PR Pros Must Lead as Companies Emerge from Scandal

June 16, 2014
prnewsonline.com
Issue 23 Vol. 70
PR Pros Must Lead as Companies Emerge from Scandal
In a digital age, when changes
in marketing communications move at warp speed,
rebranding campaigns have
become somewhat routine affairs. Whether it’s a
name change, a new logo or
rethinking business practices
to boost their online presence, companies can’t sit still.
But there are some situations
where a rebranding campaign
definitely won’t cut it. Cases
DID YOU KNOW
1. Rebranding is not a solution for brands gripped by
controversy. (p. 1)
2. C-suite execs are putting
a new spin on the “do more
with less” mandate. (p. 1)
3. Whether verbal or nonverbal, communication
requires context. (p. 2)
4. Rehabilitating a brand’s
image requires a sustained
PR campaign. (p. 3)
5. Social promotions are a
significant way to show the
value of your fan base. (p. 4)
6. There are a few strategies
to inoculate an organization
from its harmful ways. (p. 6)
7. In PR, trying to do it all is
starting to become a fruitless exercise. (p. 8)
in point: The Los Angeles
Clippers and General Motors.
Both organizations have
recently been engulfed by controversy and are now starting
to seek a path out.
In late May it was
announced that former
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
agreed to buy the Clippers for
$2 billion. The sale followed a
major scandal in which current owner Donald Sterling
was caught on tape making
racists comments; Sterling was
subsequently banned for life
from the NBA. (Shelly Sterling,
Donald Sterling’s estranged
Source: blogs.motortrends.com
Changes start with
culture, communication
wife, reportedly will
seek a court order
confirming her as
owner of the team
and forbidding her
husband from any say
in the sale.)
Meantime, GM
has been wracked by
GM CEO Mary Barra has to show a clear
scandal concerning
why it took more than break with the past and show more transparency, says a crisis management expert.
a decade to recall
defective cars that have been
citing poor communications,
linked to at least 13 deaths.
per The Wall Street Journal.
An internal investigation
So where do these organizaGM released earlier this month tions go from here, and how can
lays out a narrative of incompe- PR execs play a key role in helping
tence and neglect, specifically
Page 6 ▶
▶ B2B PR & Marketing
A New Approach on Agency Reviews
Inquire about values
first, not tactical skills
How can consumer generalists possibly compete with trade
specialists in handling the full
scope of a B2B communications program?
B2B purists may insist that
Feeling pressure from a slow
the attributes of their ideal
economic recovery and intense
agency partner are different
market competition, more
from those of agencies that
C-suite executives are seeking a
serve consumer-facing clients. counterintuitive answer.
For instance, businesses in
Chief executives are putting
heavily regulated industries,
a new spin on the “do more
such as financial services and
with less” mandate by increashealthcare, seek out commuingly challenging their comnications partners who under- munications teams to deliver
stand the arcane practices and business results with fresh
parlance of their professional
thinking. And that push for
audiences. In another example, results born from new ideas is
communicators who engage
extending into the selection of
with science and technology
PR agencies.
media work tirelessly to simply
One way to shake up the
keep up with the brisk pace of search is for B2B clients to stop
change in their fields.
basing their hiring decisions on
By Mary Buhay
a pyramid structure that initially
filters for narrowly defined
skills and experiences.
By inverting the pyramid,
clients can more effectively
isolate the agencies that
are best prepared with the
core values and reputations
Page 7 ▶
PR Advice
from the Pros
“Give social media
platforms a face,
not a logo.”
Read more great advice in
PR News’ Best PR Advice Compendium
prnewsonline.com/prpress
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2
▶ How To...
Spot Nonverbal Communication
We are less than 50% correct in judging our own
image. Alarming? Yes, but
equally alarming is that a
good portion of that failure
isn’t caused by the words that
come out of our mouths, but,
rather, our ability to communicate nonverbally. Nonverbal
communication, of course, is
the part of us that communicates through body position,
posture and facial expression,
for example.
There are two sides to nonverbal communication: sending
and receiving.
As a leader within your
organization, you must be
cognizant and skillful at both.
In order to truly enhance
your communication success,
you must learn to communicate nonverbally as well as
interpret nonverbal messages
from others.
Below is what I refer to as the
“Big Four.” Learn to use, identify
and manage these nonverbal elements of communications.
1. SITTING POSITION
What you should do: Take
up space to communicate
that you are in control. Put
your bag on one chair and
your coat on another. Do not
cross your legs or arms, keep
your shoulders back and
your head up.
Taking up space shows
confidence, and gives the
impression that this is
your turf.
What to look for: The use
of space is all about context;
putting your jacket on one
chair and bag on another
to convey authority doesn’t
matter as much in a job interview compared to a meeting
with a subordinate or colleague, in which if you put
your feet up on the desk, it
may send the wrong signal.
2. EYE CONTACT
What you should do: Force
yourself to make eye contact with whomever you are
talking to. Make it while you
are speaking and while you
are listening.
Eye contact is so important because the meaning of
making it and not making it
is misread constantly. Shy can
be misinterpreted as aloof or
uninterested. A downward
gaze, while one might be
simply thinking, is incorrectly
thought to be a sign of deceit.
93%
Percentage of
communication
that is nonverbal.
Albert Mehrabian,
UCLA
What to look for: Watch
for a different gaze during
different parts of the conversation. Whether the person
is making eye contact is less
important than what she
is saying while making or
avoiding a direct look.
3. ARTIFACTS
What you should do: This
category includes handbags,
jewelry, wallpaper, furniture,
or anything in the immediate
environment that the person
to whom you are talking
may be, say, tugging, peeling,
squeezing, and sending nonverbal messages about how
they’re responding to what
you’re saying.
What to look for: Big and
bold or little and precise, it all
depends on perception and
your audience. For example,
women who wear big, bold
scarves, sizable and colorful necklaces, and/or large
prnewsonline.com | 6.16.14
By Theresa Zagnoli
brooches are
usually said to
be trying to set
themselves apart.
On the other hand,
women who wear little,
pointy, hardly visible artifacts
are said to be sending a message of preciseness, shyness
and/or one reared with a
puritan view of what’s proper.
4. TOUCH
What you should do: A tricky
subject in today’s environment.
Do you touch or not? People
who touch, and those who
appreciate touch, are more
open to ideas, said to be betteradjusted socially and, of course,
beloved by most of their family
and friends.
Gestures such as backslapping exist for a reason
and are strong demonstrations of appreciation. Touch
things around you to make
them more noticeable to the
observer and when appropriate provide a pat on the
back, literally.
What to look for: Be wary
of someone who stiffens or
recoils from a hug or a lingering handshake; there is
likely more to this than meets
the eye. While it might be a
preference to stick to the [notouch] rules, be aware that this
person is absolutely sending a
message by withdrawing from
an appropriate touch.
As with all communication,
verbal and nonverbal, context
is key. My parting advice: If the
room is cold, don’t think the
person sitting with his arms
crossed is in a defensive position. He’s just chilly. PRN
CONTACT:
Theresa Zagnoli is CEO of
Zagnoli McEvoy Foley. She can
be reached at [email protected].
▶ Data Points
Rebuilding Reputation
Metrics that are helping to define the communications field.
Exclusive data from CoreBrand tracks brands whose reputation has declined in the last five years.
For any brand on the wane, recovery starts once the organization admits to having a problem.
▶ The Content of Character: Four of the top 10 reputation
decliners during the last five years are in the healthcare sector,
according to data tracked during a five-year period by brand consulting company CoreBrand.
The data is drawn from CoreBrand’s proprietary Corporate
Branding Index, an aggregate measure of 500 companies representing both the size (familiarity) and quality (favorability) of a
company’s brand. The metric is designed to capture the breadth
of, and sentiment toward, a corporate brand. A company’s
ranking is based on its overall score.
Most reputation losses stem from a specific (and nagging)
problem. “Almost all the companies in the top 10 have an identifiable reputation issue that precipitated the decline, either regulatory, financial or legal,” said Jim Gregory, CEO of CoreBrand. PR
managers, of course, are the eyes and ears of any company, and
they have a key role to play in such instances. “Once the cause of
the reputation loss is resolved, the company needs to consciously
and strategically rebuild its brand with a sustained public relations and corporate communications campaign,” Gregory added.
Reputational declines don’t happen overnight. Nor should the
communications efforts designed to reverse the situation and get
the brand back on track (see related story on page one). PRN
Company
Industry
Sector
2013
Rank
2012
Rank
One Year
Variation
2008
Rank
Five Year
Variation
Stryker
Medical Supplies &
Services
Healthcare
468
434
-34
95
-373
Allergan
Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare
438
357
-81
84
-354
AstraZeneca
Pharmaceuticals
Healthcare
412
331
-81
60
-352
PerkinElmer
Scientific and
Photographic Equipment
Industrial
449
402
-47
102
-347
Parker Hannifin
Diversified Industrial
Industrial
475
462
-13
143
-332
Rohm & Haas
Chemicals
Basic
Materials
441
322
-119
113
-328
C.R. Bard
Medical Supplies &
Services
Healthcare
409
429
20
96
-313
Delphi
Automotive LLC
Auto Parts
Consumer
Cyclicals
444
398
-46
175
-269
Omnicom Group
Diversified Financial
Industrial
480
432
-48
218
-262
Franklin
Resources
Diversified Financial
Finance
483
504
21
225
-258
Source: CoreBrand
PR News’ Salary Survey
Chapters include:
The state of salaries, benefits, and job
satisfaction for communications professionals.
❚ Overview and Industry Compensation Trends
❚ Breakouts of Data, By Job Title and Sector
❚ Workplace Insights from PR Leaders
Order your copy at www.prnewsonline.com/Salary-Survey2014
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Find the answers to key questions you may have about jobs, salaries and employment data within the world of public relations.
3
3/13/14 5:30 PM
▶ Case Study
Ignite Puts the Pedal to the Metal for FIAT Brand
Photo courtesy: FIAT
An online quiz turns
into a major PR vehicle
New York Giants’ dramatic
last-second victory over the
New England Patriots. So
that’s where PR stepped in in
order to propel FIAT’s messaging forward.
FIAT turned to Ignite
Social Media to help keep the
news alive while simultaneously engaging users, customers and prospects.
When approaching the
FIAT account, Ignite “took a
multi-channel program leveraging the [Karl] Abarth targets’
intellect, thirst for discovery
and edgier personality,” said
Schanel Moses, social media
project manager at Ignite,
referring to the longtime FIAT
designer who had put together
some of the car company’s
speediest vehicles.
The FIAT brand hadn’t been
sold in the United States for
a few decades, so when it
returned in the States, the
automotive company wanted to
make sure it did so with some
lasting impact. The solution
was an integrated marketing
plan, featuring a Super Bowl
spot supported by digital PR.
The first part of the effort
was to throw a boatload of
dollars at a series of commercials featuring Jennifer Lopez,
as well as a 2012 Super Bowl
commercial with Romanian
model Catrinel Menghia
(which commentators tapped
as the sexiest advertisement of
the night).
REVVING UP
But FIAT didn’t want to get This wasn’t the first time Ignite
lost in the shuffle following the worked with FIAT, but it was
the PR agency’s first crack at
creating a promotion for the
brand. Before this program,
Ignite worked on covering live
events on social platforms and
created a Facebook tab for
Number of referCBS Alternate Routes, a storyrals to FIAT’s Abarth
telling series.
Chrysler Group’s FIAT
website as a result
brand tasked Ignite with genof the PR effort.
erating a program that fostered awareness and purchase
266,000
Each user who joined the “Score a Scorpion” contest could keep track of how
many scorpions he or she had found across the Internet via a personal user
profile landing page, such as the one above.
Don’t Miss the Boat on Social Promotions
Remember when Facebook still let brands
use tabs in a meaningful way? Social
media marketers ran countless promotions
in those days, often to attract new fans.
“Likegate” was introduced into the vernacular and we all wrote case studies on
fan growth.
Today, so much has changed and it is
a more complex world for social media
marketers. But too many brands and organizations have reacted to these changes
by stopping their social promotions altogether. Content marketing—once a fraction of social media marketing—is now
4
seen as the same thing within media precincts. Yes, Oreo’s now famous “Dunk in
the Dark” got a lot of attention, but there’s
so much more at our fingertips.
What you see in our “Score A Scorpion”
promotion (see above) is a campaign
enabling the brand to activate its
fans and followers beyond the like/
share/retweet circle that many live
in. Such promotions help drive traffic
to websites. They help collect email
addresses. At times, they even drive
measurable sales lift. Dunk in the Dark
did none of these things.
prnewsonline.com | 6.16.14
For social media marketing
to continue to justify the
increasing budgets we’ve
been entrusted with, we
need to demonstrate that
Jim Tobin
our discipline can drive business results as well as any other marketing.
Yes, social media is different, but that doesn’t
make it less accountable. Social promotions
are a significant way to show the value of
that fan base we’ve all worked so hard to
accumulate. Let’s not ignore them. This sidebar was written by Jim Tobin, president of Ignite Social Media.
Courtesy: FIAT
consideration for the FIAT 500
Abarth.
The potential audience for
the Abarth was determined
by Ignite to be “intelligent
risk-takers who love the
thrill of discovery,” according
to Moses, so the company
brainstormed ideas to engage
that demo. Ignite designed
an interactive quest via an
app hosted on the FIAT USA
Facebook page.
The contest lasted for
roughly four weeks. Those
involved would be given
clever hints to find the
“hidden” scorpions on both
paid display ads and FIATowned websites.
“We chose scorpions
because it is the logo of the
Abarth,” Moses said. “Karl
Abarth chose the scorpion as
the logo because it is his astrological sign. We didn’t consider
any other possibilities, as the
scorpion is the best representation of the brand.”
Users could only collect up
to eight scorpions. That would
give them the chance to win
an Abarth merchandise prize
pack or one of three new FIAT
500 Abarths.
Cumulative New Registrations
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
2012
2012
2
/201
2/5/
2/19
3/5/
After introducing the “Score a Scorpion” campaign, FIAT added more than 25,000 new registrations to its list in just
one month.
scorpions are masters of adaptation and have been around for
hundreds of millions of years.”
That hint led to the
Twitter account for the nerdy
star of the first Abarth commercial, Matty Roch, who got
to work opposite Romanian
model Menghia: “A little bluebird told us that the keeper of
your next clue is still in shock
SPREAD THE WEALTH
after meeting our scorpion
Hints included the following
face to face. Needless to say,
language that was posted on
National Geographic’s website: he orders his latte with extra
“According to one of the largest froth ever since.”
nonprofit scientific and educaAnother hint was found on
tional institutions in the world,
TopSpeed.com: “Karl Abarth
got his start
with FIAT by
manufacturing
an incredibly
“Chrysler Group’s
popular modification kit for the
FIAT brand tasked
gear and exhaust
terminals of the
Ignite with generating
FIAT Topolino.
a program that fostered
With Abarth,
FIAT has become
awareness and purchase
synonymous with
top speed.”
consideration for the
“Most people
FIAT 500 Abarth.”
went about
finding answers
to the hints by
doing a Google
search or search FIAT USA’s
social platforms,” Moses said.
THE RESULTS
“Our primary goal was to build
awareness and consideration
for the FIAT 500 Abarth,”
Moses added. “Therefore, we
were most concerned with tab
views, new fans, sweepstakes
entries and referrals to fiatusa.
com/abarth.”
One of the keys to making
the program work was using
multiple channels.
“We used the brand’s website
and social platforms, distributed
email to FIAT hand raisers, and
amplified our efforts with media
buys,” Moses said. “And, having
a spot during the Super Bowl
certainly helped.”
Here are some of the more
specific result generated from
the marketing campaign:
• The contest had 25,980
entries, exceeding the original
goal for the plan by 153%.
• More than 60% of entrants
opted into FIAT’s CRM database.
• The program received 1.7 mil-
prnewsonline.com | 6.16.14
lion impressions, which resulted
in more than 266,000 referrals
to FIAT’s Abarth website.
• Score a Scorpion participants
spent a collective 9,000 hours
playing the interactive game.
• While not a primary goal,
the constant engagement
from participants helped
increase the FIAT Facebook
page fan count by 41,000—an
increase of 1,483% in daily
fan growth.
Moses said that to make
such a program work, it is
extremely important to know
your audience well.
She added: “Keep the
consumer front and center.
Build a unique, multi-channel
program around her passions,
and leverage what makes
her tick.” PRN
CONTACT:
Jim Tobin, follow him on
Twitter, @Jtobin;
Schanel Moses, follow her on
Twitter, @Schanel.
5
Culture Club
▶ Page 1
to drive legitimate change, both
internally and externally?
“It’s a medical approach,” said
Jason Maloni, senior VP and
chair of the litigation practice
at LEVICK. “You can cut out
the cancer, but there’s a rehab
program that follows any major
procedure. Both organizations
need to reinvent themselves, and
present new faces and leaders
who will be the standard bearers
of righting the ship and taking
consistent steps to change their
culture,” he added.
NO QUICK FIX
These two examples can be
used to outline broader principles and best practices for
reputation rehab. PR pros
have to pay careful attention to whom the company
is hiring for leadership positions post-scandal, and what
signal that hiring sends to
stakeholders, Maloni said.
Wiping Out Toxic Behaviors
Take it from a boss: We all
report to someone. I figured out long ago that I
work for my staff more than
it works for me. It’s in my
best interests to create a
creative, healthy workplace
environment where my staff
can produce its career-best
work and live a fulfilling life.
That’s what generates ideas
that seemingly defy gravity
and yield happy clients.
Here are three strategies for
dealing with toxic bosses
and inoculating the organization from its harmful ways.
▶ Focus on the behavior, not
the person. Very few of us
are willing to put our heads
on the chopping block and
call out a bad boss by name.
Instead, you should identify the leadership behavior
that is creating a hostile or
6
But it really starts with
something that’s core: Culture.
One mistake that PR pros
need to avoid is thinking that
remedying what was previously a dire situation will take
a few weeks to fix. “It’s not a
new coat of paint,” said Robert
Ludke, executive VP of the
corporate advisory practice at
Hill+Knowlton Strategies. “It
takes a number of years.”
Ludke shared three recommendations for PR pros who
are tasked with changing a corporate culture in the wake of a
serious scandal:
▶ Deploy all media chan-
nels to get the message out.
“What you say is much more
important than how you say it,”
Ludke said. “You don’t have to
worry about awareness among
employees; they can’t get away
from the crisis, so you have to
offer a new path.”
unhealthy work environment.
Don’t name names at this
point. Instead, inventory the
root cause of what’s holding
back the organization from
achieving its goals of financial success, employee productivity, customer loyalty
and competitive success.
Then develop ideas that will
address these flawed leadership behaviors and enhance
the reputation of the organization —in other words, your
big-picture job description.
▶ Find a safe harbor for your
ideas. Now that you have
your well-thought-out
answers to what behaviors
are holding the organization
back, you need to find a
friendly audience to present
your assessment of how to
help the organization be all
that it can be.
First, stay away from human
resources. Truth be told,
owners and C-suite execs
often view HR as the com-
▶ Listening to stakeholders
cannot be underestimated.
“Those in the communications and PR field need to
stress the listening, rather
than one-way communication,” Ludke added.
▶ All hands on deck. “If
GM is going to truly change,
it can’t be just [GM CEO]
Mary Barra alone talking
about change,” Ludke added.
“Everyone needs to talk about
how they are going to improve
the culture.”
LONG HAUL
Another way PR pros can play
a meaningful role in rehabbing
scarred brands is to create a
comprehensive plan to ensure
that communications initiatives do not get stalled at any
middle level, which beset GM,
said David Johnson, CEO of
Strategic Vision.
GM needs a “mechanism in
plaint department every time
it’s too cold, too loud or too
cheap around the office.
Instead, have a nonthreatening conversation with
your immediate superior
regarding your observations
and ideas for enhancing
value. Go to your chief
communications officer. If
you’re the CCO, go to the
general counsel, CFO or
president. Anyone other than
the offending individual.
Stay focused on the leadership behaviors and ideas for
organizational change and
your intentions will be pure.
▶ We all answer to someone.
Make the call. If your efforts
prove ineffective, muster
some courage and identify
the toxic boss by name.
C-suite executives report
to other C-suite executives
or a board of directors.
CFOs report to presidents.
Presidents report to CEOs.
CEOs report to board chairs.
prnewsonline.com | 6.16.14
place” so important information
flows into the right hands, he said.
Indeed, both GM and the
Clippers have to demonstrate a
clear break from the past.
In the case of the Clippers,
its PR pros need to “persuade
fans and sponsors that the team
is about winning and that’s the
culture,” Johnson said. He added
that the team also has to convince stakeholders that Ballmer
has no intention of moving
the club to Seattle (home of
Microsoft). “They need to outline a five-to-ten year vision of
what its doing as a team and
how it’s growing its roots” in Los
Angeles, Johnson said. PRN
CONTACT:
David Johnson, djohnson@
strategicvision.biz; Robert
Ludke, robert.ludke@
hkstrategies.com; Jason Maloni,
[email protected].
And board
chairs report
to boards
of directors,
which have a
responsibility
for (and an
Doug Spong
intolerance
of) ineffective leaders who
create workplace environments that handicap the
success of organizations.
Odds are, you’re not the only
one naming names when it
comes to that bad boss. As
added protection, America offers
so-called whistleblower laws
for employees who lodge complaints against supervisors or
officers of the organization. Legal
shields may help to embolden
your strategy of last resort.
This sidebar was written by Doug
Spong, founder and president
of Spong. He can be reached at
[email protected].
B2B PR
▶ Page 1
in order to make a positive impact on the business.
These are the non-negotiable
“atoms” that must be present
in the “DNA” of the prevailing
agency. Once proof of this
fundamental composition is
found, the client can continue
to look for specific technical
skills and resources.
The hunt is more likely
to be successful—and less
frustrating—when clients agree
that agencies must present their
credentials as suitable partners
first. To understand how the
search process is evolving, we
asked some of the most experienced “matchmakers” guiding
agency reviews today for their
perspective.
Meghan
McDonnell,
Senior VP,
Pile and Co.
Big thinking,
great storytelling and digital
strategy top the list of what
our B2B clients want in a PR
agency. And these priorities are
actually no different than those
of our B2C clients.
So, when it comes to managing PR agency reviews, we
don’t recommend disparate
approaches simply based on a client’s designation of B2B vs. B2C.
In fact, in a recent PR
review for a global B2B
financial-services client,
agency criteria included strategic capabilities, program
measurement and integration
with other client agency partners—all of which you could
find in a B2C review.
Corporate communications led the process and
agency selection culminated
with an evaluation form—as
they might in a B2C process.
This isn’t to say that a PR
agency’s B2B experience is no
longer important to clients.
Knowing how to navigate the
sales channels of complex
organizations or bringing
industry media contacts to the
table remain a priority.
However, we’re now seeing
B2B companies looking for
more than B2B experience
from their PR partners.
Our advice to PR agencies
looking to pitch B2B companies is to demonstrate relevant
experience, as well as how
you collaborate with other
agencies, implement smart
digital strategies and generate
ideas that extend beyond your
natural channels.
“One way to shake up
the search is for B2B
clients to stop basing
their hiring decisions
on a pyramid structure
that initially filters for
narrowly defined skills
and experiences.”
Dan Plachta,
Engagement
Manager,
The Bedford
Group
From a process standpoint,
agency search
among B2B and
B2C marketers is
relatively similar.
Both begin with
an exercise to
build consensus
(across groups/
departments),
move to vet
potential candidates and assess
their relevant skill
sets and end with
how to structure a mutually
beneficial contract with KPIs
to monitor ongoing performance.
The few differences lie
within the process itself. For
instance, B2B searches tend
to involve more expansive,
many times matrixed stakeholder teams and have historically targeted highly specialized, category-equipped
agency candidates.
Although the stakeholder
mix continues to remain
unchanged, B2B marketers are
expanding their agency consideration set to include more
B2C-oriented agencies.
Why? Because while the
ability to dissect a category
intimately and with an insider
perspective is important, creativity is playing a larger role
in B2B marketing.
Corporations are increasingly seeking insight-driven
agency candidates, particularly on the B2C side, to gain
more traction and drive creativity and emotion.
Within our agency search
practice, The Bedford Group
takes a forward-leaning
approach to helping B2B marketers partner with agencies
that can aggressively grow our
clients’ business.
One aspect of our work
is helping traditional B2B
adapt to the new paradigm of
“B2B2C” and create effective
pull strategies.
While not every organization may be ready (or fit)
for the evolution, several of
our clients have been able to
combine innovative creative
with technical prowess and
category skills.
If nothing more, B2B
marketers should determine
the role a more finely honed
creative product plays in their
communications and remain
open to a new approach.
prnewsonline.com | 6.16.14
Mark Sneider,
Owner/president,
RSW/Agency
Search
There is no
reason why B2B and B2C agencies should manage their search
processes differently when
looking for a new agency.
But there is a tendency to
(or at least want to), which we
try and not let them do.
I have seen B2B companies
want to dial down into more
of the tactical elements of
an agency’s thinking versus
seeing what an agency can do
from a strategic standpoint.
B2C companies seem to
have a better handle on finding
agencies that can build campaign platforms that can tie
the platforms to sound businesss strategies.
There seems to be less of
this on the B2B side, where it’s
more about the idea and not
the seed from which it came.
I have also seen B2B agencies—when in the early stages
of a search (e.g. RFI)—be more
concerned about the functional
aspects of the relationships.
These aspects include who
an agency has worked with
versus digging deeper into the
relevancy of its experience.
They also include the degree
to which the agency can demonstrate to the potential client
that its thinking about the organization—and not just present
a dog-and-pony show about the
agency. PRN
CONTACT:
Mary Buhay is VP of
marketing and business
development at Gibbs &
Soell. She can be reached
at mbuhay@gibbs-soell.
com; Megan McDonnell,
mmcdonnell@pileandcompany.
com; Dan Plachta, dplachta@
bedfordgroupconsulting.com;
Mark Sneider, [email protected].
7
▶ Tip Sheet
A Remedy for Media Relations Couples Counseling
Life—and PR—tastes
much better in person
“I can’t begin to tell you how
much fun I’m having. You get
what I want. You get what I’m
trying to do. And I can trust
you to follow through on what
you promised. You’re not like
all the others who only think
about what’s in it for them.
This is going to be a great relationship.” If you had overheard
this conversation in that restaurant a couple months ago,
chances are you would have
smirked and thought that new
love was about to blossom.
You’d be half-right—it was
love not in the romantic sense,
but in the forming of a meaningful partnership with one of
the top editors covering the
healthcare industry.
We were putting the relationship component back into media
relations. And it felt amazing.
For the two decades that I’ve
been a part of the PR profession,
Watch the
movie Her for
what not to do
in your media
relations.
I’ve watched and played a part
in accelerating how quickly we
can transmit information. How
rapidly we can receive and react
to changes across the city and
around the world. How easily we
can communicate with countless
people in a very short period.
TRUE STORIES
It’s a way of life that’s astonishing, exhilarating and
powerful. Yet it’s becoming
dangerous. Many of us are confusing true human-to-human
relationships with digital
transactions—a check the box,
“let’s get this done and move
on” mentality.
The result is an erosion of
the give-and-take approach
between PR professionals and
their most valued journalists.
However, we’re facing the
same syndrome from our
other halves in this dysfunctional relationship.
I see more and more journalists bypass interviews with
experts who can offer great
insight and commentary in
favor of copying-and-pasting
from provided materials.
They’re under pressure to
produce more content, feed
content to more channels and
hit the repeat button—something that’s easy to do with a
stream of fact sheets, bylined
stories, quotes, infographics,
photos, suggested social media
posts and video packages.
One of my senior interns
was incredulous a few days ago
when a respected media outlet’s
feature story was almost a complete pick-up of her pitch and
news release. Get used to it, but
please don’t embrace it.
We can do better. We need to
do better. We need to find a way to
build true relationships once again.
THE CRUX OF THE ISSUE
“How did we let the value of
relationships slip off the map?”
asked a seasoned PR pros when
I brought up the subject. He
surmised it was the fault of
senior managers who assume
that middle managers are up
to the task of instilling the
principle into new recruits, and
middle managers who are too
frantic with their own list of
deliverables to care. He called it
the “PR crouch.” Ouch.
That may play a role, but
there’s more at the root of
the issue.
For the managers and mentors
among us, we need to encourage
our teams to become even more
focused on what—and who—
truly matters. Trying to do it all
becomes a fruitless exercise with
diminishing returns.
Can it be as easy as picking
up the phone versus sending
an email? Hopping on the train
or plane for an in-person lunch
instead of sending an endless
stream of texts? It’s not the complete solution, but it’s a start.
By Mike McDougall
Sometimes,
just showing up
makes all the difference. During
my in-house days, I visited
Sydney for a one-day meeting,
and found myself making a day
trip to Amsterdam—all in the
name of demonstrating that
being at the table in person was
more important than convenience. Extreme? Maybe, but
the outcomes of both trips were
rapid and powerful.
Do yourself a favor. Watch
Her, the powerful Spike Jonze
movie that won an Oscar this
year for Best Original Screenplay.
Clear the deck and watch
Theodore, played by Joaquin
Phoenix, date and then fall in
love with an operating system
of the future.
Then ask yourself if you’re
doing the same with your media
partners, hiding behind the bits
and bytes of glowing screens
and ultra-fast connections.
We’re not going to slow the
changing nature of communication, but we can guide its path. As
the pace quickens, relationships
matter even more. Life tastes
better in person. Savor it. PRN
CONTACT:
Mike McDougall is president of
McDougall Communications.
He can be reached at mike@
mcdougallpr.com. Follow him
on Twitter, @McDougallPR.
PRNews’
Best PR Advice Book
Your guide to personal and professional success.
From advice on advancing your career, managing employees, mitigating crises,
leveraging social media and boosting brand leadership, this book is filled with
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8
prnewsonline.com | 6.16.14
24013
TOP
Places to
Work in PR
Entry Deadline: June 13, 2014 | Final Deadline: June 20, 2014
ENTER TODAY AT: www.prnewsonline.com/topplaces2014
ENTER YOUR CORPORATION, AGENCY
OR ASSOCIATION TODAY!
If you work at a PR agency, or for a communications/PR/public affairs department within a corporation,
nonprofit, association or NGO, then PR News is seeking your entry for its 2014 class of Top Places to Work in PR.
The winners and honorable mentions in each category (agency, corporation, nonprofit/association/NGO) will be
announced at an awards event in Fall 2014, and will be highlighted in a special feature on PR News’ site.
Winners will be selected by PR News editors, an outside panel of industry experts and your peers.
Who Should Enter?
If you work at a PR agency, or for a communications/PR/public affairs department within a corporation, nonprofit,
association or NGO, then you should enter PR News’ Top Places to Work in PR Awards program.
Respondents are not required to answer all questions to be considered (except where indicated), but we encourage
you to provide as much information as possible so that we can evaluate each submission fairly and accurately. Both
domestic and international organizations are eligible and will be judged according to the category. Please note that
the names and identities of all nominators will remain confidential, but the information provided will be used for
judging purposes and for coverage on PR News Online.
Eligibility Requirements
Judges will review each organization’s synopsis specific to 2013 though June 2014. Workplace culture and career
advancement opportunities over a period of time will be considered.
R
E
T
N
E
AY!
D
O
T
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ENTERING, CONTACT AWARDS COORDINATOR,
Saun Sayamongkhun | [email protected] | 301.354.1694
www.prnewsonline.com/topplaces2014
23244
July 15 | NYC
GOOGLE Boot Camp
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Early bird rate ends June 19
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Measuring Your Progress with Google Analytics
Trevor Martin - The Nature Conservancy
Google Trends and Databoard: Using Data to
Tell Your Story
Jeremy Rosenberg - Allison + Partners
Embracing Visual Storytelling on YouTube
Mike Samec - Gibbs & Soell
Business Communications
Advertising on Google: How to Make it
Work for Your Brand
Adam Singer - Google
Starting a Conversation with Google Hangouts
www.googlebootcamp2014.com/