Social-Media-Inspired PR Crises

Are the Social-Media-Inspired PR Crises Starting To Fall Like Domino's? by Catharine P. Taylor , Thursday, April 16, 2009 So, this week, the client in the unfortunate spotlight was Domino's. I probably don't even have to recap this, but, in case you've been spending your time instead watching Susan Boyle sing on "Britain's Got Talent," you must know that two Domino's employees (well, they used to be Domino's employees) uploaded a video of themselves doing disgusting things to the ingredients before putting them in people's food, and this created a crisis for Domino's. (The video is no longer available, incredibly, because one of the perpetrators has made a copyright claim to YouTube. In a world gone mad!) But, hey, clients, it could just as well have been your brand -- as the executives in charge of Motrin and Tropicana well know. (Granted, each of these instances is quite different from the others, but, on some level, a PR crisis is a PR crisis.) I actually don't think it's fair to take Domino's to task too much here for not already monitoring social media channels so it could get more out-in-front of this -- it's still early. When you're deeply involved in this business, it's too easy to remember that others are not. But, my patience on that will soon wear thin. If we're still in the first inning of social media, we're clearly at the bottom of the first, with two men out, runners on first and second, and a hitter who routinely hits into double plays at bat. By the top of the second, it's time to stop having sympathy for companies that have no clue as to what the blog-, Twitter- and YouTube-o-spheres are saying about them, and even less sympathy for companies that don't have any awareness of how to use these channels to their own advantage. Even if social media has unleashed the sometimes ugly, venal side of human nature, the beauty of it is that the tables can be turned, rapidly, by the companies themselves. As a former practitioner of PR, I would have died to have the avenues there are today to put my company's voice out there, unfiltered by the traditional, uncontrollable distribution channel: the media. I bet that when Domino's set up its Twitter account yesterday, someone at company headquarters marveled at how simple it was to do so. (In fact, some news accounts covered Domino's creation of a Twitter account as though it had done something far more involved, like go into the hamburger business.)

Stimulus spending will bring thousands of jobs to region

But economists warn that this massive effort to juice the economy could create a stimulus bubble for the region

Washington Business Journal article here

How to Hire—and Get Hired—in a Recession

The founder of Silicon Alley Reporter and Mahalo.com offers advice to employers trying to make the right hire and candidates struggling to land a job

BusinessWeek article here

AU Abroad Scholarships

Yesterday I served as a judge for the AU Abroad scholarship.  We should all be in the habit of encouraging students going abroad to apply.  For example:  we were judging applications for students going abroad in the fall, and we had enough applicants to pick from.  But in the prior process for students going abroad this summer there literally weren't enough applicants for them to give all the money away. 

The grants are modest but meaningful, ranging from $500 to maybe $2,500.  Any student can apply, including international students.  Success rests largely on your ability to write a nice essay and a good resume.  (Note to advisors: for this scholarship, resumes that highlight campus community involvement are most helpful.)  

Preference factors:

students going abroad for a full year

serious language study while abroad

students in the sciences (or other fields under-represented in study abroad)

challenging locations (e.g. Africa) or programs (e.g. Sciences Po)

students who have never previously studied abroad

What works against you:

being a recipient of another AU-funded scholarship (Presidential, etc.)

The Interview That'll Bag a Job

At an interview, you want to stand out for the right reasons. To do so, you'll need to leave your baggage and anxiety at the door.

Wall Street Journal article here