Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh this evening used Twitter to deny charges made in a press release issued today by competitor Discount Shoe Warehouse (DSW) that Zappos had attempted to mislead consumers with unfair use of DSW store images and “service marks.”

Hsieh said, in response to DSW’s allegations, “Obviously Zappos would never intentionally do that.” He also said Zappos had not been contacted by DSW in relation to the claims, and the Zappos legal team had only became aware of the claims through the DSW press release.

According to the release, “the name DSW was being used (by Zappos) in multiple URLs, along with DSW store photographs, in an effort to mislead consumers into believing they were on a DSW related website. The site then links customers to the Zappos.com site.” The release says DSW “intend(s) to rigorously defend and protect our intellectual property and our brand against any sort of misuse,” and says DSW has therefore filed a suit in federal district court alleging that Zappos has infringed DSW service marks.

It was only a matter of time before a company’s commitment to transparency and openness on Twitter was put to the test, and it happened tonight to Zappos. Zappos certainly “slowed the bleeding” caused by the announcement, and it is impressive that Hsieh “stepped up” and talked openly about the situation. In the lightning fast social media age, what could be faster and more credible than getting onto Twitter with a quick announcement?

It may be morning before Zappos issues an official response. In the meantime, this quick response strategy allows Hsieh and Zappos to regain some control of the communications agenda after allegedly being blindsided by DSW.

Nice work, Tony.

Tags: tony, hsieh, zappos, dsw, discount shoe world, allegations, lawsuit, twitter

The biggest mistake a PR professional can make is insulting the gentle sensibilities of a blogger. Influential bloggers are the Buddhist monks of the online world. They live simple, serene, ascetic lives and can find even the slightest upset or break with their daily routine emotionally jarring.

There are many basic rules that can help you avoid the wrath of a blogger. Remember, hell hath no fury like a blogger scorned by the shock and pain of an imperfect e-mail.First, craft your pitch carefully. NEVER WRITE A PITCH USING COMIC SANS. I cannot stress this enough. Here’s what it would look like. Not a good thing:

It’s also important to have a genuine relationship with the blogger. Like any relationship, this should be based on an understanding of the blogger’s personal style and preferences. Many bloggers, for example, like luxury items, such as chocolates or fine timepieces. Let me offer a few suggestions here:

• Godiva chocolates = FAIL. Know your brands. Good chocolates are not sold at the supermarket. Sending the wrong kind of chocolates could result in a career death spiral that will leave you lucky to get a job as a Wal-Mart greeter
• If buying a watch, resist the temptation to have the watch engraved. It makes it difficult to resell on eBay. Again, know your brands. Patek Philippe.
• An iPod with no music on it is useless. Pre-load it with the blogger’s favorite music.

You can also endear yourself by making the blogger’s life easier. As a courtesy, always include in your pitch your latest information, such as street address, social security number, ABA routing number and any major surgeries you’ve had in the past 10 years to assist with the public humiliation process. This is called “anticipating the blogger’s needs and staying one step ahead.”

Here’s a tip for recent grads. While you may have had an education, your certificate from the Sequoia Institute of Social Media may not have adequately prepared you for the communications environment you now find yourself in. Fortunately, many bloggers have now stepped up to offer reasonably priced seminars on how to pitch them. Some of these take as little as a half day of your time. Or think seriously about one of the week-long “pitch camps” bloggers are holding around the country as a way to round out your professional capabilities. The PR industry still places too much emphasis on understanding its clients and the industries they are in, newsworthiness, writing, and research, though fortunately, some are moving away from this outdated model.

Since the right pitch method varies so much from one blogger to another, you should pick up a specially modified Magic 8 Ball now being offered by the Public Relations Society of America, featuring answers to the question “how should I pitch this blogger?” such as “email,” “Facebook,” and “not at all.”

Also, existing references, such as Roberts Rules of Order and Burke’s Peerage, certainly apply to this complicated thing called blogger relations. No need to “reinvent the wheel.”

I was also very excited to learn of the launch of Outterz, a new social network where lame PR losers can out themselves in an open, collaborative community. The idea that social media can be used to solve problems created by social media is a time-tested strategy.

Ultimately, though, if you violate these simple principles, or you’re just lame, no carefully crafted, definitive blog post on the topic, such as the one you are reading, can help you.

Tags: blogger relations, outing, PR people

Sometime’s it’s hard to tell by the name whether someone is talking about a Web 2.0 start-up or a popular family game. I was playing with Quibblo this afternoon, and created a quiz to test your Web 2.0 awareness. Give it a try.

Tags: web 2.0 start-up, family game, quiz, quibblo

The public relations profession has been under siege at least since it was “invented” by Edward Bernays in the 1920s. And it’s gotten worse in the past two years as PR people continue to collide with bloggers in the intricately choreographed, difficulty rating 10 out of 10, social media etiquette dance.

So I was really encouraged the other day when I saw a car with a bumper sticker proclaiming “I(heart)PR.” OK, I thought, at least one person doesn’t hate PR.

As I got closer, I was disappointed to discover that the PR the car’s owner loved was Puerto Rico. Sigh.

Well, I heart PR, when it’s done well, by competent, ethical professionals. What do you think? Do you hate PR? Is the profession doomed? Going through a difficult evolution? Unfairly maligned?

Tags: edward bernays, public relations, PR, siege

TwitterFone, launched earlier this week, allows users to create Twitter updates (tweets) by speaking them into their cell phones.

I was fortunate enough to get an early invite to try out TwitterFone, and I was impressed. My first TwitterFone tweet was perfect with the exception of a single “s” being dropped:

Pat Phelan assures me that, unlike similar services offered in the past, TwitterFone is a technology solution, and all translation is done through artificial intelligence, and not a room full of people transcribing updates.

TwitterFone is an exceptional accomplishment. The ability to go directly from the spoken word to a text update on a social network has long been a missing link for users. More than just fun TwitterFone overcomes some hurdles to “always on” communications. Text-based mobile users are severely limited in how they can format and publish updates. The keyboards and screens on most mobile devices are not large enough to allow quick and easy text entry. And so much mobile use is in cars, where text entry is difficult, and most likely, illegal. The service could also be useful to disabled persons who can’t use a regular keyboard.

TwitterFone was launched by Florian Seroussi, CEO of CelTrek*, Pat Phelan, CEO of MAXroam, Sean O Sullivan, Ivan MacDonald, and David Marcus, and is currently in limited private beta.

Congratulations to the TwitterFone team for launching such an innovative service!

* While TwitterFone is an independent company, it should be noted that CelTrek is a Socialized client

Tags: twitterfone, twitter, voice to text, artificial intelligence, Florian Seroussi, CelTrek, Pat Phelan, Cubic Telecom