Taking a Look Back at PR in 2010 - The Good, Bad & Ugly

It can take a few days to really understand and reflect on all the great PR stories of 2010. Some of these stories have down right changed the way PR professionals do our job. Communicating with the media has fundamentally changed in the way in which we pitch news stories. Not to mention, in some cases a PR story can go directly into the hands of the consumer without being seen on the 5 p.m. news.
In all, five PR stories stand out in my mind from 2010:

The Good.
1. Shoutout to Facebook. Here's what happens when a great product gets a good solid PR plan in place. Not only does your product hit 500 million users (likely the most cited/well-known statistic of 2010), but your founder and CEO becomes Time Magazine's "Person of the Year."

2. Oh when the Saints go marching in. Big congratulations to the Saints and their management on a successful run at the Super Bowl in early 2010. The spirit of New Orleans and their team was shown to the world through a 90-minute football game. The positive media coverage almost surpassed the number mentions of Hurricane Katrina.
The Bad.
3. Cecil says show me the $$! It was rather difficult, as a college football fan, to watch an extremely talented player endure the onslaught of media coverage following the news that his father put him up for sale. Heisman trophy winner, for at least the next few months, Cam Newton could be one of the best college players of all-time, but his name will always be followed with "whose Dad wanted $120k for his son to play football." Cam will need his own PR team ahead of the NFL draft to do some much needed image repair. To credit Auburn University though, they did a pretty good job of keeping the media straight that Cam was "not involved."

The Ugly.
4. Tiger Woods fails on the golf course and in the press conference. I followed this story from wrecked Cadillac Escalade to Elin's tell all in People Magazine. I won't deny it; I spent 2010 transfixed on this story. Admittedly, I was fascinated with how such a well disciplined golf player could let their personal slice into pieces. Then again, Tiger may fit the profile of a socio-path. At the end of the day, we learned that while your client may think silence and being nonresponsive to the media will make it "go away," in the world of a 24/7 news cycle it most certainly will not!

5. BP oil spill. Not only did 11 people loose their lives, a fact that many failed to report, but BP never gained control of the story. They refused to use social media until @BPOilSpill was finished ruining their brand on Twitter. For any company with a crisis communication plan, please be sure that social media is a part of it NOW!

"The Social Network" Changes Lives

I just committed the ultimate Louisiana sin. I intentionally missed New Orleans Saints game and escorted myself to the local movie theatre to see the latest movie craze "The Social Network!"

"The Social Network" traces the history of everyone's favorite website Facebook.com. It details the turbulent start up of the now emphasis website that has changed the way we communicate forever. One could spend an entire post outlining what happened in the movie, more importantly is the reaction I had to the number 1 movie of the weekend.

In one word, INSPIRED. Not inspired that I may beat Mark Zucherburg to being the youngest billionare ever (I have two years left), but convinced that great are started around the world everyday. We are all one day away from the biggest idea, moment and action of our lives. Hardwork, late nights and determination will get you across the finish line.

In another sense the movie reaffirmed my belief that Facebook.com is here to stay. Just as the telephone helped change the use of letter-writing, 500 million users from around the country now use Facebook.com more and longer than any other site on the internet. Every business has a place on Facebook. 8 out of 10 a member of your target audience is on Facebook. Now how you find them, talk with them and build a relationship is the another piece of the pie.

Have you seen "The Social Network?" What are your thoughts on the movie?