Free Food, Free Publicity

Now that the dust has settled and Tuesday's madness at Denny’s is over, it's time to take a look at just how big of a publicity stunt the dining chain pulled. According to the USA today, Dennys spent over five million dollars in Superbowl ads and their breakfast giveaway combined.

For those who did not watch the Superbowl, Denny’s launched a series of breakfast promotions during the Superbowl where the Grand Slam, one of their breakfast meals, would be given out to customers free of charge on the Tuesday following the Superbowl between 6am and 2pm. (It can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OfMb90v4qg).

Many experts agree, however, that the publicity and future business Denny’s will receive far outweighs the 5 million dollars it spent. With the economy being the way it is, this was the perfect time to launch a free food campaign. According to USA Today, an estimated 2 million people flocked in to claim their free meal at one point or another. As for publicity, USA Today stated that Denny's received an estimated $50 million in free publicity coverage.

It will be very interesting to see how the other major breakfast chains respond to Denny's success. IHOP, for instance, is already firing back with their National Pancake Day special. On Tuesday, February 24th, IHOP served free pancakes while encouraging customers to donate to local children's hospitals. While National Pancake Day has been an ongoing annual event for IHOP, consumers can only relish the fact that free food promotions are increasing as everyone's wallets get a bit thinner due to our economy.

At the same time, it seems as though it takes a Superbowl ad to really match the success that Denny's had in getting their message out there. IHOP's Pancake special does not seem to have the same momentum behind it.

Time should only tell how other food service chains will adjust their campaigns based on the success of Denny’s and IHOP.

Another One Bites the Dust

Steroids have become a very prevalent issue in baseball recently, and the scene just blew up again over the past few weeks.

Alex Rodriguez, star third baseman for the New York Yankees and, up until a few weeks ago, a sure-fire candidate to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, admitted recently that he used steroids during the 2001, 2002 and 2003 baseball seasons.

This was not supposed to happen.

As a baseball fan, I believe we were supposed to see Rodriguez break Barry Bonds' home run record in a few years by doing it "the right way,” free of steroids, after Bonds tainted the record by using steroids.

As commissioner of baseball, the news that Rodriguez did in fact use steroids was supposed to be confidential because his drug test was supposed to be anonymous. How does a secret become more than just a rumor?

Does any other Major League Baseball Player know whom to trust? Can you trust that the substances your trainer provides you with are legal? Can you trust your teammates not to rat you out if you do make a mistake?

But most importantly we must ask: how do you repair your image? Because steroid usage is so wide-spread in baseball, it is not likely that a player caught using steroids will lose all his endorsement deals like one might in basketball, for instance, where steroids are less of an issue.

Yet despite his talents, Rodriguez had a less than favorable image before these reports ever emerged. Within the past few months, he left behind his wife and daughter to have an affair with Madonna; he was ridiculed in a book about his obsession with fellow teammate and Yankee Captain Derek Jeter and the horrible presence he brought to the Yankee clubhouse (the book was written by his legendary coach Joe Torre, no less); he refuted a long-term, multi-million dollar contract offer from the Yankees in December thinking he could earn more than his league-leading $25 million elsewhere (only to realize he was mistaken and re-sign with New York) and the list goes on.

And it is that long list that makes one wonder: Is it possible to have so many public defamations that they start to become less of an issue? Could things really get any worse for Rodriguez? Does this become a Britney Spears-type issue where you just roll your eyes and move on anytime this celebrity receives negative press?

Honestly, yes.

Rodriguez is not the first player to get caught using steroids, yet as the steroids issue grows, so too has attendance at baseball games. Most true fans of the game, especially Yankee fans who are accustomed to their team succeeding consistently, are not going to care what Rodriguez does in his personal life, or what he consumes to be able to hit home runs the way he does- all that matters is that he puts on a great show on a regular basis.

Sports are just another form of entertainment for a particular demographic and- more often than not- fans just want to see amazing performances that they themselves could not dream of accomplishing. How these performers get their act together is not as big a deal as the media is making of it.

So as far as Rodriguez's image, think of it as that rebellious friend you have that completely covers themselves in tattoos and piercings? At this point, would you ever notice if they got another one?

Me neither.

Michael Phelps Controversy

Now that the secret's out, Michael Phelps' publicity agents have a mighty task ahead of them, and there doesn't seem to be any clear-cut solutions. 

To recap: Michael Phelps, who won a record-breaking eight gold medals at these past Olympics in Beijing, had a picture released showing him with a marijuana bong at a party.  

This is the second time Phelps has been in trouble with the law, the first being a DUI incident after the 2004 Olympics.

There are many different angles to analyze this from.  First and foremost, if you are Speedo, Kellogs, or any other of Phelps' endorsers, do you keep him or break your contract? 

While this is Phelps' second run-in with the law, you cannot demean his athletic achievements.  Phelps' sponsors gambled by signing him to endorsement deals at age 16.  Granted, he showed great promise from a young age, but how many young athletes actually follow through on their potential without letting all the money they are making get to their head and ruin their careers?

Up until this most recent incident, Phelps' sponsors got more from their client than they could have ever dreamed of.  This man was the talk of the Olympics before, during and after the competition.  Nobody pulled in more headlines over those few months and companies tied to the athlete reaped the benefits.  It would be hard to imagine these companies blindly dissociating from Phelps seeing as many of their marketing plans were based so heavily around the Olympic star. 

If you are Michael Phelps, you have to wonder what was going through your head at the time.  You became a global icon at age 23, and yet decide to walk into a fraternity party in South Carolina and engage in all different types of college-party stereotypes.  It is almost surprising that the bong picture was the only one that made it to the public. 

After performing the way Phelps did at the Olympics, one can agree he is entitled to having some fun, especially during a time period when he is taking a break from training.  To do so in a such a brass, public manner seems to be crossing the line of entitlement that comes with his achievements in the pool.  He needed to understand the microscope he was under after becoming arguably one of the greatest swimmers of all time.

Also, if you're an average Joe tuning in to Sportscenter and hearing all about this issue, you really might not be phased. When push comes to shove, let's try and be honest: Michael Phelps, for as good of an athlete as he is, is a swimmer.  Not a basketball player, not a boxer, he is a swimmer.  This is not to demean his accomplishments or his career, but there are not many highly-publicized swimming competitions aside from the summer Olympics.  This equates to most spectators only showing real interest in the athlete every four years.  

Therefore, as we sit three and a half years away from our next chance to see Phelps shine, do his actions right now, especially those in his personal life, really concern us that much?  Are we that nosy?

No one ever likes to see the non-angelic side of an American hero, but anyone with a realistic side to them knows that side is bound to exist in a 23-year-old and that everyone makes mistakes.  Phelps was quick to apologize and, judging by the incessant paparazzi surrounding his house at all hours since the picture's release, has probably learned his lesson.  

Let's move on.

Sean Silva

Ehling Blogger

A Step Forward

Over the past few years we have witnessed a media evolution unlike any other.  There has been an exponential growth in the way our society communicates and the new tools we use for that purpose.  As of recently, the evolution has again grown  with the creation of AdHocnium. 

The newly-formed ad-hoc committee is composed of several highly-trained social media specialists.  It is designed to educate both public relations firms and their clients on how to become more efficient in their use of social media.  

One of the company's crucial elements is their "Catalytic Converter," a day long training session providing top PR executives and their affiliated clients with key insights and new perspectives on how to better execute their daily operations using new technology.  

This demand for efficiency through new technology is also taking place beyond the professional level.  

In a November 2o Daily Orange article, Jamie Munks described a similar program to the "Catalytic Converter" that took place at the Newhouse School.

Professors interested in catching up with the media-tech world took a three-day course on how to use various programs including Adobe Photoshop, Soundslides, and Final Cut.  The course ended with the professors learning how to create a website where they could upload the material they created.  

It has never been easier within the field of communications to share large amounts of information so quickly and the Newhouse School is trying to keep its students and professors on the forefront of the technology used for transmitting that information.  

The use of technology to a communicator's advantage no longer requires outsourcing to highly-trained specialists.  Instead, company's expect their employees to take on much of the technological demand themselves. 

This makes it crucial that students coming out of college are up to date on current technology and for that to happen, professors must adapt quickly.  

Sean Silva

Ehling Blogger

For more information on AdHocnium, please visit adhocnium.com.

December AP Style Quiz

The following corrections can be found in the A-C entries of the AP Stylebook.

As Jill removed the Bubble Wrap from the CD-ROM disk, she saw two criss-crossed chain saws and a couple trees.  Amidst the trees, there was a Chinese tsar.  She immediately called her manager and told him the art director had run amuck on the artwork for her Books on Tape series. 

Corrections:

"CD-ROM disk" is repetitive.  Use either "CD-ROM" or disk by itself instead. 

The word "couple" cannot stand alone except as a noun.  Otherwise, the word couple must be accompanied with the word "of."

The word "amidst" is archaic and should be replaced with the word "amid."

The word "tsar" should almost always be changed to the word "czar."  The only exception is when referring to the tsar of Russia. 

The word "amuck" needs to be changed to "amok."

Things you might have changed:

"Bubble Wrap" is acceptable because it is trademarked.  

"Books on Tape" is a trademarked name as well.

We hope you enjoyed the first quiz on AP Style.  We plan to continue running this section in the monthly publications of the Ehling Report during the spring semester.

Welcome to The Ehling Blog

Welcome to the newest addition to the Ehling chapter of PRSSA.  This blog will allow our members to discuss their ideas on events and activities as well as current trends and issues in the field.