ICBC booths

Long-time Intel spokesman linking up with AM:PM PR

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As winter begins and the New Year approaches, 2013 is looking like Spring to us. Our new offices are under construction. New clients are coming aboard. And today we confirmed that one of Oregon’s most respected and visible communications professionals plans to affiliate with us early next year.

In an email to his Intel colleagues and friends, Bill MacKenzie, a long-time Intel spokesman announced today that after 15 years as spokesman for Intel in Oregon, the state’s largest private employer, he’ll soon launch his “post-Intel life.”

Before starting his high-visibility job at Intel, Bill spent a decade as a business and politics reporter at The Oregonian. He also held senior positions on the staff of a subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Department of Commerce, including service as a foreign affairs officer working with the Department of State on treaty negotiations.

In announcing his future plans, Bill told friends he plans a short break before starting part-time work over the next year for the Encore Fellowship Program and Social Venture Partners Portland. He also plans some non-fiction writing, including journalism.

But what we liked best was reading this: “I’ll also be affiliating with Portland PR firm AM:PM PR to offer PR services such as corporate communications, crisis communications and media relations training.”

We couldn’t be more excited. Allison and I worked with Bill and his team at Intel more than a decade ago, helping with communications about one of Intel’s multi-billion dollar investment announcements. We also facilitated Intel’s former Community Advisory Panel, part of the company’s communications with its neighbors.

He’s been a good friend and a helpful professional colleague ever since.

In his email, Bill reflected on his time at Intel: “I’m proud to have played a part in handling hundreds of critical business issues with the media and in helping to secure public support for $37.5 billion of Strategic Investment Program Agreements that have facilitated billions of dollars of Intel investments in Oregon and generated thousands of high-skill, family-wage jobs. I’m also proud that Intel has consistently been voted Oregon’s most admired tech company and one of the most admired companies across all industries during my tenure.”

Intel has reason to be proud of the contribution Bill has made to Intel’s success in Oregon, and we’re pleased he thinks enough of us to link up with us.

While it seems like Spring to us, Bill is waiting for the real thing before setting off for a long-planned lark: “On May 9, 2013, I’ll embark on a bicycle trip from the edge of the Pacific Ocean to Boston, long an adventure on my bucket list.”

Bill has many more adventures in him, and we look forward to sharing some with him at AM:PM PR.

Oregon Manufacturing Industry

Canny Tax Policy Works

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Oregon has maintained its stake in the competitive manufacturing sector over the past two decades by a canny approach to tax policy.

Governor Kitzhaber’s proposal this week to create a tax policy guarantee for large manufacturers, such as Nike, is the latest in a line of proposals dating back to 1984 when Oregon lawmakers repealed the state’s worldwide unitary tax.

The circumstances through the years have been the same – state leaders needed effective ideas Oregon could afford to attract or retain major employers. Clever tax policy did the trick.

nike logo
The 1984 repeal of the unitary tax occurred during an economic downturn and threats by Japanese and other foreign companies to blacklist Oregon. Repeal of the unitary tax wound up causing only a minor tax revenue drop, but served as a red carpet to companies such as NEC and Epson that responded by quickly building manufacturing plants in Oregon.

In the early 2000s, manufacturers with large physical footprints and lots of employees in Oregon complained that the state’s apportionment formula to determine tax liability penalized them. The three-factor formula weighed property value, employees and in-state sales equally.

Lawmakers recognized the tax disincentive for companies such as Intel and Precision Castparts to keep investing here and adding jobs. They modified the apportionment formula to give double weight to in-state sales.

Under continuing pressure from the manufacturing sector, lawmakers agreed to phase out the three-factor formula and replace it with an apportionment scheme that just considered in-state sales.

That change eliminated the penalty manufacturers felt when they expanded their operations and hired more workers. It undoubtedly reduced state corporate tax bills, but the addition of more, often higher-paid workers increased personal income tax collections. On balance, the state achieved a net positive.

Local communities also benefitted from higher industrial property valuations that helped pay for schools and firehouses and new residents who bought or built homes and shopped in local stores.

Kitzhaber’s latest idea basically enshrines the latest good idea for manufacturers who promise to make sizable investments and create jobs. It doesn’t cost anything, but it will reap dividends by once again helping Oregon stand apart from the crowd – and eager industrial recruiters from California, Arizona and Colorado and cities such as Austin and Raleigh-Durham.

Some may question Kitzhaber’s haste in summoning lawmakers to pass tax legislation undeniably intended to entice Nike to stay and expand. But it’s no different than Governor Vic Atiyeh who summoned a small group including us 20 years ago to count votes on repeal of the unitary tax.

Oregon’s sizable, productive and diverse manufacturing sector is the evidence of a smart, cost-effective strategy that still works.

New MySpace steps onto the field

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by Cam Clark

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, MySpace has been reborn, and I have taken a plunge into the new world. Under the ownership of a seemingly endlessly talented Justin Timbmerlake, this is a whole new beast.

The first thing you notice about the new MySpace, especially if you had an account on the old MySpace, is that it’s beautiful. It’s very visual, with lots of context-based menuing. Although it was disorienting at first, the side scrolling has quickly grown on me.

new myspaceIt is also very apparent that the site is now focused solely on music. Every piece of the site appears to be wrapped around the idea of listening, sharing, and exploring music. With access to what seems to be a massive collection, you can quickly immerse yourself.

MySpace is not without its issues though. The icon showing who you’re connected to, although simple, looks like a master card logo, and it is not instantly clear how to use it. Also, what do the different states of the icon mean? It’s not always obvious how certain layers of the site are opened and closed. There is also a stark lack of intuitive linking; I find myself trying to click on things that don’t have links, especially in the “Discovery” area.

From a competition standpoint, I wonder what Facebook thinks of MySpace’s re-entry into the social scene. After spending some time with the site, I realized that it isn’t so much Facebook that should be paying attention to this brand resurrection as Spotify, Pandora, and potentially iTunes.

I can easily see teens and 20-somethings taking to a platform like this, especially those who really enjoy exploring and sharing music. The big question, since currently there are no ads or subscription fees, is, “Where will the money come from?” Once MySpace starts generating income, how will that translate into compensation for the artists? And without any obvious features to best the dominant music players in the industry, how will MySpace compete?

Getting to play with the new MySpace has really created more questions for me than have been answered. At the same time, it’s fun to see a great player come out of retirement, and it will be fun to watch MySpace step out onto the field again. Whether or not the company hits it out of the park this time around is another question entirely.

Don't bury your head in the sand. Be prepared for any scenario.

How To Deal With Bad PR

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– AM:PM PR Guest Post

Sometimes things don’t always go to plan though and you get media attention for all the wrong reasons. Here’s how To deal with bad PR.

I have worked for a number of companies that have been very high profile for all the wrong reasons. The worst thing you can do when things go wrong is bury your head in the sand. Also, responding to a question with: “no comment!” makes you sound guilty straight away.

You need to be prepared. Develop a crisis/issues management plan. Think through every possible scenario and develop specific plans, messages and protocols for each. Doing this will make you feel a little more confident when a crisis does happen at 4pm on a Friday and media start calling asking for statements ASAP.

Include protocols for responding to media requests in your plan. Whoever takes calls from reporters should be writing down all the questions so the communications team can craft solid responses.

Often reporters will accept responses/statements via email. If they do, this is the way to go. It eliminates risks of saying too much. If you are asked to call the journalist back then, unless you know the journalist well, don’t go off on a tangent in your discussion. Keep it to the agreed points and don’t add any personal comment or feelings. The old adage about, “nothing being off the record” is very true.

A few more tips when preparing for the worst:

am:pm pr tips

        1. Be truthful and hold your hands up if it is an obvious mistake.
        2. Don’t try and cover things up un-necessarily
        3. Remain calm and definitely don’t get angry
        4. Make statements clear and short
        5. When all has settled down, ask for feedback from the media

 

In Portland, even the libraries are hipsters

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library app screenshotby Erin McCormick

We love our libraries in Portland. If they were people, we’d totally make out with them. Hard. Even if we were stone sober.

We love our libraries so much that, as taxpayers, we recently voted ourselves a hefty hike to make sure that they are properly funded and able to serve the public good in the fashion to which we’ve become accustomed.

Friends often marvel when I tell them that I don’t have Netflix, and that I instead get almost all of my DVDs from the library. The ones I can’t find there, I rent from Videorama. This might make me a dinosaur in a world where streaming video has become the new norm, but given how much I still spend on music and seeing movies in theaters, I find it prudent to save money where I can. Besides, I still like the act of browsing for videos, like we used to do in the old days.

Just because I don’t have Netflix, it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy modern conveniences. I own an iPhone, and the Multnomah County Library has wisely created its own app for those of us who like to request movies on the go. It’s not the prettiest interface I’ve ever used, but it gets the job done. You can search the catalog for books, movies, music, etc.; place items on hold; check your account; get library locations and hours; and provide suggestions to the library directly through the app.

 

Michael K. Williams

You can get “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Wire” and, presumably, other fine shows and movies featuring the acting talents of Michael K. Williams at your local branch of the Multnomah County Library.

The app is just one way that the library is attempting to keep pace with a city known for being on the forefront of technology. You might not be aware, but you can download one song per week through the library if you have a library card. The library also offers a selection of E-books, if that’s your preferred format of consumption. Finally, the library is constantly conducting surveys to find out what its users want, how they consume and how the library can best serve their needs.

Librarians get a bum rap. They’re often portrayed as stodgy killjoys. But in my interactions with the Multnomah County Library staff both in person and on Twitter, they’re good people who are doing so many of the right things we advise of our business clients here at AM:PM PR. They’re listening, learning, and responding to the changing needs of their audience.

If you’re still not intrigued by the prospect of taking advantage of your local library, look at it this way. You’re taxes are going up regardless. You might as well make the most of one of our community’s best resources. If not, that just means I have to wait a little less time for season two of “Boardwalk Empire.” Suckers.

YouTube video sums up election season burn out with child’s wisdom

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Four-year-old Abigael tearfully expressed the impatience of a nation exhausted by this year’s campaign in a YouTube video that has generated more than 12 million hits in the last week. Abi, we feel your pain.

Election Day 2012 feels less hopeful, less energized than 2008.

We’ll know when votes are counted this evening whether the President is reelected. Final polls suggest he will be. The response is likely to look muted compared to Election Night four years ago.

In Oregon, with no marquee races for U.S. Senate or governor to draw media interest and millions in campaign spending, the contests for Secretary of State and Labor Commissioner have generated modest interest.

While Oregon remains the most active direct democracy state – we were the first state to allow citizen initiatives and referenda, and we’ve decided more issues by ballot measure than any other state – this year’s biggest ballot measure story was the decision by backers of three measures on the ballot to withdraw support before voters got their ballots.

Backers of Measure 81, a proposal to ban gillnet fishing on the Columbia, dropped their support and recommended voters defeat their measure. (Our firm was retained by Salmon for All PAC to help make sure voters said NO.)

The biggest surprise was the decision by casino backers to walk away from some $6 million spent this year to pass two measures that would create a commercial casino in Wood Village. The idea seemed snake-bit from the start.

This year was the third election cycle proponents had tried to qualify their measures. In 2008 they failed to qualify any measure. In 2010, they qualified a statutory measure but not the essential constitutional change.

Spending $1 million this cycle, they qualified both measures required. But their disingenuous ads and an ill-considered idea to name their project The Grange (invoking the well-respected agricultural advocacy group) increased voter opposition.

The week before ballots were scheduled to be mailed, after investing some $5 million in campaign advertising, backers backed down.

So, tonight I’ll watch some returns. Tomorrow Abigael and I will be relieved knowing that the nonsense of the 2012 campaigns will have run its course, allowing our TV shows, Facebook, Twitter, news coverage and mailboxes to get back to celebrity gossip, viral videos and Holiday shopping.

Happy Election Day.

Darth Vader and King Arthur's Sword

The Force is strong with Disney’s marketing of Star Wars buy

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Pat McCormick as Walt Disney with his grandson Ian as MIckeyI confess I’m a Disney fan. Disneyland opened the summer before I entered 8th grade, but I never got to go until we went 30-some years later with our kids.

When Disney announced on Halloween that it had acquired Lucasfilm, owners of the Star Wars franchise, it was big news. It also was an opportunity for someone at Disney to invest a little bit of time to make a brilliant marketing move.

Remember the long-running series of Disney “What’s Next?” commercials featuring Super Bowl or NBA or Olympics champs being asked what they plan to do after winning their championships? “I’m going to Disneyland,” was the reply.

Well, on the day of the Lucasfilm announcement, some creative Disney marketer got Darth Vader and some Imperial Storm Troopers to cut a video asking Darth Vader “What are you going to do next?” The YouTube video shows Darth and his entourage enjoying the fun of Disneyland.

What I love about it is that someone, probably with no budget, could execute the idea so quickly. For those of us who visit Disneyland with some frequency (I take each of my grandkids for four days in the parks between their 9th and 10th birthdays), we know that Darth and the Imperial Storm Troopers have Jedi training sessions six times a day, so the costumed characters are easily available.

So is the whole park. Get a video crew Disney marketing team, shoot some video, edit and post.

In one day, the quickly posted YouTube video has had almost 500,000 plays. Congratulations to the marketer that had that idea. Brilliant.

Doctorate-level marketing brilliance

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Excel is creepy

Disney has topped itself. And everyone else.

Check out http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/ and allow yourself to enjoy this genius level marketing brilliance.

Monsters University won’t premier until next summer, but the Disney Pixar team already has released gems like this to get us all giddy with excitement for the movie – and it’s merchandise.

Somehow I have school pride for this university I’ve never attended. You can even buy school merchandise. Conveniently, they’ve already sold out of the four arm T-shirts. This brilliance allows Disney Pixar to start making money from merchandise eight months before you’ll be able to watch the movie.

My inner child has me going back to this site over and over and clicking on every link. They have thought of everything. They even have a way of humorously jabbing Microsoft on the site in the banner ad about “Excel in the art of Extreme Creepiness.”

Yes, I am going to see this movie. I can hardly wait, and I haven’t even seen the trailer yet.

 

Be cautious with outbursts on your Facebook Business Page

Promoted personal posts just might kill Facebook

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I have long defended Facebook to friends and colleagues as a free service that allows us to connect with far-away family and long lost friends. I’ve also thought that nothing yet created had the potential to truly compete.

Now it seems Facebook can only think of ways to make itself more attractive to analysts rather than its loyal users.

I can accept promoted posts and ads from businesses because the service needs to pay for itself and the ads are really not that intrusive. What I cannot accept is the idea that my Facebook friends can now advertise their posts to me. How strange and useless. I see their posts anyway.

I have no interest in using Facebook anymore (except when I have to for my profession) if personal connections pay to have their posts highlighted. Maybe that’s a bit drastic, but that’s not the service I signed up for. I’m guessing I’m not alone.

For $7 any user can now promote her most recent post. How obnoxious. What will it even look like? Will friends know if a post is paid for? I don’t know, but I’m going to test it by promoting this article. Yes, I’m aware of the irony, but I’ll consider it research. I really hope this option goes the way of many tested features Facebook has gotten rid of.

I did actually read an article by Tech Crunch that shared one compelling use case for this feature. Judge for yourself.

Be cautious with outbursts on your Facebook Business Page

What not to do on your Facebook business page

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Damaging your own reputation through social media – a cautionary tale

A restaurant owner in small town in Washington surely regrets sharing publicly that he pay his utility bill and blaming the local PUD on his woes. The reactions below demonstrate risks of outbursts for managers of a Facebook business page.

What can we we learn from this Facebook business page fail?

  • Don’t post when you’re angry. You’ll regret it later and it just might turn viral.
  • Don’t share your financial issues with customers. You’ll lose respect.
  • Don’t act maliciously. You’ll lose fans quickly.

Your Facebook business page publicly represents your company in a platform that allows all of your customers to engage or witness your engagements. Every comment you make can be shared with thousands in seconds. The impression you make can have a lasting effect. Be cautious and interact in a way that supports the reputation you want to have. If you think what you’re about to post has the potential to be misconstrued or hurt your reputation, run it by a second pair of eyes first.

For more cautionary tales (and some laughs at others’ expense) check out Failbook.