Budweiser’s Lesson: Get Your PR Response In Motion

As much as you try to burnish your image, one thing can screw it up. One beer company’s tale of advertising rehab, and more, in today’s Lunchtime Links:

Our guarantee to you: We take our beer and our brewing process seriously. Read more: pic.twitter.com/S5aJERGZGD  (opens in a new tab)

— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) March 3, 2013  (opens in a new tab)

At least the ad campaign isn’t watered down: Your product has been accused of false advertising. What do you do next? In the case of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Budweiser, its solution to a class-action lawsuit that suggested the company was watering down its beers was to take to Twitter and newspapers nationwide to mock the lawsuit—and remind people that when disaster strikes, it does in fact serve water … to the Red Cross. The reaction  (opens in a new tab) to the ad campaign  (opens in a new tab) has been mixed. What’s your take on the PR response?

How Google makes its magic: Ever wonder about the “secret sauce” behind Google’s search results? Look no further than the company’s new How Search Works  (opens in a new tab) site, which explains the mechanics of the platform, including the process it uses to choose what it shows you when you search for something—and how it takes down spammy content.  (opens in a new tab) Oh, and if you’re looking for some good reading, Google has also published its 43-page Search Quality Rating Guidelines  (opens in a new tab) [PDF] for the first time. Might be worth perusing.

Don’t waste everyone’s time: Are your educational sessions useful or boring? If the latter, heed the advice of Association Executive Management’s David M. Patt, CAE, who offers a number of suggestions on how to get your attendees to to care about what you’re explaining  (opens in a new tab). “If people are attending your session to receive continuing education credits, they may tolerate just about anything—including boredom. They just want the points,” he writes. “But if they are attending to learn, you’d better present in a way they can learn. Otherwise, the session will have been a waste of time for everybody.”

What’s on your reading list today? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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