his new book, quotes his former boss, Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, about the decision to publish the Watergate stories 46 years ago.  He said those words remain in his mind as his new book is being published.

We Remember ...

 

9 -11

A New Year

Sunday at sundown marks the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. 

It's not a time to party and celebrate, but rather to reflect on our actions during the past year and ask for guidance and strength to help us be better people in the coming year. 

Traditionally, at this time we pray for a few things -- the wisdom to do better, health, happiness and above all, peace.  One of our key prayers ends with the word "Shalom"  -- Hebrew for 'Peace.'  It is peace of mind, and peace on the larger scale -- peace among people and nations.

Shalom, and Shana Tova... "a good year."

Swoosh

Most brands work hard to avoid controversy, which means they often come off as plain vanilla -- staying quietly in a safe space.

Nike, though, has plunged right into a red-hot polarizing issue, and I think they'll come out ahead long-term.

 

The iconic footwear/athleticwear company, which had maintained its endorsement relationship with controversial football star/pariah Colin Kaepernick, has gone a big step further -- featuring the embattled player in its new ad campaign that celebrates 30 years of the "Just Do It" ad slogan.  The new ad with a close-up of Kaepernick, has the headline "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

The tweeter-in-chief could not, of course, sit quietly on the sidelines for this, and his divisive comments have brought even more attention to the new campaign.  Ad experts estimate Nike has so far received $43 million worth of publicity -- nearly half of it positive, about 20 percent neutral and a quarter negative. 

Among the brand's key demographic -- 18 to 34-year olds -- 56 percent felt on-field protests like what Kaepernick was fired for are appropriate.

Not surprisingly, social media is ablaze with calls to boycott Nike products.  But many online and in surveys are praising the company and say they will buy more Nike products to support its bravery and its standing on principles they agree with.

In the face of the presidential bluster on Twitter, the NFL issued a statement in support of Nike and Kaepernick.  "The NFL believes in dialogue, understanding and unity.  We embrace the role and responsibility of everyone involved with this game to promote meaningful, positive change in our communities.  The social justice issues that Colin and other professional athletes have raised deserve our attention and action," the statement said.

Calling attention to the troubling and complex issue of alleged police brutality, especially in minority communities, is a good thing.  It is not an act of disrespect to our flag, our national anthem or our military, as some would have us think as a way to confuse the issue. It is simply a quiet and peaceful way to call attention to a real issue that we as a society need to deal with.

 

 

 

A Sad Weekend

 

This weekend America says farewell to two great heroes.

Aretha Franklin gave us all so much pleasure with her music.  She's been the soundtrack for our lives.  And her fight for good -- for civil rights and women's rights -- was a tremendous help.  And now, as we are hearing, she did so much to help others, in a quiet and unheralded way. 

We call out to her with R-E-S-P-E-C-T as she goes home, probably in a pink Cadillac.

At the same time, we say farewell to Senator John McCain.  He was a hero and a patriot in many ways, from the skies over Viet Nam to the halls of Congress.  He has set an example of courage, class and compassion, which we hope some of our leaders today would follow. 

We salute Sen. McCain as we thank him for a lifetime of service to this great nation and to the world.

On a more personal note, this weekend marks a time I say farewell to Steve Miller, my California cousin who died Wednesday.   Although we lived nearly 3,000 miles apart, we always enjoyed a special connection.  When we'd see each other, even if several years had passed, we'd pick up the conversation as if we had just seen each other the week before.  "73," Stevie.

 

Photo:  Steve, Michael and me in Hollywood, Dec. 2017

Moving toward zero deaths

 

I'm on my way to Atlanta this weekend for the annual Governors Highway Safety Association conference.

It's always an honor and an inspiration to be with hundreds of dedicated public servants and others who work in traffic safety for states, the federal government and non-profit groups like my client, The National Road Safety Foundation.   They work tirelessly and usually outside the spotlight to make roads, highways and our cars safer, with the goal of getting to a time when there are no traffic deaths.

That's a very tall order, when you consider that we now lose more than 37,000 people every year in traffic crashes.

Even as cars themselves have been getting safer with innovations as simple as seat belts and as complex as new systems that warn of an impending crash and actually stop the car, there are other factors that make driving more risky.  Some have been around forever -- alcohol, speeding, drowsiness.  And some risks are fairly new --distraction caused by cellphones, texting and the ever-increasing number of screens and other bells and whistles right in front of us on our dashboards. 

Laws and enforcement help reduce risks of speeding, DUI and testing while driving.  But many still do risky behavior while behind the wheel, and that's where public relations and community engagement come in.    A good example is drinking and driving.  Through many years of public education through PR, drunk driving has become an extremely negative stigma that most of us want to avoid.   We're working to make distracted driving - texting and talking on cellphones - something that's  widely accepted as a negative.   It's a big challenge, but we keep working at it.    

 

 

 

Brick & Mortar

 

 

It’s hardly news that the retail business has been struggling, as online shopping has become more convenient and more commonplace. 

Some retail segments have been devastated by online retailing.  When was the last time you booked airline tickets or a hotel stay at a storefront travel agency?   

Other segments have tried to stay in the game by lowering prices, chopping margins down to the bone.  But that doesn't work out well, as online competitors can also drop prices without having to carry the costly overhead of workers and rent.

So some brick & mortar retailers are trying things that only brick & mortar stores can do… special events that involve shoppers hands-on.   Even though grocery retailers haven’t suffered the onslaught of online, with 90 percent of women saying they still prefer to buy groceries in a store, food stores bring customers in with lots of in-store activities like food and beverage tastings and cooking and other product demos.

Eighty-seven percent of shoppers surveyed by PopSugar, as reported in ADWEEK, want food samplings at their grocery stores, and 59 percent say they’ll go to a store for a cooking class.

Book retailers (those few that remain in business) also do lots of in-store events – author readings and book signings, cooking demos and experts talking about a variety of subjects covered in books that are for sale right there on the shelves.

Some retail sectors are losing the battle, though, as 63 percent of women say they now buy fashion and accessories online and 54 percent prefer to shop online for beauty and cosmetics products.   Even the consumer electronics and tech sectors are not immune, with 59 percent of women saying they now buy those products online.  Ironically, they often go to the brick & mortar stores to see what’s available and get info from the salespeople before they go home and place an order online for a better price and/or free delivery right to their doorstep.

It’s a real battle, but many brick & mortar retailers can shift it in their favor by offering outstanding customer service, a liberal returns policy and lots of interesting and relevant in-store events.  Those things cost money, but I think smart retailers will see it as a smart investment to bring people into the stores and build customer engagement and loyalty.