Now that CSIS Director Richard Fadden has, not at all surprisingly (and least of all to him, I would submit) found himself hauled before a Commons committee about that headline-maker of a CBC-TV interview (with the always skilful Peter Mansbridge) we talked about here two weeks ago, I am going to pronounce the final call on this communications play in his favour. When the controversy first broke, I wrote: “If he was deliberately – and strategically – using the CBC interview to sound an alarm that had been ignored in the halls of power, I would have given Fadden a Touchdown for skillfully using a media interview to have his message heard far and wide.” And based on what we’ve heard this week, I stand by that original bit of musing. Admittedly, I called the whole play a Fumble at the time, because his not-quite-a-retraction-retraction about suggesting some elected officials in this country were potentially under foreign influence left the waters pretty muddy indeed. But based on what we have heard since, I think this is a rather appropriate cloak-and-dagger bit of communications spin in action. Fadden is a veteran bureaucrat, but also one with a history of “shooting from the lip,” as the Globe & Mail’s security expert Colin Freeze says, paraphrasing a six-months-ago speech from Fadden as essentially saying “Look, we spy on people. The court and the media and the public [have] got to understand that. We’re not going to apologize for it.” Shades of former Canadian Forces Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier’s job description of the soldier as sometimes needing to "be able to kill people.” Shocking to some – self-evident to others. As for what Fadden said this week, that too speaks volumes about why he dropped the bombshell in the CBC interview in the first place. Recall that in his interview with Peter Mansbridge, Fadden said “I am making this comment because I think it's a real danger that people are … totally oblivious to this kind of issue." Although admitting regret for having gotten as “granular” in the details as he did, he also told the Commons committee that “the reason I gave the two examples was to try and illustrate the nature of the problem that we have. If I had simply said, ‘There is foreign interference in Canada,’ you, ladies and gentlemen, would be all at your holidays right now.” And there you have it. Richard Fadden wanted to light a fire under his issue, and he used the opportunity of a high profile media interview to strike the match. The argument about whether that was appropriate vis-a-vis his mandate to report to the government and everything else is secondary for our purposes here. I think Fadden achieved exactly the result he desired through a high-stakes strategic media communications play, and on those terms, it warrants a Touchdown.

What's your call?

Sometimes the communications stars just line up. Circumstances completely and utterly beyond your control will suddenly make you, or your organization, or your issue the flavour of the moment – and, of course, having some good PR folks to help fan the flames never hurts. And I think all of the above were in play this week for a guy named Stan Cox, author of a new book called “Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (And Finding New Ways To Get Through The Summer).” With the bulk of northeastern North America sweating under one of the most stubborn heat-waves in recent memory, the storm could not have been more perfect for a guy with a new book about how air conditioning has altered – and not necessarily for the better – the way the world lives. From energy consumption to social interaction to U.S. presidential voting patterns, the book had a long list of angles which dovetailed perfectly with the steamy weather we have suffered through this week – all of which was dutifully rewarded with massive earned media play: Front page in the National Post. The focus of Margaret Wente’s Thursday column in the Globe and Mail. And countless hits in print and on air elsewhere. Enjoy your time in the spotlight, Stan Cox – ain’t it cool?

What's your call?

At first I thought that this was for sure going to be an easy Fumble call, when I read headlines as in the Toronto Star and numerous other places via the Associated Press stating “Terse answers from sad-eyed Tiger Woods in Ireland.” If you only read the headlines, and nothing further – as so many regular folks do – you might rightfully assume that the gentler, humbler Tiger we all breathlessly watched at his coming-back-out media events a few months ago had been replaced by the snappy, cranky guy whose marriage seems to have finally imploded. But when one “goes to the video-tape,” I think we see a guy on top of his communications game this week in Ireland. When asked about golf, Woods was engaging, thoughtful and colourful. When asked anything to do with his personal situation, he gave short answers and looked for a new question. That’s a communicator with a clear sense of what he’s willing to engage on, and where he will – yes, perhaps tersely – signal that he’s not prepared to go. But at the end of the day, that’s a guy firmly in command of his messaging.

What's your call?

Bob Reid has been a journalist and media advisor to a former Ontario Premier. He now is the chief media strategist and principle media coach in the Corporate and Public Affairs practice at Veritas.

He might be halfway out the door, but Toronto Mayor David Miller still seems to be on the job. When the Great Blackout of 2010 (all two hours of it!) hit the Big Smoke this week, elevator service in buildings throughout the downtown core went down, forcing office workers to use the stairs. But that wouldn’t work for 26-year-old Joel Dembe, a marketing analyst in the TD Bank Tower on King Street – because he’s in a wheelchair. Stranded on an upper floor, Dembe got on Twitter and tweeted his frustration to no less a personage than the mayor of the city. And then the surprising thing: Miller tweeted right back, asking Dembe for his cell phone number, and then following up with a call within 15 seconds. Miller spoke with Dembe for about five minutes, asking whether he was all right and putting him in touch with the fire department. Granted, Dembe acknowledges he was never in an emergency: a freight elevator eventually showed up and took him downstairs. But Miller’s prompt reply surprised and gratified him—along with the rest of Toronto, especially after the Good Samaritan social media play hit the airwaves and the press. What stands out about this is not just that it was a remarkable act of decency (Dembe called it “pretty insane.”); it was also great customer service. Think about it: in the communications world, we like to talk about social media as a great way to get our message out there and change minds. Fact is, avenues like Twitter and Facebook can have real and concrete applications—like really helping people—that will do as much if not more for your brand than online games or hip tweets. Creative organizations (like online shoe and merchandise retailer Zappos) get this, and it’s nice to see at least one politician does, too.

What's your call?

The best thing that can be said about the LeBron James saga is that the speculation over where he will be playing next season is over: he’s leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat (along with Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh, sad to say). But in the process of announcing that decision, the basketball phenom did his image and his legacy no favours. Instead of holding the standard presser where he thanks his fans and his old team and announces he’s leaving, James capped weeks of media hype by taking up an hour of airspace for a special ESPN show in which the only two important nuggets of information was that he was moving to South Beach. (New York Daily News columnist David Hinckley called the show “a tweet on steroids.”) Yes, the show earned bucks for Boys & Girls Clubs charities, so good on James for that. But that’ doesn’t make up for the fact that the ESPN maneuver was the first time fans in Cleveland and the Cavs’ executive heard about James’s decision (he had told the Heat before the broadcast). That’s a helluva way to find out – team owner Dan Gilbert called it an act of “cowardly betrayal,” and some Cavs fans burned James’ jersey in protest. Maybe those were overreactions, but they’re understandable ones. Sure, James got a PR hit and is the talk of the media now, but he’s achieved that coup at the expense of his personal brand. Instead of a gifted, hardworking and honest athlete, he now seems a guy who cares more about pumping his own celebrity than anything else. It didn’t have to be that way.

What's your call?

Joe Chidley has served as the editor of Canadian Business Magazine for over nine years. He is now the senior vice-president of Veritas and oversees the Corporate and Public affairs practice.

This week the Obama Administration launched 17 new mobile applications for the iPhone, in an attempt to close the technology gap between the public and private sectors. Since taking office, the administration has consistently attempted to communicate in new ways, specifically targeting social media and now mobile. Found at http://apps.usa.gov/?v=all, the applications smartly target the needs of Americans on the go and the correlating requirements of American citizens. Examples include: an Alternative Fuel Locator, FEMA Mobile (emergency services), Find Your Embassy, Product Recalls, UV Index, and two applications focusing on healthier food consumption and body mass index. Given the popularity of the Apple App Store, the Administration has focused its efforts there for now. The Obama Administration is leveraging technology and taking the opportunity to find new ways to bring government services and information to Americans, rather than the status quo approach of having them find it. Offering YouTube videos has better spread the President’s message while encouraging a new audience beyond television and radio to view Presidential Addresses. Mobile applications will not only help Americans to better understand government services, but as a result of providing these simple tools, word of mouth will spread and complaints will most like be reduced. Time will tell.

What's your call?

Sean McDonald has served as a communications consultant for more than five years and is an expert in social media integration. He is now an account director working across the Veritas Group supporting Commotion, Corporate and Public Affairs and Integrated Health Communications.