Archive for the ‘Leverage’ Category

Ultimate Sequester PR Strategy: the White House as content creator, channel master

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Posted by Tom Gable

Case histories will be written and studied for years on how the Obama White House has found new tools and tactics for connecting at the local level, while marginalizing major national media.

As covered in Politico in a piece called “Obama the puppet master,” the Obama White House has developed its own content creation machine to feed all channels of communication with tightly crafted messages that build the Obama brand. It chooses the channels with surgical precision. Why interview with The New York Times beat reporter who knows the issues and risk facing tough questions, Politico notes, when one can dominate local media through strategically scheduled interviews with friendly anchormen and women who may not be up on the issues?  The cumulative effect can be bigger than scoring a national media hit, as covered in depth by Politico.

The orchestration of coverage of potential economic Armageddon from the automatic budget cuts scheduled for March 1 (called Sequester) is the latest and most complex example of a local-national strategy. From the Secretary of Transportation setting the stage with future delays at major airports because of fewer air traffic controllers, to interviews in local markets with data on the anticipated loss of jobs (e.g. underway Feb. 26 in military towns in Virginia), the PR efforts are carrying consistent messages carefully chosen to appeal to each audience. How does it work?

Politico and a follow up piece by the Poynter Organization (“The dangerous delusions of the White House press corps and the president”) provided details. To summarize the key elements of the Obama White House approach and one that can work for brands, organizations, political candidates, new product introductions, crisis PR and other PR campaigns:

  • Develop a comprehensive, cohesive message strategy with consistent themes and supporting evidence;
  • Be precise in targeting and masterful in scheduling and orchestrating the individual parts of the program;
  • Go for local issues, with local examples;
  • The White House (or any brand) becomes the ultimate publisher (print, broadcast, photography, video, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, YouTube and more);
  • Every appearance or event needs to support the brand, to include great photo opportunities with locals for driving local coverage;
  • Control the content and flow through all channels by picking the media carefully;
  • Stage events to focus on the big messages and memorable lines and don’t allow time at the end for random media questions that might delve into negative territory and take the candidate, CEO or other luminary off-message;
  • Go for easy wins at the local level, then build regionally;
  • Ignore the major media unless they are friendly;
  • Produce your own photography and video rather than allow media coverage (local outlets are always looking for free content);
  • Shun those who have produced or written anything that would be considered negative;
  • Pound away at key messages through major pieces with the friendly media and TV personalities and support with social barrages to hit every target relentlessly;
  • Use the classic “weekend document dump” to avoid negative coverage and “minimize attention to embarrassing or messy facts”;
  • And orchestrate all the elements to ramp up for strategically and with surgical precision for maximum impact at a pre-designated date, such as an election or the day before the so-called fiscal cliff.

The latter – strategic planning of all elements for total control – represents the biggest challenge. Many organizations, brands and individuals can master parts of integrated campaigns.  Few would have the budget, the talent, the discipline and the power even close to that of the Obama White House to succeed on all fronts.

The bottom line, according to Politico:

“With more technology, and fewer resources at many media companies, the balance of power between the White House and press has tipped unmistakably toward the government. This is an arguably dangerous development, and one that the Obama White House — fluent in digital media and no fan of the mainstream press — has exploited cleverly and ruthlessly.”

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Time Management Tips for Busy PR (and other) People

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

On the Clock

 

Posted by Tom Gable

The following daily planning ritual, adapted from many resources, helps busy people manage multiple activities more effectively. Success requires establishing simple new habits. Some busy people use their personal process at the end of the day, so they are ready for a fresh start in the morning. Others like to go through these steps first thing in the morning, to refresh their memories, put the previous day in perspective and then update the daily and weekly checklists to plan and prioritize future actions.

Busy executives and PR account teams are buffeted by regular interruptions, outside demands (media and otherwise) and the internal churn of agency interactions. Our days are often filled with ambiguities and uncertainties. Establishing a daily ritual to plan and even create just a simple prioritized checklist can set the stage for more productive and effective work. Your road map for the day and week will make it easier to take the inevitable side trip or two, and then hop back on your personal Interstate Highway or more scenic planned route to resume your journey toward results. With a little practice, this daily planning and analysis ritual can take just 15 to 30 minutes. Once mastered, you will find it amazingly effective and liberating.

1. Clean Up – I found a common thread in the habits of our most effective clients and the many people I admire who lead top PR firms and share ideas with their fellow members of the PRSA Counselors Academy: they end each day by cleaning up all email, memos and other correspondence. Time management gurus recommend handling a message just once – decide what needs to be done with it immediately so you don’t waste time going back to it a third or fourth time before making a decision. Empty both IN and OUT email boxes; file the messages accordingly. It took me a little while to get into this ritual. But it is amazing to end or start each day with empty email in-boxes and sent mail boxes. As a former email pack rat, I found a huge feeling of accomplishment just getting rid of the glut and move emails into folders in an orderly filing system. Using the powerful search function in mail is fine for some. I prefer not having 4,238 emails in my In Box! As noted above, this means “single-handling or dealing with any piece of paper or email only once. Take action, respond, and delete, whatever. The time-wasting quagmire: setting something aside and going back to it over and over again. Procrastination and unneeded repetition are proven to be tremendous wastes of time.

1.a. Document – For those of us who keep time, record the time, which helps with analysis and perspective as well. I start the clean up process with the Sent folder in email. Those emails usually involve giving direction, tracking programs and sending materials to clients, the media and colleagues for action. The Sent folder provides a neat little chronology of the actions of the day.

2. Analyze and Put Into Perspective – Analyze what you’ve just reviewed quickly. It puts the day in perspective and starts the brain cogitating on future action items.

3. Record – Make a short list of major action items for the coming day and beyond if needed.

4. Prioritize – Assign your own code to prioritize action items, such as an “A” list or “B” or “C” list. Some people get more specific and number the list in order of how they plan to knock off each action item, i.e. 1, 2, 3, etc. Tinkering with administrative work or doing anything that doesn’t advance your plan are sure signs of procrastination and perhaps not wanting to deal with difficult challenges. Experts recommend attacking the hardest item first, so the rest of the day is a down-hill cruise.

5. Plan – Think about the day and week ahead. This is very much like looking at something with journalistic eyes — the five Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why and how). A quick thought process: what happened before and what needs to happen now, who needs to be involved if it requires additional resources, where, why is it important or on the list, how do we best make this happen and by when?  How do we leverage resources as needed for greater impact?

6. Schedule – Some people make notes on their daily calendar on when they anticipate taking specific actions. This includes scheduling quiet time for research, creative or other activities that require concentration without interruption (turn off the cell phone, don’t look at email and totally focus on the task at hand). Block time for yourself. Schedule meetings with others as needed. Also, schedule to your strengths, such as blocking the time of the day when you are most creative for brainstorming and setting aside the dullest times of the day for administrative work.

7. Implement Your Plan – Manage and adjust as necessary. You’ll find you get into a rhythm and pattern. Knock off one priority item, then another, and build momentum. You gain confidence as you realize how effective you can be in taking control and managing toward results.

8. Celebrate! – Give yourself a high-five, pat-on-the-back, kudos, extra snack, glass of wine or other reward, for taking charge of your day, week, month, nagging issue, complex projects, etc. Take great pleasure is knocking off those items one at a time and in bundles.

As a caveat, developing this new habit is like any other new skill, it requires committing to the time to learn, practice and improve upon. Some people are instant masters of this. For others, it’s adapting the ritual to their own particular rhythms and strengths. Then, with regular use, this ritual becomes almost automatic and even more effective.

(Note: this is adapted from a chapter in the upcoming Fifth Edition of “The PR Client Service Manual — Managing for Results”)

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Nine Steps to Improved Mentoring and PR Team Results

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Get the PR Ball Rolling

Posted by Tom Gable

In the previous post, I introduced the concept of PR as a team sport.  How to organize to deliver consistent, quality results for clients? How can you achieve your goals with the minimum possible resources?  How to leverage time, so one hour of senior management can turn into ten hours or more of productive work by others on multiple fronts?

I covered the two big traps: do it yourself; and throw everything at the issue (full-court press, hair on fire, etc.). Now, what positive, pro-active thought processes and check lists can help in leveraging your talent?  As noted before, Michael Gerber, in the classic e-Myth Revisited, advises building the team from the bottom up. Create checks and balances and systems so average people can achieve extraordinary results.  Here are nine steps that have worked over time to leverage talent for improved mentoring and team results, not just in PR but in almost every type of business:

1. Spread the Wealth – Analyze what needs to be accomplished and plan to achieve it with the fewest resources possible. Start at the lowest level and work upward.

2. Communicate Clearly – Set your lever in motion with the power of clear, precise communication. Provide specific direction, timetables, expectations and creative guidance.  Then ask if the person understands the mission. Reach agreement on the details. This two-way communication is essential in keeping junior people, in particular, from struggling with ambiguous assignments.

3. Leverage – Once you’ve given good direction, think about how far others can advance the work before you need to get involved. The goal: have others accomplish 70 to 80 percent of the most time-consuming work.

4. Orchestrate – This starts with clear directions. Then, the good manager has check points along the way. Five to ten minutes of quality time at critical junctures adds more leverage. The manager keeps the parts moving forward together toward the desired goal, making adjustments as needed and communicating appropriately.

5. Respond – Managers need to respond to requests for more direction or clarity as soon as possible. Your job is to help other people do their job better than they would have otherwise. The reverse lever starts working when you don’t, building up negative pressure throughout the organization. Positive reinforcement and encouragement will improve the ultimate product. Harsh criticism or condescending approaches, like the old professor in journalism school, can be demoralizing and counter-productive.

6. Monitor, Course Correct, Critique, Delegate Again – Don’t get stuck in the do-it-yourself trap. Send poor or mediocre work back for another round. Provide specific feedback and point them to other resources if needed. The basic process: pre-brief and discuss, provide adequate background and resources, monitor progress, QC, critique, and evolve to demand increasingly higher levels of results. The process ensures that each person soon understands what is expected of them and what needs to be done to generate the right result. People want to learn and grow. Send it back until it’s 80 to 90 percent of the desired level, then step in and guide them the rest of the way.

7. Look for Inefficiencies in Your Approach – Analyze if you are following the above steps with precision. What do you need to do better?  What will it take?  Are you helping people do their job better or are you an obstacle?

8. Don’t Get Stuck in Minutiae – To ensure you have time to put your best energies and brainpower into things with the highest payoff, deal with all the nagging, short-term issues with alacrity. Don’t put it off. If it can be moved forward or a need satisfied in less than five minutes, do it!  The trap is to keep setting aside these little things until you have a big pile of garbage projects or tasks. Then, instead of having dealt with something once and been done with it, you touched it again and again, wasting more time and brainpower and perhaps causing frustration among your team.

9. Promote and Praise – With ongoing delegation and smart management, you will help your team members graduate to increasingly higher levels of competence. As people improve, give them new challenges. Take a few chances. Test people at one level, then advance them higher as they improve. Praise good behavior right away. Harvard calls this the “Pygmalion Effect.”  Praise and good guidance can help people achieve levels of competence they never before imagined. Unduly harsh criticism and negativity can have the opposite effect.

Final Words

The best managers play an ongoing game inside their head of figuring out how to do more with less. They look at each goal, then strategies and tactics within, as potential opportunities to magnify their power through others. As Archimedes said, the lever works both ways. So the most successful managers do everything in their power to eliminate inefficiencies, redundancies, duplications, bad processes and systems or other obstacles to performance. Turning one into ten – it’s the alchemy of good management.

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PR is a Team Sport; Organizing to Win

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Leading the Surge

Posted by Tom Gable

The key to a manager’s success in a PR firm or otherwise is how well he or she can organize other people and direct them toward achieving specific goals in the most effective and efficient manner. The process needs to have an outward, multidirectional focus. What needs to be accomplished on multiple fronts? How can you achieve your goals with the minimum possible resources?  How to leverage time, so one hour of senior management can turn into ten hours or more of productive work by others on multiple fronts?  Go for a ten-fold leverage; if you achieve five-fold you will still be WAY ahead of the game.

Speaking of game, management works best as a team sport. In working on the Fifth Edition of my PR Client Service Manual, I came across guidance from an early mentor, a former dean of the College of Business at San Diego State University and a Vistage chair. He had a growth model showing how a company goes from a one-man shop (the long-distance runner, competitive swimmer, archer, gymnast, etc.), to the race car driver (one person supported by a team of mechanics), to basketball, to football and soccer (multiple players, different tasks, focused on results according to a game plan). Some liken it to a philharmonic orchestra. Whatever the model, the direction is clear: the better you can do in assembling, training, organizing, coaching and improving your talent as you move your game plan forward, the more impressive the results.

Michael Gerber, in the classic e-Myth Revisited, advises building the team from the bottom up.  Who does the tactical work?  How do you build checks and balances into your system so average people can achieve extraordinary results? Not unlike a university setting, how do you keep your talent learning and advancing, which both improves overall organizational results and gives management more time for strategic thinking or marketing? Discipline is key, particularly when it involves creative teams.

Two Big Traps

Do It Yourself – The argument: the initial work was so poor that I’ll just do it myself and save a bunch of time. The problem: you just reverse-delegated to yourself and did nothing to improve your talent for the future. Take the time to set expectations, educate, delegate and provide rapid feedback – candid and brutal if needed. The first effort may take more time than you would like, but it will pay off. If the latent talent is there, the next assignment will improve. Momentum will build. Your 15 minutes of future counsel will turn into two or three hours of useful work by someone else – the ten-fold payoff.

Throw Everything at the Issue – In this case, the manager sends a small army to do battle, wasting huge amounts of time and energy, instead of getting strategic with his team and achieving more with less. This is the dark side of leverage. Instead of going for a ten-fold increase in your ability to generate results, you have cut it by whatever your over-kill factor might be. Five people working in a room on one issue have gone from the Power of Five to the Power of One – an 80 percent reduction in efficiency!

Next: Nine Steps to Improved Mentoring and Team Results

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“I Like It on the What?” — Good PR fun, no payoff?

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Posted by Lauren Miller

This week the phrase “I like it on…” has dominated women’s Facebook statuses all over the U.S. and left many men in the dark, wondering “what the heck?” This provocative campaign was launched with the intention of raising breast cancer awareness during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Organizations around the U.S. that support this cause are getting very creative and some have wondered if they have lost sight of their objectives in driving education and, more importantly, fundraising.

As reported in The Washington Post and elsewhere, women are posting where they like to keep their purses when they come home, but they conveniently leave out the word “purse.”

While we must appreciate the creative techniques and fun “members only” campaigns many organizations pursue, we must also ask tough questions such as are these campaigns relevant or useful? Posting a status such as, “I like it on the floor,” while provocative and no doubt a conversation starter, doesn’t clearly relate to breast cancer or awareness of cancer for that matter. How does writing a provocative, ambiguous message draw attention and awareness to a disease that, according to the American Cancer Society, will claim approximately 38,000 women’s lives in 2010?

Many critics argue that creativity for the sake of creativity campaigns don’t work because they lack relevancy. While people are talking about the messages and the innuendos, they miss the true meaning and point of the campaign. Is there a logical transition to encourage women to sign up for yearly mammograms, encourage individual involvement or donate money? Proponents argue that the causes are being discussed and through these titillating off-the-wall social media campaigns, more people are getting involved in one way or another — joining a team, hosting an event at their office, or as simple as making a donation.

Whenever a company, a charity, or an organization is brainstorming on new ways to raise money for their cause they need to ask “how will this plan and medium help us accomplish our goal? “ The Facebook campaign for breast cancer awareness, while not directly relevant, has garnered lot of attention from the media and the average person who used Facebook on a regular basis. The cause is being talked about and women are participating in the Facebook campaign with their comments, which is easy to do. Whether or not that leads them to get more involved in the cause is another story. At least the main objective of brining awareness to this disease and shedding light on it during this month has been accomplished.

And for the record, I like it on the kitchen table!

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The New PR: Building Images and Reputations in 3D

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Your Move!

Posted by Tom Gable

In researching new approaches to reputation management and brand building for the upcoming fifth edition of The PR Client Service Manual, it has become more clear that PR is taking on an increasingly important leadership role in strategic planning and intelligent execution of the most complex communications programs. We are evolving to what I’ll call the three-dimensional chess model, or image-building in 3D.

The PR profession continues to master new tactics and tools that go beyond the flat two-dimensional approaches used in most programs. The concept is to go high, wide and deep in creating images with the substance to break out of the competitive clutter for maximum impact.

Only PR has the capability to strategically and intelligently integrate the many disparate channels of communication and move image in the right direction over the long term. The 3D approach can create extraordinary image momentum and ROI as the game pieces move in an intricate orchestration toward ultimate victory: building reputation as desired.

The importance of adopting a 3D approach has been reinforced by experts at many recent conferences, including the recent Counselors Academy spring meeting. A key message: don’t fall in love with your tools; figure out how to work them strategically for maximum impact.

Envision all your target audiences and their sources of information. What channels do you need to use to ensure they get the right information in timely, strategic fashion to support your program goals? Where do you build your positions of strength and support? As the plans unfold, can you envision five moves ahead, ten and twenty or more?

Analyze the key milestones in your program – the known deliverables, activities, encounters, events, presentations, financial news releases, analyst meetings, government conferences, etc. What exists? Then, look for the holes, the gaps. What exists? More importantly, what doesn’t?

The approach is essential in building new brands, launching new products or technology or positioning and repositioning organizations.

Why does PR lead and not other marketing, management or communications disciplines? Given a fact-based, no-hype approach, it’s where strategy, core values and communications intersect to build a depth of awareness and credibility that paid media can’t deliver.

For a brief case history, Gable PR used the old 2D model several years ago to introduce disruptive technology into a crowded field where all competitors sounded alike: issuing a launch release and holding a press conference at the major trade show of the year. The results weren’t spectacular.

Using the 3D model for a more recent similar challenge, Gable PR established an 18-month plan to manage the flow of information, build relationships and connect to multiple audiences and through different channels. The client had a brilliant scientific advisory board. To begin laying the foundation and also getting critical feedback, SAB members began vetting the technology with some of their respected peers in business, technology and academia.

With the initial relationships built understanding in place, the agency began educating the media – without asking for coverage – six months before launch, preparing for when the client would blast out of the stealth mode with power and momentum for long-term branding. Select media were pointed to academics for background. Analysts were pointed to academics and media for validation. The agency pitched exclusives to media in different categories (dailies, financial media, trades, blogs, etc.). The bottom line: the client exploded onto the scene with major coverage online and in dailies, trades and financial media the first day of the biggest industry conference of the year. The instant buzz at multiple levels and through highly credible channels drove interest from potential investors and strategic partners.

The momentum built from there with a series of academic papers, presentations, speeches and presentations at financial conferences. The client was acquired within two years – ahead of its exit strategy.

NEXT – Nine ways to botch positioning and branding with PR

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Posted in Authentic PR, Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Clutter Busting, Horizon Management, In the Beginning, Leverage | Comments Off

The Future of PR and Social Media – Strategic, Integrated, Coordinated, Human

Monday, May 24th, 2010

No Magic Beans

Posted by Tom Gable

In listening to several gurus of social media at the Counselors Academy Spring Conference May 21 through 23 in Ashville, NC, a key theme emerged: there are no magic beans from social media to plant and instantly grow attention, engagement and business success for any organization. New technologies and applications will continue to emerge almost daily. The challenge still becomes to be smart in setting standards, goals and objectives, then integrating all the tools for precise execution over the long term.

The stage was set with the May 21 keynote by Brian Solis, principal of FutureWorks. A few key points lifted from his talk included:

  • Adopt the new KISS – keep it simple and share.
  • The is new measurement on the way: resonance. How long a message stays alive – the long tail.
  • Social media is the slot machine for attention. Become like a journalist. Be relevant.
  • What you share is important. There are no official audiences anymore.
  • Be creative. It increases your influence.
  • Social media is all about sociology and psychology. Social media is an emotional experience.
  • Measure. Work backward from what you are trying to make happen.
  • Integrate the tools into your strategic plan. There is no single tool or tactic.
  • Bottom line: engage.

A breakfast panel the next day delved into “Listening and Brand Monitoring in the Social Space.” Moderator was Carrie Kandes, vice president Marcus Thomas. The panelists: Eric Israel, Attensity; Ken Miner, Spiral 16; and Amber Naslund, director of community, Radian6 Technologies

Each stressed the importance of listening before doing. This included monitoring the depth and breadth of the conversations. Amber proposed that social media is the new phone. She said technology will continue to change so told counselors to avoid having obsessions with the “tool thing.” How do the tools fit?

Business is becoming more like politics. Every consumer has a voice to be considered. Companies need to position themselves to be able to react internally and externally to conflicting voices and outside complaints.

Ken said that like any other business tool, social media monitoring needs to be part of a process. Set standards. Define goals and objectives before you begin, he urged.

Once you start monitoring, how to use the data? Being strategic is not just an automated process with algorithms. Smart analysis and interpretation requires human brain power. Look at things in context and connect the dots in your process of brand monitoring, tracking trends and looking for blue water opportunities.

But attention not enough. What is needed to compel people to do something?

The panelists warned that brand monitoring can be a time sink. Decide what you want to achieve and how much time to invest before you launch a full scale listening program. Be strategic – consistent advice from the days Edward Bernays first launched integrated plans to change reputations and drive new behaviors.

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SD Kicks for Kids; Chargers’ Cause Marketing PR Campaign Scores

Friday, October 2nd, 2009
 

Kaeding Kicks for Kids

Kaeding Kicks for Kids

Posted by Krista Rogers

In light of our San Diego Chargers’ first of many wins for the 2009 season, we thought it would be appropriate to highlight some of the other ways the team is scoring points off the field and within the community. 

For the second time, the San Diego Chargers are teaming up with The Ronald McDonald House to help raise funds for the non-profit organization that provides on-site housing for families with hospitalized children. Ronald McDonald Houses around the U.S. offer families a way to stay together, in proximity to the treatment hospital, and be comfortable and cared for during their stay.

Two of the Chargers kickers – Pro Bowl place kicker Nate Kaeding and one of the NFL’s top punters, Mike Scifres – have joined forces in a cause marketing campaign called SD Kicks for Kids that exemplifies all that a successful cause marketing campaign should entail.

The basic premise of the campaign is to have donors pledge a certain amount of money per kick for each of Nate’s field goals and Mike’s punts inside the 20 yard line. For example, if you pledge $10 per field goal and Nate kicks 20 field goals this season, you will have pledged $200 at the end of the season. In addition, donors will receive other perks from their giving, including being entered in a raffle to win a pizza party with Nate and 20 of your friends at the end of the season. Immediate rewards for giving

While the Ronald McDonald House may not have a direct correlation to the football team, the two joining forces together is original, creates a sense of community, brings people who may not normally follow the Chargers to pay attention to the games, and connects football fans with a cause they may not previously been aware of.

Cause marketing campaigns are a great way to create positive buzz about your company and create support for the non-profit organization; it truly is a win-win situation. Gable PR encourages its clients to participate in cause marketing campaigns to give back something to the community that’s been good to you. Here are a few tips to consider when engaging in a cause related marketing campaign.

1. Be original: Although contributing to The Ronald McDonald House isn’t groundbreaking, tying the success of the Charger’s kickers with donations is innovative and ties the pledge to something that’s both fun and easily measurable. The more novel your strategy, the more interested the media will be in covering your efforts.

2. Pick a cause that is significant to your brand or your target audience. In this example, the Chargers are reaching out to the local community and Charger fans.

3. Get the word out! Let people know what you are doing and take initiative in creating buzz around your campaign. Spread the word through public relations, public service announcements on television and radio, scoreboard mentions, email blasts, billboards and cost-free communication networks such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

4. Reward giving: While just donating may be rewarding enough for some people, instant perks such as receiving an exclusive membership into “Nate’s Locker” after every game (an e-newsletter with get an email update from Nate sharing his take on the game) and an official Kicks for Kids magnet reminds people that you recognize their donations. Reminders of the donations and a quick thank you will go a long way toward enhancing the relationship.

5. Set Goals: Set realistic goals and share with the community when you have reached them. Having a tangible goal and seeing it achieved will make the people contributing feel good about their donations and your organization. Be specific about how the money is going to be used. SD Kicks for Kids has a FAQ page that answers all of those questions. It’s best to be conservative in setting your goals so you can announce early victory!

5. Celebrate: Let the world know when you have achieved your milestones and say thank you to the people that have made contributions. In some cases, it may be appropriate to hold a media event to hand over the check for the money raised directly to representatives of the cause (how about Kaeding and Scifres in uniform handing a check to the Ronald McDonald character at the 50 yard line during half time of a nationally televised game?). With creativity, a company can generate positive media attention and continue the push to make more people aware of the cause.

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Posted in Authentic PR, Brilliant Counsel, Client Service Results, Hype Free PR, Leverage, Team Play | 1 Comment »

Newspaper Web Sites: More News, Faster; PR Opportunities Abound

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

LA Times Home Page

LA Times Home Page

Posted by Tom Gable

BIOCOM hosted a panel discussion today on “Social Media 2.0,” with Terri Somers, BIOCOM director of communications and former Union-Tribune life sciences reporter as moderator. The panelists: Mauricio Minotta, Director of Communications, The Salk Institute; Peter Pitts, partner and director, Global Health, New York, Porter Novelli; and Shari Roan, life science reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

The most compelling insights for the PR profession came from Roan. In a few minutes, she provided an incredibly succinct description of where newspapers are going in evolving from old to new models and incorporating social media to drive change:

  • The Web site is now their main product, not the print edition.
  • Most readers come from the Web.
  • As a result, the L.A. Times now reaches broader, more diverse audiences.
  • The Web site has 10 to 15 times more content than the print edition, which has its obvious production and distribution limitations.
  • They have more than 100 blogs, so can cover issues and ideas that wouldn’t typically get into the newspaper because of the size of the news hole.
  • With blogs, there are more opportunities to tell your stories and also stimulate comments, which help gauge public interest.
  • The blogs provide short snippets of news and are not fully reported out. They try to be fast in getting out the news and then provide links to stories or sources with more detail.
  • The beat reporters, such as those in sports, use Twitter to provide up-to-the-minute coverage. This has been valuable in covering breaking news, such as the recent fires near Los Angeles.
  • Twitter is used to Tweet on headlines and link back to the Web page.
  • Social media has made journalism more of a two-way street; they can engage with readers.
  • With an unlimited news hole on the Web, there is a greater need for visuals, including video.

Thanks to Roan for these important insights, including the latter. PR professionals, many of whom came out of print journalism (including yours truly), tend to think in terms of the printed word. Creating a visual communications strategy with Web sites, Facebook, You Tube, Flick, Twitter and all other tools and tactics can provide new power to any program, particularly those with difficult stories to tell in print but that can be covered in a three-minute video.

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PR in Social Media: Not a Campaign, a Relationship

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Building Relationships

Building Relationships

Posted by Krista Rogers

PRNewswire hosted a recent panel discussion about media, public relations and the impact of social media. One of the quotes that struck a chord with many attendees was from Becky Carroll, President of PETRA consulting.

Becky said, “Social media is not a campaign, it is a relationship.” Heads were nodding throughout the room and flashing thumbs quickly tweeted and retweeted her words.

A campaign has a distinct beginning and end, she said, where as having an effective social media presence is about communication and building relationships. Social media is not a tactic to check off of your public relations to-do list. It provides a platform to connect with those current supporters of your organization and find new ones.

In one example, Becky cited Coca-Cola currently, with over 3.5 million fans on their Facebook Page, where Pepsi has less than one-tenth that, around 250,000. The main difference? The human approach versus a corporate one.

Coca-Cola’s fan page was started by two men, Dusty Sorg and Michael Jedrzejewski, who simply enjoy the beverage and had no relation to the company. They care about the brand and are Coke brand advocates. Coca-Cola eventually approached the men and asked to partner with them on the fan page. Coke did not try to commercialize the fan because; its PR team understood that for social media to be successful it must remain authentic. The people who read and post on the page do it because they love the product and not because they are paid to post. Being involved on the Coca-Cola’s Facebook fan page doesn’t leave a feeling of being “sold.”

Companies often fail in their social media initiatives because they are trying to sell themselves rather than create an open forum for discussion and interaction. Many post corporate messages and re-packaged press releases on their social media networks. They don’t interact with their followers. For instance, Coca-Cola’s page has over 1,700 pictures that fans have uploaded from around the world to share with Coke and the Coke-loving community. Pepsi’s page only has 52.

Being involved in social media means relinquishing control and cooperating and engaging with your audience. As all the social media gurus note (Robert Scoble, Shel Holtz, Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, etc.), to be effective in social media requires an organization to open up to what others are saying. Listen closely and respond in an open conversation with a human voice. By getting beyond the one-way communication model, organizations can enjoy sustained interaction with their fans and expand the fan base, while letting traditional PR strategies such as media relations and news releases handle the heavy-lifting in an ongoing campaign.

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