Nancy Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure (Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP)

The Komen v. Planned Parenthood drama that played out earlier this month will be a marketing case study for the ages.  For 30 years, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation has been the gold standard of corporate sponsorship, trademarks, swag, alliances and feel good visibility in the battle against cancer.  After announcing the decision to withdraw funding from Planned Parenthood, the once untouchable pink ribbon had millions of consumers seeing red and embroiled the organization in a political morass from which it may never fully recover.

The about-face in public sentiment says a lot about how quickly social media chatter can subsume even the strongest of brands.  (Read Kate’s post on the McDonald’s #McStories campaign for an example).  But it also demonstrates how dangerous it can be for nonprofits with a macro mission (preventing cancer) to naively insert themselves into the political fray.  Komen, who must have weighed the pros and cons before making their decision, nevertheless appeared flatfooted, issuing a series of inconsistent, slow and seemingly sterile responses.  The backlash was immediate, bringing an association once known for its ubiquitous pink merchandize and walks into a lightning round debate around abortion, women’s rights and a highly politicized Presidential nomination process.  Komen quickly reversed their decision and reinstated Planned Parenthood. The Vice President who more or less led the effort resigned shortly thereafter.

The issue Komen faces now is not whether or not they responded poorly to a crisis, but how the issue impacts the cause and the brand moving forward.   Until now, Komen had succeeded in staying out of controversial women’s health care issues.  Everyone can get behind pink ribbons, well-publicized events, stories of survival, and fighting the Big C.  By withdrawing their financial support for Planned Parenthood, they seemed to be taking a stand, which is dangerous ground for them to be on. Instead of pink power and races for the cure, Komen will now be associated with a divisive political issue that is only going to detract from its core mission.

To be clear, Komen is in no danger of going away.  Their network, brand power alliances and fundraising capabilities continue to make them one of the most powerful nonprofits in the world.  However, their star now burns a little less brightly and casts a long shadow.  Whether that translates into sponsorship dollars remains to be seen, but you can be sure Komen’s moves will be closely watched both the left and right in the months and years ahead.

McDonald’s handled this by ultimately pulling the hashtag.  Rick Wion, McDonald’s social media director said:

“Within an hour, we saw that it wasn’t going as planned.  It was negative enough that we set about a change of course.”

But there is something to be learned from McDonald’s misfortune.  Social media marketing can be guided, but only to a certain extent.  This could have happened to anyone, as social media marketing depends so greatly on consumers, stakeholders and the company.  It is how you respond that will define your company.

While social media marketing can unveil consumer grievances, it also allows for a way to reach individual consumers to solve problems.  With Twitter, McDonalds had the opportunity to reach out to each person who complained using the hashtag.

A great example of using a company Twitter account to resolve consumer complaints is JetBlue airlines, explained in The New York Times article, “How to Fight Back When your Flight is Canceled.”  After suffering from constant flight cancellations, consumers turned to Twitter to express their frustration.  JetBlue offered support through social media and followed-up on specific consumer problems to make sure they were solved.  JetBlue used social media to reform what would have been poor consumer sentiment.

We have seen time and time again that people resort to social media to check out what’s going on and who else is talking about it. While it is an effective way to spread false information, it is also an extremely efficient way to get information fast. It is so fast that it is possible to see a tweet about the earthquake before you feel that same earthquake.

This was my first time experiencing a social media melt down, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. It was a little shaky at first, but then I enjoyed the ride. My phone wasn’t working initially, so I just sat back and followed the hashtag #earthquake. Twitter was chirping away during the crisis.  Just check out this awesome map that shows all the tweets from the time the quake hit through 30 seconds after.

Social media gives people the information they can’t get anywhere else, including rumors, lies, personal accounts and jokes, such as photos of quake casualties like water bottles and lawn chairs. If there were real casualties, there would not have been any humor in the situation, but since this is the East Coast, we were lucky and yes, a bit dramatic.

The entire West Coast is cracking up over East Coaster’s shaking in our shoes over a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. However, that’s why I live in Philadelphia and suffer through four seasons including the seismic snow storms and wicked hot summers; I don’t want to live in fear of earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados or wild fires.

Now excuse me, I have to go prepare for Hurricane Irene.

Fans check their cell phones during a Phillies and Mets game, Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Philadelphia. News broke during the game that Osama bin Laden had been killed. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

It began as a murmur in Citizens Bank Park.  During the ninth inning of last week’s marathon Mets vs. Phillies game, there was a rumbling in the crowd.  (To view video of the moment, scroll to the bottom of this post).  As news of Osama bin Laden’s death spread throughout the ballpark, a chant began rippling through the stadium. Barely audible at first, it spread like wildfire in its volume and intensity:

USA! USA! USA!

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks and public enemy number one, was dead.

As President Obama addressed the nation, the news became global instantaneously.  There was no formal announcement about Bin Laden’s death during the game — mobile phones passed the news.  Without the help of technology, players on the field stood perplexed as ESPN continued to narrate the plays as if nothing had happened.  In the age of digital technology, social media scooped mainstream news as networks struggled to confirm reports of Osama’s demise.

The Phillies game is just one of hundreds of examples of the new communications reality in which all leaders – political, spiritual and corporate – are expected to operate.  News travels at the speed of Twitter, and leaders today must be prepared to address questions from the global community in real time.  In the hours and days that have followed Osama’s death, the degree of complexity and years of meticulous planning from every social, political, financial, logistical and, yes, emotional angle, behind this undertaking have started to emerge.

The road has not always been smooth. Information initially released about bin Laden’s death was retracted and corrected, drawing criticism and launching hundreds of stories that threatened to derail public perception of the mission.  The administration has had to negotiate and answer some tough decisions on the on fly, including reports dealing with the legality of the operation, whether to release photos of bin Laden’s body, and the degree to which Pakistan, an important U.S. ally, may have been complicit in harboring a terrorist.  Overall, Obama and his communications staff have handled the diversions with aplomb, keeping the central message focused on America’s success.

As constituents, we expect our political leaders disclose information accurately, efficiently, and with enough foresight to tackle tough issues down the road.  As communicators, we expect them to be eloquent, on message, and forward thinking.  We cannot forget, however, that there are sometimes unknown factors at play.

In today’s social media era, our mistakes are distributed across the globe in the matter of seconds. But so, too, are our great successes.  As the scene in Citizens Bank Park illustrated, the public can share the message faster than traditional media models.  But we still look to leadership to help define what that message is.   In an era of unparalleled scrutiny and access to information, the Administration offers a case study in how to navigate the challenges of this new global reality.

WATCH: Phillies Fans React to bin Laden’s Death

Cheers to all of 2010 and to all that awaits us in 2011.

Maven’s Top 10 of 2010

Our hearts go out to Haiti
Haiti Earthquake – On January 12, 2010, a catastrophic 7.0 MW earthquake rocked Haiti with the quake‘s epicenter just 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Record breaking relief efforts poured into Haiti, but almost a year after the disaster, Haiti still needs our help. Click here to Learn how you can contribute.

Toyota’s Issues Accelerate
Toyota launched the largest auto recall in U.S. history after incidents of random acceleration resulting in fatali ties. In January 2010, Toyota announced an additional recall of vehicles, which totaled near 5.3 million worldwide.

Obama’s Health Problems
Healthcare Reform Slowly Rises and Crumbles – On March 6, 2010, President Obama urged Congressional passage of his health care reform proposal within which Obama laid out a myriad of objectives. There seems to be no cure for the reform, but a few strains will survive. Check out its history to date.

iFound: The iPhone 4G ‘drops’
Gizmodo revealed details of an iPhone 4G prototype, from someone who found it at a bar after an Apple employee ‘left it there by mistake’ on the night of March 18, 2010. Cheers to that Apple employee. We hope he finds unemployment leaves more time for boozing and that he likes his new Blackberry.

BP’s Big Spill

The explosion of BP’s drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico left more than 206 million gallons of oil in the Gulf and embattled CEO Tony Hayward wanting “his life back.”  Known as the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, the full impact may not be known for years to come. Click here to track the oil spill.

Immigration Abomination
Arizona Passes Tough Anti Illegal Immigration Law – On April 23, 2010, Arizona passed the anti-immigration law that crossed the line and bordered on loco. The law would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and allow police to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.

Weapons of Mass Construction
Weapons of mass construction- In May 2010, controversy spread upon plans to construct a Mosque just 600 feet from where the World Trade Centers stood. After rallies, riots and threats of bible burning, the building of the mosque has been postponed, perhaps indefinitely.

Free Chile
On October 13, 2010, a 69-day nightmare ended for the trapped Chilean miners and their families. Trapped 2,041 feet under the ground, all 33 miners were saved in a 22 hour rescue mission.

Wiki Leaks It
A data dump of thousands of classified documents on WikiLeaks caused a firestorm of debate on the role of responsible journalism and social media, as well as a man hunt for its founder. Whatever happens, it will not be a secret for long.

Party Like It’s 1773
The Tea Party grass roots movement proved successful in 2010’s Mid-Term Elections – from South Carolina to Wisconsin, candidates endorsed by the party defeated Democrats in states they were projected to win.  This successful movement has been so influential that it is inspiring “the left side” to form a coalition.  That’s right – over 170 liberal and civil rights groups are forming a coalition in hopes that they will match the tea party’s political power on the right.

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Our favorite stories of 2010 that did not make the list, but made it into our hearts:

Jess –  Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife: The Bed Intruder

My favorite news story of the year isn’t actually for the “news,” but more for after effect that it had. I’m referring to Antoine Dodson, better known as the “singer” of The Bed Intruder song. In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a quick recap: In July a local TV station in Huntsville, Alabama did a segment on a woman who was the victim of attempted sexual assault by a man who entered her bedroom through a window. During that segment the reporter interviewed her brother, Antoine Dodson, and his almost comical interview piqued the interest of The Gregory Brothers, who created a remix, which then went viral.

Because of the sudden fame, Dodson now has two websites, www.antoinedodsonsworld.com and www.antoinedodson.net, over 317,000 ‘likes’ on his facebook fan page, he’s performed his hit “song” live on stage at the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards, has appeared on Tosh.0, he has a merchandise line, ringtone, personal holiday phone greeting, the Antoine Dodson Halloween costume was one of the most popular this year, and the song has been covered by numerous well-known performers.

I love this story because it demonstrates the power that social media has. Antoine has literally used his Internet fame as a vehicle out of poverty. This story also demonstrates generational differences when it comes to social media. Dodson, 24, embraced the video and “fame” and ran with it. An individual of a later generation may not have done the same. Perhaps The Gregory Brothers would have a lawsuit on their hands instead. Dodson’s 15 minutes are up soon (if not already), but social media provided a door for him that didn’t even exist just a few years ago.

Rebecca – Team Coco moves to TBS
Following his public battle with NBC and the aftermath of the Lenopocalypse, Conan emerged as a clear winner in the battle of media influencers this year. “Team Coco’s” grass roots communications approach confirmed that having a smaller, dedicated following can wield far more influence than a large, uninvolved group.

Rather than whining to the network big wigs and a traditional broadcast strategy, Conan went straight to his fan base.  Following his cross-country “Legally Prohibited from being Funny of Television Tour,” Conan lit the internet on fire and drew millions of fans through Team Coco, his digital and social media team.  In just a few months, Conan and his team attracted more than 1M fans on Facebook and more than 2M twitter followers.  Team Coco fans can check out his Tumblr and Flickr pages, YouTube videos (more than 8M views), and secure the Conan blimp badge on Foursquare. In a stroke of genius, the merry band of misfits launched a poll on TeamCoco.com that let fans vote for Conan’s first guest. (Top Contenders: Jack Nicholson, The Pope and Vladimir Putin and the guy from REO Speed Wagon).  The “Live Coco Cam,” a 24 hour webcast of the mayhem that goes on his L.A. offices, has provided endless hours of entertainment and has further cemented Conan’s quirky, irreverent brand among younger viewers.

Did it work? The proof is in the (virtual) pudding:  the season premier of CONAN garnered 4.15 million viewers, over half of which fell into the coveted 18-35 year old  demographic.  As an unabashed Conan fan, I think the strategy is ingenious.   Time Magazine said it best: “In the nice-media era, it’s not just the size of your audience – its’ how intensely they care.”

Molly – LeBron James Trade Tweets
Basketball superstar LeBron James took social media by storm this summer when he decided to take his public relations into his own hands – by creating a twitter account and encompassing over 1 million followers in a matter of weeks. @KingJames was created when the whole world’s attention was on him – during the NBA free agency period.

Fans and followers alike monitored @KingJames every move for several weeks, where after numerous “teasing” tweets, he finally let the world know of his decision to leave his hometown of Cleveland, where he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers since 2003, to join the Miami Heat.  Fans were outraged by his decision, leading to the burning of his #23 jersey.

Sarah – Jet Blue Attendant Jets

Working class hero? Disgruntled employee? Raging alcoholic? The world still wonders how he will be remembered. On August 9, 2010, on JetBlue flight 1052, flight attendant Steve Slater made a name for himself and the best exit ever. After a passenger was rude to him, he got justice by swearing at them all over the intercom, getting a Heineken from the fridge, activating the emergency chute and sliding into headline news.  Since Slater’s flight to fame, there have been allegations parts of his story have been fabricated or embellished. However, we all enjoyed the jokes and daydreams of how we would go out in style, so I am letting it slide.

As if the slide wasn’t fun enough, Slater then went on every news outlet (within driving distance). JetBlue’s response on its blog BlueTales was cool, collected and kind of perfect. JetBlue made the best of the bad situation, flying under the radar by addressing the situation as an instance, not an issue.

With Slater and a Heine in hand, say farewell to 2010 and slide into 2011 – just remember to enjoy the ride.

Spirit Airlines New "Eye of the Tiger" Ad

We’ve all caught Tiger Mania, but this time, the world’s highest paid and notoriously private athlete is at the center of a PR firestorm.  Yesterday, Tiger finally posted a second statement on his website following the release of a voicemail to US Weekly by a reality TV contestant /cocktail waitress who claims to have had an affair with the married superstar.  In it, Tiger admits to recent “transgressions” and asks for privacy:

“Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means…Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.”

Sadly, the world (and yours truly), disagrees.  Since his bizarre car crash on November 27, Tiger’s silence and cancelled public appearances have fueled media coverage and wild fan speculation about what really happened. (Click here for a full timeline of events, courtesy of the LA Times)  Consider this:

• - Since posting his statement yesterday, Tigerwoods.com has logged over 13,600 comments from fans as of 1:20 p.m. today.
• - Tiger Woods is of the most popular searches on Twitter today, with new posts going up a at a rate of over 67 posts per minute (that’s over 3000 posts/hr!) as of this morning
• - Type in “Tiger Woods Scandal” into Google and you get 18,700,000 results.
• - Companies have already started to cash in on the Tiger media firestorm. Spirit Airlines has posted an “Eye of the Tiger Sale,” which promises fares starting at $9 each way to  – you got it –   Florida.  (See the video via the Orlando Sentinel website here).

If his goal is to control his previously carefully crafted image, manage rumors, or save his wife from further embarrassment in the press, then he needs to come out  – in public – and address the situation.  By failing to respond to the accident or the allegations of infidelity in a timely and transparant manner, he is simply fueling the fire.  Sadly, infidelity is no longer the social crime it once was.  Reputations and endorsements can be salvaged quickly by addressing the situation quickly, earnestly and directly.  (If you have any doubts, just ask David Letterman, whose quick witted confession on his late night television show mitigated what could have been a career ending story.)

Like it or not, Tiger Woods is a global brand.  As the spokesperson for mega-brands like Nike Golf and Gillete, Tiger earned more than $100 million last year between earnings, endorsements and appearances.  His carefully crafted and squeeky-clean image drives record sales for brands he endorses and has made him the first athlete to earn $1 billion dollars.  For better or for worse, the public cares about his story.  If he doesn’t start telling his side of it soon (as in, yesterday), then the media  – or or another nightclub hostess -  will do it for him. If he hides out until the next tournament, every stroke on the golf course will be footnoted by this scandal.

Until he comes out of hiding, I’ll be surfing TMZ and the Huffington Post for updates.  Stay tuned.*

*Tiger was spared one close call today:  Hamptons party girl Rachel Uchitel canceled her scheduled tell all press conference for today.

When Ramirez, arguably the best pure hitter in the game was suspended for his use of banned substances, the public relations department for MLB must have been thinking, oh no not another. Ramirez stands to lose nearly $8 million in salary during his suspension. But Manny is just being Manny. The Dodgers had just spent the last 10 months rebranding their team with Manny as the cornerstone and now they must find a way to put this behind them. They sold 1800

Mannywood T-Shirt

Manny dreadlock wigs for $25 a piece and they named a section down the left-field line at Dodger Stadium Mannywood. The Dodgers insist their mess can be mopped away (maybe they should use the excess wigs), mostly by doing nothing at all. They may serve as a case-study for how to handle, or not, a premier player caught in the web of the league’s drug crackdown.

Manny unlike his guilty predecessor Alex Rodriguez handled his accusations much differently by staying mostly out of the spotlight and not creating a media circus via press conferences. Rodriguez on the other hand came right out on camera to admit to his wrong-doings. Most of A-Rod’s deemed success from his initial press conference has been washed away, as he has now admitted much of what he said was not true. A-Rod’s media training coach must have given him poor advice, or A-Rod is just that bad at lying. Rodriguez has a host of advisers that have been helping him through this mess, including agent Scott Boras, talent manager Guy Oseary, publicist Richard Rubenstein and a company called Outside Eyes that specializes in media strategy and crisis management. Although the press conference will go down in history as a disaster, they’re approach to confronting the issue rather than doing what Manny did and stay out the spot light will be debated by crisis managers for a long time. One good piece of advice they finally gave him was to step out of the spotlight by going on disabled list with an injury. Whether or not this was a coincidence or not, A-Rod must have been hoping that time would heal his wounds.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkpaNFYCLQ4]

So how does MLB rekindle their reputation and alleviate the blow of this crisis? Well it’s not easy, and many may argue that they don’t care what Manny, Bonds or A-Rod did, they’ll still go to the game an cheer for their favorite teams and players. While that may be true, and people do love talking and reading these scandals, no-one can argue that baseball’s brand has been tarnished. MLB teams must now be proactive about the situation putting together crisis plans….just in case one of their players is next. PR pros also must look to the Internet, the blogosphere, and the 24-hour cycle, for transforming their role and adding to the challenge of image and information control. While the role of a PR practitioner has expanded and changed, the goal to maintain reputation has not.

One positive that has come out of this whole mess is that in the times of a recession, handling crisis management or branding (re-branding rather) for MLB is a goldmine! Books are coming out left and right about who did this and who did that. Roger Clemens book is the most recent money maker. Although I have no connection to these players, whose to say I could find a way to write about the next culprit and make millions. I am in no way condoning their behavior or hoping to profit off of other people’s misfortunes, I just want to point out, that whenever a crisis happens, someone finds a way to make money.

It will be interesting to see how baseball’s reputation evolves of the next decade.  Being from Philadelphia and growing up in Cleveland, I just hope one of my favorite players isn’t the next “juicer”.