PR Kung Fu

04/18/2010

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This blog post is intended for those of you who are teaching marketing or public relations and are looking for a good, end of semester discussion topic. But, everyone else, please read on to the last paragraph.

As you may know a new version of the movie, Karate Kid, is coming out in June.  It stars Jackie Chan, and Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son.)  When you view the trailer for the movie, you will notice that they are not using Karate in this movie, but rather, Kung Fu.

As has been mentioned many times in this blog , one of the best ways for a local business to get media mentions and spread word-of-mouth is to tie its story into a larger event.  To this end I have asked my students to discuss how the Bethlehem Kung Fu Center (you can use a local Kung Fu school if there is one convenient to you) can use the launch of this movie to promote its business.  I remind them to bring in all of the elements of PR and marketing we’ve discussed throughout the semester and to be thorough, be innovative, and be creative in their preparation.

I am also interested in have your thoughts (or your students’ thoughts) on this topic, so please comment on how you think a regional Kung Fu school might capitalize on this movie launch.
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Crises happen. Plan for them.

08/06/2009

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Professional athletes are known for their strong personalities and occasionally risky behavior.  Combine this with all of the media attention that sports stars receive and you’ve got the potential for some great publicity and some serious PR disasters.  It has been my observation that public relations pros roll pretty well with the good news, but tend to get caught short with the bad.  For example, do you think the Atlanta Falcons or the NFL were expecting Michael Vick to arrested for being a part of a dog fighting ring?   Clearly, some football players are going to get caught doing things that are less than positive, but there is no way to have forecasted something like this.

Reflection:

Michael Vick’s case gives us two strong points for reflection.  The first is about creating a crisis communications plan.  Do you suppose the NFL has such a plan in place?  What would the plan look like? Would it allow the NFL and/or a given team to respond to a broad range of potential crises?

The second point is planning for Vick’s reentry into the league.  Since there is a cloud already over his head, the league, the team, and Vick need to have an MPR plan to make his return smooth, productive and profitable.

Professionals, you can use this example as a thought exercise for framing your own crisis and MPR plans. Professors, this is a great discussion starter and the basis for crisis planning and strategic MPR planning exercises.

Links:

Here are some interesting links regarding marketing and the return of Michael Vick.

American Public Media’s Marketplace story Strong PR could help Vick comeback

American Public Media’s Marketplace story Winning is key to Vick's redemption

From David Zinn’s July 31, 2009, article on the Chicago Tribune’s website Michael Vick's return
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