Adam Lambert VS ABC

More than a week after his now infamous performance on the American Music Awards (AMA's), in which he shoved another mans face into his crotch, dragged two men around the stage on leashes and made out with his male keyboardist, Adam Lambert finds himself shunned by ABC.

Last Wednesday night, the singer and "American Idol" runner-up, wrote that his invitation to two ABC programs, Jimmey Kimmel Live and Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, had been withdrawn.

"Yes, sadly friends," Lambert Tweeted, "ABC has canceled my appearances on Kimmel and NYE. Don't blame them, it's the FCC heat."

These are not the first guest appearances that ABC has canceled for Lambert. Last week, his appearance on Good Morning America was scratched. However all is not lost, He is allegedly scheduled to appear on Jay Leno sometime in December.

In response to Lambert's risque AMA performance, ABC has announced that they will be seeking more control over how live events are structured. Disney/ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney has issued a statement saying that the network will now ask artists for assurances that their live performances will resemble their rehearsal performances. Lambert has admitted that the on-stage kiss was improvised in the moment, but he remains unapologetic about the shocking performance. Lambert has also voiced his opinion that he, as a gay man, is being held to a different standered than female performers who have used similar gambits at past award shows (ie: Britney Spears kissing Madonna at the MTV video music awards.)

I think that Lambert has done the right thing from a PR standard by sticking by his performance. If he had done it and then said that he was sorry for it, he probably would have had more backlash than he already has because he would have offended many gay and lesbian people. GLAAD (gay and lesbian alliance against defamation) has already weighed in when CBS's Early Show re-played the performance with the kiss blurred out, and then played the Britney and Madonna kiss unedited. GLAAD accused CBS of employing a double standard when it comes to openly gay artists. So, if they can blow up at CBS for that, imagine if Lambert had apologized for his sexually charged performance. Although, he did admit on Ellen that he may have pushed the envelope a bit too far.

I think that ABC had also done the right thing by canceling the appearances, even though I don't really agree with it. ABC acted fast and knew that their audience (mainly families) would probably not be fans of Lambert's at the present moment. By canceling Lambert's appearances, they showed their audience that they do not condone the performance and they probably made many of their viewers happy.

Goodbye A&P, Hello Metro

Au revoir A&P, Bienvenue Metro, as the Quebec based grocery brand gets closer to completing its rebranding campaign which began four years ago.

In 2005 Metro Inc. bought out five large Ontario grocery chains, Dominion, A&P, Loeb, The Barn and Ultra food and drug, in a $200 million marketing and advertising campaign aimed at rebranding these chains under the Metro banner by the end of 2010. The most recent change came this past Saturday when the A&P grocery store in Trenton switched over to the Metro name. As an incentive to consumers, the store offered a free bag to those who spent more than $10 at the grand opening.
Metro conversions of the Dominion, Ultra Food & Drug and The Barn were completed near the end of 2008. Loeb’s Metro makeover will be complete by the end of this year and the A&P conversions should be done by the end of 2010.

Growing up in Quebec, I was used to always having a Metro grocery store around and I had never even heard of the A&P brand until I moved to Ontario for college. Then again, there are many things that were new to me upon switching provinces. I didn't know what the beer store was because in Quebec you buy your beer from the grocery store or in your local dépanneur (convenience stores) and the LCBO is known as an SAQ, so it made me feel a bit like a foreigner even though I spoke English.

But, back to the rebranding...

Metro Inc. is dedicated to keeping Ontario customers happy buy offering them a great food offering, friendly and professional service and a convenient shopping experience. To achieve this, Metro Inc. has been working with Cossette Communication-Marketing since 2006 to help with the rebranding campaign. Metro realised that switching five well-known Ontario grocery chains over to the lesser known (at least in Ontario) Metro stores in three years or less was a huge undertaking. With Cossette's help, Metro Inc. is hoping to make the change smoother for Ontario consumers.

When all is said and done, Metro will be a 376-store-strong grocery brand and more than 200 of those stores are based in Quebec.

What drives you?

It seems like nowadays you can't go anywhere without being accosted by a barrage of Twilight Saga merchandise or advertising. In the Chapters bookstore, there is a table of merchandise, as well as, a new table labeled "Bella's reading list" which features books with the same vampire theme. Washington State Tourism is launching a Twilight travel guide (The books are set in Forks, Washington). Even Toys R Us is cashing in with an in-store promotion and giveaway for the latest movie installment: The Twilight Saga: New Moon. And these are just three examples. There are many companies/brands getting in on the Twilight madness.

Now, Volvo has launched it's new "What Drives Edward?" campaign. Volvo is the car of choice for the fictional vampire in the Twilight books and they also have their cars featured in the Twilight films. The new online campaign officially started November 1 and offers a chance at winning a pair of tickets to Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: New Moon premiere in Los Angeles on November 16 and a chance to meet select cast members, as well as a chance to win a new Volvo XC60 (the same car Edward drives in the new film). Twilight fans are encouraged to visit www.WhatDrivesEdward.com and register for the contest. Participants will play an interactive game where they answer trivia questions on the Twilight saga.

The contest is fairly simple. Participants will receive clues and, using them, must solve a series of Twilight saga related puzzles. Players are encouraged to exchange hints with other players through Facebook, Twitter and Myspace since the difficulty level for the puzzles increases with each level. The contest closes on the 23.The promotion will run in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and France. Fans can visit the WhatDrivesEdward website even if they're not participating in the contest as there are film trailers, photos and New Moon themed desktop wallpapers featured there also.

It's a smart promotion for Volvo to run. Not only does it give great prizes to the fans that participate and win, but it also gets people interested and hyped up for the latest Volvo model (which will most likely result in skyrocketing sales and massive profits). I have no doubt this campaign will be a hit, especially since there are those die-hard fans that will go crazy to get their hands on anything and everything Twilight related. Now all that's left to do is sit back and watch as The Twilight Saga brand slowly takes over the world.

Click here to watch the Volvo commercial for the WhatDrivesEdward campaign.

Mashing It Up!

This past week was a busy one. Not only did my PR class at Loyalist College have assignments due, we also had to help put on the second annual Media Mash-Up! It was an exhausting day, but it was also a lot of fun.

Media Mash-Up is an event exclusively for the students in a media program at the college. Loyalist's school of media studies has over 500 students in it and the college pub, where the event was held, only holds about 300 students. So it was first come, first serve for ticket sales. Students are invited to preform a musical act or simply attend.

We even made up a game called the "name pair" game, where we had a bunch of different pairs written out on stickers and there were two people at each entrance handing them out as the students arrived. If they found the matching name at the event, they were to take their partner to the prize table and collect one prize each. An example of a matching pair would be "Barney Rubble" and "Betty Rubble" (Barney had to find their Betty). Even though some people didn't quite grasp the idea, they still had a blast trying to find their pair and loved the prizes they got to choose even more. This game also helped to simulate "networking" and got students from all different media programs to interact.

There was a large range in musical talent as well, from a guy who played Lady Gaga's "Poker face" on his harmonica to a girl who sang and played the keyboard and even acts from my very own PR class.

The event, which ran from 6 p.m. -- 9:30 p.m., was a sold-out event and a big success I believe.
It was a lot of fun helping to sell the tickets and helping to set up the pub. Everyone did a great job at pitching in, from selling tickets to classrooms, setting up or collecting prizes (which included 100 iTunes gift cards, Loyalist College clothing, Cd's and DVDs and a computer speaker set from Future Shop.)

I wish that this wasn't my last year because I can't wait to see what is done next year!

Bringing the Vegas to Bellevegas

On Oct. 15 my public relations class at Loyalist College held a fundraising event for the United Way of Quinte. We had about a month to prepare for the event, which was the first kind of event planning any of us had ever had. To say that everyones contributions (great ideas and prizes alike) was a big part of this is an understatement.

Planning for the event included coming up with a theme. We all really wanted to do some fun "casino" themed games and the name Casino Loyale was chosen. The games featured included "The wheel of way" (a roulette wheel), a Crown and Anchor wheel game and a Plinko board. We also had teams of two roaming the school as "floating" blackjack. Some of us travelled the campus with buckets asking for small monetary donations (as well as selling bracelets) or just promoting the games inside the school.

One of the things I LOVED about the day was everyones commitment to the event and the energy that was given off as a result. Being asked to be at school for 7:30 a.m. is not everyones cup of tea, especially yours truly who is very much a night owl. However, thanks to everyones excitement it was very hard to not get pumped up!

Needless to say, the event was a huge success. We ended up raising a little over $1,800 in just five hours! Probably the most that has ever been raised by the on-campus events for the United Way of Quinte. Our actual goal going into this was $1,500, so we were excited to know that we had well exceeded that. In total there were about 355 winners who all got to choose from a wide array of awesome prizes like an exquisite handmade quilt, shampoos, Cd's, gift certificates and much more!

The best thing about this is that everyone pitched in with ideas and gathering fabulous prizes and it really served to bond us as a class. I'm already getting excited for Wednesday's Media Mash-Up! Certainly the place to be if you're a Media student!

'Till next post!

PR Interview conclusion

PR executive interview continued...

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: The people and the work we do. We have developed some exceptional, award-winning programs for our various brands and I still get excited every time I see coverage in the paper, online, or on broadcast. We have a great group of people and this is a fun place to work, but at the end of the day, we are all serious about our results. I like being an integrated part of brand plan developments and to be able to provide strategic guidance to our teams and our leaders.

Q: Who have you worked for prior to Cadbury?

A: I worked for Kraft Canada for almost 4 years. Before that I was at Cohn & Wolfe for a year and then before that I worked at Faye Clack Marketing and Communications (a small agency specializing in food and fresh produce) for 3 years.

Q: Have you been involved with any events?- which ones?

A: Absolutely. We have developed many award-winning (national and international) programs/events including:

- The Trident Splash National Cannonball Championship (2005 - 2009)

- The Cadbury Chocolate Couture Fashion Show ( 2005 - 2008)

- The Stride Guys Ridiculously Long Lasting Road Trip (2008)

- Celebrating 100 years of chocolate making in Canada -- 100,000 bar giveaway

Q: What has been your biggest success in the public relations field so far?

A: I think my biggest success is moving from a PR professional to becoming a communications generalist. I have experience and knowledge in PR, internal communications, organizational development, change management, crisis, issues, incidents (recalls, fires, etc), CSR, community and charitable giving. I have worked hard to get where I am now and my biggest success is being valued and being listened to. I have a seat at the table with our leaders and our brands, and being a valuable part of the team and the company is my proudest moment.

That, and being part of our biggest PR program in my history, the Trident Splash National Cannonball Championship -- which recently won an international IABC award for the Best of the Best!

Q: How has PR changed since you started?

A: The biggest difference is how we need to communicate with people. Traditional media outlets are no longer sufficient. We need to be part of the online conversation and how we get there is challenging and must be seen as "organic and authentic". Today's consumers are very marketing savvy and traditional methods no longer apply; they know when they are being pushed down with marketing speak and programs, and we need to be able to speak in their language and on their terms. Social media is a challenge for all of us. Many companies/people are doing social media but many are not doing it well.

Q: How have these changes made you change?

A: Social media has made us all change. For me personally, I am investing dollars and time to get more ahead of social media and determine the best ways to use it for our company and our brands. This is a new learning for all of us, but I believe social media should be owned by PR/communications because social media is PR at its most basic level -- direct communications with the public. At Cadbury, we are leveraging our knowledge and experience to drive social media and to own the content, not necessarily the technology behind the tool.

Q: Do you belong to any professional associations? - benefits?

A: IABC and CPRS. It's good to know what other professionals are doing and occasionally, I take advantage of some of the webinars, meet and greets, and special events. It's good to keep your hand on the pulse.

Q: Do you use social media in your job?

A: Yes. In fact, a few years ago our Company realized that social media was an important part of the marketing mix, and how people communicate with their family and friends, and removed blocks on them. As a company, we are trying to do more with social media.

Hope you enjoyed reading the interview. It's by talking to those who have been there that we learn and I believe that doing the executive biographies are a great way of learning from some of the best in our field, as well as, a great networking tool.

My PR executive interview

Our Executive bios are due next Tuesday (coming up fast!) so I thought it would be fun to share the information I received from my interview. The PR executive I contacted was Ms. Stephanie Minna Cass, Manager, Corporate Communications for Cadbury Canada in Toronto. Hope you enjoy!

Q: How/when did you decide to pursue a career in public relations?

A: I studied journalism at Ryerson and French at York. I don't have any formal education in PR; however, I was always told I didn't need it if I had a degree in Journalism. I began my post-secondary education in Journalism. I also had a love of writing and an extreme curiosity in knowing more about things. After graduating from Ryerson journalism, I worked for a year at a local newspaper. I learned very quickly that the newsroom wasn't for me. While I was at Ryerson, I had a part time job doing PR/communications for Cystic Fibrosis, which I really loved. I decided to go back to school for a French degree. I realized that combining my love of writing, my journalism degree and my French was really just setting me up for a career in PR/communications.

Q: How did you end up working for Cadbury?

A: I spent almost 5 years working at the agency level. Although agency is the best learning ground for a new PR professional/communicator, I learned that I needed a change and wanted to broaden my communications knowledge. I wanted to build my internal communications, crisis and issues communications experience and realized going client-side was the best way. I was approached by a headhunter who helped place me in an Internal communications role at Kraft. After almost 4 years at Kraft, I again was approached by a headhunter who helped place me at Cadbury. I have been here since November 2004.

Q: What are some of your daily tasks?

A: As a communications professional working in a small team, my days are never the same and are continually jam packed. In any one day I will be working closely with some of our brand teams to develop strategic PR plans, in collaboration with our PR agency, to help drive their brands. I am also handling all media calls as the first point of contact for all media relations. Depending on the media request, I will prepare key messages/Q&A documents (if they do not currently exist) and will act as spokesperson or will find the appropriate corporate/brand spokesperson for the request. Sometimes these happen very quickly and sometimes they can happen within a few days of the original request. I also manage a team of about 10 PR specialists from our PR agency -- at any one time we will have about 5 or 6 PR programs underway either for a corporate and/or brand program. I drive my agency hard to deliver superior results. On a daily basis I may be reviewing press releases, key messages/Q&A documents, spokespeople recommendations, new strategies, etc.

I will also be managing various internal communications in support of different functions including HR, legal, business services, etc. This could include development a message for our General Manager or writing content for our internal communications vehicles (e-newsletter, plasma screens, Town Hall meetings, etc) Also, since I am the only full time communicator in Canada -- my VP is shared between Canada, the US and Mexico -- I also act as the first point of contact for consumer issues, customer communications, and business to business communications. Lastly, my role also supports our company's community investment program. I work closely with various volunteer committees on site and across the country to support them with communications and program guidance.

The days are busy and long, and this is a brief look inside any day.

Interview continued in next post....