Clif Bar and PapaJohn's Cut Through Newsroom Clutter and Get On-the-Air – How They Did It

As I was watching the local KABC 6pm news on Monday in Los Angeles, I saw a tease for an upcoming segment on how to recycle your energy bar wrappers. The video used for the tease featured Clif Bars and looked like video from a b-roll package, but was this a b-roll feed or was it “something else?” Either way, I was interested for two reasons: #1 - I am a fanatic about recycling. #2 - Since it's more and more challenging to get a b-roll package on-the-air in a climate increasingly “timid” about using corporate provided video, I was really interested to see how this rather commercial story featuring a brand name caught the eye of KABC.

A quick Google search followed by a couple of short phone calls and I got to the bottom of the story behind the story. The tape piece actually originated at KGO (ABC) San Francisco where it was then picked up for the ABC newsfeed. The in-house Clif Bar P.R. department had released a press release on the story in February of this year and it has been making a significant splash in print and online media. They had persistently pitched the story locally with KGO and then the timing finally clicked. Persistence paid off. This is not uncommon as when I worked as a producer for ABC, that's how things would sometimes happen. A press kit or release might sit on my desk for several months as I liked the pitch well enough to hold onto it, but it wasn’t “breaking news.” Then all of sudden, it would become relevant to what we were doing (or we had a “slow” news day) and the story was alive.

Yes, persistence did pay off for Clif Bar, but if it wasn't a good story, all the persistence in the world wouldn't have motivated KGO to send their camera crew to the Clif Bar offices. (To see the KGO feature click here) So why did this story finally get on the air? Several reasons, first, the locally based company, Clif Bar, went to their hometown station to pitch the story. Network affiliates love local stories and since Clif Bar is based in the Bay Area, this was the first “hit.” Stations are often more apt to feature big companies if they are right in their own backyard. Second, Clif Bar is “the first energy bar to recycle wrappers" and in a rather non-traditional way. This is a winning angle because not only are they “the first,” but they are also on message to something big in the hearts of San Franciscans – recycling. They are, after all, the first city in the country to outlaw “evil” plastic grocery bags. Throw in the local fundraising element that gave the viewers a reason to care and show how you can take one great cause - recycling - and combine it with fundraising for another great cause and it’s great television. What really gave this story "legs" was when it got picked up on the ABC newsfeed so that it was no longer just a local story, but it was strong enough to get on the air in other major markets.

Now, maybe since Michael Phelps was no longer hogging headlines and smashing world records on Tuesday stations had a little extra “time” in their newscast because PapaJohn’s scored one out of the park. Visitors flying into Denver International Airport for the Democratic National Convention have been catching a glimpse of a six-acre crop circle that looks like a pizza, but aliens in a UFO didn't make it. Papa John’s hired "earthworks artist," Stan Herd, to do it. This story was featured on numerous newscasts across the country (click here for Denver’s KUSA feature) including one of my local Los Angeles stations which is how it caught my eye. Again, I thought this story was either a b-roll package or possibly a wire photo release. A quick email to the Papa John’s Director of Public Relations, Tish Muldoon, and I had my answer. She emailed me, “While we had considered producing B-roll of the 100% Whole Wheat pizza crop circle in Denver, we did not. When we sent out the news release, we accompanied it with a still photograph.” This was a great decision and very cost effective considering the amount press this story has received. Go ahead and Google, “Papa John’s Crop Circle,” and you’ll see what a huge success it is. Why did it work? This was a fun and simple story with a great visual – a great kicker piece for most newscasts to use as a reader. It’s whimsical and the timing was great with the DNC that they used as a springboard to launch the story – straight into outer space.

Kudos to Clif Bar and Papa John’s for two great stories that cut through the clutter and made it on-the-air
and in-the-news!

Making YouTube Work for Your P.R. Campaign

The world of broadcast public relations is constantly evolving as new technologies keep exploding onto the scene. From podcasts, webcasts, blogging and social networking devices, the public relations community has been searching for a way to harness the power of the internet.

Many production companies offer to put your VNR, B-Roll package or Generic SMT interview on the Internet video outlets like YouTube and Google, but is this really effective? Do you really think someone's going to watch one of these boring segments and tell there friends, "You gotta see this?!?!?" Not unless you have some VERY unusual and compelling video.

If you're having a hard time thinking outside the box, a picture (or should I say video) is worth a thousand words.

Today, in my inbox, I stumbled across a great YouTube video that was a perfect example on how to make YouTube work for your P.R. campaign. This video has all the right elements: it's funny, it's entertaining, and it says, "You gotta see this!" so you'll tell your friends. What makes this really work is that it's for a non-profit (ahaworks.org - Alliance for Human Action) with a "social" message about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets. You'd think that this might be boring, but not so - especially when you combine creativity with humor. I'm just surprised that it's had only a little over 220,000 views. So take a look at "Help! Cat Music Video (Click Here)"

One final question. So how did this video end up in my inbox? This one came in because I opted in for a newsletter from a vet (Dr. Jon) who answers lots of cat questions. As I happen to be a cat "owner," this is targeted to a specific audience. You'll notice that the link was to the Pet Place website and not YouTube since PetPlace.com embedded the video on their webpage. To really be effective, you'll want to reach websites like Dr. Jon's that target your audience and that will help your message go viral with the website's subscriber base. Then Dr. Jon's subscribers (along with other sites like his) will share the video with their friends and family because it's fun and entertaining. They might even blog about it or embed it on their myspace or facebook page --like I've already done.

So the sky's the limit! Create away! Contact us and we'll help you brainstorm a great idea!

Don't Take NBC Beijing Olympics Coverage for Granted

Late last week (August 6th to be exact), our company received a call from a client to produce a live satellite broadcast from Beijing for the following week with an Olympic Gold Medal winner. In almost any other situation, we can spin on a dime for a newsworthy topic and make that happen -- as long as we're not dealing with a communist country where every satellite transmission is strictly monitored and controlled by the government.

If you missed the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics then you missed part of history. Don't continue to miss history in the making and make sure you tune into to NBC (from the Today Show to nightly coverage of the events). I say this as a television producer who's been in the biz for over twenty years, who's experienced at broadcasting via satellite from remote locations around the world and who visited China earlier this year. I've produced in over twenty-five countries on four different continents during my broadcast career that's included producing an internationally syndicated travel show and daily network television but nothing is more amazing than the coverage we're seeing right now out of China if you have any idea how unusual it is to have the kind of reports we're seeing on the air direct from Beijing. In the U.S., we're long accustomed to freedom of the press but this is unheard of in China -- true journalistic freedom. Seeing Tom Brokaw being interviewed by Matt Lauer in Beijing with Brokaw's candid criticism's of aspects of the Chinese government is simply history in the making -- let's talk journalism in China, shall we?

First, China's sensitivity to journalists is so strong that less than a month before the games began, at least 30 journalists and 50 internet users were being detained in China and any writer, producer, journalist or media professional is discretely advised by certain visa procuring websites to list his or her occupation as a "computer operator" on the China visa application or they could be denied a tourist visa. Since most people in media use computers, this isn't inaccurate.

Second, all of the estimated 25,000 reporters covering the Olympics had to go through an extensive vetting process to get a J-1 or J-2 Journalism visa. Once approved, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) supplied reporters with a 171-page media guidebook, A Service Guide for Foreign Media Coverage of the Beijing Olympic Games, but perhaps journalists would be better equipped for their Beijing assignments by visiting the Reporter's Guide to Covering the Beijing Olympics at Human Rights Watch.

Third, what's it like behind the scenes for journalists covering the Olympics? Well, China's internet police are out in full force despite promises by the Chinese Government to take down the Great "Firewall" of China. More than an estimated 30,000 internet police are employed to censor internet websites and restrict access to "objectionable" sites and it's been very problematic for reporters currently in Beijing. What's objectionable? Anything with personal opinions (like blogs) and any media that may criticize the Chinese government and the biggest taboo word? You guessed it... "T-I-B-E-T." As a matter of fact, our company website is blocked in China because it contains the word "media" so my American friend who lives in Beijing cannot view our website. The day I arrived in Beijing in early May was actually one of the first days the censors unblocked certain websites and allowed access to BBCNews.com and other "controversial" internet news sites. However, according to some recent reports, access has been unpredictable to the BBC website and others - especially those having a non-complimentary story on China.

Finally, here's the thing - in the U.S., we're accustomed to seeing live broadcasts from around the world and it looks so easy. We take it for granted. But just as the Olympic athletes that make swimming, diving, bike racing, and gymnastics look so easy (though it took YEARS of practice for these amazing feats), the transmissions you're seeing out of China look easy, but NBC spent years of planning with the Chinese government for you to see history in the making. Enjoy it!

One very personal note: While I was in China, the Chinese people were so excited and proud to be hosting the Olympics. The public in general loves Westerners and I was often stopped at various locations and asked to be in a photo with them so they could have a photo with a Westerner. I was enchanted with this country and it's people. Americans are often identified overseas with what our government does and so are, most unfortunately, the Chinese. Don't make this mistake.

Photo (above): Russia Today interviewing a man in front of the Water Cube, Beijing, China (Photo credit Sara Pfau.)