mysql> delimiter //
mysql> create procedure checkingForNullDemo(Name varchar(20))
     begin
     if Name is NULL OR Name='' then
     select 'Adam Smith';
     else
     select Name;
     end if ;
     end
     //
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)
mysql> delimiter ;

mysql> call checkingForNullDemo(NULL);

+------------+
| Adam Smith |
+------------+
| Adam Smith |
+------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
Query OK, 0 rows affected, 1 warning (0.00 sec)

mysql> call checkingForNullDemo('John Doe');

+----------+
| Name     |
+----------+
| John Doe |
+----------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)