Ten Media Myths That Can Get You Into Trouble

After having a hand in coordinating more than 1,000 media interviews over the past three decades, the president of Kevin/Ross Public Relations has developed what he calls his “ten media myths that can get you into trouble.” “Cooperating with the media and working with reporters to help get a story told is one of the most important things any company can do,” says agency President Ross Goldberg. “Still, there continues to exist many myths regarding how to foster this relationship and what you can and can’t expect when the cameras are rolling. ”Despite the changes in media outlets – the decline of newspapers and the rise of online being most prevalent – Goldberg says that the fundamentals are still the same. “When I played baseball we used wooden bats, and today they use aluminum; but you still have to hit the ball,” he says. “So, too, the media outlets may have changed; but what makes a good story and how to handle yourself during an interview is the same today as it was years ago.” Here are the ten myths concerning the media that Goldberg believes companies must shatter if they are to be successful when being interviewed: 1. The reporter is my friend. A reporter has a job to do – to report. If the reporter was favorable in the past, that doesn’t make him/ her a friend or guarantee a positive story. Their jobs come first … just as yours should. 2. The media is out to get me. Occasionally yes, but usually no. What most reporters and editors want is simply a good story. If you bring a confrontational or negative attitude to the interview, it will have a harmful impact on the story. Better to be upbeat, positive and courteous. 3. We can talk off the record. “Off the record” – just like the words “no comment” – should be stricken from your vocabulary. 4. It is best to just not tell. Hiding information jeopardizes a professional relationship and can destroy trust not only with the media but with your customers and employees. Today’s world demands and expects transparency. 5. I have to give another (better) answer. A reporter might come back to a sensitive topic several times; you should not feel the need to come up with a “better” answer. If you’ve made your point in a concise and understandable way, stick to your original response and then stop talking! The more you talk the better the chances that you will say something you didn’t want to say in the first place. 6. I can’t have notes in front of me. Of course you can. The reporter will. Besides, having notes with facts, examples, anecdotes or supporting background materials will help make your comments more robust and authoritative. That will lead to a better story that benefits everyone. 7. Body language only matters if I’m being interviewed on TV. Print and online reporters quickly pick up on nervousness or any signs that indicate you may be holding back or equivocating. Look the reporter in the eye, smile and keep your energy level high. Don’t underestimate the power of facial gestures, a confident nod of the head and other non-verbal kinds of communications. 8. I have to answer every question. Only you retain the ultimate right to what you do and don’t say. Remember, first amendment rights work both ways – the reporter is free to ask, and you are free not to answer. If you don’t like a question, redirect it so you make sure to get your points across. 9. If a reporter comes up with a fact, it must be right. If you don’t think it’s correct, don’t accept it. Reporters can’t possibly know all the facts and more often than not you are the expert. It is OK to challenge false or unsupported information, but as Ben Franklin said, “Don’t get into an argument with someone who buys ink by the barrel.” 10. Once a notebook is closed, the interview is over. It’s never over until the reporter is out of the building … out of hearing range … and out of sight. “Ideally anyone speaking with media on your company’s behalf should attend a practical media training program where they can learn and start to perfect their interview skills,” says Goldberg. “Shattering these ten myths is a good place to start and will provide solid footing for establishing the kind of media program that will serve you well.”

Re-Branding Barbie

In what Mattel, the toy company is describing as its most comprehensive and cohesive global marketing strategy, the Barbie brand is being redefined. "It's very much about unveiling the next chapter for Barbie and celebrating the future," says Reidin Goode, senior marketing manager for Mattel Canada's girls division. "It's an extension of the brand into lifestyle categories." As Barbie turns 50, Mattel Inc. is unveiling its most comprehensive and cohesive global marketing strategy, redefining the Barbie brand. While Mattel cites the statistic that a Barbie doll is sold every three seconds somewhere in the world, and while the doll evokes images of 8-year-old girls dressing their Barbies, Mattel is on the verge of launching initiatives that will target women from 18 to 65 in hopes to lure an adult demographic. Town Shoes will introduce Barbie Shoes — in real-life sizes. The three shoe styles — Barbie pump, party and platform — will feature pink soles adorned with a sketch of Barbie's face. The d'Orsay party shoe has a pleated satin heel, while the stiletto pump comes in fuchsia, black patent and a zebra print that echoes Barbie's original 1959 black-and-white striped bathing attire. The target market: generations of women who grew up with Barbie, spending myriad hours slipping her teeny, tiny doll feet into those itty, bitty shoes. Other Barbie partners include Cake Beauty, the Canadian bath-and-body product maker. The company is launching a line with a vintage look at Sephora shops across the country, from Gotta Hand It to Her hand cream to Sugar Coated, a brown sugar scrub. Mattel's Ms. Goode says the fashion and beauty extensions are logical and legitimate, "The Barbie business in many ways mirrors the fashion industry, and we know that Barbie affects three generations — women as old as baby boomers and as young as 10. We wanted to leverage that." Mattel believes, Ms. Goode says, that if Mom is accepting of the brand at age 40 or 45, and she purchases some of the new branded products, and the brand is still seen as relevant and cool to the kids, it will be a win all around. It’s a risky experiment that will create cultural noise, but the segment of the targeting audience may be small and fickle.

Branding Your Product

In the early 20th century, companies like Ford and General Motors relied on sales people to create demand for their products and services. But in the 1950s and 1960s, companies like Procter and Gamble invented marketing, which used mass communications to differentiate products and services. A key component of any marketing program was the brand. A brand was loosely defined as the “position” a product or service held in the consumer’s mind. But over the past several years, that definition has died. It has been replaced by the concept that a brand is not what people think about your product or service, but how people experience your product or service. For example, Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee. They sell the entire coffee experience, starting with the first subconscious inkling that it might be time for a cup of coffee and continuing through the entire purchase and post-purchase process. It doesn’t matter what you have to say, to sell or to give away, it’s about what customers want and how they Feel about you. You can’t compete anymore on product innovation, geographical advantage, protective regulation, patenting, etc. Many of these previous bases for competition—such as geographical advantage or protective regulation—have been eroded by globalization; proprietary technologies are rapidly copied, and breakthrough innovations in products or services are increasingly difficult to achieve. Many companies today offer similar products and use similar technology. Only your emotional connection to people, will differentiate your company and its product, lubricate your marketing channel, ignite the conversation engine in social media, and call to your door ready-to-try-or-buy prospects. Customer experience is about orchestrating memorable experiences for the customer; and it’s the memory of these unique experiences that becomes the product or service you are selling. In the experience economy, Customer is the product. Of critical importance is the takeaway feeling your customer has about you or your product. The memory of this feeling creates you and your business at the same time it creates the Customer. Remember, in the experience economy, people are not buying a product…they are buying an experience, an experience they won’t forget. Once you get in the mind of your customer, your loyalty program goes on autopilot.