Apple Vice President of Worldwide Corporate Communications Retires After 20 Years

On Wednesday, Katie Cotton announced that she would be stepping down from her position at Apple to spend more time with her children. During her nearly two decades at Apple, Cotton served as gatekeeper to company co-founder Steve Jobs and current CEO Tim Cook.  She also guided the media narrative around almost everything from the iMac to the iPad.

Cotton made PRWeek's Power List in 2010 alongside the late Steve Jobs.  She was recognized for leading the incredibly successful and mysterious communications culture behind the company.

Her entry in the 2010 Power List stated, "It is certainly tough to assess the communications strategy of a company whose official policy resembles the ancient Sicilian Code of Omerta. Despite its reticence to act ‘normally’ – or perhaps due to it – Apple's products attract credibility, mystique, and reputation beyond any PR strategy."  The profile added, "the strategy annoys competitors and industry observers alike – but it works."

Apple is known for doing business differently from other tech giants, this also goes for their communications strategy. "Apple stubbornly refuses to conform to traditional communications norms, making a feature of its lack of openness that historically contributed to the mystique and air of exclusivity around the brand, as well as some frustration."

Cotton’s career is that of the dreams of every PR pro. She handled communications for one of the most recognizable brands in the world under the direction of Jobs. Cotton helped craft the story of mystery and intrigue for Apple.  She had to handle what most public relations professionals will have to do- deal with the kind of boss like Jobs. No matter if you’re going into the entertainment industry or a PR firm, you will have to handle difficult clients. This is the nature of the business, but to please and report to one of the most notorious people in the high tech industry…I’d rather manage a rock band.

Cotton accomplished her goals by creating an in house PR firm within Apple. Normally companies as big as Apple would hire a firm, not Apple, the leadership was completely created under Cotton’s watch. Cotton was never pictured on Apple’s executive leadership page, but my impression has long been that she was one of the most influential executives at the company. It is difficult to find a photograph of Jobs or Cook at a press event in which she is not at their side. 

This guest blog was written by PRowl staff member Nathan Wilson. 

Ways to Improve Your Internal Communication

Public relations is the art and the science of communications. Everyday PR pros communicate in many ways to many people; yet, a forgotten aspect of this thing we call “our life’s work” is internal communications.

As a current corporate communications intern at Aramark Corporation, I have discovered just how closely internal communication is tied to everyday PR work within a corporate environment. However, focusing on internal communication should not be limited to just corporate PR. How can an agency or help its clients if they aren't teaching that account team to speak to one another, share the brand, discuss improvements or simply brainstorm together? How can a non-profit get their message out externally if they aren't on the same page internally? The key to these questions is to shift the attention to how your organization is communicating internally before the focus is put on external communication.

Here are 5 tips to enhance better internal communications within your organization:

1. Silence is not Always Golden.
Have you ever noticed the places people don’t enjoy working are the ones where the minions don’t have a voice? Open and transparent communication is appreciated because everyone has been blessed with a brain full of ideas. Encourage senior management and executive leadership teams to listen to those ideas.

2. Get Straight to the Point. 
Employees who enjoy their work crave one thing, almost above all, direction. With clear direction, they understand what to do to earn brownie points. Stress direction and watch movement happen.

3. Aspire to Inspire. 
 Many employers don’t like to think outside the box, draw outside the lines or dare try something different. Employees want inspiration. They want to see their managers, directors and executive leaders doing something that can bring about change. Want a team to follow you? Inspire them to do something differently and with purpose.

4. Create a Company Voice. 
Anyone in HR or internal communications will tell you the chief reason for gossip in the workplace is ignorance. Most employees don’t really know what’s going on, so they tend to gossip and complain. A monthly or bi-weekly newsletter would suffice. Let them be heard by listening and then acting.

5. Lead by Example.
Bosses “boss.” Leaders “lead.”  Words only mean so much. Without action behind those words, employees will follow.

Stereotypes of Corporate PR

While many assume that all PR professionals practice the profession in the same way, nothing could be further from the truth. While we all share many similar daily tasks, such as writing or monitoring press, our day-to-activities differ based on our industry of choice. The PR professional who works for a boutique fashion public relations agency in a big city likely has a different experience than the PR professional who works for a large pharmaceutical company.

Our varying experiences are what make public relations such a unique and exciting field. As PR professionals, we are able to find our small niche in the huge ocean of skill sets and talents that make up our blossoming and ever growing industry. However, though we like to believe we can, no PR professional can experience every aspect of the industry. We play to our strong suits, and go for the areas of PR most appealing and interesting to us.

So, what about all of the other areas of PR that we don’t get to experience? Well, if you’re anything like me, you likely generalize, speculate, and sadly, stereotype that field. We make assumptions based on what we think it would be like to work in those jobs.

Over the years, I’ve held various internships, all in the lifestyle or non-profit sectors of PR. I’ve loved every project and client I’ve gotten to assist with, and definitely found my niche. I know that I enjoy these areas because I’ve actually had the chance to experience them for myself. I’ve always attested that I would never want to work in corporate communications. My reasoning behind this assertion, of course, was based deeply on assumptions and stereotypes. It wasn’t until I had the chance to hear from someone who works in corporate communications that I realized I may be jumping the gun with my judgments.

Here are 4 stereotypes I held about the corporate PR world: 

1. Corporate PR really just means covering up the scandals of top level CEOs. The sentiment that the corporate world is held by many non-corporate professionals. We take what we've heard about one group of people, and apply it to the masses. Not every company is comprised of these "bad apples."

2. There is no sense of true fulfillment in the corporate world. Because everyone is busy either contributing to or covering up all of those scandals right? No, wrong! The bottom line is, fulfillment comes from knowing that you are using your talents in a way that benefits someone or something in the best way possible. You don't have to be an entrepreneur or freelancer to know this feeling. Many larger corporations work hard to support the interest of their customers and employees, even going as far to support numerous philanthropic causes.

3. Everyone who works in a corporate environment only cares about the bigger salary. All companies have a mission and vision, and there employees should always be people who believe that they would be best to carry out that mission and vision. Are the big bucks in corporate PR? Sure. But assuming that the money is the only thing that would draw someone is pretty ridiculous.

4. Every corporation is the same. The same way that every PR professional works to find their niche, companies are also doing the same. We are so quick to place everyone under the large masking umbrella of "the corporate world" that we forget about the uniqueness and individuality each company has to offer.

Do you find yourself stereotyping or generalizing other industries? What assumptions have you made? What assumptions do you think other professionals make about your industry?

Temple University President Neil Theobald Proves To Have Strong Public Relations

Since his induction in January of 2013 Dr. Neil Theobald has demonstrated excellent public relations. He has pledged to help finance higher education and reduce student debt at Temple University. In recent weeks Theobald has gone on PCN-TV to discuss his campaign, “Financing Higher Education and Student Loan Debt”. The president is aware that the students of Temple University are his primary public and he aims to serve us to the best of his ability.

In an interview with Temple University News the president discussed his values as president. “People have such a positive vision of this university and what it can be. I love to stop, chat and learn students’ priorities and what we can do better. That’s always my primary question. Any suggestions they have, I want to talk to students,” said the president.  Neil Theobald has also decided to reach out to students by teaching a course here at Temple University.

As president of the university, Dr. Theobald has displayed strong public relations tactics. He is aware of whom his target audience is and what needs to be done to improve relations with our community. Student debt is one of the greatest problems with our university and Dr. Theobald’s primary objective is to battle that issue. He has been transparent in discussing his objectives as a leader. Transparency is a quality all public relations practitioners should strive to acquire.

Dr. Theobald has revealed that one of his main goals as president is to build trust with his students by offering feedback and assistance. The president strives to have a mutually beneficial relationship with our community and shows admirable public relations as president of our university.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Ben Coleman.

Fired Groupon CEO Tells It Like It is

From my extremely limited knowledge of fired CEOs, it seems that many companies fire them in a very hush-hush manner. Rumors circulate around the office, people speculate about why he or she was fired, the whole nine yards. Most CEOs quietly hang their heads on their way out of their cushy position.

This was not the case for recently fired Groupon Founder and CEO Andrew Mason. After the company suffered a whopping 25 percent stock drop in it's first quarter report, Mason was quickly and seamlessly fired. While Mason was not exactly silent in response to his firing, he wasn't very upset about it either.

In a letter to his employees, Mason joked on choosing to leave the company to spend more time with his family (a long overused cover for being fired) and admitted that he was fired for making poor financial decisions. In the memo, he applauded his employees for their hard work and dedication and assured them that he was proud of Groupon as a whole.

Mason closed the letter with a piece of advice: "have the courage to start with the customer," and signed it with "I will miss you terribly."

What do you think of Mason's unconventional departing memo? Let us know!

Junk the Jargon

One of the core principles behind PR people generating content for clients is that our specialty is making language accessible across multiple audiences. Certain fields like technology, medical services and finance have more trouble with this than others. Jargon, that is, terms that are not comprehensible to the general public, can make the difference between a consumer choosing your client over another.

When a company generates content that uses jargon, people may not be able to pull out key points and messages that the brand is trying to express. Those within the company often don't realize that they're using jargon, of course, because they are using these terms on a daily basis. This makes it even more difficult to remedy.

When buying into a particular company, people are looking for how well this particular product will serve their needs and wants. People in general do not like buying into something they don't understand and may frown upon a company for failing to tailor to their audience.

Have you ever witnessed a company that succumbed to jargon? Let us know!

Remembering The PR Legend Dan Edelman

Daniel Edelman's death has made this a sad week for public relations. A true pioneer in the field, Edelman built a small public relations firm in 1952 that rose to the 4,500, 65 city industry it is today. As the PR world mourns his death, this is also a time to celebrate all his achievements and the important contributions he made to building this profession. 

Dan died of heart failure early Tuesday morning at the age of 92. His agency, which was founded 60 years ago, helped to make many famous brands household names. Dan's creativity, independence, hard work, ethics and attention to detail are great examples to follow for any aspiring PR pro or veterans within the field.   

Here is a Daniel Edelman quote I live by:

 "If you're not enthusiastic, how can you expect the client to be enthusiastic about what you're doing?" 

Check out Edelman's company website here.

The Corporate Social Media Surge.

It is absolutely true that social media has become a crucial tool in customer-company relations. However, if done wrong in the corporate world, a social media melt down will occur. So when your boss tells you it is time to jump on the social media bandwagon, there are a few things you as the PR professional should consider before opening up a social channel between your corporation and its audience. 

Jessica Sharp of Maven Communications, LLC. lists 3 crucial mistakes to avoid as your company becomes active in social media, inspired by journalist Shara Tibken.

No. 1: Failing to have a plan before rolling out the campaign- Too many companies jump on the social media bandwagon without first having a clear plan of action or strategy. Doing it because everyone else is doing it is not a good enough reason. A social media strategy should be just as well thought out as a marketing strategy - and in fact, they should tie into one another. Clearly defined objectives, tactics for achieving them and measurement methods should all be determined before creating a social media presence.

No. 2: Not understanding what social media is - and is not - good for- Social media is a great way to connect and engage with target audiences. But it’s not a total replacement for tried and true relationship building methods. Social Media is a wonderful new way to show another side of a company’s personality, but it cannot successfully be the only way that a company communicates with target audiences.

No. 3: Thinking social media is cheap or (free)- Social media is not free, or even cheap, it’s just a different kind of expensive. Just like most things in life, you get out of it what you put in. So to really make a social media campaign work, it takes time, a lot of it. And as we all know - time is money. 

Simply put, when your company plans to “get with it” in terms of social media think of these three objectives. Is social media relevant to your corporation? Do you understand the positives and negatives that can arise from your use of social media channels? Do you have the ability to successfully maintain social media? If you plan your approach to social media, your company can benefit greatly from the interaction and feedback from your target audience and/or customers. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Emily Storz.

Always Mind Your Manners

One of my biggest pet peeves in the professional world is when I see people around my age who don’t use proper manners in a business setting. We all learned what good manners are from our parents and school teachers, however business etiquette is a lot more than the “please and thank you” of your peanut-butter-and-jelly days.

Business manners are certainly not a popular topic covered by today’s media outlets but that doesn’t make them any less important. Manners express a sense of respect and courtesy no matter what setting you are in. They are genderless and simple. Manners may even determine if you get the job or not.

Here are some tips to refresh your business etiquette skills:

Shaking Hands: Always look the person in the eye and make sure your handshake is not too firm or not too soft. Be confident.

Holding the Door: Rule of thumb – the first person at the door should hold it open.

Introductions: Introduce a lower-ranking person to a higher-ranking person. Always apologize if you forget someone’s name.

Telephone Calls/Emails: Return calls immediately and reply to emails within one business day. This shows respect.

Texting: No matter what the situation it is ALWAYS rude and inconsiderate to text during a meeting or conversation.

Business Hours: Everyone needs time away from office life. Unless you have a dire emergency, contact people during the hours of nine to five PM only.

Co-Workers: You spend a lot of time with them; why not get to know them?

Private Conversations: Keep them private, plain and simple.

Please & Thank You: No matter how old you are, these words should always be a part of your every day vocabulary.

What are other manners you live by in your professional life? Let us know!

I'm Sorry...I Think?

One of the most important things executives think about during a time of crisis is how they (and their organization) are going to make it right. While there have been many successful apologies that have rectified the situation and earned the company a credible name, there are those select few that stick out as major mess-ups. Let's take a look at some different types of bad apologies.

"...If I offended anyone" This faux-apology gives the impression that if you were an offended party that you could be too sensitive, or that the person at fault doesn't understand why they made a mistake.

"If you can tell I don't care" An example is BP's CEO Tony Hayward when he made the mistake of saying, "I just want my life back." Clearly he didn't think at the time about those whose lives were lost during this disaster and successfully came off selfish and irresponsible.

"...If I waited too long" Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings didn't address the Netflix price hike until about two months after. Now not only are customers angry with him, they will be disappointed with the lack of response and the impression that the apology was not a priority.

"...Somebody else wrote my apology" Everyone knows about Tiger Woods' public apology in February 2010, or should I say his publicist's apology. Woods couldn't take his eyes off the sheets of paper he had in front of him the whole time and the reporters in attendance weren't even allowed to ask questions, reassuring us that he would not have known what to say.

To avoid these embarrassing apologies, it is extremely important for all executives and organizations to remember to be genuine and address the situation as soon as possible so that it can a) be resolved and b) avoided in the future.

Do you know any examples of good or bad apologies?

Battle of the Tweets – Why Corporations Can’t Just Talk It Out

Make your way around the tech blogs and you’ll find yourself reading about a “he said, she said” Twitter war involving three of technology’s giants – Microsoft, Google and Apple. No good fight is complete without an unlikely team of rivals - Apple and Microsoft, against Google in a war of words.

The dispute started when David Drummond, Google’s Senior Vice President wrote on Google’s official blog alleging that Microsoft secured winning bids on new mobile technology patents for “anti-competitive means” and that the Justice Department would look into the matter, according to eweek.com. No surprise that that this was shortly after Microsoft far outbid Google for the same patents which could give the Android, one of the leading mobile operating systems in the mobile market, a run for its money.

In an effort to save face, Microsoft fired back at Google’s “unfairness” claim with a tweet from their General Counsel, Brad Smith, saying:

“Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.”

The defensive hits didn’t end there. Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of corporate communications fired back by also tweeting:

“Free advice for David Drummond—next time check with Kent Walker before you blog.”

Shaw’s tweet included a link to a prior e-mail sent to Brad Smith by Kent Walker, Google's General Counsel, saying that Google did not find it necessary to bid jointly on the patents. Perhaps in a last attempt to avoid embarrassment from Microsoft’s retaliation, Drummond updated his blog post defending Google by stating that Google didn’t bid jointly on the patents because it would generate anti-competitive attacks from Microsoft and Apple partners against the Android market which shares a platform with Google.

Bravo if you’ve managed to follow this petty melo-drama without being confused. This back and forth banter over social media begs questions like “Is social media the appropriate platform to air corporate differences?” and “Why can’t these corporations just sit down and talk?" If we’ve learned anything about the role social media plays in corporate discord it’s that some things are better left unsaid or rather un-tweeted. Take for example Chrysler’s Twitter faux pas where an inappropriate word was used in a tweet referring to Detroit motorists from Chrysler’s social media team.

Corporations, celebrities, and anyone using social media should know that Twitter rivalries and tweets with TMI (too much info) never play out well. In Microsoft and Google’s case, had the dispute been discussed the old fashioned way with live one on one interaction, the temptation to be sarcastic would have been eliminated. The opportunity for an audience, that’s to Twitter derailed any opportunity for meaningful discourse as would be expected from such large corporations.

What we definitely can learn from all of this is that the use of social media to communicate between competitors can easily degenerate into a free for all, in which real progress will struggle to be met. Social media is a powerful tool for corporate communications, but it should never be used to air petty differences.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jessica Lopez

Is There More to PR than "WOWing" Customers?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I just finished reading "Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose," a book by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, for work. In the book, under a section titled "PR and Public Speaking," Hsieh explains that the company did not believe it was necessary to step up its PR efforts with its growth.

Contrarily, he says on page 203 that "if you just focus on making sure that your product or service continually WOWs people, eventually the press will find out about it" and come to you.

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?

How Soon Do We Forget?

In "The Biggest Corporate Image Catastrophes" on Investopedia.com's Financial Edge, writer Stephen Simpson, CFA discusses several corporate blunders that got past the "well-greased PR machine of the corporate world."

Some are more recent than others. How many do you remember?

1. BP: Tone-deaf comments from the now-former CEO quickly led to a thundering backlash after the recent well explosion and subsequent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

2. Goldman Sachs: Goldman was allegedly misleading some of its customers, paying huge bonuses and essentially lecturing the government on how things ought to be. Goldman did not do anything new or anything that its peers have not done - it was just clumsy enough to do it in front of microphones at precisely the time when the public wanted contrition and modesty.

3. Toyota: After laughable excuses for a problem with a sticky accelerator in some models, including blaming the floor mats, Toyota ultimately acknowledged the problem and launched a recall. But in waiting so long to fess up to the problem, Toyota lost its gold-plated reputation as being a better kind of car company.

4. The "Big Three" (Ford, Chrysler, General Motors): After being bailed out of bankruptcy with tax payers' dollars, auto industry executives made their job even harder when they flew to Washington, D.C. - aboard private jets - to plead their poverty in front of the Congress.

5. JetBlue: On a snowy Valentine's Day in 2007, JetBlue kept several plane loads of passengers sitting on the tarmac for hours - with one plane being held captive for nine hours.

6. Abercrombie & Fitch: The youth retailer has been in hot water with the public for print ads, questionable taste, racist t-shirts, or company hiring policies that put the less-than-beautiful people in the back room.

To read the full article, click here.