Tag: Public Relations

Trending from G/L: How can FIFA sponsors weather the storm?

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Trending from G/L: How can FIFA sponsors weather the storm?

Advertising

(UPDATE: Just as we posted this, FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced his resignation. We feel like there’s a good chance some of the head honchos at the top FIFA sponsors might have played a role in it.)

This won’t come as a shock to those who know me well, but I’m a huge sports fan. Especially soccer. When the United States Women’s National Team was in St. Louis in April, my voice was completely gone the following Monday during our G/L status meeting (oops).

My over-the-top fanaticism aside, being a soccer supporter means having to deal with FIFA, the organization that governs the sport, at a worldwide level. Last week, law enforcement agencies in the United States formally accused the organization and members of the top brass of systematic corruption with regards to the lucrative contracts and events that FIFA is in charge of.

While corruption accusations have whirled around FIFA for decades, these latest allegations have gained traction and created public outrage, not just in the United States, but worldwide. And fans are demanding accountability, not just from the organization, but also from the brands that are aligned with it.

This puts multi-national FIFA sponsors like Adidas, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Hyundai and Visa in a precarious spot. Most of the companies tied to FIFA have made statements to the effect of asking the organization to take firm action to address the charges at hand. But that may not be enough, at least in the short term, according to a recent Ad Age article.

A bold move would be for one of the aforementioned brands to consider pulling their sponsorship of FIFA, including marquee events such as the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 edition in Qatar. This would certainly send a strong message globally.

On the other hand, in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, it’s quite possible that they’re just waiting for another worldwide scandal to take hold and relegate the current crisis to a level of lesser importance. The timing of the scandal, along with the reelection (and subsequent resignation) of FIFA president Sepp Blatter created a perfect storm of calamity. But without any new developments, will the story hold the same level of prominence weeks and months from now?

Or is there a cynical hope that, with soccer being the “World’s game,” that supporters will flock to stadiums regardless of who’s in charge and the allegations at hand?

Consumers do seem to care more about where their products come from and the brands they align with stand for than ever before. While the “safe” move might be to issue a statement and stand pat, if the controversy continues to grow, the brands involved may have no chance but to adapt a more substantive approach…or take John Oliver up on his offer:

Crisis Communications almost always doesn’t involve issues that are black and white. When determining the best way to act in a suddenly explosive scenario, what processes does your brand have in place? We’re always happy to chat.

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Writing Style Guide: 10 AP Style Tips You May Not Know

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Writing Style Guide: 10 AP Style Tips You May Not Know

General

Updated May 11, 2015

The AP Stylebook is a writing style guide used when writing for news media outlets. Most people who are familiar with AP Style know the common rules such as which months are abbreviated, how datelines are used and when to spell out numbers. However, AP Style covers a large amount of less known rules to follow. Knowing the style well and using it appropriately will positively impact credibility and utilization of media submissions. Here are 10 underrated tips that will improve your AP style writing:

1. Acronyms

Hint: You shouldn’t find these in parentheses.
When referring to an organization, the acronym does not come in parentheses after the first reference. Acronyms that are easy to recognize can be used on their own after the first reference of the organization’s full name.

Example: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is cracking down on dog fighting with their recent campaign. The ASPCA has created a social campaign with the tag #GetTough to teach people about dog fighting and how to stop it.

2. More than, over

Hint: This is a game of numbers.
Recently, AP Style announced it is acceptable to use over in reference to numbers due to common use, but the preference is more than to be used with greater numerical value, and over to reference spatial elements.

Example: In 2014, unboxing videos grew more than 55 percent from the previous year. In the recent Samsung unboxing advertisement, the actor swings over buildings and cars to show the camera quality of the phone.

3. Trademark Symbols

Hint: Nope. Never. Nada.
Trademarks and other symbols should not be used when writing in AP Style. Removing these symbols makes it easier for reporters to use your press releases.

Example: The phrase “Band-Aid” is a trademarked for the adhesive bandage, owned by Johnson & Johnson and is at risk for losing the trademark due to generalization.

4. Job Titles

Hint: Before is better.
Only capitalize a title used before a person’s name.

Example: DIY Engineer Jason Bell created a human catapult to launch people off of a bridge.

5. Because, since

Hint: Relationships versus time.
Use because when describing a specific cause/effect relationship. Since is acceptable in casual senses in regards to a sequence of events, but that may get confusing, we recommend only using since for time elements.

Example: Toyota is looking for new ways to fuel cars with hydrogen because it is the most abundant element in the universe. Since launching a short video about hydrogen fuel, Toyota has earned many supporters and skeptics.

6. Commas in a sequence

Hint: Leave it out.
The Oxford Comma is commonly misused when writing in AP Style. When writing a list, the comma is NOT included after the conjunction in a series UNLESS it is an integral part of the sequence also includes a conjunction.

Example: Peter Bamforth is making trick shots using Oreos, milk and an abundance of free time. (Free advertising on Oreo’s end. Not too shabby).

7. Farther, further

Hint: Far describes a length.
Farther is a physical distance. Further is an extension of time or degree

Example: Dozens of people are taking a leap off of the second tallest residential building in the world, farther than 1,000 feet in the air.

8. Entitled, titled

Hint: Magazines don’t have rights.
To be entitled is to have a right. A movie, book, magazine, etc. is titled.

Example: One of Netflix’s newest series titled “Daredevil” had approximately 4.4 million views of at least one episode in the first 11 days after its release.

Tip within a tip: Magazine and newspaper titles aren’t italicized, just capitalized. Composition titles such as books, video games, films, TV shows, works of art, etc. use quotation marks.

9. “S” or no “S”

Hint: And none for Gretchen Weiners.
The proper AP Style use is toward, backward, upward, forward, downward, etc. without an “s”.

Example: Moving forward, brands can buy ads from both Google and Twitter together.

10. That, which

Hint: It’s “that” much more important.
That and which can be used in reference to inanimate objects or animals without names. That gets used when it is important to the meaning of the sentence. Use which where the pronoun isn’t necessary (and use commas).

Example: The 90-year-old tortoise that lost two of her legs could still beat the hare with her new wheels.

The AP Style guidelines change frequently; every point is re-evaluated every year for relevance. See more about the process behind the AP Stylebook in this video.

Follow AP Stylebook on Twitter to see constant updates of rules you should know and tweets with information on how to write about current events. Here are a few recent examples:

Screen Shot 2015-05-01 at 2.37.43 PM

Want to talk more about writing for media? Fill out the form below or email us at [email protected] and we will lend our time to discuss your writing and media needs.

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Can You Afford Not to Have a Crisis Management Plan?

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

Can You Afford Not to Have a Crisis Management Plan?

Branding

Crisis Management Plan

Property insurance, product liability insurance, business interruption insurance… you probably have policies in place to help with those risks, but what about protecting your brand during and after a crisis?

A crisis is defined as a time of intense trouble or difficulty. Every company can have a crisis any day of the week, no matter its size or industry. In other words, bad stuff happens in a blink of an eye.

Internal operations related to product recall or plant injuries can cause a crisis. So can external factors such as misinformation being distributed about your company or a disruption caused by a natural disaster.

How you handle a crisis or emergency will define your brand for a very long time.

Rumors, customer requests, social and traditional media reports… they come so rapidly that it can be overwhelming.

Are you prepared? How will you respond? What kind of actions will you need to take? How do you fight back when inaccuracies are being reported? Who do you talk to first? And who does the talking? How much do you tell the media and when? It seems like so much to think about when you’re in the line of fire – but you can do most of this critical thinking ahead of time to be most efficient in a crisis.

Manage and Communicate

Some PR firms call for a crisis communication plan, but it is really a crisis management plan. It is not only about communication but also about prevention, strategic planning, evaluation, honesty, media, etc.

Every moment that is wasted will have far-reaching implications as judgments about your brand, organization and leadership are made without your comments or actions. And yet, the absolute worst thing you can do is to respond without thinking through the consequences.

With so much at stake with your employees, your customers and the public, can you afford not to have a plan of action?

You need a plan to relay accurate information, relieve tensions and direct activities that can mitigate damages and continue or restore business operations.

Whether you are writing a crisis management plan internally from scratch or evaluating a current crisis communications plan already in tact, be sure you are committing the appropriate time and resources necessary. Your plan should be honest and realistic. Establish weaknesses or potential pitfalls ahead of time. It will be much easier to deal with address troublesome issues and critics if you are prepared for and acknowledge the worst scenarios.

We can help.

Geile/Leon’s experienced PR team helps companies to design and executive crisis management plans, and can answer additional questions that you have. The best defense for any crisis is to have a plan that hopefully you will never need. If and when you do, it will be invaluable.

Download our crisis management plan checklist to evaluate your current plan or to assist you in building a new one. Building or improving a plan takes time and resources, allow us to help. Let’s talk about your potential risks and crises scenarios and build your plan now to save you time and resources later.

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The Adventures of KL

Geile/Leon Marketing Communications

The Adventures of KL

G/L Culture

You don’t have to spend much time around the G/L office to realize that Kathy “KL” Leonard is one of the most colorful characters here. Our VP of Public Relations is known for her peppy attitude and borderline obsession with the game of golf. “If it is above 50 and dry, I am probably on the golf course – both days of the weekend.” We are used to hearing about her awesome golf weekends and vacations – she is one of the few people that we know who has played Pebble Beach in California not once, but twice. (more…)

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