Nearly 5,000 articles on the net dedicated to David Letterman

Anyone who doubts whether what you do, what you say or what others say about you doesn't impact your reputation should key in "David Letterman" on google news. Married TV show host Letterman is the big news story of the weekend after confessing live on air that he had been blackmailed for US$2m for having affairs with women who work on his show.


Nearly 5,000 articles can be found on the net from various media outlets and blogs commenting on his live confession, which involved him saying he did "creepy things" with employees. Will it kill his multi-million career that spans 20 plus years? Will the man who routinely jokes about everyone else's private lives, especially politicians who have done similar things, lose his job, his career and his family? Is his credibility ruined? Has he become the joke? Is his reputation in shatters?


Unless more revelations come out about the said "creepy things" he did, and they are truly apalling, I think Letterman will be okay. Letterman is a comedic talk show host, not a politician. He interviews celebrities, sports heroes and even politicians about their lives. While at the same time keeping his life extremely private. And because he is not known as a fabulously squeaky clean family man he will largely avoid being pillorised for double standards. Yes. Many people will find him a turn-off now, especially women. But his ratings will probably soar in the coming weeks as people turn on to his show to find out what he will say/do next. Even in highly conservative America.

A good local example of PR

My favourite restaurant on Lamma Island, The Waterfront, had a kitchen fire a couple of months ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt but they had to close down the kitchen for a while. Meantime, they tried to keep business going by grilling steaks and salmon using an outdoor barbecue unit. This helped keep the interest of some of their loyal customers but about 75% of their diners disappeared.

They recently installed a new kitchen but diners did not return.

So last wednesday they decided to do something different to entice diners back. They had a curry night.They promoted the event on the island community blog http://www.lamma.com.hk/ and through word of mouth. Subsequently the restaurant was jam-packed on Wednesday. On the night, the owners also revealed that they were revamping their menu including introducing a regular bbq night on Monday's. And the owner, who we rarely saw before, came to each table and personally thanked everyone for coming back to the restaurant.

The Waterfront Restaurant through PR got their customers back. In simple terms, they had a crisis. They averted this crisis by making changes, they researched what customers wanted and delivered it. They then used the local online media tool read by their target audience to promote their new offering and thank their loyal customers. And then the owner engaged positively face-to-face with his audience on the night.

The food was delicious too.

WTF is Twitter and why should I care?

A really good presentation on Twitter for those who want to know more. That said, use Twitter carefully as a social marketing tool and make sure your target audience use it too before you embark on a campaign. Manage your reputation by keeping an eye on what is being said about your company on Twitter too..

WTF is Twitter and why should I care?

View more presentations from 3w pr .

Why reputation matters

A couple of stories that really show that reputation does matter.

First up is the adorable rogue, Gordon Ramsay. I can't believe I'm mentioning him twice in my blog. But here goes.

He's been up to no good again. Upsetting TV presenters and the prime minister of Australia. But worst of all, he upset his mum! Actually the mum part possibly helped to save his backside. He was perceived so rude and offensive to a favourite Australian TV presenter that the country's prime minister waded into the argument causing bad press worldwide for Ramsay.

Perhaps his type of sense of humour doesn't work in Australia, or he hadn't realised just how fiesty Australian women are. But either way he should have thoroughly checked their culture before he started using his style of "charm" on the Australians. With his reputation at risk, he needed to apologise. And quickly. And so he said sorry. On Australian TV. It was the best thing to do. We'll soon see whether this recent episode affects sales of his books, TV series or restaurant attendence.

The second story is about the expenses crisis happening in the UK. The story below is from the CIPR's PR Voice blog - http://http://prvoice.typepad.com/. It's written by Kevin Taylor, CIPR President.

"The crisis caused by the exposure of the expenses of many MPs threatens more than just the political future of some of those individuals whose claims were highlighted and criticised.

Because if anybody ever doubted the importance of reputation, the current crisis is evidence of just what can happen when reputations are destroyed.

It is worth stating again that whether you are talking about an organisation or an individual, reputation is largely determined by three factors: what you say, what you do, and what others say about you. I’m afraid that – at different times in this crisis – various MPs and their representatives have failed on all three counts.

And where we stand now, is that the reputational damage is so great – it threatens Parliament itself. The collapse in voter confidence could very well see even lower voter turn outs in the next round of elections, which in turn could favour minority and extremist parties.

And it is hard to see where all this is currently heading. Until you go back to those factors that affect reputation and look closely at the first two – what you say and what you do. Parliament – not one party or another but the institution itself – needs now to be seen to be putting its House in order, it needs, more than ever before, to communicate clearly what it is doing, and some individuals need to either explain, apologise, or stand down – in some cases all three.

The media has played a crucial role in exposing some of the worst excesses; and – when the right actions are being taken – can also play a role in helping to rebuild confidence. I do worry, however, that the media opinion will likely divide into party political lines and that’s one reason why I feel that the organisation leading change needs to be seen to be Parliament and not necessarily Government.

There is an opportunity for party heads to show leadership, but Parliament needs to unite around a series of changes and measures that have all-party support. The issues at stake here are, I feel, too big for party point scoring."

Good quote from Amazon

"A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well."
- Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

Jackie Chan is having a very bad day

Recently Jackie Chan has been trying to get away from his comedic roles and get into more serious edgy films. Perhaps that's why he decided to be controverisal last week when speaking at a the Boao Forum on Hainan Island:

"I don't know whether it is better to have freedom or to have no freedom. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now... it can get very chaotic (and) could end up like in Taiwan.. We Chinese need to be controlled."

Not only did this comment offend the Taiwanese, he also offended the Chinese and the people of Hong Kong. And possibly ruined his career in this side of the world.

His reputation has taken a battering and the people and the media have been mauling him across Asia for the past week. And by looking at today's online stories, it looks like there is no sign of the negative publicity easing off.

In the past week the Hong Kong Apple Daily has called on him to apologise and the Hong Kong Tourism Board has been plagued with calls from the public asking him to step down as their ambassador. The People's Daily has criticised him and over 12,000 people on Facebook have joined a group to (jokingly) send Jackie Chan to North Korea. The story hit the New York Times on Thursday showing how quickly a local story can become global.

It will be interesting to see how he recovers from this amazing faux pas and how he will build up his reputation again.

Sorry isn't the hardest word

Elton John once sang "Sorry seems to be the hardest word". It might be the "hardest word" but in some cases, such as in business, it's best to say it. If you want to manage your reputation after a negative incident, the best route is to regret what you've done, and then tell your stakeholders how you plan to resolve the issue.

In today's South China Morning Post there were two articles about regret and remedy that attracted my attention and highlighted how apologising and being honest can kill a story.

The first article I read was about the Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo admitting that he was the father of a child conceived while he was still a Catholic bishop. Journalists who were probably ready to go for the President's jugular were shocked when the President admitted that he had in fact fathered the child. They were probably stunned even further when he assumed all responsibilities and recognised the paternity of the child. This, I believe, was the right way to handle the situation. His credibility is still tainted but by being honest he has escaped complete ruin and a mauling by the media.

The other story was about Amazon apologising for a 'glitch' that caused sales rankings on gay-themed books to disappear. A spokesperson for the company apologised for the issue, said it was an "embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloguing error" and that they had fixed the problem and intended to implement new measures to make sure it didn't happen again.

Media interest should subside in both of these cases because the President/Amazon admitted their mistakes, regretted the situation and said that they would take full responsibility for resolving it and making sure it won't happen again.

Portraying a positive image

I love seeing pictures of Obama smiling. The feeling I get from him is that everything is going to be okay. His positivity is totally infectious as you can see from the shot above. His reputation around the world is getting stronger and stronger and his million watt smile is exactly what is needed during these tough times. Many business leaders in Hong Kong, and beyond, could learn a lot from Obama.

Remaining positive, hopeful and professional combined with sustained marketing and PR will help to see you through these tough times.

Using the internet to promote your products & manage your reputation

Consumers and businesses' buying behaviour is changing as many countries enter into recession. Buyers are increasingly using the internet to research a product or service before they buy it. They want to make sure that they are buying a quality product or service that will last a long time. And they are being heavily influenced about what others are saying. Word of mouth or WOM is king in the current times.

To support this, a recent survey by Synovate in conjunction with Microsoft Advertising, found that consumers rely on the internet for researching what to buy with 55% referring to the internet before making a purchase.

So it is important that you integrate the internet into any PR and marketing plans.

What's more, you can manage your company's reputation by keeping an eye on what consumers are saying about your company and then tackling any negative coverage. If lots of consumers are saying your company's customer service is bad because no one returns calls. Then do something to improve your customer service response timelines then promote the new and improved service. If a journalist criticises your products then make the appropriate alterations and call him up to invite him to your factory, for example, to see the great changes you have made.

What's great about the internet is that you get the chance to see what people are saying about you. It is open. You can either view this is a challenge or an opportunity. But it is better to know what is being said, and tackling it, rather than putting your head in the sand and ignoring it altogether.

Celebrities - tips on how to use them to boost your media coverage

Using celebrities to front your PR and marketing campaigns can increase your media coverage immensely and can get you into the leading newspapers, websites, radio and even on TV. But there can be some pitfalls. This article explains the great benefits. What can happen when things go wrong. And also what to look out for when hiring a celebrity.

One of the best and most professional people I've worked was Gordon Ramsay. He was incredibly professional and enthusiastic about the job we hired him for. He used our key messages in the interviews we set up for him, he worked overtime to do an interview for Channel 4 news and he had everyone who worked with him eating out of his hand because of his graciousness. And he got us hundreds of positive articles in the media all over the UK. He was well worth the money that we invested in him to boost our brand and campaign.

But hiring celebrities does not always give you positive results. You have to be very careful when choosing the right one. Celebrities who are late, demanding, go off message and generally upset your company can cause incredible damage to your and your company's reputation. This damage can take a long time to resolve. So it's important to try and prevent a huge mistake before it happens.

Would I hire Gordon Ramsay today? Probably not. His brand is currently generating a lot of negative media. So he would not be the ideal person to front a campaign. He would become the story, rather than the product. (I strongly believe that Gordon Ramsay will be able to rebuild his reputation over time. This is because his brand does not involve him being a "good boy" so it will be much easier for him to make a comeback.)

So my top tips for using celebrities for campaigns include:

1. Does the celebrity fit the campaign e.g. use a celebrity chef to front a food campaign.


2. Is his/her reputation currently good? Make sure you do your research on the celebrity.


3. Is he/she relevant in the current market.


4. Do your target audiences like this person? Would they buy something from them? Is he an opinion leader?


5. Produce a contract with the celebrity's agent detailing exactly what you expect the celebrity to do and for how long. Make sure that the agent is clear that you will expect something in return if the celebrity does not complete his contract.


6. Brief the celebrity on exactly what you need them to say and do. Ensure they understand your key messages. Continue to monitor the situation throughout the contract period.

Remember you are hiring them to do a job so you need to ensure that they boost your company's reputation not hurt it.

Reputation – can take years to build, minutes to destroy

First and foremost, a company must tell the truth. One of the key principles of a good PR practitioner (and company) is for them to be honest with their stakeholders – from their employees to their clients. It’s important to check the reliability and accuracy of information before you send it out. And never knowingly mislead clients, employers, employees, colleagues and fellow professionals.

I go to painstaking lengths to ensure that my communications do not mislead. I have strongly opposed the writing of letters to newspapers or issuing statements that I believe to be unethical. Okay, this has not always gone down well BUT a company’s reputation is the most valuable aspect it has (next to its employees) so it is vital that it is well managed. You must also try to stand by your beliefs as the impact to both you and your business can be catastrophical.

A business or individual can spend years and years working hard to build up positive relationships with its stakeholders but all this time and effort could be destroyed in just a few minutes of bad judgment. So it is important for you to ensure that everyone in your company understands that you will not willingly use data which could challenge the company’s integrity, not to mention your own.

The PR industry has had its ups and downs and its reputation has been called into question many times, mostly due to journalists being fed misleading stories, untruths, unreliable sources and so on. PR practitioners also have a responsibility to ensure that the industry is respected. Otherwise we too can destroy the whole industry’s reputation in just a few minutes.