Susan G. Komen For the Cure, the force behind the ubiquitous pink breast-cancer ribbon, had a lot of people seeing red this week. After withering social criticism and intense pressure from influential advocates, Komen reversed its controversial decision to defund Planned Parenthood. But a formidable symbol of grassroots activism built over 30 years has taken a beating. What happened? Can Komen recover?

Maybe because it comes on the heels of the SOPA defeat, PR and crisis experts are calling the Komen-Planned Parenthood bloodbath a victory for the social Web. I don’t think so. Sure, Facebook and Twitter helped accelerate the outrage cycle on both sides. But, this crisis isn’t fundamentally about social media. It’s not even about politics, though our polarized culture has seeped into the public dialogue.

It’s about complacency. Mission drift. And poor communications, of course. The upshot of all the sound and fury is a breach of trust by an extraordinarily powerful brand.

As the largest network of breast cancer survivors and activists, the Komen organization has been the 800-pound gorilla of social marketing and a fundraising powerhouse. Its mission – a world without breast cancer – and the personal story behind it, is brilliant in its simplicity and fervor.

But somewhere along the line, Komen started to suffer from “mission drift.” Its aggressive defense of its trademark of the word “cure” and large spend on marketing and promotion (as opposed to research), raised questions about priorities. It tried to keep other anti-cancer groups from using the color pink. It became a bit of a bully. And, who can forget Buckets for the Cure?

But with its recent self-inflicted troubles, it seems that Komen took its vast pink army of activists for granted.

And in PR terms, Komen erred in several very basic ways. Its apology is likely to infuriate pro-life advocates who welcomed the Planned Parenthood defunding, while not fully convincing original advocates that it’s sincere. It’s a lose-lose.

To recover its own brand health, it needs to return to its roots, and to recommit to the fundamentals of public and constituent communications, as follows.

The mission is the message. No organization that relies on individual and corporate donations can afford to politicize a fundamentally non-political, non-partisan mission. Whatever its true reason for changing funding guidelines (and it now seems clear it saw Planned Parenthood as a drag on fundraising), it had to know that it was a risky move.

Transparency is critical. Komen’s fundamental strategic error was compounded by a lack of planning and poor communications. First, it tied the funding change to a new policy to withhold grants to organizations “under investigation.” When that triggered indignant questions about a double standard, the story shifted to one about direct support for screening clinics rather than referrers. Nothing kills credibility like a changing narrative.

Stand together. Preferably, armed with the truth. Brinker was swiftly contradicted by a Board member who publicly linked the change to a plan to drop Planned Parenthood. The resignation of a senior Komen executive was seen as protest, and no one was prepared to challenge, or even respond, to the stories. It’s hard enough to fight antagonists. But when you’re fighting you’re own people, it’s nearly impossible.

Speak from the heart. Though CEO Nancy Brinker tried to focus her talking points on tighter standards for outcomes, she was clearly unprepared for the cynical reaction to the move. Breast cancer, women’s health, income inequality, reproductive rights, – all are highly charged issues, yet Brinker’s video response came off a bit as defensive policy-speak that sidestepped the questions about motives.

Rally your advocates. The formidable pink juggernaut that awakened so much loyalty seemed sadly alone as it faced the rising swirl of questions around its decision. The low point was Brinker’s interview with a clearly infuriated Andrea Mitchell, herself a cancer survivor and one-time Komen supporter.

Where does Komen go from here? Though its apology was welcomed by many who had angrily protested the change, Komen’s carefully worded statement, though sincere, isn’t strong enough to restore the trust of its supporters. The reversal is an obvious response to public pressure, and it’s hard to tell if Komen will truly restore the previous Planned Parenthood relationship.

To recover, Komen needs to refocus on its real enemy – cancer. It has confused fundraising prowess with success. It doesn’t need to be the biggest, the strongest, or even the pinkest. It simply needs to recommit to its original goal of protecting women’s health, while restoring confidence among corporate sponsors that their brands are once again safe with the pink ribbon.

The Super Bowl is this Sunday, and football is on everyone’s mind.  Whether you’re a Patriots fan, Giants fan, or don’t even know what a field goal is, chances are you‘ll be watching this weekend.  Sports can teach us a lot about life in the PR world.  Here are just a few of the reasons why.

Study the Film

NFL teams spend an incredible amount of time studying their opponents, watching film and learning exactly what to expect in any situation.  This kind of competitor analysis is needed in PR as well.  Clients want to know where the competition is gaining exposure, and you need to know exactly what’s happening in that industry.

It Takes 53 Men to Win the Super Bowl

You can’t win a game with one player.  The quarterback needs a strong line blocking for him, reliable receivers, and an aggressive defense.  The same goes for a PR team.  Whether you’re the account supervisor, responsible for media relations, social media, or monitoring, every role is essential to getting the job done, and accountability is necessary.

Putting in the time

Tom Brady and Eli Manning didn’t just wake up one day and decide to become world class athletes.  It takes a life time of hard work, studying, and practice.  The same is necessary for PR pros (most won’t be able to successfully pitch The New York Times on their first day as an intern.)  Experience means everything in this industry and without putting the necessary time in you’ll never get the results you’re looking for.

Coaching is everything

Every office environment needs structure.  While the structure of a PR agency may not be as rigid as that of an NFL organization, the concept is similar.  It starts from the top with the head coach or CEO providing guidance and making personnel decisions, and trickles down, with everyone knowing their own responsibilities and where they fit in.

What other lessons could we learn from the NFL? And most importantly, who’s your pick for Sunday?

The run-up to Super Bowl XLVI has definitely begun. And every year the pre-game show ( the ad-fest that leads up to Sunday) seems to get longer.

Now, the Super Bowl has never been known for cutting-edge advertising creative. The challenge is to go big, go broad, and generate chatter. And it’s the early buzz that helps justify the jaw-dropping $3.5 million per spot. Here’s a hint about 2012: cars and dogs are still big.

But the loudest noise seems to be around the commercials designed to evoke fond memories of years gone by. Call it the Nostalgia Bowl. Downy fabric softener, of all brands, is reprising the Mean Joe Greene ad that Coke made famous in 1979, with a twist. (Ordinarily this would be shameless plagiarism, but the aged Joe and the incomparable Amy Sedaris make it surprisingly fresh.)

Then there’s Seinfeld and Jay Leno fighting over an Acura, complete with the Soup Nazi thrown into the sentimental stew. Not bad, actually.

But the PR winner has to be Ferris Bueller. When Honda released a preview version of its “Matthew’s Day Off,” the ad featuring Matthew Broderick playing hooky to ride in a CR-V, Twitter went crazy. The tweets were so fast and furious that they sparked a little backlash.

And there’s plenty to pick on here. A minivan isn’t the sexiest car, and some have accused Broderick of selling out his character in doing something they insist the youthful Ferris would never do.

So it may not be a perfect marketing vehicle. But the spot has racked up four million free views on one YouTube channel alone. It’s the clear front-runner five full days before kickoff, and the dozen or so “Easter eggs” – hidden references to the iconic 1980s film – probably guarantee further mileage for Honda.

What’s even more refreshing is that Bueller and other entertaining spots have crowded out the GoDaddy girls and the “banned ad” also-rans, for once. The tired PR gimmick of claiming an ad has been banned or rejected by the network and posting it online is still in evidence this year, most notably in a spot put out by dating site TheBigandThe Beautiful. It claims the sexy commercial it submitted was rejected by NBC due to bias against women of size.

But so far the hijackers have had slim pickings. Honda’s Bueller isn’t a Ferrari (either literally or creatively) but it is a crowd-pleaser. Which for Super Bowl Sunday, may be just what the doctor ordered.

With the first month of 2012 almost at a close, everyone is reevaluating their New Year’s Resolutions. Are you still taking advantage of your new gym membership? Did you find a way to keep fried foods off of your dinner menu? Are you still volunteering at a local organization? But most importantly to those in the PR trade, have you been able to increase your productivity at work?

It may be okay to skip the gym once in a while, but let’s look at a few ways to keep productivity up at work and ongoing for this year, and the next, and the next…

Eat the right food. Food coma is like an undiagnosed sickness. It happens to everyone and at the most crucial times – right after lunch, while you still have half a day left of work. Eat the right proportions and the right food that’ll boost up your productivity, not slow it down. Good examples are avocados, dark chocolate, nuts and seeds, or even splurge and get some fish!

Hold some paper. Yes, everything is online now but that doesn’t mean everything needs to stay on the computer screen. If you’re doing research or editing a report, print it out and manually review it in front of you. It’ll be less straining on your eyes and allow you to focus more. Use a highlighter (they’re not obsolete yet!) and make notes on the side.

The silent treatment. When confronted by a demanding assignment and if its allowed at your work place, move your office space for awhile. Choose somewhere without distractions (the library, the nearby park, coffee house or even at home). The trick is to not have any communication gadgets and if you need your laptop, don’t connect it to Wi-Fi and get to work!

Peak hours. You know if you’re a morning or a night person. Take advantage of when you feel and work the best and pinpoint hours. Use these hours to get the most important projects done.

Similarities attract. Batch similar tasks throughout the day so you’re the most efficient, e.g. if you have phone calls to make or errands to run – do it all at the same time so you’re not constantly going back and forth to it.

With 11 more months of the year, what are your best tricks for staying productive at work (or in life)?

Humor can be an excellent kick-start to creativity.  Once I worked at an agency where brainstorm conference tables were littered with Legos, Slinkies, rubber balls, Play-Doh and other toys.  The fun stuff got everyone laughing in a hurry and helped speed up the brain’s journey from the previous task to the task at hand.

How else can humor help in the workplace?

Humor can help defuse the tension that arises out of everyday office situations, like running out of milk or waiting on a deliverable from a colleague.  If everyone stays happy, then everyone stays cool.

Practical jokes are an excellent team-building exercise, provided it’s all in fun and you don’t break anything!  I’ve done everything from shrink-wrap a colleague’s cube to moving someone’s entire desk, plants and all, into the women’s restroom.  (Of course we all helped put the desk back where it belonged.)

It’s a great retention tool: if people are laughing at work, chances are they are happy at work.  You want your employees to look forward to coming to work every day – after all, we spend enough time here!

…and of course, a note of caution.  Make sure you know your audience, particularly in an election year.  Something that you think is hilarious could be genuinely offensive to a colleague.  Stick to safe parameters unless you’re really among friends.

You didn’t think I’d let you go without a parting gift, did you?  Here’s one for the water cooler:

A salesman calls a home, and a small boy answers the phone.

Salesman: Hi!  Can I speak to your Mommy, please?

Boy: (in a whisper) No.  She’s talking to the firemen.

S: Firemen? Oh my.  Well, then, can I speak to your Daddy?

B: (still whispering) No.  Daddy is talking to the policemen.

S: Policemen?  Goodness.  Is there any other grown-up there that I can talk to?

B: (whispering) Well.  There are people here from the TV station, with cameras.

S: TV station?  Son, what’s going on over there?  What are all of those people doing at your house?

B: (whispering even more quietly) Looking for me…

Who would have thought it? Newt Gingrich, the temperamental former House Speaker with a checkered personal history, has made a comeback. Again.

Of course, political advantage is notoriously short-lived during primary season, particularly the debate-larded GOP one we’ve seen so far. And the Gingrich rise may say as much about the shallowness of Romney’s support, and his campaign’s missteps, than it does about the former Speaker. But there are some lessons here. The Gingrich campaign has shown real PR smarts in recent weeks, including mastery of the following communications and messaging principles.

Own the story. As a reputed “idea guy,” Gingrich is well schooled in floating new, or newly packaged, concepts that are often colorful and provocative. He’s skilled at elevating the narrative beyond his own issues (e.g. personal baggage) and generating buzz about the future. The latest – space travel and the promise of a moon colony -  is a stretch, but it takes some of the pressure off other, more complicated issues.

Get in front of the bad stuff. Gingrich made a smart move just hours before the CNN debate in South Carolina last week by releasing his tax returns. Though his consulting work for Freddie Mac and his relatively high income are potential liabilities, the timing was brilliant. (And his tax rate is far higher than Romney’s.) The move turned up the heat on Romney to release his own returns, distracting from the news itself and dwarfing the size of the Gingrich assets and income in a flash.

Identify a “safe” enemy. As the world knows, Gingrich’s finest PR moment came just after what could have been a fatal disclosure for his campaign, – the allegation by ex-wife Marianne that he asked her for an “open marriage.” But when CNN’s John King threw out the question for the Speaker’s comment like a slow pitch at the start of a baseball game, Gingrich knocked it out of the park. His tactic was to turn the question into an attack on the media, a favorite whipping boy of the campaign and the party base.

Turn your liabilities into assets. He’s been called thin-skinned, mercurial and grandiose. But last week, Gingrich’s passion, indignation, and outrage really sold his message. When it was focused on the “elite” media, it gave the Speaker a bit of sympathy, and even moral authority. Demonizing the media was far more effective than criticizing his fellow GOP-ers, since it was a uniting force and spoke directly to the voters.

Master your flaws. Where properly focused, as noted, Gingrich’s outrage was very effective. But a little goes a long way, particularly given his reputation for anger. So, he dialed the temperature way down in the subsequent debate this week in Florida. While it made for a far duller session, the “presidential” demeanor thwarted critics hoping for another blow-up, tempering his feisty image.

Where Gingrich has erred, in my opinion, is in sharpening his attacks on Romney after pledging not to go negative. The campaign has already backed down from a nasty anti-Romney ad in Florida, and it will be interesting to see how it walks the line as things heat up down South.

Every year the graphic design world is treated to a variety of new fonts – the good, the bad and the ugly. Because we PR types are always looking for ways to make correspondence stand out, we checked out some of this year’s contenders. They include some pretty out-there fonts, with names like Bleeding Cowboys, Ransom Note and Aristotle Maple Hero.

These may not be up to par for business correspondence but your choice of typeface does say something about your character, your personality and your attitude, according to researchers at Wichita State University.

Here is a primer on a few popular font types and what they say about their users.

Serif Fonts are those with rounded edges on the letters or extra strokes added to the top and bottom of each character. Common examples include Antiqua and Garamond as well as Times New Roman. The researchers found that TNR projects stability, politeness, practicality and formality. It is recommended for business correspondence, but personally, I find it boring, utterly lacking character and really dated.

Courier New is also a serif, and study respondents found it rigid, sad, dull and unattractive. I can’t imagine using it for much!

Sans Serif fonts are typefaces sans embellishment and include many of those commonly associated with business writing – the aforementioned Arial and Verdana, which are also considered to be stable and conformist, but authoritative and persuasive.

Scripted/fun fonts such as Comic Sans are just what they sound like – fun and informal. They say creative, happy and attractive.

As you might imagine, the pundits come down on the side of “stable and conformist” for most business writing.

So, even though you’re an Arial on the outside, do you have a wild “inner” Bleeding Cowboys or Jokerman just screaming to get out?

As the queen of “comfort cuisine,” Paula Deen has been a favorite among many members of my family, all of whom live in Georgia or the Carolinas. I’ve admired Paula for her unapologetic taste for indulgence, and for her Southern fried authenticity and down home charm. I’ve never even watched her show, yet I feel I’ve known her for years. I even took her side in her food fight with Anthony Bourdain, though Bourdain was largely in the right.

But Paula’s recent revelation that she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has left a bad taste. And from a PR perspective, I’m not convinced that it’s been well handled.

When I caught her “Today” show interview, I felt a little queasy, and since then I’ve been trying to sort out why. Here’s what it boils down to:

Timing – Paula admits that she was diagnosed three years ago. She says waited until now to reveal her illness, which has been rumored since 2010, because she wanted to “bring something to the table.” I want to believe her, but three years is an awfully long time. For someone who’s hallmark is authenticity, it’s hard to swallow. It doesn’t take a business genius to conclude that Paula and her management were worried about the impact of her illness on her show and brand.

Commerce – Paula also announced that she has signed a spokesperson contract with Novo Nordisk, a producer of the diabetes drug she now takes. There’s nothing wrong with being a paid endorser, but it leaves her open to charges of opportunism. Was she waiting for a fat opportunity to monetize her condition?

Paula and her sons, who are also Novo Nordisk spokespersons, followed Monday’s disclosure with a hasty and vaguely worded announcement that they would donate an unspecified portion of their earnings to the American Diabetes Association. When contacted for comment, the association had no knowledge of the plan. The whole thing looked like an afterthought, because it was. More poor strategy and lack of planning. A donation as a centerpiece of her education program would have softened the blatant commercialsim of her deal and sweetened the message.

Clarity – But, what is the message? That medication lets you ignore diet and exercise guidelines? That you can cut back and still enjoy life? Beyond her headline talking point, “Diabetes is not a death sentence,” there’s no call-to-action. With respect, it seems half-baked.

Commitment – Paula’s been opaque about any personal diet and lifestyle changes since the diagnosis. Perhaps she doesn’t want to offend food industry advertisers, but her reticence is confusing. I don’t think she can be a credible role model if she doesn’t talk about adapting to her illness beyond “moderation.” She’s a tremendous brand with the power to inspire millions, but that equity may be at risk, or at least underleveraged.

Brand identity – Brand experts have weighed in on any conversion to lighter fare, calling it risky. I think the risk can be managed, especially since any change is driven by an authentic, real-life event, – her health condition. There’s plenty of opportunity to adapt. (How about a side-by-side comparison, full-fat vs. substitutions?) The plan is to anoint son Bobby as the healthy-eating advocate of the family, but it remains to be seen if he can ride Mama’s apron strings to success.

Paula says her show’s focus won’t change, and beyond giving up sweet tea, she’s vague about personal lifestyle changes. Problem is, she isn’t serving up enough to be as credible and convincing as she needs to be. She seems to want to have her cake, and eat it, too. But as we’ve seen, that can only go on for so long without consequences.

It’s that time of year again, the cold doldrums of January and a ton of mid-season TV replacements.

It’s the television industry’s annual do-over, where TV execs get to press reboot and give it another try.  Much like a PR campaign that isn’t working, new strategies occasionally need to be implemented mid-way through the year.

Any good PR pro knows when to learn from your initial miscalculations, adapt, and make those necessary changes.  For every The Playboy Club and Free Agents, there could be a classic (or great client campaign) in the waiting.  The Simpsons was a midseason replacement in 1989, so was Happy Days (1974) and The Office (2005).

Here are four signs a current client campaign might need a mid-season replacement, and who knows, your next big hit might be closer than you think.

Your time slot was bad

Timing can be everything in PR, so be aware of what’s happening in your client’s industry  and the world at large. Make sure you aren’t competing with major news events or have missed a window altogether and plan accordingly.

The budget was cut so much you don’t even recognize your original idea

If a cut-down campaign budget turns your plan into a shell of its former self, you may want to swallow your pride and find a better way to use your resources.

The pitch has gotten bad reviews from the media

Listen to the feedback from your target demographic (the media), and use it as constructive criticism to improve your next campaign.

“Bad actors”: A constantly changing cast of characters

Some clients change team members so often that it can make it difficult to gain any long term traction.  When you are constantly having to re-sell your big idea, you lose momentum and opportunity. At that point it is sometimes helpful to recast a big idea into some smaller, easier to implement initiatives.

What are some other warning signs a campaign might need to be replaced?

Cuban has since clarified his position on using PR consultants after much online commentary. But basically, his premise seems to be that journalists and bloggers would much rather hear from a company founder directly, rather than through an intermediary.

Fair enough. But calling Mark Cuban a spokesman for start-ups is a bit like describing Kim Kardashian as Kris Humphries’ ex-wife. It may be beside the point at this stage in his life and career.

But Cuban is right about at least one thing, which is that a PR program for a start-up is often very different from one on behalf of a legacy business. There are different rules. Here’s my take on the most effective way to approach PR strategy and media relations for an emerging business.

Prioritize your needs. If fundraising is the overriding goal, your startup may be better off dedicating the first year to networking in venture circles, with more highly specialized help.

Bulletproof your business. Sure, many early-stage companies will grow and evolve, but your business offering needs to be as complete as as possible, and the messaging must be fully coherent before you approach media.

Focus. Similarly, spend your time on the media and influencers who can support business goals. Many startups hire a PR firm or consultant to expand product distribution, for example, which may necessitate a laserlike concentration of trade or niche media and blogs.

Assess the founder’s strengths. Be ruthless. Mark Cuban may be a magnificent communicator, but that’s not true of all founders. Media training can only go so far. Some of the most passionate entrepreneurs I’ve known have been mediocre, or worse, when it comes to evangelizing with journalists. And, remember, the founder is not the brand.

Look at the ROI for time spent. One of the most brilliant CEOs I ever worked with told me that he could do a better job on industry PR than anyone on his staff or at my firm. And he may have been right; he had grown up in the business, knew all the key players and was a true visionary. But, apart from a few carefully cultivated media and analyst relationships, he never did wade very deeply into the PR program. Why? Because he had another job, of course. And a little of a charismatic CEO can go a long way.

Be realistic. PR is best looked at at a long-term tool for building a business or a brand. For every “snowball effect” publicity hit, there are a hundred slow-and-steady programs that create visibility and reputation over time.