Who knew something so small could attract such attention. We’ve all done it one time or another, chosen a bunch of bananas because of the funny labels that are adorning that particular one. Now Chiquita is giving the public the opportunity to customize their own labels, and submit them. The submitted customized labels will be entered into a competition that will award the top 18 designs by producing the labels and sticking them on actual bananas. The website eatachiquita.com has already garnered more than 25,000 custom stickers in less than five months, and 1,355 of them have been entered into the contest. Voting began Tuesday and continues through September 12.

Chiquita reps were quoted using the word “emotional” several times to describe the popularity of the stunt, referring to the emotional connection consumers had with the stickers. Design:Related put it best when they said the stickers “just look cool.”

Whether it’s emotional relevance or just looks cool, the contest is still a great way for Chiquita to attract attention to its brand and minimalist packaging, and inadvertently promote heathy eating.

There are a lot of prominent local folks with bad PR right now.

Carl Green at the PHA.

John Estey and John Matheussen at the Delaware River Port Authority.

Arlene Ackerman at the School District.

Is it because the press is acting more like vigilantes? Or is it because these people have just screwed up royally? Is there anything their public relations pro’s can do to turn the tide?

Probably not. At least not without significant and broad organizational buy-in. As the New York Times pointed out Sunday in an article that should be mandatory reading for all executives, the public doesn’t want clever spin; they want an acknowledgement of failure or weakness and they want true contrition.

So while lawyers for the School Reform Commission say it’s okay for Ackerman to get paid in advance for vacation days she does not intend to use, it isn’t okay in the court of public opinion. 

As we’ve pointed out here before, there is a very clear underlying question to every query you’re asked in a crisis communication situation – “Do you care?” When you run the Housing Authority and make over $300K but somehow can’t manage to pay your mortgage, it looks like you don’t care. When you don’t show up to work after people find out, it really looks like you don’t care.

In a crisis, you need to 1) Validate concern and 2) Show action. In each of these cases the organizations have failed to validate the concern that public money is being wasted (although DRPA did vote to change its governance rules – a step in the right direction).

The longer you drag your feet on validating the concern, the worse the crisis gets.

Just ask Tony Heyward.

By now you’ve no doubt heard of the recent case of “air rage” involving a JetBlue flight attendant. (Click here for a recap.) It’s become a larger-than-life story that has elevated Steven Slater to a household name and, for many, to the status of working class hero (despite, mind you, actions warranting felony charges of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment).

So how has JetBlue responded to the unflattering news coverage? Through a single blog post.

There are two things of interest regarding this approach: first, it’s a complete 180 from 2007, when then-CEO David Neeleman spent an entire 24-hour news cycle apologizing profusely to the nation (via Today Show, Late Show, New York Times, etc.) for an operational fiasco that grounded thousands of JetBlue travelers. Second, it appears to have been quite effective. The blog post, equal parts self-deprecation and legalese, has done more than serve as an artful way of saying “no comment.” According to one study, the tone of the online buzz about JetBlue improved significantly on the day the entry was posted compared to the previous day.

This goes against conventional wisdom when it comes to crisis communications – that is, show action and validate concern. JetBlue took no action and didn’t do much to validate concern, other than to thank their 2,300 inflight crew members for, well, not acting like Steven. Certainly, there’s never a cookie cutter approach to crisis communications. In this case, as FastCompany suggests, perhaps the lesson learned is that “sometimes the best response to a PR disaster is a single blog post and a tight-lipped smile.”

The moment the media caught BP’s now former-CEO Tony Hayward relaxing on a yacht, complaining that he wanted his life back while workers struggled to contain millions of gallons of oil pouring into the Gulf of Mexico, everyone started to wonder how much longer Hayward would stay in charge.  After all, he had committed one too many public relations plunders and it seemed like only a matter of time until BP officials chose a replacement.

Fast-forward a month, and that’s exactly what happened, as BP announced on Tuesday, July 27^th that Robert Dudley, a 54-year-old American who had been with BP since 1998, would soon take the reins of the battered company.  It’s a smart move for BP–not only can the company create a fresh start, it can turn the dialogue from the past, from fault, to the future, to responsibility and how BP can move forward.

There is no doubt that BP hopes Dudley will be the company’s shining white knight.  After all, choosing an American, who was raised in Mississippi no less, was strategic.  In the face of this crisis, BP needs a leader who can connect and empathize with Gulf Coast residents—and that’s exactly what Dudley has started to do.

In his Tuesday morning public statement on ABC’s Good Morning America, Dudley appeared calm and confident.  He declared his “special affinity” for the Gulf Coast and not once did he seem impatient, as Hayward so often appeared.  He announced his top priority of sealing the company’s well and restoring the Gulf of Mexico. He also reiterated that BP will certainly work for as long as it takes to meet its commitments in the Gulf.

But Dudley took it one step further.

Too often in crises, companies respond to the incident by merely saying they will fix the problem, ignoring one of the public’s main concern: what they will do differently in the future.  Dudley addressed this concern head-on by proclaiming that BP will learn a lot from this “terribly tragic accident” and in “no question change” as a result of it.

Certainly Dudley’s announcement has momentarily given the American public hope that BP is committed to cleaning up the spill, but it will take more than a few carefully chosen words to truly clean up the mess BP has made.  Now that he’s validated concern, it’s time to show action. Good luck, Mr. Dudley, you sure have your work cut out for you.

Online fashion shopping has become a growing trend—and with sites like Gilt, Rue La La, and ideeli offering top brands and styles at extreme discounts (some as high as 80%), it’s tough not take a peek.

Last year, Gilt.com generated $170 million in revenue, up from $25 million the previous year. While these web boutiques are flourishing with women shoppers, they’ve got their sights set on reeling in a relatively untapped market: men.

Yesterday’s WSJ.com article “Wanted: Guy Shoppers for Fashion Sites,” pointed to the sites’ recent push to grow the male demographic, one that is proving to be somewhat of a challenge.  Last year, a survey found that only 27.6% of adult male respondents said they regularly purchase products online. They also spend 19% less time shopping online compared to their female counterparts.  And when it comes to the quick deal, men are a third less likely to go on a shopping spree. The stats reaffirm one notion—when it comes to retail, men just shop differently.

So why bother with the boys?  Well, it all comes down to the dollar.  Women may buy more, but the men who are shopping tend to spend more. These companies are also trying to cater to men’s affinity for the ease and speed of online shopping.

And the competitive twist doesn’t hurt either.

From sports gear sales to “men-only” separate sites, the shopping boutiques are firing away any and all ideas to see what sticks. Will it be through courting fashion niches or appealing to a wide range of men?  Will customer service be a targeted effort?  What roadblocks will arise—perhaps the back and forth of shipping, or lack of instant gratification attained at a brick and mortar?  While the successful mix remains to be seen, it will undoubtedly be one that piques curiosity, makes the task fast and easy and creates pull. The competition is on and it will be a race to see which marketing attempt (if any) will come out on top.