Sprint Cell Refuses to Save Baby Until Sheriff Department Pays $25

Imagine you work for a cell phone company and one day you get a call from the Sheriff Department. It seems that your company has precise information that can save a baby from kidnappers. Would you give the information? Or would you follow company policy like a mindless robot and refuse to give out the information?

That's exactly what happened when a thoughtless Sprint Nextel customer service representative refused to give the Sheriff Department the GPS location of the kidnapped baby. All new Sprint cell phones now have GPS capability.

The massive ethical and public relations blunder is already reaping punishment for Sprint as the true story of the December 23 kidnapping spreads across the internet as a modern tale of corporate greed and policy overcoming common sense and human decency. January 11th the Riverside County Supervisors sought to ban Sprint Nextel from building any more cell phone towers in the county.

How did a huge cell phone company coldly refuse to help rescue a ten-month infant? The Sprint Nextel employee callously cited company policy, and refused to reveal the child's location to the Riverside County Sheriff's deputies.

The Cochran family of Eastvale, CA loaded their baby into their SUV in the home's driveway. The father, Jason, placed their 10-month-old baby and came back inside for their 3-year-old. When the father returned to the driveway the baby and the SUV were gone.

According to the NBC4 report..."When the parents called 911 they also realized that the father's Sprint cell phone with GPS locator technology was also in the car.
NBC4 reported that Sprint wouldn't provide a location to the parents or to the deputies...The deputies were told that Sprint had the location of the vehicle but that they could not disclose it to them because they needed to pay the $25 fee for a subpoena or fill out some forms," said the child's mother.

Two and a half hours later deputies found the boy safe in the now abandoned SUV.

In a classic case of closing the barn door after the horse is gone, Kathleen Dunleavy, Sprint's regional spokeswoman said "We're not sure what happened. We act immediately when it is an emergency." ...

The normal $25 fee to processing the paperwork and activate the program is waived for law enforcement in emergency cases.

"It's just unfortunate that something went wrong in this case," Dunleavy said. "We're trying to find out what happened so it doesn't happen again. Sprint is very concerned, and we certainly apologize to the family."

My PR advice to Dunleavy and Sprint Nextel:
1) Take responsibility for causing this problem.
2) Admit the company made a mistake and aggressively spread the word through news media and across the internet.
3) Develop a simple and clear solution to this problem so that Sprint Nextel employees will never refuse to help when a person's life is in danger.
4) Aggressively publicize the new policy in news media and across the internet.

Sprint Nextel must follow these steps to regain public trust. Sprint has aready earned a measure of public ill will in internet forums and from the Riverside County supervisors.
See the whole story in the Desert Sun newspaper article.

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Ford Mustang vs. GM Camaro: Web Public Relations

Ford Mustang vs. GM Camaro: corporate blogs and web Public Relations

I'm constantly searching for corporate blogs that convey the excitement of the brand, or generate positive PR value for businesses. There are only some 20 blogs among the Fortune 500 companies. Most of the Fortune 500 companies seem out of touch with the good will that can be generated by blogs.

Two major companies that have business related blogs are Ford Motor and General Motors.
Ford's blog specifically focuses on the Mustang, GM is more of a car news site but recently (January) spotlighted their new Camaro concept car.

The Competitors:


A Ford engineer describes testing the new Mustang security system by "... banging on vehicles with mallets (yes, we cringe every time we hit the car...)". These real life insights into the engineering process, and the personal stories of Mustang ownership by some of the garage-racer/engineers, makes you see these guys as more than faceless employees. These engineers believe in this car. I have to give this blog good marks for giving a human face to a huge corporation and a very popular product.

Yet, they stopped updating the blog in Aug of 2004. What? Ford has a great PR tool and they drop it? Maybe large company's still don't understand the Public Relations value of blogs.

GM Takes the Lead:
GM seems to grasp the value of blogs for PR. Their blog is updated with many more posts than the Ford Mustang blog. The blog posts are short car news tidbits with no personal insights. On the positive side, GM FastLane even links you to a podcast of the Camaro concept car presentation and a downloadable camaro video.

Very savvy for a huge company. Looks like GM wins this race. (Note that the camaro video is an MP4 file which you may be able to play with Quicktime or maybe your video iPod. )

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Lexus Podcasts its Way to African American Audience

Lexus Podcasts its Way to African American Audience

Major advertiser Lexus is using a jazz-themed podcast series to promote the new Lexus IS. See the product advertising blog at LexusFusion.com. Clickz writer Pamela Parker's article features quotes from interactive shop ImagineThat SVP Derek Bonney:
"The company has made blogs a "pretty heavy part" of the overall ad campaign, according to Bonney. ...
"One of the things we've learned in this process is they appear like they're part of the blog," said Bonney. "You draw people a little bit more into a dialogue than in a standard ad."

Lexus joins other major advertisers using blogs such as the Nike Art of Speed Blog, created by Gawker Media in 2004.

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How to Make Video for iPod & PSP with Video Editing Software

Video iPod Rendering Specs for Video Editing Software

Are you making your own original video content? Beyond video podcasts, your indy band may want to put your last killer music video on the iPod and PSP. Perhaps your company or ad agency craves creating the next hot viral video or marketing tool for the PSP and video iPod platforms. It's just another popular video format.

You may have access to video editing software like Final Cut pro, AVID, Sony VEGAS, Adobe Premiere or others, which makes editing using the video specs below fairly easy. Since these tools can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, we also discuss less expensive software solutions below for rendering video for iPod or PSP.

At HighlyDef Productions we've used Sony VEGAS and Cineform for editing High Definition TV documentaries, music videos and TV commercials. We're working on a couple of video projects for the iPod platform, which we'll talk about later this month.


Which iPods Play Video?
You can view video in iTunes and on the color iPod. Older iPods won't play the video but might play the audio part of a video. If you must have video on your iPod Nano, you can always install the iPodLinux operating system on your Nano. Install iPodzilla and it allows you to play video avi files in color.

Most videos for Sony PSP will also play on the iPod and ITunes and vice versa. The PSP has a larger resolution than the iPod at 480x272 pixels in a 16:9 widescreen, 4.3 inch TFT-LCD. The wide aspect ratio of the screen makes it great for games, widescreen movies and HDTV. The PSP has a better screen, and Wi-Fi allowing users to connect the internet or to another PSP. The iPod has a larger HD onboard, holding 20, 30 or 60 Gig of video, photos and music. The PSP is limited to the Sony Duo memoy sticks in 1 Gig, 512 Mb or lower, with no HD. The iPod also has 30% longer battery life.
Note to Sony: add a hard drive to the PSP. If you are rendering video just for the PSP, you might render a MPEG 4 video file at 480x272 video size. If creating a video for both try using the iPod resolutions below.


Formats and bit-rates for the video iPod and PSP
Hardware:
Use a windows PC with processor of 3 Gig or faster. Faster is better, as in all types of video rendering.

Low cost software for iPod rendering:
Windows - PSPVideo9 is shareware for download at: http://www.pspvideo9.com/
MAC - Handbrake : http://handbrake.m0k.org/

The Video iPod can actually play back any video stored in the H.264 or MPEG-4 format
and properly sized for the iPod's screen. (320 x 240, 30 frames per sec.) But H.264 seems to convert very slowly on some software.

H.264 Format
If you must use H.264 then:
H.264 750-Kbps video combined with 128-Kbps audio allows up to 2 hours of video on the 30 Gigabyte iPod or 3 hours of video on the 60 Gigabyte iPod.

H.264 video settings: up to 768 Kbps, 320 x 240, 30 frames per sec.,
Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC up to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats. 320x240/768kbps stereo/128kbps setting works best.

With MyTV ToGO, you can move video onto the iPod, a PSP, or a Pocket PC handheld. Download it for $29 at https://store5.esellerate.net/store/checkout/CustomLayout.aspx?s=STR9773482746&pc=&page=EmbeddedSimpleCatalog.htm

.MOV Quicktime format
Apple's QuickTime Pro software can convert many types of digital video for playback on the new video iPod. With Quicktime Pro you can pick the 3ivx D4 4.5.1 codec, set the quality to medium, set the frame rate to 24 and set bitrate to 400 kbits/sec. Setting the framerate to 24 frames per second will save file space but can make the video movement look choppy on some programs. 30 frames per second give smoother movement.

If you're using professional or prosumer video editing software you can use these settings to guide your rendering efforts:
If your video source file is 740x480 standard video or larger(HDTV or HDV), then shrink it to 360x240. The new iPod is actually capable of handling MPEG4 video up to 480x480, but 360x240 is convenient because it's half of standard TV video resolution at 720x480. Set the sound to AAC 44.100 kHz Stereo at 160kbps.
MPEG-4 video: up to 2.5 mbps, 480 x 480, 30 frames per second. You can set the audio portion to to 160 Kbps, 48 Khz, stereo audio and output the whole file as .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats

For best iTunes support, avoid the "mp4" suffix and opt instead for a "m4a" or "m4v". You can also use a .mov quicktime wrapper for playback in the iPod or on a PC browser.

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How to find video for your video iPod and not be attacked by the MPAA

How to find video for your video iPod and not be attacked by the MPAA


Which iPods will Play Video?
You can view video in iTunes and on the color iPod. Older iPods won't play the video but might play the audio part of a video. Most videos for Sony PSP will also play on the iPod and ITunes and vice versa.

Here are some places to find free or inexpensive video content for your video iPod:

Rock N Roll news for your video iPod
http://bubblebabble.typepad.com/rocknrolltv/

Funny commercials
http://www.flixpo.com/

Itunes
On the iTunes music store a typical music video album sells for $ 9.99
A single music video sells for $ 1.99
http://www.apple.com/itunes/

But wait there's more...
You can also find video podcasts of varying quality at:
http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php
Some are good and some are very bad.

Find more videos at Yahoo's http://podcasts.yahoo.com/ Podcast search.
This has lots of video in Comedy, Music and Technology areas.

For example there are some sports videos.
Yes! Perhaps you like skateboard videos for your iPod.
Woot Mon! Girls skating on the ramps!
http://www.64mm.com/vlog/vlog2_H264.mov

Cyclocross Bike racing music video:
http://aguynamedlogan.typepad.com/aguynamedlogan/files/thefukinHamptons.mov

What's your favorite source of content for the video iPod?
Post it in comments for this article:

We'll share your picks in a future post.

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MARTA Public Relations Problem: Atlanta Train Knife Slashing

Atlanta Train Knife Slashing: The MARTA Public Relations Problem with Crime

A brutal knife slashing incident on the Atlanta MARTA commuter train, points up the common Public Relations issue of crime for transit companies in large cities. The knife attack started with an argument about a shell game on an evening commuter train. Atlanta commuter Brian Critchfield witnessed and wrote about the attack in the Atlanta Journal Constitution of 11/22/05.

"A man in a tank top wanted to play but, apparently, wasn't welcome in the game. Then there was a screaming match ...People on the train began looking a little nervous. Suddenly, the two men were shoving each other and the man running the game pulled a knife and slashed the other's arm. There was substantial blood and it was gruesome.


I tried to speak with the conductor via the intercom. I held the red button down and communicated in a clear voice that there was a knife fight on our car and provided the car number. My fearful wife, myself and several others then made a frantic crossing to the next car through the emergency door. The conductor never acknowledged my plea for help.
It was at least three more minutes until we arrived at Lenox. No police were waiting at the station. The men got off and continued screaming at each other and chasing each other around. All the time, the conductor kept our train there with the doors open. The men, after two or three minutes of display, left the platform. The train doors closed and the train left. No MARTA or Atlanta police came to even take eye-witness statements. The conductor made no announcements.
My wife has taken the train a couple of times since then. But she cannot help but think of that day when she was witness to a violent crime and no one came to her aid.
We now haven't even the slightest confidence in the MARTA police force. "
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/1105/22edmarta.html

Compare MARTA's ongoing violent crime problem to the problem facing Johnson and Johnson's Tylenol pain-reliever in 1982 when an unknown person placed cyanide in the product. Seven people in the Chicago area died from taking the tampered products.

"I don't think they can ever sell another product under that name," advertising guru Jerry Della Femina told the New York Times in the days following the poisonings. "There may be an advertising person who thinks he can solve this and if they find him, I want to hire him, because then I want him to turn our water cooler into a wine cooler."

Johnson & Johnson's PR Response
Atlanta's MARTA leaders could learn much from the way that Johnson and Johnson handled the Tylenol tampering crisis. The most crucial public relations decision made to cope with the Tylenol crisis, was taking responsibility to stop the problem. This allowed the Tylenol products to recover and become one of the leading selling over the counter medications.

Johnson & Johnson's public relations campaign immediately followed the discovery that the deaths in Chicago were caused by Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules. Johnson & Johnson's management immediately alerted consumers across the nation, through news media, not to consume any Tylenol products until the extent of the tampering was determined. Johnson & Johnson, along with stopping the production and advertising of Tylenol, recalled over 31 million bottles of Tylenol, with a value of more than 100 million dollars. By taking responsibility, solving the problem, and warning the public, Johnson & Johnson regained public confidence quickly.

MARTA's PR Response to the Crime Problem
Compare this to the Atlanta MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority), which takes little responsibilty and shows little response to customer safety issues. In the knife slashing incident related above, the train operator and the MARTA police did not respond or even acknowledge the violent attack on the train.

The Marta Police Crime Stats for 2005 show 65 robberies, 46 aggravated assaults and 1 rape. The highest number of crimes are related to larceny(332) and auto theft(119).

The MARTA police and MARTA employees are rarely seen on the trains or in the stations along the north-south routes. Instead MARTA places helpful posters on all trains encouraging passengers to "move away from the source of trouble" and call MARTA police, who are practically invisible in the trains or stations.

I have witnessed vagrants soliciting money from MARTA passengers and even stealing hundreds of tokens from subway turnstiles. Reporting these crimes resulted in a casual and indifferent response from the MARTA police. MARTA's indifference to the safety of transit commuters may lead to an increasing boldness among violent criminals. The MARTA crime statistics show a high incidence of assault in 2005 and even 1 murder in the 2004 crime rates.

The MARTA approach to passenger safety has left the riding public feeling fear on MARTA trains. This is a striking example of how not to handle public relations related to a safety issue. MARTA has taken little responsibility for transit crime and the predictable result has been that MARTA now has a huge reputation for violent crime among residents, business travelers and tourists who visit Atlanta.

Have you witnessed or experienced crime on public transit? Post your story in comments.

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Viral Video commercials on the web.

Here's a great blog with TV commercials on the web.

Video is entertaining for web advertising, and if it has viral tendencies it can reach more people as it's sent from e-mail to e-mail. I received several e-mails from friends, before Christmas, with the synchronized Christmas lights video.

Here's a commercial with a fun case of mistaken identity set in Hong Kong.

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