The damning evidence against Sherrod surfaced on July 19, when conservative blogger and activist Andrew Breitbart posted a  2-minute video snippet of a speech Sherrod gave in 2009.  In the clip Sherrod, who is African American, recounts an incident in which Roger Spooner, a poor white farmer, approached her for help in saving his farm from foreclosure.  She says she handed him off to a white lawyer rather than devote the necessary time and resources to his case.   Of course we now know the clip was edited and posted out of context:  in the full version of the speech, Ms. Sherrod goes on to say she later helped save the Mr. Spooner’s farm after she saw the lawyer had been mishandling the farmer’s case.  Sherrod was using this episode to illustrate how it changed her views on race and poverty.

In today’s 24 hour newscycle, social media sourcing has become commonplace for reporters, bloggers and general consumers.  Social media has truly leveled the playing field, empowering the public to determine what is newsworthy.  However, just becuase it’s on the internet does not make it true.  More than ever, both the media and consumers need to check the facts to prevent the spread of misinformation.  Anyone can launch a blog or post a video that distorts information, trashes a competing company or spreads false rumors about a brand, product or individual.  Many companies have been burned by rumors started online, and the impact can be devasting to personal and corporate repulations alike. 

In this case, Breitbart’s post had further consequences than even he intended.  His real target was the NAACP, who just a week earlier had accused elements of the socially conservative tea party group of racism.  Sherrod was simply collateral damage, but the implications of his post extend far beyond one woman’s damaged reputation.  It’s a wake up call to ensure that all of us check our facts and do the research needed to make informed decisions. 

Robert Gibbs Apologizes to Former USDA employee Shirley Sherrod

Barack Obama - “Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states.”

Joe Biden – “This is a Big F-ing Deal.”

George W. Bush (oh, where to begin…) – “They misunderestimated me.”

Dan Quayle – “I’ve made a misstatement and I stand by all my misstatements.”

Ronald Reagan – “Facts are stupid things.”

Richard Daley – “The policeman isn’t there to create disorder, the policeman is there to preserve disorder.”

Stephen Colbert (okay, so he’s not a politician, but this one was too good not to include) – “Truthiness.”

Most people associate publicity stunts with incidents like Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction, Speidi‘s (Heidi + Spencer = ridiculous nickname) countless exploits or other celebrity-centric controversies, but hardly anyone thinks of the icon that started it all. Edward Bernays is reputed, and self-proclaimed, as the ”father of public relations,“ but he is also the first publicity stuntman as well. In 1929, the New York City Easter Parade included a group of young women marching to liberate all women with their cigarettes held high billed as ”torches of freedom.“ The event caused a stir, as it was taboo for women to smoke in public at the time. These marchers were symbols of women’s rights and equality as stories appeared in newspapers across the nation.

Little did the public know, it was a well-crafted publicity stunt. Bernays hired the women, mostly young models, to light up Lucky Strike cigarettes at his command in front of the awaiting press. Bernays capitalized on the lingering spark of women’s suffrage to ignite a movement. His client, the American Tobacco Company’s Lucky Strike, had a new crop of impassioned consumers.

To learn more about Bernays and public relations’ beginnings, I recommend watching the BBC’s documentary, ‘Century of the Self.’

Public relations, marketing and advertising have certainly changed since Bernays’ heyday and the changes seem to only accelerate with time and technology. Unconventional stunts or marketing aim to break through the estimated daily 600 – 625 promotional messages Americans experience. They have to be creative, interactive and unexpected to have us talking, thinking and wanting more.

Below are a few infamous stunts that I particularly enjoy and I think, in keeping with their purpose, you will too.

A Publicity Wiener –

In 1936, Oscar Mayer drove into the history books and America’s heart with the debut of its legendary Wienermobile, which still travels around the country and rides out its almost-guaranteed media coverage.

Famous but a Fugitive –

Sprung from one United Press article on the FBI’ most wanted and the positive publicity that resulted, the bureau established its Most Wanted List in 1950 in conjunction with the nation’s news media. It has aided the apprehensions of 152 fugitives as a result of citizen recognition.

You Have to Hand it to Them –

More than seven million people joined hands for 15 minutes for Hands Across America raising $20 million to fight hunger and homelessness on May 25, 1986.

A few stunts closer to home…

¡Yo quiero Taco Liberty Bell! –

As a prank on April Fool’s Day in 1996, a full-page ad appeared in six major American newspapers announcing that Taco Bell had purchased Philadelphia’s historical Liberty Bell to help reduce the country’s debt and it would be renamed the Taco Liberty Bell. By noon, the company owned up to the hoax.

Pin Down a Hit –

In 2008 a Guinness World Record-breaking piñata, which was six-stories tall, filled with 8,000 pounds of candy and located in South Philly, generated a lot of media stories and excitement.  The creator, Carnival Cruise Lines, held an event that was full of giveaways, music and food.

Killer Publicity but no Love –

Showtime’s ‘Dexter’ put on a show in 2007 when the fountain in Love Park was turned a deep red. Many Philadelphians saw red after spotting the gruesome promotion.

Here are some great sites where you can check out more celebrated stunts and marketing…

PR Week’s ’10 PR Stunts that Would Make PT Barnum Proud’

WebUrbanist.com’s ‘15 Dramatic Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns’

Taylor Herring’s ‘Top 50 Publicity Stunts‘

CreativeGuerrillaMarketing.com’s ‘The Best 80 Guerrilla Marketing Ideas I’ve Ever Seen’

My Favorite: Nikon's billboard in subway station

Please share your favorite publicity or marketing stunts below in the comments!

In the June 7th issue of Newsweek, Daniel Lyons writes a column titled “Facebook’s False Contrition,” in which he proclaims that he is deactivating his Facebook account because of the recent privacy fiasco. I have to admit, the article got a little under my skin. His reasoning for deactivation was a culmination of his anger at the company for sharing information with advertisers. He’s not alone. Thousands joined a Facebook group (how ironic) threatening to quit the site if the privacy issue wasn’t taken care of. Modifications were made and the uproar died down – for now at least.

What annoyed me about Mr. Lyon’s reasoning is that he is angry that Facebook considers its advertisers customers and not the site’s users. Well, duh. As a member of Facebook, I’m not paying for the service, and considering the company is expected to bring in $1 billion this year, they’re getting that dough somewhere. And why not? There are 500 million members on Facebook. As an advertiser, if you’re not on Facebook you’re missing a great opportunity to get in front of your target audience (because they’re ALL there). Why then is it so surprising that member’s information is being shared with advertisers?

And this is only the beginning. Information sharing via social networking sites is only getting more sophisticated. I recently connected with an old friend who works for a company called Media 6 Degrees. The company helps clients to connect with customers through “social targeting.” In other words, they help companies reach potential customers by tracking the movement of their “friends” on social networks. For example, I interact with my friend Sarah frequently on social networking sites. I also recently purchased a pair of Adidas shoes online. The likelihood that Sarah might also prefer Adidas shoes is pretty high. Media 6 Degrees lets Adidas know that Sarah is probably someone they should be targeting with an ad on one of her social networking sites. Pretty clever.

Dare I say – I actually appreciate the sophistication of it. I encounter hundreds of ads every day (you do too). Wouldn’t it be nice to see ads that might interest me? Unfortunately many people don’t feel the same way. I agree that my privacy is important, but I’m also not naive to the fact that I can have a presence on social media sites and still keep my anonymity. That’s just not how they work. If you’re uncomfortable with it then you may want to consider (gasp) disappearing from social media sites all together. Well, let’s not get crazy.