After what I believe was at least an hour of next-to-hopeless searching on the Internet for any story having to do with Exxon Mobil that didn’t have the words "shares," "stock," "Dow Jones," "hydrogen," and "drilling," I found a cute but brief story of Exxon Mobil’s heart-warming community involvement (I’m giggling sarcastically sitting in front of my computer screen).But seriously, nothing gets people’s hearts racing or reaching for the tissue box faster than some good old donations of gratuitous amounts.
The small town of Alice, Texas (population 19,010. Please see http://www.city-data.com/city/Texas.html), was granted “a gift of additional lighting at the Alice International Airport” by whom other than Exxon Mobil. "Between November and February, we have a large influx of hunters with high dollar planes, and there's not enough lighting currently to observe all the planes for security purposes," Airport Manager Charles Brazzell said. Exxon Mobil donated electrical distribution poles and electrical power systems to the airport, “so that local law enforcement, who serves as security for the planes as a side job, will be able to keep a better watch over the parked aircrafts." Please see the article at this site:
http://www.aliceechonews.com/articles/2007/10/05/local_news/news71.txt
All is lovely and wonderful. The only stipulation? The City of Alice and Jim Wells County Commissioners' Court will share in the cost of electrical usage. Hmm...I wonder where that energy is coming from. Did Exxon find a way to profit from this generous gift? The company totally pulled an Oprah on the small Texas town. (Remember when she bought her whole audience brand new cars one episode? Oh wait! Reports say she just paid for the down payment and left these unsuspecting, excitedly panicked people to unknowingly have to pay for their brand new cars’ insurance, any maintenance bills and the rest of the car payment. Really Oprah? Such a tease!) I guess it could have been worse. Exxon Mobil actually gave the airport something it could use. It didn’t just send them a fat check…that’s not very personal or thoughtful, now is it?
Okay, okay. I digress. I know you are probably sitting there thinking: “Wow Chadwick…you are lame and overly cynical!” Well, that’s okay to be thinking so, because it’s true. You would have stopped reading by now if you weren’t mildly entertained, right?
Now, recall my first entry. I said that I would be writing about Exxon Mobil’s public relations practices. So here’s my two cents on this one:
Like I previously stated, Exxon Mobil is often seethed at for its “immoral” business practices. Well, here is an example of good will and who wrote about it? The Alice-Echo News (I’m going to guess circulation 10,000). Searching through Google News, Yahoo, Exxon Mobil’s newsroom, I found nothing as of tonight about this kind act (the post date of the article was October 5th).
You know when Mom told you never to brag? …well, negate that advice in this context! Yes, Exxon Mobil is a gigantic corporation and stock prices and where it drills (the only thing I could find as far as news when searching the Internet) is imperative information to the company and its stakeholders. But if I were the PR person at Exxon, I would take a step back, look at the big picture of how hated we often are and take an hour or three out of my day to write a nice press release about this event to show how giving Exxon Mobil is or can be…let’s not stretch it.
Do I think this generous gift to an airport in Alice, Texas is nationally newsworthy? To be harsh, no. It is only to the town of Alice. But the story warrants a link on Exxon Mobil’s Web site newsroom simply for bonus positive image points.
Were I the PR person for Exxon Mobil at this time, I would be wise about the company time and money I’d spend on this event. Obviously money does not need to be tossed around on company executives flying down to Texas for a major press conference in Alice, nor does a major production with bells and whistles need to ensue. It is a rather small event. But the five sentence story in the Alice-Echo newspaper leaves me wanting something more. Was there no unveiling or local news formal announcement at all? It seems like not… I would have done something of reasonable cost to make sure the residents in and around Alice knew who the lighting was from. I think a small, “down-home” style press availability with a local representative from Alice, the Airport Manager, and a Texas-based Exxon Mobil manager announcing the donation, would do the trick.
The story of Exxon Mobil’s gift can get out to the public with a press release on the Web site’s newsroom (http://www.exxonmobil.com/Corporate/news.aspx) to be sure it reaches a national audience (I checked. There was no release.). If anything, Exxon Mobil comes out looking good with a small donation (considering its other gigantic endeavors), in a small town…nothing ostentatious. Were Exxon to distribute the release world wide via a wire service, then the good will would just look forced.
Get the word out Exxon! People need to know you aren’t just blood sucking, money hungry, BIG OIL, bone crushers. You gave light capability to an airport that may have otherwise remained in the “semi-dark.”
But don’t push it!
If you would like a great PR “go-to” or extra reading, here is an article by Sharon Haley Linhart, APR, President, Linhart McClain Finlon Public Relations: http://www.ad-mkt-review.com/public_html/docs/fs082.html. Titled “Ten Consumer Public Relations Tactics That Always Work,” the article hits the nail on the head with what I would try to achieve with this event were I the PR person at Exxon Mobil. A few straight from the site to get your interest going:
> Be visible – use the news media to spread your story. “I only know what I read in the newspaper,” is not a cliché. Americans accept what they read in newspapers and see on television…
> Do well by doing good – sometimes called corporate social responsibility, community relations means doing something for the community because it is the right thing to do.
> Wear your heart on your sleeve – giant, world-wide corporations and small businesses must connect with customers. By providing a human touch, finding ways to personalize transactions and using technology only as a way to give better service, you can win the hearts and the dollars of consumers who are overwhelmed and looking for ways to feel better about their lives. (This one is my favorite…a little sappy and anti-corporate…but it reigns true.)
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