Archives "May 2012"

Yesterday Deon Daugherty with the Houston Business Journal called and asked if I would comment on a recent article in The Onion about the increase in job opportunities for recent PR grads in the fracking industry.

For the uninitiated, The Onion, which labels itself as a satirical news outlet, in some parts of society is viewed as a reliable news source, but in reality it is about a step below The National Enquirer.

Considering someone from the Fifth Ring team is on the phone with a reporter from the HBJ (seemingly) on a daily basis securing or staffing an interview, I figured it was the least I could do. Click here to read Deon’s blog post.

Of course, it didn’t take long to determine The Onion article was less than thorough and ultimately it got me thinking about a couple of things…

Specifically, where did the idea come from that companies hire PR people to shield them from controversy or help them come up with ways to keep secrets secret? This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most are wholly interested in helping their clients do the right things and generate compelling stories that advance the brand in some way.

Do we get called in to help (re)position the client in the best possible light when times are tough or when there has been a corporate misstep? Of course we do.  But rarely does that conversation happen without a PR pro seeking clarity and advocating for stakeholder visibility. Typically this comes with some sort of mea culpa and a plan to correct the issue.

Are there illegitimate PR practitioners who violate all manner of professional ethics and morals? Of course there are, but you have that in every profession.

Ben Franklin said “three can keep a secret if two are dead.” Given the nature of the digital world as we know it today, it is inevitable that secrets do not stay secret and wrongdoing will eventually be found out. So, companies—no matter the industry—would be well advised to heed the counsel of public relations people who are guided by a code of ethics that was written with the wellbeing of the general public in mind.

More often than not, the principles of PR are put to use to ensure a company or spokesperson doesn’t inadvertently say the wrong thing and thus create an issue when in fact there isn’t one.

The next thing that struck me was how can The Onion get away with referencing a “labor market report” without any mention of who authored the report or even the title? The article has gone on to be quoted or referenced on dozens of online sites with none questioning the premise of the report, article or the source.

One reporter, Susan Phillips of State Impact Pennsylvania, which contributes to WHYY and WITF, called it a joke.

If we do operate under the premise that the article is a bit of a ruse, then the following quote from The Onion’s story might be a great example of a person being quoted who should have utilized PR assistance.

Regarding recent PR grads, Bart Hobijn observed:

“These days, media-savvy professionals who know how to publicize questionable scientific data in order to downplay the environmental dangers of forcing toxic fluids into the ground can pretty much write their own ticket.”

I don’t know how many “recent PR grads” you know, but I have yet to meet one who was a savvy enough to do what Mr. Hobijn suggests. I suppose the same could be said of economists and researchers who used questionable methods and data to assure the public that investing in banks who participated in credit-default swaps was in fact a sound, strategic investment.

That being said, the quote seems misinformed given the unsourced nature of the survey.  My guess is he said it as a private citizen and not in an official capacity, but The Onion portrays him as the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s spokesperson offering comment on behalf of the federal government.

Clearly the PR industry could stand to do a bit of good PR on its own behalf, but I would be willing to bet Mr. Hobijn is wishing he had a PR person helping him potentially dig out of a hole right now. If he does indeed need some assistance, I know some savvy folks right there in San Francisco who would be willing to help out.

Bike riders endure muscle weakness, muscle spasms, fatigue and general discomfort during long rides. These same ailments affect people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Ian Ord, Fifth Ring’s director of business development, recently rode in the BP MS 150.  While his ride was long and tiresome, the pain and fatigue doesn’t compare to what victims of MS endure daily.

“While bike riding is the medium, the reason people ride is to raise money to find a cure for MS, while helping those people living with the condition lead a more rewarding life,” Ian said. “Though it was a tough ride, my ride on a bike for eight hours is incomparable to the pain of those living with MS.”

The BP MS 150 raised more than $14 million for the National MS Society. Clean Harbors, the team Ian rode with raised almost $30,000. As a member of Clean Harbors, Ian raised more than $2,500.

“It’s unbelievable and I want to give a sincere thank you to everyone who donated to the worthy cause,” Ian said. “It was more motivation to complete the course.”

The many hills Ian conquered were not the only ups and downs he faced during his ride. On the Friday before the ride, Ian learned he needed to make major repairs to his bike. After the work was complete, virtually the only part left was his bike frame.

Saturday began with a 4 a.m. wake up and he was off to meet up with his team at one of the three official starts.

Day one was incredibly tough for those involved because of the headwinds they had to ride through. But the winds didn’t stop people from parading a spectrum of bicycles, including new bikes, old bikes, tandem bikes and even unicycles. Five hours and one familiar encounter later, Ian was done and settling in for a night in La Grange, Texas. Along the way Ian saw Andy Doggett from CDL in Aberdeen and ended up riding next to him. The last time he had seen him was in March on a training ride in Aberdeenshire, so to see him was amazing, Ian says.

La Grange featured huge campgrounds that included music, food and drinks, entertainment and time spent with teammates and friends.

“The MS 150 is an incredible feat of organization from the organized starts, the many volunteers, tented cities and police at junction points,” Ian said. “To see all the riders on the road at the same time and to think about all the logistics that went into it. It’s just amazing.”

Day two came and as the sun shined down upon the riders it was clear to Ian it was a day made to ride. The Austin capital building shadowed down on him nearly three and a half hours after he left La Grange.

“You ride into Austin on a beautiful Sunday and you see the Capital as you’re about to cross the finish line and then you see the massive amount of people there cheering you on. It’s stunning,” Ian said.

A very special thanks goes out to the Clean Harbors team who made Ian’s entire ride and stay in La Grange extremely pleasant. Thanks also to West End Bicycles and Bicycle World for rebuilding Ian’s bike the day ahead of the ride. A final thanks goes out, once again, to all of those who donated to the cause.

How do you stop traffic at the busiest energy exhibition in the world? Oil Careers shows us how…

This year’s Offshore Technology Conference was the third largest in the event’s history. Almost 90,000 delegates attended the Reliant Centre in Houston over four days and the magnitude of the event was matched with an overriding feeling of optimism.  

abcTV OTC report featuring GL Noble Denton

Fifth Ring enjoyed its busiest OTC to date working, with up to 20 clients on stand build and media relations activity.

Here is just a small sample of some of Fifth Ring’s activity at OTC 2012.

To see more of our work please contact Fifth Ring: www.fifthring.com