american idol anyone? that was some great pr!

Did anyone watch American Idol tonight? That was some great PR! This Idol Gives Back fundraiser is a major image boost for everyone involved. Ford, Coca-Cola and AT&T look smarter by the show for jumping on board. And let's not forget Exxon Mobile and News Corporation (but that one was sort of a given) with their contributions.

This fundraiser is great because it not only helps underprivileged children in Africa and here in the U.S., but it gets the word out about the hunger issue. Check out the videos about Idol Gives Back, which to a great job of communicating this issue. It tickles my PR instincts to see them focus so much on awareness of the issue. This obviously needs to happen because when most Americans think of people who don't get enough to eat, we immediately picture people in third world countries, but rarely our own. This campaign is going to do a world of good for informing people about hunger and homelessness problems for children in America.

Using American Idol as a platform benefits everyone involved. People are more aware of the hunger problem and how they can help solve it. Corporate America gets involved and demonstrates social responsibility, which improves the public's image of these companies. American Idol gets lots of celebrities involved and attracts a huge viewing audience which means higher ratings for the network and higher prices charged for ad spots so profits increase. Advertisers get their message out to a huge audience. And most of all: people in need, especially children, get the help they deserve.

Kudos American Idol to a job well done!

it's time for some good pr

It seems like my recent posts have been on the, er, more critical side, so for a change I'm switching to looking at a company who's doing PR the right way- Ford Motor Company. You've probably caught some of their new ads on TV and American Idol. Personally, I think those American Idol music video ads are a stroke of genius.

Here's what Ford realized: the age of the gas guzzling SUV is over. Baby boomers who were buying and driving those vehicle, some as a status symbol at the time, have switched to smaller more fuel efficient luxury SUVs or fuel efficient cars, luxury or otherwise. Some no longer need the big SUVs because their kids grew up and moved out. Ford also realized they were losing their market share to Toyota and its highly economical, well-built vehicles.

So Ford stepped it up a notch and came out with an amazing PR campaign. I love the "BoldMoves" theme of the ads. If you think back a little bit, you'll recall the premier ad for this new series showing a 16-year-old getting her first car, a Ford Mustang her dad just bought for her.

Since Ford realized the market was changing, they re-branded and launched a new campaign targeting a younger generation. Great strategy- get them to buy a Ford when they're young and build some brand loyalty. Mustangs have always been cool to us young people, and we love innovative, high tech new vehicles like the crossover Edge. I love the commercial for it- catchy music and a clever, innovative connection between the crossover's name and where its driving, which is up and down the edges of city buildings.

Partnering with American Idol keeps their name in the forefront of young consumers' minds as well. Seeing the Top 8, 9 or 10 Idols in an entertaining music video featuring the Ford Edge, Mustang, Fusion and Hybrid Escape is an amazing platform to market these new vehicle to young people, to whom these vehicles have tremendous appeal. Ford has definitely gone about this campaign the right way. They stepped out and took a risk, and I think they've done a supremely successful job.